SPLICED Magazine Issue 01 Oct/Nov 2013 | Page 107

The Cabin in the Woods The fact that Whedon and Buffy/Angel collaborator (and first-time director) Goddard wrote this in 3 days doesn’t make it any less great; in fact, it’s pretty fucking impressive. What’s essentially a classic roadtrip gone wrong setup is early on sidelined into a paranormal science fiction gorefest hybrid. The beauty of it is in the Whedon/Goddard staple; taking a by-the-book formula and giving it horns. Add to this some studio gloss and you have what is a surprisingly great watch. No matter what tickles you in the horror genre, it’s somehow represented here, without detracting from it just being a fun blood-and-guts fliek. With references to 1984, Scooby Doo, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and even Blade; they’ve managed to make schlock smart - and that’s something to scream about. Ginger Snaps The werewolf genre is a tricky one. The idea is great, but the resulting movies created have mostly been really cruddy. Where Wolfman/Red Riding Hood/Wolf/Twilight have gotten it wrong, Ginger Snaps kicks ass. The story of Ginger gone feral, and her sister who tries to clean up the mess. The synopsis: your sister’s a bitch. Ringu The original Japanese horror on which The Ring was based. Being Japanese, and as with most originals, especially in a foreign language - it’s just way creepier without the American lacquer. Stop watching TV – go outside and do stuff. House of Wax The Cabin In The Woods almost never saw the light of day, and was one of two films featuring Chris Hemsworth that had been filmed in 2009, but not released until 2012, the other being Red Dawn. The original 1953 House of Wax (now nearunwatchable thanks to great advancements in screen performance and the creation of CGI in its entirety) was a story about an idealistic wax artist burned alive with his creations by his greedy benefactor, then turned vengeful. The remake was mostly targeted at everyone wanting to watch Paris Hilton add wax to the numerous things she’s had pumped inside her. Still fun; now that no-one gives a shit about Paris, it loses its cred and just becomes another half-arsed remake of what was once an original premise. feature / movies / movie list of horror! 107