“Cabin in the Woods” seemed like it was going to be a genuine genre gem. The horror flick, which has been shrouded in secrecy (besides some hilarious Comic Con posters that said stuff like “If something is chasing you… Split up.”), was co-written by “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” braintrust Joss Whedon and “Cloverfield” scribe Drew Goddard, with Goddard also directing. Goddard was also responsible for some of the best later-year “Buffy” episodes as well as some choice hours of “Lost” (including the first season “Outlaws,” when Sawyer was terrorized by the boar). They are both very smart dudes, and the cast, rounded out by youngsters like “Dollhouse” actor Fran Kranz as well as veterans like Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford, was fairly solid.
We heard the studio was very happy with it, that there were a bunch of big tie-ins planned, etc. And now comes word from Shock Till You Drop that the movie has been bumped by the studio – by a full year! The film was supposed to be out on February 5th, 2010 and will now bow on January 14th, 2011. That’s a huge fucking bump.
The official reason given is that they want to spend a good six months to convert the movie into 3D. To which we say – WHY? The movie wasn’t conceived in 3D. Is 3D really that important to sell tickets? If the movie played so well in 2D, which, supposedly, it did, then the 3D seems beyond superfluous. Are they going to add new scenes of somebody playing with a yoyo into the camera? These are the questions begging to be answered.
Again: as soon as this 3D horror boom ends, we’ll be happy. How many times have you found yourself revisiting “Jaws 3D” or “Amityville 3D?” Exactly. And this summer’s “The Final Destination” killed a seemingly unstoppable and clever horror franchise with an overdose of cheesy ‘shit flying at you,’ that rendered anything that wasn’t flying at you beyond dull.
We find this whole “Cabin in the Woods” thing a bit odd, especially since its been getting nothing but great buzz. And we bet our good friends at Chronicle Books, who had two lavish tie-in titles ready to go for the film’s release, are seething at this announcement. Also, for a movie that’s done such a good job at keeping itself secret, how long is that going to last if they’re going to tinker with it for another year? The great thing about “Cloverfield” was that it was about six months between the first teaser and the movie’s release, which didn’t quell the rampant online speculation but at least didn’t give it as much time to get out of control. Expect geek sites to have a field day with this thing… for a whole ‘nother year. [ShockTilYour Drop] – Drew Taylor