So are you excited about “The Cabin In The Woods” yet?
I think Lionsgate is doing a good job with a difficult situation. They picked the film up from MGM because they believe in it, and they’ve been very clear about that since they first started reaching out to press last year. They have also been very clear from the start that they recognize just how hard it is to sell this movie without giving away so much of what makes it great.
Ultimately, a good film is more than just the sum of its secrets, and “The Cabin In The Woods” is a film that plays even better once you watch it a second time. The film is loaded with tiny details that pay off in a whole different way the second time around. I suspect that horror fans will see the film many times, just to dissect all the things that Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard have layered into it.
We feel strongly that this is a word of mouth movie, and the only way that works is if you guys get a chance to see it. We’d like to make that happen. Today, Lionsgate is announcing screenings in a number of different cities, each one sponsored by a different site. HitFix is pleased to be sponsoring the Philadelphia screening, and all you need to do to RSVP is head over to the film’s official Facebook page, where you would select “Philadelphia” as your city of choice. When prompted to enter your PIN, use “CITW-HITFIX,” and then just follow the onscreen instructions.
Each screening should have someone special in attendance, and for our screening, that’s Fran Kranz, who plays Marty, the stoner of the group. “The Cabin In The Woods” deals largely in stereotype and the traditions of the genre, and Kranz manages to find his own way to bring to life a character we’ve seen in dozens of different films before.
If you do go, please spread the word about the film afterwards. That’s the entire point of doing a word of mouth event like this. Just remember when you do, there are things you won’t want to reveal, things that every viewer deserves to discover for themselves.
And just in case you need a little more convincing, here’s my review once again, as well as a link to the live-chat I hosted with Whedon and Goddard during SXSW.
“The Cabin In The Woods” arrives in theaters April 13, 2012.