The Definition of Weird and Cabin in the Woods

    Weird. Weird is a hard word to define. Dictionary.com believes that weird is an adjective that means, “involving or suggesting the supernatural; unearthly or uncanny”. It could also mean “fantastic, bizarre”, or (archaically) it means “concerned with or controlling fate or destiny. However, whenever that word is used today, it doesn’t seem to quite fit any of these definitions. The “new weird” is no exception.

     My teacher defined the new weird as a work in horror that has larger intents. It is more than formulaic; in fact, it uses the formula to say something bigger. One of the most poignant examples of this is the movie Cabin in the Woods. (And no, this is not because I think Joss Whedon is a god)

     For the length of the entire movie, the characters are trying to create the most stereotypical “horror movie scenario”. You see that they make a living out of it, forcing the unsuspecting teens to fulfill all of the clichés. In this way, the characters are trying to create the formulaic horror movie. The “something bigger” comes with the why. Why are they creating this cliché? It is to appease the Ancient Ones. The beings from below who will destroy the entire earth if humans do not sacrifice other humans. The best part is the end. They fail to meet the Ancient Ones’ expectations and the entire earth is destroyed.

     Let’s look a little deeper. This movie does a wonderful job making fun at the horror genre, while still technically being within it. It also serves as a poignant message to stop the horror movie clichés. The “Ancient Ones” actually represent the audience. The audience wants all of the typical horror movie stereotypes, and if these are fulfilled, we are pleased. However, the audience becomes angry if these conditions are not met and will trash the film because of this. Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard are trying to tell audiences that we need do away with all of the stereotypes and look for new, fresh takes on horror.

Again, hard to find a puppy for this subject so enjoy this completely unrelated photo.