Connect with us

Editorials

[Butcher Block] An All Out Monster Mash of Creature Mayhem in ‘The Cabin in the Woods’

Published

on

cabin in the woods 4k steelbook

Butcher Block is a weekly series celebrating horror’s most extreme films and the minds behind them. Dedicated to graphic gore and splatter, each week will explore the dark, the disturbed, and the depraved in horror, and the blood and guts involved. For the films that use special effects of gore as an art form, and the fans that revel in the carnage, this series is for you.

Director Drew Goddard’s sophomore effort, Bad Times at El Royale, comes six years after his fantastic debut effort, which in itself was held up for years due to studio bankruptcy issues. That feature debut, which he co-wrote with Joss Whedon, quickly shot to the top of beloved modern horror comedy classics thanks to clever writing, a meta dissection of horror tropes, and an insane amount of blood and creature effects. Considering Bad Times at El Royale is just weeks away from release, now seems like a perfect excuse to revisit The Cabin in the Woods.

As if we really needed a reason.

A simple premise, in which five friends find more than they bargained for when traveling to a remote cabin in the woods, is turned into so much more thanks to Whedon and Goddard’s script. Those five friends are unwittingly part of a grand sacrifice, forced to choose the form of their destruction from a pantheon of monsters locked away beneath the land on which their cabin sits. Though they select the Buckner family, or more lovingly the Zombie Redneck Torture Family, the audiences get a bloody taste of every imaginable creature and monster by the final act when all hell breaks loose.

Seeing just how insanely bloody the final act is, and the number of creatures loosed upon the underground facility, it’s a pleasant surprise that The Cabin in the Woods went mostly practical. Goddard and Whedon tapped David LeRoy Anderson (2004’s Dawn of the Dead, The Exorcist and American Horror Story TV series) and his company AFX Studios to handle the design and special makeup effects. At the peak of the special makeup effects teams’ production, there were 75 crew members working hard at creating the blood, gore, and monsters of the film. Just about every major film and monster received an homage in The Cabin in the Woods.

While nearly every monster gets a brief moment in the spotlight, from zombies to horrifically toothy ballerinas to violent unicorns, the creature with the biggest payoff in the film is that of the Merman. All Steve Hadley (Bradley Whitford) wants in the film is for someone to choose the Merman as their destructor. The adage “Be careful what you wish for” comes full circle as his wish is granted in his final moments.

The Merman was a combination of special makeup effects artist Joseph Pepe’s design, puppeteer Hiroshi Katagari’s sculpture and paint job, and Richard Cetrone’s performance. Cetrone also played the Werewolf, but that character wasn’t nearly as cumbersome as the Merman. Anderson’s contribution to the creation of the Merman? The blood-spewing blowhole. It wasn’t initially part of the script, but Anderson’s suggestion that the blood spew from the monster’s blowhole once he bites down on Steve was met with enthusiasm by Goddard. Being that this was practically handled, Goddard could really only get one shot of the Merman spurting blood from his blow hole as the set was drenched after and impossible to clean up. So, Goddard had the effects team hook the monster up to the largest batch of fake blood they could find, and it spews a steady geyser of blood upward out of the blowhole.

Cetrone endured hours of makeup to get into character, often curling up into fetal position and napping while the makeup team transformed him into the Merman. He then had to be carried via stretcher to set thanks to the lack of mobility. The effort poured into the practical effects is just one (albeit major) part of this film’s enduring charm. There’s a ton of bloody reasons this film is a fun watch, but the payoff between Steve Hadley and his monstrous Merman ranks high among them.

Horror journalist, RT Top Critic, and Critics Choice Association member. Co-Host of the Bloody Disgusting Podcast. Has appeared on PBS series' Monstrum, served on the SXSW Midnighter shorts jury, and moderated horror panels for WonderCon and SeriesFest.

Editorials

‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel

Published

on

leprechaun returns

The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.

The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.

Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.

LEPRECHAUN

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).

It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.

The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.

LEPRECHAUN RETURNS sequel

Pictured: Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, and Sai Bennett as Lila, Katie and Rose in Leprechaun Returns.

The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.

Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.

Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.


Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.

The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.

Leprechaun Returns movie

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

Continue Reading