Print DVD Shopping Bag: Cabin in the Woods Blu-ray

I had first heard about Cabin in the Woods at Comic Con. That is, Comic Con of 2010. Joss Whedon and JJ Abrams were at Entertainment Weekly’s Visionaries panel (see coverage here) discussing their next up and coming projects. Whedon was asked if Cabin in the Woods would be in 3D. He had no answer as the studio, MGM, was in a financial crisis. I knew of their problems, but didn’t realize the severity of their “crisis”. As it would turn out, Cabin in the Woods was finished; it was just sitting there, waiting. This amazed me as here you have a product, a built-in audience (Whedonites), and, with the right release date, a profitable weekend. Once I learned that The Hobbit and the next Bond film were also having issues (at MGM), I knew this little horror movie wasn’t going to see a darkened theater any time soon.

Let us now jump to the summer of 2012. It should better be known as the summer when Joss Whedon’s existence reached further than his Whedonites. It was what would become a one-two punch with Whedon’s Cabin in the Woods being the first Whedon project to land big with audiences in the spring/ summer of 2012. The payoff punch was The Avengers.

I was skeptic when I saw the original trailer for Cabin in the Woods. It did look just like every other horror movie I had seen before with the same moniker. The film being long delayed was one hook for me. I wanted to see what all the hubbub was about. The other hook was Whedon. Those trailers for The Avengers looked promising. Being a fan of Firefly, I knew he could tell a story with a group of people. I am not a Whedonite per se, but I respected the man enough to see his little horror flick.

After I walked out of the theater, I wanted the Blu-ray more than anything. I wanted to freeze frame and zoom in like never before. There was just so much to see, analyze, and discuss. Here was a film that embraced the genre, yet spun a tale that was completely new. There are not many films that I cannot wait to watch the special features of, but this was definitely one of them.

The commentary features Director and Co-Screenwriter Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon dishing about the trials and tribulations of the film. It really was a dream project for Goddard who through the kitchen sink into his directorial debut. “We Are Not Who We Are: The Making of Cabin in the Woods” features interviews and on-set visits from the cast and crew. With such a small budget and tight shooting schedule, it’s a wonder that there was any kind of behind the scenes footage at all. The interviews reveal the writing process (as does the WonderCon 2012 Q&A) that Whedon and Goddard used. A bit unconventional by today’s standards, but the result is up on the screen. The “making of” does reveal that there are 100 monsters in the film and about 70 zombies/ mutants as well. It also revealed that Sigourney Weaver may have a werewolf fetish. However, it was was a simple t-shirt bought at Comic Con that told Whedon that they had to make Cabin in the Woods.

The “Secret Stash” and “Hi, My Name is Joss and I’ll be your Guide” are two great short behind the scenes looks at props and the cabin set. Whedon seems to being having more fun than any producer should. One only hopes that he has another tour like this on next week’s Avengers Blu-ray. “The Secret Stash” does dive into the complexity of Marty’s paraphernalia and how each little detail was explained and explored. Actor Fran Kranz stumbles through this interview and it’s worth it to see him not admit to using any of these things, ever.

“An Army of Nightmares” and “Primal Terrors” are the true treats here as the special effect teams take you through their process. It turns out they wanted to use practical monsters whenever possible. Their biggest issue was the actual shooting location. It was much bigger than they anticipated. In essence, they had to fill the space and that meant creating a Dragon-Bat, a Giant Snake, and so fourth, digitally. Dave and Heather Anderson really allow you into the brilliant artistry and story behind their work and how this may never happen again in Hollywood.

Special Features on Blu-rays and DVDs usually are prepackaged tripe that you have already seen on Entertainment Tonight and on HBO’s First Look. They are all part of the marketing machine. I get that and I understand the nature of the beast. This time, it seemed as if this labor of love had a lot of compassionate filmmakers behind it. People who wanted to tell the best story possible and entertain themselves, as well as all of us. Congrats, you did!

Brawler BD/DVD Combo Starring Nathan Grubbs, Marc Senter, Pell James and Bryan Batt

Savage Streets (2 disc remastered edition) Starring Linda Blair, John Vernon, Robert Dryer and Linnea Qyigley

Fafner: Complete Series (Blu-ray/DVD Combo) Starring Makoto Ishii, Kohei Kiyasu and Marika Matsumoto

King of Thorn (Blu-ray/DVD Combo) Starring Luci Christian, Brina Palencia and Alexis Tipton

Persona 4: Collection 1 [Blu-ray] Starring Ami Koshimizu, Daisuke Namikawa, Showtaro Morikubo

Persona 4: Collection 1 Starring Ami Koshimizu, Daisuke Namikawa, Showtaro Morikubo

Tower Of Druaga: Box Set S.A.V.E. Starring Todd Haberkorn, J. Michael Tatum and Travis Willingham

A Star Is Born Starring Janet Gaynor, Frederic March, Adolphe Menjou and May Robson

Battle Circus Starring Humphrey Bogart, June Allyson, Keenan Wynn and Robert Keith

The Most Dangerous Game Starring Joel McCrea, Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong and Leslie Banks

Children of Paradise (Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] Starring Arletty, Jean-Louis Barrault, Pierre Brasseur

The Game (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] Starring Michael Douglas, Sean Penn, Deborah Kara Unger

The Game (Criterion Collection) Starring Michael Douglas, Sean Penn, Deborah Kara Unger

Les visiteurs du soir (Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] Starring Arletty, Marie Dea, Fernand Ledoux and Alain Cuny

Les visiteurs du soir (Criterion Collection) Starring Arletty, Marie Dea, Fernand Ledoux and Alain Cuny

Bait 3D [Two-Disc Combo: Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD] Starring Phoebe Tonkin, Julian McMahon, Xavier Samuel

The Cabin In The Woods [Blu-ray + Digital Copy] Starring Richard Jenkins, Jesse Williams and Chris Hemsworth

The Cabin In The Woods [DVD + Digital Copy] Starring Chris Hemsworth, Kristen Connolly

Devil's Advocate [Blu-ray] Starring Keanu Reeves, Al Pacino, Charlize Theron and Jeffrey Jones

Dracula Blows His Cool (1979) Starring Gianni Garko, Betty VergÃ..s and Giacomo Rizzo

Halloween II (Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray / DVD] Starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence

Halloween II (Collector's Edition) Starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence

Halloween III: Season of the Witch (Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray] Starring Tom Atkins, Stacey Nelkin and Dan O'Herlihy

Halloween III: Season of the Witch (Collector's Edition) Starring Tom Atkins, Stacey Nelkin and Dan O'Herlihy

Hatchet For The Honeymoon: Remastered Edition [Blu-ray] Starring Stephen Forsyth and Laura Betti

Hatchet For The Honeymoon: Remastered Edition Starring Stephen Forsyth and Laura Betti

Lisa and The Devil / The House of Exorcism: Remastered Edition [Blu-ray] Starring Telly Savalas and Elke Sommer

Night of the Demons [Blu-ray] Starring Edward Furlong
Puppet Master Starring William Hickey and Paul Le Mat

Queen of the Damned [Blu-ray] Starring Stuart Townsend, Aaliyah, Marguerite Moreau

Avenging Force: The Scarab Starring Mark Courneyea, Alix Pasquet, John E. McLenachan

Get A Life: The Complete Series Starring Chris Elliot, Robin Riker and Bob Elliot

Modern Family: The Complete Third Season Starring Ed O'Neill, Julie Bowen, Sofia Vergara and Ty Burrell

Rawhide: The Complete Fifth Season Starring James Murdock, Eric Fleming, Clint Eastwood

Rawhide: The Fifth Season, Vol. 1 Starring James Murdock, Eric Fleming, Clint Eastwood

Rawhide: The Fifth Season, Vol. 2 Starring James Murdock, Eric Fleming, Clint Eastwood

Supernatural: The Complete Seventh Season Starring Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles

Supernatural: The Complete Seventh Season [Blu-ray] Starring Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles

Suburgatory: The Complete First Season Starring Jeremy Sisto, Alan Tudyk and Cheryl Hines

Whiplash: The Complete Series Starring Peter Graves, Anthony Wickert and Robert Tudawali

Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures [Blu-ray] Starring Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman

DVD Shopping Bag: Cabin in the Woods Blu-ray (Mania.com)