The multi-layered narrative of the new horror ‘The Cabin in the Woods’ required fully imagined, distinct designs for the film’s primary settings: the cabin and the control room. “They’re very different looks, almost from different movies,” explains production designer Martin Whist. “So for me the range that we went through on this film was phenomenal. Each one needed to be very distinct in order to keep it fresh and keep the audience surprised.”

Whist and the filmmakers created an authentic “California Gold Rush/post-Civil War” cabin after doing extensive photo research, while the control room was developed into a high-tech environment with “a NASA, Houston 1970s sort of vibe.”

“It was important to me that everything felt real even when we get ridiculous and over the top,” says director Drew Goddard. “I wanted the visuals to show restraint and elegance to them, so that when things go surreal, the movie still feels grounded.”

Costume designer Shawna Trpcic echoed the contrast between the rustic cabin and the sleek control room with specific color codes for the teenagers and the adults. “The kids are very bright and jovial,” Trpcic says. “But for the control room, I actually used a picture from a 1950s nuclear war plant as a primary reference. It had all the different castes that work within the nuclear plant, from the scientists to the lab workers.”

When it came to the film’s numerous special effects, Goddard and his writing partner Joss Whedon tried to avoid CGI effects whenever possible. “No matter how good digital effects are, you can’t beat a creature that’s really there. You can’t beat something that actually exists in front of you,” declares Goddard. “So the rule was always, ‘If we can make it, we’re gonna make it.’ And that guided everything that we did. It forced everyone to be more creative and I think the movie benefits from that aesthetic.”

Now that the film has been released, Goddard and Whedon have a moment to contemplate their work before the Whedonites and legions of genre fans light up the Internet with reviews. “I’m happiest that it is so close to what we originally intended,” says Goddard. “This is a movie that could so easily have been killed by the Hollywood system, and it says a lot about the strength of my producer that we never had to compromise our vision.”

“‘The Cabin in the Woods’ really is what Drew and I set out to write,” agrees Whedon. “Our intention was to create a two-hour experience that felt familiar to horror fans like us, but then flips it on its head, sending everyone into a fun tailspin.”

And what should horror fans, or Joss Whedon fans, expect from the film? Drew Goddard smiles. “You’re gonna see some things that you’ve never seen before in your life,” he says. “And you won’t believe some of the places we take you. But it’ll be fun. Also bloody and angry and horrific. That too. But mostly fun.”

Image Courtesy of    The Cabin in the Woods

Share This

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

About the author

Claudia Sondergaard
Specialised in American foreign policy media discourse, I have a real passion for media and writing and feel comfortable in subjects such as human rights, politics, environment, social issues, movies, TV and books. Reporting from Denmark. Follow me @swirlgirlversus

Related Posts

‘The Cabin in the Woods’: Don’t Treat Audiences as Idiots

Sprung from the fertile imaginations of cult filmmakers Joss Whedon (“Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” “Dollhouse,” the upcoming ‘The Avengers’) and Drew Goddard (‘Cloverfield’, “Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” “Angel,”...

Joss Whedon’s ‘Cabin’ Attracted Desired Charismatic Veterans

Five friends go to a remote cabin in the woods. Bad things happen. If you think you know this story, think again. From fan favorites Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard comes ‘The Cabin in the Woods’, a mind blowing horror film...

Casting ‘The Cabin in the Woods’ – A Difficult Task

In order to protect the story and its secrets from being revealed in the blogosphere, the script to the horror thrill ‘The Cabin in the Woods’ was kept under tight wraps and the filmmakers wrote fake sides when auditioning...