Bradley Whitford’s Steve Hadley makes The Cabin in the Woods scarier by treating murder like an office job. The snarky, bureaucratic puppet-master’s casual attitude toward orchestrating death is both hilarious and dark.
Whitford’s Steve Hadley watches college kids face death in The Cabin in the Woods while he and his coworkers place bets on which monster they’ll encounter. From his seat in an underground control room, their terror is another shift to get through.
Hadley runs the operation alongside Gary Sitterson, played by Richard Jenkins. They manipulate the cabin’s environment and pump drugs into the air to steer the kids through a ritual meant to satisfy the Ancient Ones. Every adjustment helps turn a group of people into the sacrifices their employers need.
Whitford and Jenkins give those scenes the easy rhythm of coworkers who’ve spent years together. Work complaints and dry jokes carry on alongside the killing. Even a call with the Harbinger, who warns the kids about the danger, becomes a speakerphone gag.
Hadley brings his own wish list to the job: he’s especially eager to see a merman. The office betting pool gives him and his colleagues something to enjoy while they arrange other people’s deaths.
