The Cabin in the Woods (2011)

The Cabin in the Woods (2011) is a smart, subversive horror-thriller that starts like a familiar teen-slasher and gradually peels back layers into something darker, stranger and very clever. Five friends head to a remote cabin for a weekend getaway and, after discovering a locked cellar full of odd relics, quickly find themselves stalked by increasingly gruesome and supernatural threats. On the surface it delivers the expected tension, jump scares and grisly set pieces of a classic horror film. But the movie runs a parallel storyline in an underground, industrial control facility where two technicians monitor — and manipulate — the events at the cabin. That juxtaposition reframes the action into a meta-commentary on horror conventions and audience expectations: the film both honors and satirizes the genre as it steadily reveals the true, sinister purpose behind what’s happening in the woods. Watching this film is an experience of shifting tones. You’ll get suspense and gore, sudden shocks and a steady sense of dread, but also sharp, frequently dark humor and surprising plot turns that force you to reevaluate what you thought you knew. The Cabin in the Woods is equal parts scary, witty and inventive — a horror movie that makes you laugh, wince, and think about why you watch horror in the first place.

Actors: Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison

Director: Drew Goddard

Runtime: 95 min

Genres: Horror, Mystery, Thriller

72 /100 7.0 /10 7.1 /10