The Cabin in the Woods (2011)

Five friends go for a break at a remote cabin, where they get more than they bargained for, discovering the truth behind the cabin in the woods.

Director:

Drew Goddard

Writers:

Joss Whedon, Drew Goddard

Stars:

Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison

20 wins & 34 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kristen Connolly	...	Dana
Chris Hemsworth	...	Curt
Anna Hutchison	...	Jules
Fran Kranz	...	Marty
Jesse Williams	...	Holden
Richard Jenkins	...	Sitterson
Bradley Whitford	...	Hadley
Brian White	...	Truman
Amy Acker	...	Lin
Tim DeZarn	...	Mordecai
Tom Lenk	...	Ronald The Intern
Dan Payne	...	Mathew Buckner
Jodelle Ferland	...	Patience Buckner
Dan Shea	...	Father Buckner
Maya Massar	...	Mother Buckner

Storyline

Five teenagers head off for a weekend at a secluded cabin in the woods. They arrive to find they are quite isolated with no means of communicating with the outside world. When the cellar door flings itself open, they of course go down to investigate. They find an odd assortment of relics and curios, but when one of the women, Dana, reads from a book, she awakens a family of deadly zombie killers. However, there's far more going on than meets the eye.

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Plot Keywords:

lovecraftian | torture chamber | bare chested male | cabin in the woods | explosive demolition | 

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Taglines:

If the basement door swings open... go down there.

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Genres:

Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong bloody horror violence and gore, language, drug use and some sexuality/nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

The failed rituals from other countries are references to various classic movies and monsters. The Kyoto ritual is a reference to Ringu (The Ring). Buenos Aires ritual is a reference to King Kong. The Stockholm ritual is a reference to John Carpenter's The Thing. The Madrid reference appears to reference Dracula.

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Goofs

Blood trickles down into the carvings whenever (the showrunners believe) someone dies, but the Ancient Gods know anyway who's alive and who isn't. This means there is absolutely no point to the carvings in the sacrifice room, or even to the whole room altogether.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Hadley: It's... hormonal. Yeah, I don't... usually fall back on, you know, it's-it's women's issues, but...
Sitterson: But child-proofed how? Gates and stuff?
Hadley: Dude, she did the drawers. We don't even know if this whole fertility thing's gonna work. She screwed in these little jobbies where you can't even open the drawers.
Sitterson: At all?
Hadley: No. They open, you know, like an inch, then you gotta dig your finger in. I mean, it's a nightmare.
Sitterson: I guess sooner or later...
Hadley: Yeah, well, a *lot* later. She did the *upper* ...
[...]

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Horror Movies That Were Way Better Than We Expected (2020)

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Soundtracks

Crazy World
Written by Ladyhawke and Jim Eliot (as James Eliot)
Performed by Ladyhawke
Courtesy of Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd.
Under license from Universal Music Enterprise

User Reviews

Original cliché

If you are a fan of art drama or you simply don't like the horror genre, I can understand if you hated this. But for every true fan of horror, with at least a basic knowledge of at least cult horrors through the history of the genre, this should be a real joy. "The Cabin in the Woods" is a weird movie that can not be precisely genre determined. It gathers horror ideas seen countless times and turns them upside-down. Nothing in this movie is new, but the greatest thing about it is its ability to make something very original using totally outworn horror cliches. This is a parody and homage at the same time. It is a funny-scary movie with great visuals and even better dialogues and one-liners, and its pace and twists (even the predictable ones) will not let you get bored even for a minute. And the final revelation is at the same time one of the most ridiculous and one of the most awesome things I have ever seen on the big screen. It is not a masterpiece, but it is a real gem and I loved it.

8/10

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Japanese

Release Date:

13 April 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Cabin in the Woods

Filming Locations:

British Columbia Institute of Technology - Aerospace Technology Campus, Vancouver International Airport, 3800 Cessna Drive, Richmond, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$14,743,614, 15 April 2012

Gross USA:

$42,073,277

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$69,935,600

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lionsgate, Mutant Enemy, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS Dolby Surround 7.1 Dolby Atmos (UHD Blu-ray version)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.40 : 1