Drew Goddard’s 2012 horror-comedy classic,The Cabin in the Woods, is stacked with references and Easter eggs to some of the best horror media out there. Releasing at a time when the horror genre seemed to burn out, with its golden years behind them,The Cabin in the Woodsaimed to revitalize the genre. To many, they had succeeded, creating a horror film which was different from those which came before it.
The Cabin in the Woodsfollows a group of college students vacationing in a remote cabin, you guessed it, in the woods. Here, a variety of monsters prey on the students, under the control of technicians who are masterminding the events from a secret, underground facility. The film acts as both a critique of some parts of the horror genre, whilst simultaneously paying homage to others. The references range massively,from Sam Raimi’sEvil Deadto more obscure classics, includingEight Legged Freaks, as well as generalized horror tropes.
This new approach to horror may have been risky, but it paid off. Critically, it did quite well, earning itself a rating of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, praised for its clever and fresh approach.The Cabin in the Woodsalso won a collection of awards. Three were for its screenplay, whilst others were awarded for the film’s make-up and acting.TheCabin in the Woods quickly established itself as a modern classic, and every time you re-watch it, you notice more references to your favorite horror franchises.
The Cabin in the Woods Pokes Fun at Horror While Taking Itself Seriously
The Cabin in the Woods
The Cabin in the Woodssuccessfully balances its countless horror references whilst not drowning under them, creating a unique watching experience. It would have been easy forThe Cabin in the Woodsto fall into the trope of parody film which purely makes jokes at the expense of other horror films, such as theScary Moviefranchise. However,The Cabin in the Woodsmakes it clear that it wants to be a serious film, which was achieved by maintaining a thought-out plot. WhereasScary Movieleans more heavily into the parody side of referencing,The Cabin in the Woodskept it more subtle, allowing for a sense of individuality to be maintained, whilst celebrating that which came before it by understanding its role within horror.
Another reason why the film works so well is simply that it is entertaining. It is able to take inspiration from horror in a thought-provoking way.Taking one of the more glaring examples many would notice early on, the students all represent the stereotypical horror victims, and their use in the film offers a critical, but nevertheless entertaining, insight into horror tropes. We are introduced to “The Virgin”, “The Athlete”, “The Whore”, “The Fool”, and “The Scholar,” and with this, audiences almost instinctively know their fates, assuming “The Virgin” will end up fulfilling the final girl role.
The script tries to poke fun at other overused tropes which have contributed to making the genre boring, such as major deaths occurring when the group splits up, or off-screen. By thwarting these expectations, viewers can enjoyCabin in the Woodsfor what it is, a horror film that is desperately searching for a clean slate and a revolution in the genre.
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Obvious Franchises Parodied By The Cabin in the Woods
The number of similarities betweenThe Cabin in the WoodsandThe Evil Deadare so big that they could be sisters. Most obviously is the cabin and those who come to occupy it.Thecabin has almost the exact same designas the one fromThe Evil Dead, down to the type of people meeting their fate inside it. Even their plots are very similar. When the group finds their way into the basement, they come to read an old book that awakens the dead, a lot like what occurs inThe Cabin in the Woods. Classics such asThe Evil Deadare praised among horror fans for their role in constructing the genre as it is known today, andThe Cabin in the Woodsadds to this praise, while equally critiquing the ease with which other films in the genre tend to rely on these.
Turning more to the spiritual side ofThe Cabin in the Woods,many have since noticed the references made to theRingufranchise. TheRingufilms are mostly known for theirexploration of the vengeful spirit, Sadako Yamamura, who created a cursed tape that leads to the death of anyone who happens to watch it.Ringuwas central in paving the way for spiritual horror films, andthis is parodied more subtly in Marty’s obsession with the hypnotic film in the cabin’s basement. To some fans, this part of the film aims to highlight the slight unbelievability of some horror plots, as most people would stay well away from a creepy VHS tape, but can just as easily be seen as a nod to a great franchise.
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Audiences also get a brief glimpse at a selection of glass cages that contain other, big horror threats.Such threats include the creature fromThe Blob, a huge spider, the sinister twins fromThe Shining, and even a selection of zombies from theLeft 4 Deadvideo games. It is a shame that the vast majority of horror references are contained in a brief shot, with many of them being quite difficult to make out even if you pause the film to examine them. In a way, it conveys the point that a lot of horror at this period, it seems, was comfortable regurgitating overused tropes for easy entertainment, just as the technicians did with a flick of a switch to appease the “Ancient Ones.”
Horror References on the Whiteboard
One of the more famous scenes fromThe Cabin in the Woodsinvolves the comical whiteboard where teams in the facility appear to bet on the monsters that could be unleashed.The board itself containsa variety of references, ranging from incredibly broad categories, such as werewolves, witches, and clowns, to specific ones, including the “Angry Molesting Tree” fromThe Evil Dead. The board acts both as a comical device, matching the film’s dark humor, but also a nod at the endless list of scary entities horror writers can aimlessly pick from to fill the antagonist slot in their newest project. Again, there is a trend in the film which is begging for originality in horror by making fun of the lack of originality in its own film.
This Was the First Horror Movie Ever Made
The first horror movie ever made dates back to the end of the 19th Century, when cinema was only starting to take shape as a solid art expression.
Equally, the act of betting on the monsters takes these parodies to another level, referencing the oversaturation of horror, which has inevitably led to a diluting of the terror that originally made the genre great. One or two films will introduce a great trope, and inevitably others will come and kill it by riding their success. This issue is not unique to horror, seen a lot in science fiction and thrillers, but its occurrence in horror does seem to be particularly egregious. With this said, it does appear that the way in whichThe Cabin in the Woodsparodies horror is to both recognize what has come before it, whilst also protesting for a renewed freshness in the genre. While many can argue that whileThe Cabin in the Woodsdid induce change in the genre, others point to it not being completely sweeping, as it does continue to produce uninspired copies.
