History Film / TheCabinintheWoods

* NeverTrustATrailer: It's a DeconstructiveParody of horror films. It's advertised as a straight horror film. [[TropesAreTools Ironically]], this is one of the few films where it could be argued that this is ''exactly'' the mindset the viewer should have before watching the film.

''The Cabin in the Woods'' is a 2012 horror movie that sets itself apart from ''other'' horror movies by virtue of its co-writers[[note]]Creator/JossWhedon and Drew Goddard (''{{Film/Cloverfield}}''), who also directed this film[[/note]] and by deconstructing both the "cabin in the woods" setting and the {{horror}} genre. The film stars Creator/ChrisHemsworth, Fran Kranz, Kristen Connolly, [[Series/PowerRangersJungleFury Anna]] [[Series/{{Underbelly}} Hutchison]], Jesse Williams, Creator/AmyAcker, Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford. In 2013, Ride/UniversalStudios Orlando's ''Theatre/HalloweenHorrorNights'' event featured a haunted attraction based on the film. A more permanent attraction based on the film is planned...in South Korea, as part of the Jeju Shinhwa World resort's upcoming Creator/{{Lionsgate}} Movie World theme park opening in 2019.

* BanishingRitual: The college students encounter numerous {{Summoning Artifact}}s for the various monsters that could have descended on the cabin, but only one actual Sealing Ritual is shown in the film when the monitors observe a group of Japanese schoolgirls using a chant to contain the spirit of a StringyHairedGhostGirl [[SealedEvilInATeddybear inside a frog]]. The observers are livid when they see this, since a human sacrifice is necessary to stop the world from ending.

* ThePowerOfFriendship: In the Japanese scenario, the children use this to defeat the monster.

''The Cabin in the Woods'' is a 2012 horror movie that sets itself apart from ''other'' horror movies by virtue of its co-writers[[note]]Creator/JossWhedon and Drew Goddard (''{{Film/Cloverfield}}''), who also directed this film[[/note]] and by deconstructing both the "cabin in the woods" setting and the {{horror}} genre. The film stars Creator/ChrisHemsworth, Fran Kranz, Kristen Connolly, [[Series/PowerRangersJungleFury Anna]] [[Series/{{Underbelly}} Hutchison]], Jesse Williams, Creator/AmyAcker, Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford. There's also a [[Literature/TheCabinInTheWoods book adaptation]]. In 2013, Ride/UniversalStudios Orlando's ''Theatre/HalloweenHorrorNights'' event featured a haunted attraction based on the film. A more permanent attraction based on the film is planned...in South Korea, as part of the Jeju Shinhwa World resort's upcoming Creator/{{Lionsgate}} Movie World theme park opening in 2019.

** The controllers' entire job is to enforce standard horror movie cliches, most the IdiotBall. Electrifying the handles of weapons so the protagonists drop them, making everyone split up and be easier targets, ensuring they can't escape, and so on.
** Hadley's disappointment at never getting to see a merman reads as a critique of the lack of new, different, unusual horror monsters, instead relying on variations of a fee stock archetypes: slashers, vampires, zombies, and such.

%%* RuleOfScary: Critiqued by the film.

* PetTheDog: SubvertedTrope. When it seems like Curt might be able to escape to get help from the outside world, [[spoiler: he finds out the hard way about the electric walls the audience already knows about it, while Dana and Holden watch his demise...]].

%%* PassThePopcorn: The entire premise, really.

** More straightly played ; the titular protagonists [[spoiler:Dana and Marty, by "winning" against The Facility and their monsters just manage to doom the entire humanity.]]

* InventionalWisdom: ''Why'' does the facility from which the events are controlled have a BigRedButton that releases every single monster in holding ''into said facility''? How baddies who kill using [[InvokedTrope weaponized tropes]] could have been so GenreBlind enough to [[WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong not expect that to]] [[HoistByHisOwnPetard end predictably]] is a true riddle for the ages

* BigBad: [[spoiler:The Director]] is initially presented as this, then turns out to be NecessarilyEvil due to...

** The whiteboard has a LongList: [[WolfMan Werewolf]], [[StarfishAliens Alien Beast]], {{Mutants}}, [[OurGhostsAreDifferent Wraiths]], [[EverythingsDeaderWithZombies Zombies]], [[ReptilesAreAbhorrent Reptilius]], [[MonsterClown Clowns]], [[WickedWitch Witches]], [[HotWitch Sexy Witches]], [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Demons, Hell Lord]] (a.k.a. Fornicus, [[ToThePain Lord of Bondage and Pain]]), [[WhenTreesAttack Angry Molesting Tree]], [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever Giant]] [[ReptilesAreAbhorrent Snake]], [[Franchise/EvilDead Deadites]], {{Mummy}}, [[BloodSplatteredWeddingDress The Bride]], [[ScaryScarecrows The Scarecrow Folk]], [[{{Snowlems}} Snow]][[Film/JackFrost1997 man]], [[BatOutOfHell Dragonbat]], [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Vampires]], [[AnArmAndALeg Dismemberment]] [[OurGoblinsAreDifferent Goblins]], [[TheFairfolk Sugarplum Fairy]], [[OurMermaidsAreDifferent Merman]], [[Film/ReAnimator The Reanimated]], {{Unicorn}}, [[TheSavageIndian Huron]], [[BigFootSasquatchAndYeti Sasquatch, Yeti]], {{Wendigo}}, [[Film/TheStrangers Dolls]], [[DeadlyDoctor The Doctors]], [[HillbillyHorrors Zombie Redneck Torture Family]], [[AllHallowsEve Jack O'Lantern]], [[OurGiantsAreBigger Giant]], [[CreepyTwins Twins]] and Kevin (who, per WordOfGod, is [[FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon a sweet, harmless looking guy who will exsanguinate you in seconds]]... wonder where they got that name...).

* DyeHard: In-universe. Jules has just dyed her hair blonde at the start of the movie. Ironically she's played by the naturally blonde Anna Hutchinson.

* CuriosityKilledTheCast: [[spoiler:The controllers' job is to lead them to the cellar [[ClosedCircle (and keep them contained in the staging site)]]. But once the cellar is open, its various artifacts exposed to the group's curiosity, the controllers can't do anything. It's up to the sacrifices themselves to actually pick one. Of course, they ''all'' find something that interests them personally, and it was just a matter of who would activate their artifact first.]]

** The amplified female voice attempting to reason with Marty and Dana as they enter the laboratory ([[spoiler:(even if it's merely a distraction]]) recalls the final level of ''VideoGames/{{Portal}}''

* IndecisiveDeconstruction: It initially seems like it's going for a DeconReconSwitch, but the film can't appear to make up its mind. At first, [[spoiler:it deconstructs every cliche it comes across, with the kids being molded to fit the typical archetypes and the events in the cabin being completely controlled. As more is revealed about the Ancient Ones, it becomes clear that the story is still one of humans trying to do what is necessary to survive against a destructive force. But then the movie decides to subvert this as well. The kids decide to start the apocalypse rather than sacrifice themselves, stating - and proving - that humanity is selfish and doesn't deserve to survive.]] In the end, the movie deconstructs the ideas it presented as a reasonable excuse for the cliched horror formula. It works much better in a meta sense.

* BigBad: [[spoiler:The Director]] is initially presented at this, then turns out to be NecessarilyEvil due to...

** [[spoiler:Steve, the control room honcho who gripes a few times about never getting to see mermen kill the co-eds is himself killed by a merman. [[LampshadeHanging He even says]], "Oh, come ''on''!" when he realizes it.]]

* AlmostDeadGuy: [[spoiler: Dana]] at the very end.
-->'''[[spoiler: Marty]]: How are you?\\
'''[[spoiler: Dana]]: Going away...