History Film / TheCabinintheWoods

* 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 (potential) victims 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.]]

* 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 (potential) victims 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.]]

* ClusterFBomb: Sitterson's response to the Japan iteration. Made even more delightful in that it is targeted at a group of 9-year-olds.

* ClusterFBomb: Sitterson's response to the Japan iteration ''[[spoiler: failing]]''. Made even more delightful in that it is targeted at a group of 9-year-olds.

* TheCuckooLanderWasRight: Marty [[spoiler: was surprisingly on the money about a lot of things even before they started to go to hell. Apparently, his pot has made him mostly immune to the controller's attempts to control him]]

* 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 (potential) victims 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.]]

* EvilOnlyHasToWinOnce: [[spoiler: [[ZigzaggingTrope Zig-zagged.]] There are sites all around the world to provide sacrifices, and every year at least one has to succeed. But if the Ancient Ones aren't placated properly just once, that's all she wrote. So good (in the form of NecessarilyEvil) only has to win once each year, but they only have to lose completely once to doom the world.]]

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

* RampJump: The motorbike jump.

** And of course, the true antagonists: [[spoiler:H.P Lovecraft's Ancient Ones]].

* SoundTrackDissonance: The big office party with cheerful music playing while Dana gets savaged by a zombie in the background.

* ClusterFBomb: Sitterson's response to the Japan iteration. Made even more delightful in that it is targeted at a group of 9-year-olds.

** Dana is cast as the FinalGirl and Jules as [[DeathBySex The Whore by rhe Controllers.]] At the beginning of the film, Dana has just gotten out of an affair with her professor while Jules is the TeamMom in a stable, loving relationship with her boyfriend. Dana likewise opens the film providing more overt {{Fanservice}} in her underwear, while Jules provides the tamer variety by just wearing short shorts. This proves ironic when [[spoiler: the Controllers have to use pheromones to get Jules to show her breasts in the first place.]] Further irony if you go meta - Kristen Connolly (Dana) is a natural blonde portraying a redhead FinalGirl, while Anna Hutchinson is a natural blonde portraying someone who has just dyed her hair.

** In order to ensure humanity's continued survival, every year The Organization must sacrifice a group of people to appease [[JerkassGods The Ancient Ones]]. By having five sacrifices act like horror stereotypes via drugging, disturb one of many [[ArtifactOfDoom artefacts]] which summon monsters from deep in The Organization's vaults and being hunted down. "[[FinalGirl The Virgin]]"'s death is entirely optional, but the other four ''must'' be killed off before sunrise the next day. [[spoiler: Marty (their designated "Fool") ended up becoming immune to the drugs The Organization was using (thanks to his stash of marijuana) and survives with Dana.]]
** There are other scenarios playing out in other countries around the world that are meant to follow the tropes specific to the horror stories of those cultures. Only one of these scenarios is needed to succeed, [[spoiler:but these all went OffTheRails too, causing The Ancient Ones wake up to start [[EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt the end of the world]]]]...

* HotterAndSexier: The betting board for the betting pool has "witches" and "sexy witches." Apparently there is a difference. Though you never get to see the sexy version.
* HumanSacrifice: [[spoiler:Necessary to appease the Ancient Ones, though they don't just want deaths, but suffering as well]].
* HumanShield: An unintentional one when a {{mook}} can't shoot Marty as the FinalGirl [[SecurityCling is in the way]], and he can't risk killing her out of order.
* HypnoTrinket: Presumably, [[spoiler:the necklace that Jules almost put on before being interrupted by Dana in the cellar. In fact, all the trinkets seem to have hypnotic lure to the people interested in them.]]
* IdiotBall: Another InvokedTrope. [[spoiler:The controllers are using stupidity-inducing drugs and hypnotic suggestions to guarantee the victims make poor decisions. At one point, Curt insists that everyone stick together, so the controllers pump gas into the cabin that quickly makes him decide it would be better if everyone split up.]].
* ImmuneToBullets: The [[spoiler:killer clown]], as evidenced by it appearing [[GigglingVillain ticklish to gunshots]] as it closes on its victim. Though several other monsters are shown to shrug off bullets, but without as much emphasis.

* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: The [[spoiler: unicorn impales a scientist on its horn]].

* InfantImmortality: We see a classroom of Japanese schoolgirls (all age nine) being terrorized by an angry spirit. Later, they are seen subduing the ghost with a ritual song. We are then told that there were ''zero'' fatalities. [[spoiler:Later, the end implies that they're doomed anyway as is the rest of 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 to [[WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong not expect that to]] [[HoistByHisOwnPetard end predictably]] is a true riddle for the ages
* IronicEcho: [[RuleOfThree Three times...]] by Curt, [[spoiler:Dana, and Sitterson]].

** Dana is cast by the Controllers as the FinalGirl and Jules as [[DeathBySex The Whore]]. At the beginning of the film, Dana has just gotten out of an affair with her professor while Jules is the TeamMom in a stable, loving relationship with her boyfriend. Dana likewise opens the film providing more overt {{Fanservice}} in her underwear, while Jules provides the tamer variety by just wearing short shorts. This proves ironic when [[spoiler: the controllers have to use pheromones to get Jules to show her breasts in the first place]]. Further irony if you go meta - Kristen Connolly (Dana) is a natural blonde portraying a redhead FinalGirl, while Anna Hutchinson is a natural blonde portraying someone who has just dyed her hair.
* JerkassHasAPoint: At the beginning of the movie, one of the more jaded controllers teases that it was the chemistry department's fault last time they failed. [[spoiler: Though other people arguably fell down on their jobs too, the chem department's screw up in this movie is responsible for Marty being able to retain his wits and catch on to whats going on around him.]]
* JerkJock: Subverted by Curt, who is pushed into this role via pheromone manipulation. Up to that point, he was shown to be a LovableJock and an intelligent sociology major on a full scholarship who never acts like an alpha male douchebag.

* JustDesserts: [[spoiler:The fate of several Organization members during the rampage, most notably an employee tossed into the maw of the giant cobra and Hadley at the teeth of his merman]]

** [[spoiler: A few of the cabin mates also die in accordance with their sacrificial roles: Jules the whore was attacked during sex, Curt the jock dies during a not so death defying stunt, and if Marty had died when the audience expected him to he would have been ambushed making jokes. Played with though in that they are being pushed into these roles.]]

* KillEmAll: [[spoiler: No, not just everyone in the movie. [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt EVE-RY-ONE]].]]

* TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers: Werewolves, robots, ghosts, zombies, giant snakes... and a bloodthirsty unicorn. Interesting subversion, perhaps, in that unicorns were traditonally said to attack and kill anyone who was not a virgin.

** When Truman objects to [[spoiler:manipulating Curt and Jules to have sex in the woods, just so the cameras can capture Jules' nudity, the controllers respond with "[[FanService Gotta keep the customers satisfied]]."]]
** [[spoiler: When The Director mentions "Eight minutes to sunrise" when talking about the Gods destroying the Earth, there are eight minutes left until the lights come up in the movie theater.]]
** When the Doctors are seen about to operate a worker, he screams "Please don't cut", but the camera cuts away.

** 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]], [[UsefulNotes/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...).

** Being the JerkJock means [[spoiler:filling this role as well, but he was much nicer before coming to the cabin and being exposed to its mind-dumbing chemicals and such.]]

* DownerEnding: [[spoiler: The world ends. You don't get much further down than that.]]

* AnyoneCanDie: [[spoiler:... and everyone does. No, literally, '''''EVERYONE''''']]. In addition to the usual expected horror movie deaths, [[spoiler: this trope is also openly invoked as a plot point.]]

* ApocalypticLog: Patience's diary.
* ArtifactOfDoom: The cabin basement contains a huge amount of these. Though we eventually settle on the tried and true [[spoiler:TomeOfEldritchLore]].
* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler: The staffers. Also part of the role the JerkJock is meant to fill.]]
* AttackOfTheKillerWhatever: See MonsterMash for more details.

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

* DevilButNoGod: [[spoiler:The Ancient Ones are seemingly the only divine beings of any consequence and they will go on an apocalyptic rampage the moment they fail to receive their full annual tribute.]]

** The whole house and the area in general has items that potentially foreshadow almost every monster that could be used, even though most of them never are. There's even a huge wolf's head on the wall... while there's a werewolf in storage.

** Some of the other objects in the cabin, such as the wolf head, the one-way mirror, and the gory painting end up irrelevant.

* AffectionateParody: Manages to be a DeconstructiveParody of horror movies while also being the mother of all horror movies.

** Other monsters seemingly not mentioned on the whiteboard, but spotted throughout the film, include a [[GiantSpider man-sized tarantula]], some manner of [[EverythingsSquishierWithCephalopods giant cephalopod]], a [[TortureTechnician medieval torturer]], a [[MechanicalMonster scorpion-like automaton with buzzsaws for stingers]], The Suffocators, a StringyHairedGhostGirl, a dead Film/KingKong-esque {{Kaiju}} seen on a monitor, a CreepyChild whom a guard tries to escape by [[VideoGame/FirstEncounterAssaultRecon dragging himself along the floor]], [[VideoGame/Left4Dead a Boomer, a Hunter, a Witch and a Tank]], and three [[DeepSouth Ku Klux Klan]] members. And finally, there's [[spoiler:[[EldritchAbomination The Ancient Ones]]]].

* EvilOnlyHasToWinOnce: [[spoiler: [[ZigzaggingTrope Zig-zagged.]] There are sites all around the world to provide sacrifices, and every year at least one has to succeed. But if the Ancient Ones aren't placated properly just once, that's all she wrote. So good (in the form of NecessaryEvil) only has to win once each year, but they only have to lose completely once to doom the world.]]