History YMMV / TheCabinintheWoods

* MagnificentBitch: [[IronLady The Director]] is the head-strong leader of the Organization, charged with keeping the [[SealedEvilInACan evil gods that slumber below the Earth]] dormant so they will spare humanity. Under the Director's guidance, the Organization selects {{Human Sacrifice}}s every year and manipulates them into taking part in an elaborate ritual narrative. The Director is the first to notice that Marty's survival is threatening the ritual's completion, and succeeds in talking Dana into killing Marty before resolving to kill Marty herself when that fails. Far more professional and strategic than her subordinates, the Director has sacrificed numerous lives for the greater good while [[NecessarilyEvil harboring no ill will towards her victims whatsoever]].

** A horror movie about making a horror movie. Characters that revolve around slowly becoming their roles. A higher being out for blood that is only satiated with a new film. We're talking about the same [[Film/WesCravensNewNightmare movie]], right?
** Likewise, Creator/WesCraven's later ''Film/{{Scream}}'' movies were meta-horror movies that like ''The Cabin In the Woods'' subverted and deconstructed horror character archetypes, such as the FinalGirl, while playing with common horror conventions and "rules".
** The SignatureScene of [[spoiler: the monsters' cells opening up and ambushing the facility security team is exactly like what happens in another of [[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS4E21Primeval Joss Whedon's properties]] when an army of caged monsters is suddenly released to slaughter a secret government agency.]]
* OneSceneWonder:
** Because if there's anyone who knows how to deal with unimaginable horrors, it is [[spoiler: Creator/SigourneyWeaver]].
** We only get to see many of the [[spoiler:monsters]] in brief cameos. One of the most memorable is the [[spoiler:evil unicorn]].
* RootingForTheEmpire: Once you know why the kids must be sacrificed, is it out of the question to start rooting for the monsters and/or the organization?
* SignatureScene: [[spoiler: The entire, ridiculously violent final act. The first shot of the monsters' cells opening up and ambushing the facility security team, in particular, gets passed around often online.]]
* SpecialEffectFailure: [[spoiler: Jules' head, when dropped by Dana]] bounces as you'd expect a light prop head to bounce. Even the sound effects don't match the weight a head should have hitting the floor.
* SpiritualLicensee:
** Believe it or not, this makes for a pretty good adaptation of [[spoiler:the Website/SCPFoundation. The main bad guys are a nebulous organization of questionable morality which possesses an enormous catalogue of monsters and other dangerous supernatural items (in this case, horror movie baddies), which it keeps and controls so as to prevent [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt an XK-Class end-of-the-world event]]. And when the heroes find out about the lengths they're willing to go to, they take one look and say "fuck it, better to let the world end."]] The similarities get even creepier. [[spoiler:[[http://www.scp-wiki.net/sandrewswann-s-proposal S. Andrew Swann's proposal]] for SCP-001 is that it's the people who are writing the website. In ''this'' world. And a very good case could be made that, in ''Cabin in the Woods'', the Ancient Ones represent [[YouBastard horror fans]].]]
*** [[spoiler: This was discussed on the site and declared it to be ''[[http://www.scp-wiki.net/forum/t-461238/the-cabin-in-the-woods Containment Breach: The Movie]]'' -- unrelated to ''Containment Breach'', the actual(ly freaky) SCP video game]].
---->[[spoiler: '''Iceburg 7''': Though I'd like to hope we wouldn't fail so badly. I mean, people haven't failed that badly at killing five teenagers since [[Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers Rita Repulsa.]]]]\\
[[spoiler: '''[=emissary666=]''': The idea that an entire site devoted to the prevention of an XK-scenario was so incredibly unprepared for a containment breach was just so shocking to me; especially how easy it was to initiate a breach event when they only kept [[CosmicHorror Keter-level monsters]].]]

* {{Squick}}: Mortdecai spitting chewing tobacco several times during the gas station scene.
* TearJerker: The fates of [[spoiler: Curt and Jules]]. The beginning of the film shows the both of them to be kind, smart people who care about each other and their friends, but for the purposes of [[spoiler: The Ancient Ones]], they are drugged and manipulated into becoming a JerkJock and DumbBlonde respectively, and then both are [[spoiler: brutally killed.]]
* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: [[spoiler: Jules]] is the first to die at the forty-minute mark. Due to [[spoiler: Anna Hutchinson's]] fun performance and the character's likability before the in-universe ExecutiveMeddling, some fans wish [[spoiler: she had been the protagonist instead of Dana]]. ''WebVideo/CinemaSins''' video about this movie also pointed this out, [[spoiler:calling out that Jules is a girl in a committed and happy relationship while Dana is a girl that just ended an extra-marital affair with her teacher, and since neither was an actual virgin, Jules would be a better fit for the role of The Virgin than Dana. Though this is likely part of the point.]][[note]]The likely reason Jules was shoehorned into being 'The Whore' is because she has a boyfriend and therefore would be more prone to having sex on the trip. Dana being single and reluctant to hook up with a new boy makes her less likely to do anything 'whoreish'.[[/note]]
* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: Some of [[spoiler:the other monsters]] would have made even more spectacular movies. Who wouldn't want to see [[spoiler:an evil unicorn terrorizing a bunch of kids?]] Given what the movie's actually about, though, this is quite fitting. [[spoiler:The Controllers are shown to be tired of the "traditional" scenarios and desire something that goes outside the box, but the Ancient Ones want StrictlyFormula, and the Controllers know their audience all too well. They're wasting perfectly good plots, and ''they know it''.]]
* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: The film is a scathing satire of the horror genre as it existed in the 2000s, an era where it seemed to many horror fans that the genre was turning into a mess of worn-out tropes and clichés and had forgotten how to tell new, interesting, and scary stories. This is not a complaint that one could so easily throw at horror in the 2010s, a time when many fans felt that the genre entered a new GoldenAge of creativity, with many of the tropes lampooned in this film being {{discredited|Trope}} in the years that followed. [[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/cabin-woods-didnt-change-horror-genre-1034095/ This article]] by Andy Crump for ''The Hollywood Reporter'' argues that this film, in fact, played an indirect role in that shift, sparking a new demand among moviegoers and filmmakers alike for more innovation while [[OutOfTheGhetto opening up a more highbrow, intellectual discourse]] around [[SciFiGhetto what had been considered a fairly trashy genre]].
* VanillaProtagonist: Dana of course. As a deconstruction of the FinalGirl, she's shoe-horned into being the boring one in the group. Tellingly a lot of fans prefer Jules.

* DirectorDisplacement: Poor, poor Drew Goddard. No recognition for writing ''Film/{{Cloverfield}}'' due to it being produced by Creator/JJAbrams, then no recognition for co-writing and directing this due to Creator/JossWhedon being a co-writer...it was his first directing gig too!
* EnsembleDarkhorse:
** "Kevin." Whoever he is, he exists as nothing more than a name on the whiteboard (and a brief mention in the novelization) but he has inspired a plethora of trope entries, EpilepticTrees, and WildMassGuessing, far more than any other character.
** The [[spoiler: killer unicorn]] and the [[spoiler: [[LampreyMouth lamprey-faced]] ballerina]] are also incredibly popular with fans, the former for being ''incredibly'' unexpected ([[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments and hilarious]]) and the latter for being [[NightmareFuel absolutely terrifying]].
* FanficFuel: Well duh. There are [[spoiler: hundreds of monsters in the cells below]]. Plenty of fics involve the protagonists releasing [[spoiler: a different monster instead of the Buckners]].

* FanNickname: The Sugarplum Fairy monster is often referred to by fans as "Ballerina Dentata."
* {{Fanon}}: The chem department's failure in 1998 is attributed to the film ''Film/TheFaculty'' in which [[spoiler: none of the protagonists die, the supposed virgin is revealed as the monster, and said monster's undoing is triggered by the drugs another character makes]]. Damn chem department indeed.
* FanPreferredCouple: Dana and Marty are the subject of the lion's share of shipping fics written about the film. It is also far more popular than the canon Dana/Holden. This seems to be because Dana/Holden being forced by The Organization InUniverse to emulate a horror movie, along with Dana and Marty being the only two survivors.
* GeniusBonus: [[spoiler: The evil Unicorn makes a lot of sense within the context of the stock slasher movie plot. The Unicorns of classical mythology were actually quite wild and violent - and the only thing that could tame one was a [[FinalGirl virgin female]]. One has to wonder how the Unicorn would have reacted to Dana]].
* HilariousInHindsight:
** Anna Hutchison previously starred in ''Series/PowerRangersJungleFury'', and this was one of her first roles afterwards. Her situation is quite similar to actress Creator/CerinaVincent, who was in ''Series/PowerRangersLostGalaxy'' and went on to star in the similar film ''Film/CabinFever''. Both actresses played "The Whore", both went topless, both were the first to die, and both had played the Yellow Ranger.
** Right around the time the film was finally released ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' coincidentally wound up airing an episode with a similar scene of [[spoiler: an evil unicorn impaling someone to death with its horn.]]
** The comment about one of the potential monsters being a merman seems a whole lot funnier when you consider the "killer merperson" concept would go on to be used in the Serbian-American horror movie, ''Nymph''. And then the Freeform TV series ''{{Series/Siren 2018}}'' exploring a DarkerAndEdgier take on mermaid mythology. Notably, however, the evil merpeople are female in those respective works - so Hadley still hasn't seen a merman yet.
** Come 2017, and the Buckners aren't the only [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil7Biohazard zombie redneck torture family]] anymore.
** When the kids find the ArtifactOfDoom museum in the basement, {{Film/Thor}} - sorry, Creator/ChrisHemsworth is the one who nearly unlocks [[Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014 the orb.]] (Conveniently, Thor is the first one to bring up the Infinity Stones to the Avengers!)

** The briefly-seen mutants vaguely resemble the later-debuting horror monsters [[Film/{{Us}} the Tethered.]]
* HollywoodHomely: According to WordOfGod they deliberately gave Fran Kranz baggier clothes to wear, to hide the fact that he was [[ClarkKentOutfit surprisingly ripped underneath]]. This is also why Marty isn't shirtless in the scene at the lake.
* ItWasHisSled: Oh so wonderfully averted. People who have seen the film, especially fandom members and reviewers, are ''very'' careful to not ever spoil the film for people new to it.

* MemeticMutation: "The evil is defeated" line from the Japanese school children is frequently used when, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin something considered evil is defeated.]]
** An offspring meme is to provide "context" to the scene, by posting it in full, up to Sitterson's ClusterFBomb, with no explanation.

** Was Marty justified [[spoiler: in letting the world burn due to the horrific trauma he was forced to endure or was he just a self-righteous StrawNihilist who doomed the world because he wanted to "rock the boat"?]]
*** Was it even Marty's choice [[spoiler: to refuse to sacrifice himself, or did the ancient ones influence him to choose world annihilation because they wanted to end it anyway?]]
** Did the Japanese branch of the organization [[spoiler: [[EvenEvilHasStandards purposely throw the ritual because they don't want a group of school children killed?]] ]]
** Have elements within the conspiracy sabotaged the sacrifices because they believe mankind has now advanced to the degree where they can defeat the Hellgods?
** Does the failure of the sacrifices actually signify that mankind has now advanced too far and can threaten the Hellgods, a form of alarm system for them?
** Do all Joss Whedon creations take place in the same universe? Are Lin and Ronald in fact Illyria and Andrew Wells undercover? Is this the apocalypse that makes mankind abandon "The Earth that was" and form the Firefly universe? Is this why Paris is in ruins at the end of 'Alien; Resurrection'?
* SugarWiki/AwesomeArt: Just look at that poster! Bonus points for perfectly capturing the spirit of the story ''without'' giving anything away for newcomers.
* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic:
** The use of REO Speedwagon's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPb1kxAhrjg "Roll With the Changes"]] in the [[spoiler:office party after Dana gets out of the lake]].
** [[spoiler: The film's ending theme, no other than "Last", by Music/NineInchNails]].
* CargoShip: Marty challenges Jules to make out with a wall-mounted wolf head while playing "Truth or Dare." She gets ''really'' into it... leading to the creeped-out reactions of the rest of the cast.
* CrossesTheLineTwice:
** The whole movie, but in particular [[spoiler:Curt jumping the ravine only to hit the barrier, and the moment the elevators all open unleashing all of the monsters. And then they open again and unleash even more monsters. And then Patience.]]
** The [[spoiler: monster attack]] is horrific and funny at the same time, but goes straight into BloodyHilarious when you see someone being stabbed by [[spoiler: an evil unicorn]]!
** Similarly, the [[spoiler: merman, expunging blood out of its blowhole.]]
* CultClassic: It's bound to end up here, even two months after its original run it already had evening screenings in the same theaters showing ''Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow'' at midnight.

* AcceptableTargets: [[spoiler:Three of the monsters featured in the cubes are two Klansmen and a Grand Wizard, who may or may not be demonic.]]

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation:

** When the kids find the ArtifactOfDoom museum in the basement, {{Film/Thor}} - sorry, Creator/ChrisHemsworth is the one who nearly unlocks [[Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy the orb.]] (Conveniently, Thor is the first one to bring up the Infinity Stones to the Avengers!)

** Believe it or not, this makes for a pretty good adaptation of [[spoiler:the Wiki/SCPFoundation. The main bad guys are a nebulous organization of questionable morality which possesses an enormous catalogue of monsters and other dangerous supernatural items (in this case, horror movie baddies), which it keeps and controls so as to prevent [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt an XK-Class end-of-the-world event]]. And when the heroes find out about the lengths they're willing to go to, they take one look and say "fuck it, better to let the world end."]] The similarities get even creepier. [[spoiler:[[http://www.scp-wiki.net/sandrewswann-s-proposal S. Andrew Swann's proposal]] for SCP-001 is that it's the people who are writing the website. In ''this'' world. And a very good case could be made that, in ''Cabin in the Woods'', the Ancient Ones represent [[YouBastard horror fans]].]]