Am I ripping off ''Cabin in the Woods''?

I have a story idea but I'd like to know if people think I'm ripping off The Cabin in the Woods. I swear I wasn't thinking of the movie at the time I came up with my idea (at least, not consciously), but I just realized that they sound really similar. Here goes:

This kid is living in a medieval-fantasy type village when, during a job-assignment ceremony, he finds out that he's been selected to be the new defender of the village. What he doesn't know is that the village elders are setting him up to follow all the steps of The Hero's Journey, because that is how they entertain the gods (who are a lot like the Greek Gods, with distinct personalities and the urge to interfere in the lives of mortals). Eventually, he meets a mentor-figure in the woods, who actually turns out to be the defender before him, now an angry and bitter alcoholic who has trouble dealing with her past. As the story goes on, the defender helps the mentor heal, and the mentor helps the defender overthrow the system, and eventually the gods themselves.

TBH, I came up with this idea after reading a bunch of Discworld novels that made me want to write my own fantasy-deconstruction book. So, am I ripping off The Cabin in the Woods?

Edited by Loopytires55 on Feb 12th 2020 at 12:06:51 PM

I would say that it's similar, and would expect comparisons to be made, but—speaking for myself—I wouldn't say that it's a "rip-off". It looks like you're taking things in your own direction, both narratively and in tone, even with the shared element of "secretly entertaining otherworldly beings".

Also, Cabin in the Woods was kitchen sink levels of horror. There was so much going on, I can't look at some of my stuff without thinking I ripped them off.

Similarities are bound to crop up. It's how you chose to address them that will make it unique.