The Cabin in the Woods

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2:20

The Cabin in the Woods

R

2012

1h 35m

Horror

Comedy

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

92%

Tomatometer

292 Reviews

74%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

When five college friends (Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams) arrive at a remote forest cabin for a little vacation, little do they expect the horrors that await them. One by one, the youths fall victim to backwoods zombies, but there is another factor at play. Two scientists (Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford) are manipulating the ghoulish goings-on, but even as the body count rises, there is yet more at work than meets the eye.

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Critics Consensus

The Cabin in the Woods is an astonishing meta-feat, capable of being funny, strange, and scary -- frequently all at the same time.

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Deborah Ross

The Spectator

Aug 31, 2018

This is, I know, a self-aware film: its clichés are parodies of horror clichés generally, but to subvert a form, it should, first and foremost, work as an entertainment, and it most surely does not.

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Eric Kohn

IndieWire

Sep 27, 2015

B+

Ranks among one of the most wryly self-aware works of American pop culture entertainment in years.

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Bruce Diones

The New Yorker

Oct 6, 2014

The filmmakers are less interested in providing a slow buildup to their frights than in splattering the clichés of the form in funny, spirited ways.

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Richard Watts

ScreenHub

Sep 15, 2026

4.5/5

At a time when studios seem intent on bland remakes, torture porn, or contrived POV spectacles, The Cabin in the Woods is a strikingly clever, engaging and original horror movie. It’s also bloody entertaining, and highly recommended.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Aug 15, 2026

3.5/4

It grows ever more outrageous and entertaining as it barrels toward its take-no-prisoners climax.

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Chase Hutchinson

The Inlander (Spokane, WA)

Oct 10, 2025

A clever skewering of horror clichés that carves out plenty of bloody fun all its own, The Cabin in the Woods deconstructs the genre while also working as a solid entry in it. That the film lives and dies on a stoner saving the day makes it a real treat.

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Jerel H

May 15, 2026

Classically hilarious.

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Claudio

May 12, 2026

Very funny moments but also pretty horrifying ones. I love that this movie can balance the two.

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Susan H

May 9, 2026

This classic meta horror film packs so much into a less than 2 hour run time. By turns it is genuinely scary, hilarious, sad, & so very clever. This was my 4th viewing, and it's just as good as the first time (maybe better, as I catch more of it!).

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Drew F

@Drewfrost20 1 hr ago

Wanted to like it more than I did.

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Vixo S

@vixo_six 20 hrs ago

I wanted to understand why The Cabin in the Woods is so often described as a love letter to horror, but I spent most of it wondering where the fun was supposed to be. It never frightened me or made me laugh, while the weak performances and stereotypical characters made it difficult to care about anyone. I appreciate the ambition to play with slasher conventions, but once the film reveals its central idea, everything becomes disappointingly predictable. The absurd deaths felt more ridiculous than entertaining, and the rushed ending made the experience seem even more pointless. For me, this meta-horror parody felt like an elaborate inside joke that forgot to be frightening, funny or interesting.

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M C

@PapaScott 1 day ago

The satire is brilliant, but the gore is so incredibly over the top that it becomes what it is poking fun at.

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Drew Goddard

Director

Kristen Connolly

Dana

Chris Hemsworth

Curt

Anna Hutchison

Jules

Fran Kranz

Marty

Jesse Williams

Holden

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2:20

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Synopsis

When five college friends (Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams) arrive at a remote forest cabin for a little vacation, little do they expect the horrors that await them. One by one, the youths fall victim to backwoods zombies, but there is another factor at play. Two scientists (Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford) are manipulating the ghoulish goings-on, but even as the body count rises, there is yet more at work than meets the eye.

Director: Drew Goddard
Producer: Joss Whedon
Screenwriter: Joss Whedon, Drew Goddard
Distributor: Lionsgate Films
Production Co: Mutant Enemy, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Lions Gate Films
Rating: R (Gore|Drug Use|Strong Horror Violence|Language|Some Sexuality/Nudity|Strong Bloody Violence)
Genre: Horror, Comedy, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 13, 2012, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 6, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $42.0M
Runtime: 1h 35m
Sound Mix: Datasat, SDDS, Dolby Digital

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