The Halloween Movie To Watch When You Want Every Scary Film Jammed Into One

Halloween is almost here, spelling out another exciting season of pumpkin-shaped candy, festive jack-o-lanterns, and (perhaps most importantly) a nonstop array of horror-themed content on our favorite television channels and streaming providers.

For some, the fall season might be all about venturing to your nearest Spirit Halloween and picking out the pitch-perfect costume to wear for the holiday. But to many others, it’s all about revisiting some of our favorite spooky movies, be it in a familiar classic like Dracula or Friday the 13th or a more recent release like The Witch or Hereditary.

With Halloween fast approaching, some viewers might be wondering which movies to add to their holiday watch list. While we’ll always go out of our way to single out well-deserving fan-favorites like The Evil Dead, Halloween, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, or Night of the Living Dead, what if viewers chose to watch all of these horror movies, seemingly at the same time? Impossible, you say?

Well, my friends, let me introduce you to the increasingly popular 2011 horror comedy, The Cabin in the Woods.

Wait … I Think I’ve Seen This Before

Dana (Kristen Connolly), Jules (Anna Hutchison), Curt (Chris Hemsworth), Holden (Jesse Williams), and Marty (Fran Kranz) are ordinary college students interested in taking a weekend getaway together. Venturing to an isolated cabin in the middle of the woods, the group spend most of their time engaging in all kinds of typical teenage shenanigans – until they stumble upon the cabin’s mysterious cellars filled with strange mechanisms and bizarre items.

Interacting with one of these random objects, the group soon confront horrors beyond their wildest imaginations. As their night at the cabin continues and their battles with apparently unexplained paranormal entities draws on, they also uncover a dark secret behind the cabin’s very existence.

At first glance, The Cabin in the Woods’ underlying plot might sound a tad familiar, evoking obvious comparisons to plenty of cliched horror movies that’s come before it (cough, cough, The Evil Dead). But then again, that’s the entire point. While a lesser movie might simply opt for the same tired formula we’ve seen time and time again from other Evil Dead rip-offs, The Cabin in the Woods does something far more unique – and in the long run, far more entertaining.

Using its familiar premise to play off of audiences’ expectations, The Cabin in the Woods is able to turn the entire horror genre on its head, openly mocking its various stereotypes and common tropes. Rather than unfolding as a tried-and-true spoof film, though, The Cabin in the Woods obtains its own unique approach to the larger horror genre, weaving in all kinds of references to pre-existing horror films audiences know, love, and instantly recognize on-screen.

A Radically Different Kind of Horror Movie

Of course, the secret behind The Cabin in the Woods has to do with the covert machinations of the movie’s shadowy antagonists. Controlling every facet of the movie’s story and setting, these mysterious lab workers (led by Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford) do their best to try and create a simple horror movie as part of an ancient ritual, adhering closely to the archetypes of the genre. 

Though much of this sinister organization’s background remains unknown, we do know that they have access to a wide array of supernatural creatures modeled after both folklore and our favorite horror movies, from killer clowns and face-hugging aliens to ravenous zombies and Hellraiser knockoffs.

Whereas most movies might try to distance themselves from their preceding horror influences, The Cabin in the Woods wholeheartedly embraces its inspiration. By doing so, the film asks an endearing and undeniably intriguing question: What if all of our favorite horror movies existed within the same cinematic universe, pairing The Evil Dead side-by-side with Ringu, King Kong and The Thing?

It’s a tantalizing scenario, and one that The Cabin in the Woods effortlessly answers with wit, humor, and endless creative opportunities. By adopting a standard horror movie premise, The Cabin in the Woods is able to use its simple narrative as a jumping off point, leading to all kinds of imaginative tie-ins, tongue-in-cheek references, and dizzying narrative potentials. Because of these reasons and more, The Cabin in the Woods continues to delight both dedicated horror aficionados and average viewers alike, establishing itself as an unforgettable horror comedy worth returning to again and again every time the Halloween season officially rolls around.