The Cabin In The Woods features an incredible line-up of creatures, so here's every monster found in the movie. A bunch of teenagers going to an isolated cabin and being picked off by a killer/monster is a classic horror movie trope. The Evil Dead is the most popular example among genre fans, where Bruce Campbell's Ash and his luckless friends have to fend off demon attacks in a remote cabin that gets gradually caked in gore. The franchise would revisit this setting for both Evil Dead II and the 2013 remake.
Other cabin in the woods scenarios include Friday The 13th and Anti-Christ. Director Drew Goddard and screenwriter Joss Whedon set out to make the ultimate meta horror-comedy with The Cabin In The Woods, where a group of pals heads to the titular cabin, but find their fates being manipulated from behind the scenes by unknown forces. It was a witty, sharply written exploration of the genre that both mocked and celebrated all its tropes.
Cabin In The Woods features a huge variety of monsters inspired by movies and fiction, many of which are unleashed in the movie's climactic "purge" bloodbath. While there are so many creatures its hard to get an exact headcount, below is a list of every monster listed on the whiteboard, followed by the other beasties unleashed during the purge.
The Whiteboard Monsters:
- Werewolf
- Alien Beast
- Mutants
- Wraiths
- Zombies
- Reptilius
- Clowns
- Witches
- Sexy Witches
- Demons
- Hell Lord (AKA Fornicus, Lord of Bondage and Pain)
- Angry Molesting Tree
- Giant Snake
- Deadites
- Kevin (Unseen)
- Mummy
- The Bride
- The Scarecrow Folk
- Snowman
- Dragonbat
- Vampires
- Dismemberment Goblins
- Sugarplum Fairy
- Merman
- The Reanimated
- Unicorn
- The Huron
- Sasquatch/Wendigo/Yeti
- Dolls
- The Doctors
- Zombie Redneck Torture Family (AKA The Buckner Family)
- Jack O'Lantern
- Giant
- Twins
Other Creatures Seen During The Purge:
- The Ancient Ones
- Boomer (Left 4 Dead)
- The Witch (Left 4 Dead)
- Smoker (Left 4 Dead)
- Tank (Left 4 Dead)
- Charger (Left 4 Dead)
- Hunter (Left 4 Dead)
- Unicorn
- Giant Ape
- The Kraken
- Reaver
- Dogs
- The Blob
- The Evil Twins
- Floating Head
- The Cyclops
- Face Peeler
- Giant Ant
- Garden Gnome
- The Creeping Shadow
- Killer Birds
- Balding Menace
- Giant Deers
- Phantom
- Giant Woman
- Ferrets
- Killer Toad
- Ku Klux Klan
- Giant Cat
- Insects
- Killer Tarantula
- Plant Creature
- Scorpion Robot
- Tarp Man
- The Suffocators
- Cthulhu Creature
- The Savage with a Hatchet
- Owls
- Floating Leech
- Two-Headed Monster
- Troll
- Giant Lizard
- Giant Alligator
- Giant Centipede
- Slimy Horned Cloak Creature
- Kiko (AKA Japanese Floaty Girl)
Cabin In The Woods features just about every monster a horror fan could ask for. The Deadites are a fitting reference to the Evil Dead, Kiko is inspired by the creepy, long-haired ghost girls seen in many J-Horror movies like The Ring. The Hell Lord is a loving nod to Hellraiser's Pinhead and the blob references... well, The Blob. Left 4 Dead fans will be able to spot multiple creatures from the game like the Tank or The Witch; that's because Left 4 Dead 2 almost featured a DLC tie-in that was later cancelled.
Despite being a solid hit it didn't spawn a Cabin In The Woods 2 - though given the ending, it's hard to see where the story could go next. Cabin In The Woods is still a well-regarded cult classic, and any follow-up would just risk cheapening the movie's message.