The Cabin In The Woods is a criminally underrated masterpiece of modern horror. In his directorial debut, Drew Goddard managed to create a film that merged moments of brilliant comedy, with an underpinning layer of satire leveled against the entire film/horror industry. At the same time, he kept things truly terrifying and delivered a twist that will go down in history.
It'd be difficult—and probably misguided—to make a sequel to The Cabin In The Woods, so we've put together a list of films that should tide over fans who have been looking for something similar to watch since 2012.
Evil Dead II (1987)
Evil Dead II is a double-whammy in its connection The Cabin In The Woods. On the surface, it is similar satire where the central characters spend their time secluded in a forest full of creepy goings-on. It also brings a distinct tone of humor and over-the-top melodrama to proceedings, allowing parody and satire to mix into a well-crafted script that remains, on occasion, genuinely scary.
Funny Games (2007)
Funny Games isn't a particularly well-known film, but it absolutely delivers on creepiness and self-awareness. The general plot follows a family who are tortured by a duo of Clockwork Orange-esque maniacs. It's an intense journey, but moments of fourth-wall-breaking—at one point, Ann manages to kill Peter, before Paul simply picks up the TV remote and 'rewinds' the real-life events—and satire connect it beautifully to The Cabin In The Woods.
Get Out (2017)
Get Out was Jordan Peele's chance to impress with directorial talent that he had yet to show off. He proved his point. The 2017 horror was as hilarious as it was terrifying and managed to make an important political point without it overshadowing the great story at the heart of the film. It's a thought-provoking masterpiece that continued The Cabin In The Woods' mission to turn the horror landscape of the 2010s on its head.
Zombieland (2009)
Zombieland might be more of a straight-up comedy than The Cabin In The Woods—there isn't really anything within that could genuinely scare a viewer—but there is certainly a connection between the presentation of the two films. In the same way that The Cabin In The Woods wants its viewers to remember that this is nothing more than a film, the voice-over and dramatic editing of the 'rules' in Zombieland make sure the audience never takes anything too seriously.
Misery (1990)
Misery is arguably the ultimate "cabin in the woods" style film. The film rarely leaves the seclusion of the house Paul Sheldon is confined to, filling viewers with claustrophobia and dread.
The Stephen King adaptation is a lot more serious in its presentation that The Cabin In The Woods, but, if it's a sense of creepy, desperate seclusion you're after, then this film could be the perfect follow-up.
Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
Gremlins is the ultimate satirical horror. Written by Chris Columbus, directed by Joe Dante and executive produced by Steven Speilberg, the film was star-studded. The sequel took things to a new level, replacing the black comedy of the original with a manically over-the-top sense of satire that anarchically reassessed the concept of horror films and sequels in general. The approach in this film undoubtedly inspired many elements of The Cabin In The Woods.
Bad Times At The El Royale (2018)
Bad Times At The El Royale is just the second film ever made by Drew Goddard, made seven years after The Cabin In The Woods. It leaves horror-comedy behind, instead providing audiences with a unique take on the neo-noir thriller genre.
It was a disappointment at the box office and reviews were mixed, but there are definitely moments that can be picked up on that connect to the filmmaking style found in The Cabin In The Woods.
Scream (1996)
The Scream franchise is often mixed up with the far more comedic Scary Movie series thanks to the presence of the Ghostface killer. However, Scream itself is remembered for its perfectly used satire of horror film tropes. When watching The Cabin In The Woods, the audience is supposed to know about horror tropes in order to get the most out of the film; in Scream, the characters themselves are aware of the cliches they are being exposed to.
American Psycho
American Psycho doesn't come close to the level of horror created in The Cabin In The Woods, but it does have a powerful sense of satire that melts into every line of dialogue, pushed forward by one of Christian Bale's best-ever performances. The risky ending makes it clear that pretty much everything the audience saw throughout the film was not as it seemed.
Scooby-Doo 2: Monster's Unleashed
Scooby-Doo as a franchise is like the children's version of The Cabin In The Woods, with the live-action sequel arguably providing the biggest parallels. At its core, we have a group of stereotypical teens—the leader, the stoner, the nerd, and the confused—but the two films also share the idea of bringing a variety of unconnected monsters into the same story with something deeper going on behind it all.