The Cabin in The Woods | Canadian First Time Watching | Movie Reaction | Movie Review | Commentary

[@najhoant]

I like how even the guys in charge laugh at the creepy guy who warns the group about the danger when they know his purpose. I also love how none of group members really fits the role they’ve been assigned: the jock is a sociology major, the dumb blonde is a med student, the nerd is introduced catching a football, the ”virgin” has just had an affair with a professor and the pothead is the only one who has a clue what’s going on

[@AnnekeOosterink]

They are practically the opposites of the archetypes they've been assigned, the fool was actually the wise one the whole time. It makes you wonder if the sacrifices would have worked (better) if they had identified their characters better.

[@adgato75]

@@AnnekeOosterink Marty actually fits the idea of "The Fool" as expressed in Tarot, or the archetype of The Jester, extremely well.

[@TheMarcHicks]

Someone else may have already mentioned it, but the film also seems to be a meta-commentary on horror movie audiences, & the need for ever more gruesome deaths to appease them. Effectively, we're the "ancient evil" 😉

[@hanng1242]

Indeed. This is also why the monsters are culture-specific: the American team works with American horror movie tropes, whereas the Japanese team has long-haired scary ghost girl.

[@eypandabear7483]

“Seems to be”? Isn’t it pretty explicit about that?

[@JonnyPhive]

This was the point. Meta commentary on horror movie fans. Also why you can never tell anyone anything about this movie without spoiling it.

[@victorsixtythree]

Yeah, when the facility technician guy says "We're not the only ones watching", who else is watching? We are - the audience.

[@jculver1674]

Yeah, basically it goes like: The Ancient Ones = audiences who demand formula horror movies The company = the soulless movie studio that gives them what they want The five victims = actors who are shoved into predetermined roles and forced to conform Mordecai = a supporting actor who plays the same role every time Hadley and Sitterson = the producers, stand-ins for Joss Whedon and Drew Godard Sigourney Weaver's character = literally called The Director The ending is symbolic of the entire system being broken by people refusing to go along with the formula, which is what Hollywood bigwigs fear will happen if they stop making formulaic movies - people will stop going and the entire industry will collapse.

[@QuayNemSorr]

This movie is actually one big 4. wall break. We (the audience) are the old gods. We watch horror movies expecting some sort of recipe to be followed. The blonde dying first, people who break up are sure to get killed etc. etc. Things has to play out how we expect. And if we watch a japanese horrormovie there's got to be kid ghosts, like the Kyoto incident. But we become more and more desensitized, requiring more and more to sate our appetite. Hence so many of the rituals have failed all over the planet. And if we don't get what we want, we "destroy" the world (Change channel)

[@kittensmakingcandles]

"so they just want to watch people in danger and also having sex" Imagine if they had a whole movie genre for films about that.

[@sinoomm3081]

Wrong turn franchise

[@deadassdgaf100]

every Jason film EVER...lol (and actually he prefers you to be actually in the very act of having sex for you to be the most in danger)

[@menace7885]

bang bus but the bus has to stay above 60 mph or else the vehicle explodes

[@codybrown3326]

​@@menace7885 I'd watch that

[@SnailHatan]

Action? Yeah that’s been around forever

[@Martin-xd4jl]

Fun fact about this movie: at 8:51, Fran Kranz playing Marty doesn't join in on swimming in the lake, and remains dressed in at least several layers throughout the entire thing. This is apparently because Fran Kranz was INCREDIBLY SWOLE at the time, and they figured that Marty being ridiculously muscular wouldn't jive with his characterisation.

[@BarryHart-xo1oy]

Wow,that’s fascinating and a little sad.

[@TheDancerMacabre]

I think that would make the subversion of the tropes/archetypes better

[@Tremain]

Also funny trivia detail: the stoner did not get in the water because they couldn't have him take his shirt off because he was actually buffer than Thor and the other guy.

[@ILikeCHEEZ9]

BRAGGING RIGHTS "I looked better than Chris Hemsworth"

[@jarrodoakley6911]

You can see it in the moment where he “returns from the dead”. Dudes got some arms

[@MasterBetty69]

@@jarrodoakley6911 yeah dude is shredded

[@sean_mccadden]

Also why they went over the top with the baggy clothes. You can still kinda tell but only after you already know

[@CodeeXD]

Lmao that's hilarious

[@nixnightbird138]

So, the other stories in this universe are all the other horror movies that exist. Every monster was a generic version of a villain in an existing horror movie. The sawblade-head guy was a Cenobite from Hellraiser. The masked people were The Strangers from the movie of the same name. Japanese Spirit was like the one from The Ring. Countless werewolf, vampire, ghost, zombie movies were all those creatures, etc. So when you watch the other horror movies, you're watching this universe. The people in those movies doing irrational things like acting stupid, splitting up, having sex in the woods when there's a killer around, etc. are all sacrifices to the Ancient Ones (the audience, i.e. us) and the final girl in every horror film is "the virgin" you saw in this. The artifacts were the same things you see in the horror movies that start everything, too. For example, the book is their version of the Necronomicon from Evil Dead. The puzzle ball was their version of the Puzzle Box from Hellraiser. This is a horror movie about every other horror movie! That's why it's so awesome, and you understand it more and more as you watch more horror movies and recognize where they drew all the influences from. Oh, and Kevin is suspected to be the character Elijah Wood played in "Sin City." A soulless serial killer.

[@chrisleebowers]

I figured "Kevin" was reference to a lot of franchise horror villains having a generic boy's name like "Freddy" or "Jason"

[@foolwriter]

If my timeline is right, this also came out shortly after We Need to Talk About Kevin, which is a disturbing little movie about a teenage psychopath (and makes another great in-joke here).

[@naimmahboubi7499]

The interesting meta of this movie is that it can give an unseen backstory to literally every horror movie. All of the preexisting horror movies can be chalked up to being another ritual sacrifice to the Ancient Ones. So, in a way, you have seen other movies in this universe... every horror film you've ever watched.

[@ofidiotabagista5259]

It's the horror movie to end all horror movie. Any cliche-filled slasher/monster movie will be seen in light of this one.

[@Tremain]

I love how they got the personalities of the characters completely wrong, the guy they had as the jock was a rhodes scholar, the "smart" one was super athletic, the virgin was sleeping with her professor and the jester was a virgin.

[@josephg.1.130]

that doesnt matter, they even say it doesnt matter, they just need to be similar to the stereotype on site

[@johnplaysgames3120]

From a screenwriting standpoint, having the facility guys manipulate them into roles that don't fit is one way of communicating to the audience just how much the facility is (and has been) controlling things. Also, given the meta-commentary of the film (that we the audience are the Ancient Ones who must be appeased by formulaic horror films and if they break the formula we get mad and destroy the world (ie, the movie fails)), putting the characters into roles that don't match who they actually are might just be a metaphor for actors. Actors are cast for a role because they look the part, regardless of what kind of person they are IRL. So, eg, Chris Hemsworth's character is a Rhodes Scholar but he LOOKS like a jock, so they cast him in that role for the sacrifice.

[@adgato75]

Why would you think Marty is a virgin ? Plus , he fits the archetype of "The Fool" quite well. It isn't about being dumb. It is a trickster archetype , like Loki.

[@sumelar]

@@josephg.1.130 It matters because it's why everything went so wrong. They kept trying to force them into roles they didn't fit and had to constantly drug them to get the reactions they needed for the narrative. That the controllers are so arrogant and not actually paying attention to their jobs is the whole point of the failure of the ritual.

[@josephg.1.130]

@@sumelar did you not watch the movie? Nothing went wrong until of of the characters they assumed was dead wasnt dead. They even state that they force the roles all the time. But go off ig?

[@craigvancil4410]

The funny thing is the "Adults" in the control room had the same archetypes and died in the correct order with Sigourney being the final girl.

[@johnyshadow]

Damn, now I need to rewatch with this in mind. (Though it seems about right from what I remember.)

[@craigvancil4410]

@@johnyshadow chem girl is the vixen. Merman gets the fool, Richard Jenkins is the brain and the new security detail is the jock. With Sigourney for the win.

[@DeliriousD-class]

​@@craigvancil4410OHHHH, the transgression was probably betting on the monsters lol

[@Harv72b]

2:52 There was an infamous(ly bad) American anti-drugs PSA that aired in the 1980s which used those lines, as a father found drug paraphernalia in his kid's room and confronted him over it. The original commercial in all its grainy goodness: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j16onaVrgJeJq9E

[@toastnjam7384]

I knew that I heard that before. But I was thinking a movie or TV show.

[@thedragonlee76]

I was a kid and grew up in the 80s...There were alot of those types of commercials and they even had PSA(Public Service Announcements) after cartoon shows.The GI Joe cartoon did them because knowing is half the battle...

[@Harv72b]

@@thedragonlee76 Yo, Joe!

[@vexgodglove]

The rituals vary based on the individual cultures running the facilities. The different "monsters" and victims are all different tropes from American pop culture. The Japanese facility would have monster choices based on Japanese folklore, the Swedish facility would have Norse folklore, etc. It's all about the metaphors, they have strong cultural meaning and that's why they matter to the Ancients.

[@freezoneproject567]

The iconic "twin girls" are probably a reference to The Shining.

[@maximillianosaben]

This movie came out to rave reviews, and everyone was encouraged to go in as blind as possible. Once the vibe of the movie sets in, the audience was having a blast in the theater.

[@freemansteinslab]

I always love the Evil Dead references... Like "Giant Molesting Tree" and "Deadites"

[@bulldogbanda4761]

Yes I just seen this video and was going to post it. Also the buzzsaw demon was supposed to be pinhead except a ball instead of a cube.

[@jimwoodman8158]

I missed Simone's awkward non sequitur opening line during the intro. I always felt proud when I got her reference. The twin girls are probably a reference to The Shining

[@SickSticks666]

"Angry molesting tree" is an Evil Dead reference, which is generally what this movie is based on (not including the monster lab plot). Great classic horror franchise but I would give a trigger warning to anyone watching for the first time that the "molesting tree" might be graphic for some.

[@ericbogerd5306]

In the 'Whedonverse' theory, this movie takes place after the events that ended Angel, and is the catalyst for humanity fleeing 'Earth-That-Was' in Firefly. The end of Angel pushed the Watchers to develop a back-up plan to save humanity in case of catastrophic failure to prevent the apocalypse. In that theory, the production crew are a branch of the Watchers. The Watchers evolve into Blue Sun over time in their attempts to impose order on the universe to prevent another apocalypse, and are secretly in control of the Alliance government. There's a lot more to it, but that's the basics.

[@busfare5660]

The Ancient One's are us, the audience. We expect in a slasher film the virgin or last lady to live, but by killing all of them, we are upset. And also, she wasn't a virgin cause she said she slept with her teacher. The company underground is the directors trying to deliver a good slasher flick.

[@Hapsard]

Yup ... she slept with her teacher and played the fool, while the stoner is suggested to have been a virgin ... They work with what they are given, but you have to wonder if they misunderstand who they have would the ancient ones have been pissed anyway.

[@alkanustalar7526]

Yep I'm here to say that.

[@eypandabear7483]

The way I understood it is that “The Virgin” doesn’t need to be a literal virgin. She just has to match the character archetype.

[@Hapsard]

@@eypandabear7483 sure, but what exactly is that archetype, and does it have to be a female? ... or just the pure at heart who is perhaps more discerning in there decision making - like "hey, let's go back upstairs", and "stop reading the incantation" which the fool, of course, continues to read ... Who knows ....

[@tangerinetech5300]

@@Hapsard I think it just means shes not the typical slutty teenage girl in every slasher movie

[@timhibbard4226]

The ‘I learned it by watching you bit’ is from an American public service announcement/anti-drug ad from the late 80’s and early 90’s that used to air during Saturday Morning Cartoons or other blocks of kids programming. The ad featured a VERY finely mustachioed Father confronting his Son upon finding his weed stash and the lines used in this scene were the climactic ones used by the Father and Son at the ads end. I’m glad that it got a laugh from you guys even without the jokes context.

[@goldenageofdinosaurs7192]

Yeah, that’s definitely a Gen X joke Joss threw in there. That ad always cracked me up. Of course, I was usually baked off my ass when I’d see it, but even sober, it’s still hella funny.

[@MandoWookie]

I had never seen that add, but I grew up with it referenced. So by some form of osmosis I have been imparted with this arcane knowledge anyway.

[@hellomark1]

Here it is for anyone curious: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gYa7k2qapJ52Y9k

[@johnw8578]

I am sure it is referenced in multiple places, but I just can't pinpoint where. I think Family Guy or South Park must have used it at some point.

[@veryvarley6706]

While on a horror run you could try something nobody else has reacted to --- "DOG SOLDIERS" an excellent film in it's genre, but it never got a big budget fanfare -- better than 99% of other horror efforts. Horror + fun and good effects/camera work on a budget.

[@adgato75]

@@aerthreepwood8021 Yep

[@johnw8578]

Yes -- DOG SOLDIERS is excellent!

[@jhornacek]

My favorite anecdote about this film is that before it was released they did an advance screening with a Q&A with the director after, and someone from the audience asked him "Will there be a sequel?" and the director replied "Didn't you see how the movie ended?"

[@Dr3amtime]

The movie plays a lot with voyeurism -- the one way mirror, the surveillance room, to the extent that I think it's supposed to make the viewer self-conscious about their own role. It's possible that we as the audience are the Old Ones that must be appeased.

[@Kaze..]

From what I understand it's exactly this. Why do they try to make them horny and have sex? Because so many horror movies had the obligatory sex scene. The whole movie is a commentary on the audience of slasher films. Why do people go to slashers? To see death and gore. The virgin not having to die is the nod to the Final Girl trope. Slasher is probably the most famous 'american' type of horror film and what we see in this movie is the slasher genre as a ritual to appeal the audience.

[@chrisleebowers]

We, the audience are the "Old Ones," The team in the lab is Hollywood trying to keep us happy. (The other teams are in Japan and Sweden, where some of the better horror movies have come out in recent years) We're so desensitized to all the tropes that none of them work on us anymore and in the end we "cancel" horror movies as a dependable blockbuster genre, just as "meta" movies and multiverse movies start becoming more popular. (There's still horror movies, they just don't dominate the BO like they used to)

[@cory6266]

27:29 "It is not hands that call us, it is desire." Using the Hellraiser knockoff guy there was _brilliant._ She clearly saw the movie, that's why she knew they had chosen, she realized they had picked their own monster.

[@adgato75]

It is mainly because he was actually holding his object.

[@William_Sk]

@@adgato75 Yeah the camera literally shows the object and THAT is when she has her realization.

[@devernejones7098]

For a wildly different meta-analysis, try "Tucker and Dale vs. Evil" which is hilarious!

[@blaylock1978]

I was lucky and saw a screening of this and met Fran Kranz (Marty). He signed a poster. They were basically saying that this movie was meant to be a homage to all other horror movies. I loved it, but some of my friends didn’t.

[@RPGMendrol]

I was going to suggest that in the film's reality, they should just ask for volunteers, but then I remembered a joke from Terry Pratchett: a law was passed stating that only condemned criminals could be subjected to human sacrifice, but the priests all agreed that refusal to volunteer to be sacrificed was a crime punishable by death.

[@sealofapproval637]

RIP Terry

[@godmagnus]

Fear is needed.

[@maisiesummers42]

I think it's mentioned in the film that the victims cannot volunteer, or it won't work.

[@tonyrossell832]

My favorite author.

[@doctorteethomega]

16:02 "We're not the only ones watching." Nope. I'm watching you guys.. watching him.. watching them. Such a great concept, and obviously true.

[@JamesWiseMagic]

I absolutely love this movie. I saw this in theaters going in completely blind. My family asked me to come and I didn't want to because "Cabin in the woods" sounded so generic lol. I hadn't seen any trailers for it so I had no interest in it. I'm glad I saw it because it's sooo good!

[@brucecooley70]

The absolute best way to see this movie. Felt bad for people after it came out and the TV spots started showing so much that made no sense for what you would expect in a typical cabin horror.

[@dereknolin5986]

I went in blind, too, and loved it. It's one of the few movies I went back to see a second time while it was still in theaters just because I wanted to watch it again already knowing the ending. I think this movie works on multiple layers.

[@DocuzanQuitomos]

"The Ancient Ones" The Ancient Ones can be understood as a double pun: in one side some have linked it to the idea of "the audience", the people for whom horror films are made (and, for whose entertainment, the characters are sacrificed in gruesome ways), but also the monsters in the literature of H.P. Lovecraft: ancient entities that once ruled the earth and were expelled or put to slep with complex rituals in order to give humanity a chance to live and prosper (a chance that will only last until the Elder Ones wake up and reclaim what was once theirs). "The archetypes" The film makes also an interesting statement that, while these films work with stock characters (easily identifiable, as you did as the film progressed), no person is exactly a "stock character" and there are several hints that the characters we have identified as "the virgin", "the fool", "the athlete", and so on have other interests or they don't even fit the archetype at all, which brings us to Simone's questions if this fault in the selection impacts the sacrifice. The short answer so far as been "no", Sigourney Weaver's speech at the end indicates that the organization assigns the roles, makes the killings accordingly. If the Ancient Ones don't destroy the world, it means they have accepted the sacrifices with the roles assigned, it doesn't matter if they were mistaken (so yeah, it opens the debate as if "the virgin", for example, has to be just pure in heart, or pure in body, where they can draw the limits for each archetype... or if they have never mattered at all). And that would be it, it was fun to see you discover this hidden gem of the genre XD. See you in the next one :P.

[@timhibbard4226]

Basically EVERY single thing listed on that whiteboard is a reference to a very specific thing from a horror movie or entire franchise. There are some classic non specific examples like the Werewolf and Wraith, but most are either direct parodies of specific horror movie monsters or plays on the same archetypes used to originally create them.

[@alalcoolj216]

The movie was mostly filmed in the Vancouver area, and the cabin (at least for exterior shots) was constructed in Robert Burnaby Park. I visited the set one day when they weren't shooting. The movie is less scary when you know there's a disc golf course just a short walk from the cabin.

[@jculver1674]

The scenes at the company facility were filmed at a university in Vancouver that often doubles as corporate/military headquarters in movies. There's a really good YT video called Vancouver Never Plays Itself that discusses how so many movies like this get filmed there.

[@Hellspiral-lr8yh]

When and if you do Hellraiser, it will become apparent who the guy with saw blades in his head is.

[@CyberBeep_kenshi]

I have such sights to show you...... They should stop after 2 imho. Went downhill REALLY fast after those

[@sealofapproval637]

A Cine-byte if you will 😏

[@Hellspiral-lr8yh]

@@CyberBeep_kenshi agreed

[@Hellspiral-lr8yh]

@@sealofapproval637 lol

[@ApesAmongUs]

I (and I assume many in the audience) started laughing as soon as that sphere (not-cube) appeared on-screen. Best example of changing just enough for it to be different while totally obvious.

[@davidm1926]

34:12 - Evil Dead reference (incidentally, a scene that Sam Raimi has since expressed regret about shooting).

[@MsKimifer]

I remember, as a life long Buffy fan, watching this movie and having my eyes light up just like this. "Do not read the Latin", the monster holding cells, it's all so familiar. The white board from this movie makes an appearance in Buffy when she is running for Homecoming queen against Cordelia. Buffy draws up a graph of all the bad things that could "happen" to her.

[@faureamour]

Xander, don't speak Latin in front of the books.

[@venividiarrevederci4461]

If you're curious about all the monsters, what they are and what they are references to, there's actually a wiki for this movie that covers them. I loved the movie anyway, but clicking through the wiki actually made me appreciate it a lot more for all the little stuff I missed.

[@kayearcher8407]

The Deadites and Angry Molesting Tree are from Evil Dead, which is where the titular cabin is modeled from. Also Kevin is most likely a being like Jason, essentially a zombie but somehow not one.

[@vladyvhv9579]

Cabin In The Woods was a movie made by Sam Rami and Bruce Campbell prior to them making Evil Dead. It's seen as an unofficial prequel.

[@CyberBeep_kenshi]

'Let's get this party started' Oh man, what a scene!

[@meteorplum]

Fran Kranz/Marty was specifically bundled up for the swimming scene because the actor was actually pretty buff, which didn't match the idea of his character being a stoner. It's the reason he's costumed in bulky clothes for the entire film.

[@tophers3756]

I knew nothing about this film when I watched it and was pleasantly surprised. I'd forgotten about the eagle hitting the barrier so when the motorcycle hit it I couldn't stop laughing.

[@emilyhannan7302]

I love that when the movie came out and people kept asking if there was going to be a sequel. the director was like "have you seen the end of the movie?!?"

[@jerodast]

I haven't seen the director saying that, but I have seen many fans say that. And to that I say: Yes I have, so give me that sequel now :) I'm a little sad Simone & George didn't show reaction to THE HAND, which I thought was a great effect to end on.

[@sumelar]

The director actually said the exact opposite, and remains open to the possibility.

[@masonproffer3754]

I literally face palmed when Simone says the facility at the beginning could be like like "buffy" creating monsters comment, how in the hell did she get that lucky??

[@masonproffer3754]

I just meant her guessing part of the plot... The fun of this movie is realizing it's not what you expected. I never said their was a parallel... You did...

[@WhiteOwlBlunt]

Was a little weird too when she said, they maybe are sacrificing these people so they don’t have to deal with a bigger monster, or saying Marty won’t be the first dead because he understands it, even before anyone died. Or when Hemsworth smacks into the grid. Very weird coincidences.

[@jerodast]

I was a little disappointed when she literally named the mid-air hex grid thing as Curt's cause of death, because while you can definitely tell SOMETHING will go wrong, it is way more hilarious seeing him smash into that if you weren't already visualizing it exactly. Sure, we saw the bird smash into it earlier, but they did a good job keeping the adrenaline going after that so that most people don't immediately remember it unless they're "trying to figure it out".

[@victorsixtythree]

Supposedly, Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard (who had worked together on Buffy and Angel) wrote the screenplay for this in three days.

[@timhibbard4226]

On of my favorite takes on this movie is that the unnamed Organization screws up right from the start by who they chose for the archetypes and thus doom us all. Dana is first presented to us as being hung up on a bad relationship with a professor that her friend thinks she should over already. She is the one who chooses their death by finding the book and reading it despite Marty’s protests. It also takes her a while to figure things out for a supposed protagonist. She is the Fool and Marty is the Virgin, though everything from the plotting to the film-making tries to trick us into thinking otherwise. Marty’s role in the story of first noticing things being off and trying to bring it to the attention of the others and failing to do so is one that traditionally in a horror film usually falls to the Final Girl (or very rare Final Boy, like Marty is proposed to be) or as this movie frames it, the Virgin. So in this interpretation, all of the way up until the end the Organization has things wrong and would have actually still failed anyway. They made some sexist assumptions that are almost entirely responsible for screwing everything up and dooming the world. Marty is also most certainly the least sexed of the character in the story, or maybe as George would put it after your John Wick video, Marty does NOT fuck or at least not anywhere near as often as he would like. lol So even if Sigourney shot Marty as she desired and either let Dana live or killed her last, the formula/ritual would still be broken/incomplete and the Ancient Ones would still rise. It’s really a very UP and optimistic perspective on the movie. lol

[@TheTitandog70]

You take is spot on to what I been thinking also

[@xen0bia]

Oh I thought it was pretty obvious the organization had misidentified these 2 and that's what ended up being the wrench in their plan. Even if he's a stoner, Marty is quick do understand what's actually going on in order to survive, exactly what you would expect from a protagonist, the final "girl" so to speak.

[@wagnerterradarocha2486]

Curt and Holden can also be swapped archetypes, Curt who introduced the books to his girlfriend and Holden was a sportsman too

[@mumygirl1890]

The channel FilmJoy did a pretty good episode all about them assigning the people the wrong roles.

[@TheJabbate1]

She may actually be the Whore. She did have a questionable relationship with her teacher and she's introduced without pants.

[@FLQueerLiberal1982]

I love to surf KZbin for reactions to Cabin In the Woods reactions, and in fact, I was doing so last night. So imagine my glee when I see this today. It would be so awesome if y'all reacted to Clue The Movie.

[@faureamour]

Yes! I love watching reactions to this movie, but Clue is one of my favorite films. I hope they react to it someday!

[@greyambrosia]

One of the reasons I love this film is that its all about hubris. The controllers have done this so many times that they no longer are as careful or precise about the sacrifices as they might have once been. They're supposed to gather up and sacrifice a bunch of young people who fit certain archetypes (the Virgin, the Whore, the Athlete, the Scholar, and the Fool). The problem is, they get the archetypes wrong. They've assigned the roles to Dana (Virgin), Jules (Whore), Curt (Athlete), Holden (Scholar), and Marty (Fool), when none of them actually fit those roles. Dana might seem virginal, but early in the movie she confesses to an affair with her professor. Jules is sexy and dresses skimpy, but she's also flighty and overly concerned with non-important things in her life; also she is in a clearly loving and utterly monogamous relationship with Curt, which hardly fits the whore archetype. Curt might seem like a jock, but his athletic skills are mediocre at best, and he's seen lugging around high-level textbooks dealing with subjects like the Psychology of the Soviet System. Holden is smart, sure, but at the same time he's clearly more athletic than Curt is, and while he has the raw intelligence, he's clearly lazy about it. And Marty... well, Marty might be a stoner but he also admits he's never had sex in his life. So... Had the controllers done the research, they would have realized that the archetypes should have been assigned with Dana being the Whore, Jules being the Fool, Curt being the Scholar, Holden being the Athlete, and Marty being the Virgin.

[@brucebieberly4166]

Exactly right. And the controllers are the movie makers who get lazy telling the story, thinking the audience will watch whatever they film.

[@johnyshadow]

My take is that assigning the wrong roles isn´t the problem. ("We work with what we have.") The problem is assigning the roles in the first place. They have become too confident and lazy, relying on meds and manipulation to make their work easier, and it backfires with Marty. As you said, hubris. (Though I really like your breakdown of the archetypes. I personally had Jules as the Virgin, but this makes sense.)

[@AZDfox]

And that would have made the events flow even better. If they had killed Dana first and saved Marty for last, they might have succeeded.

[@TennSeven]

"Angry molesting tree" is a reference to the tree in Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2; and of course "deadites" is a reference to that entire franchise.

[@unxprienced9548]

Bonus Bonus Fun Fact: Sigourney Weaver loved the Werewolf monster! She would usually ask if the monster was on set when she came to film her parts!

[@vighneshpillai7996]

What a fun time this film is 😂 and excellent reaction!! I chocked on my water while watching Simone at 23:48....oh my god 😂😂😂

[@selardohr7697]

omg i clicked the timestamp and died laughing, i forgot she did that. i love her reactions so much!

[@urmintrude]

Puts em up ready to fight!

[@jksgameshelf3378]

Love this film and, to me, any reference to the 'Ancient Ones' always makes me think of Cthulhu and the Lovecraft pantheon, but then that wouldn't have led to a human arm/fist breaking out of the ground at the end, which was kinda disappointing. Also, nice Garfunkel & Oates pull from Simone with the 'God's Loophole' reference. Also, as strange as it may seem, Fran Kranz - who played stoner Marty - wrote and directed his first film last year called "Mass" which was critically acclaimed and won several awards. The whole film is primarily just two couples in a room: the parents of a child who was murdered in a school shooting, and the parents of the child who was the school shooter, having a discussion. I haven't seen it yet because the whole world is too heavy right now for me to sit through a heavy film like that, but it has some great actors in it so want to check it out at some point.

[@christophero1969]

Some of us prefer "God's Loophole".

[@ericmm6822]

The audience is the ancient ones. The everyone is the movie industry!

[@scyphe]

Well, the "Ancient Ones" in the movie are indeed alluding to the Cthulhu mythos in some jumbled form or another; I guess this movie is mixing together most of the horror tropes and monsters. Since "meta"-satire is a big ingredient in this movie the other descriptions (ie. we're the "Ancient Ones" etc.) are equally true.

[@kennethsilverwind7575]

The whole beginning while you guys are trying to foretell what’s going on I was shaking my head like “ … you’ve never seen a movie like this before … just wait”

[@ZachLorton]

This is one of my favorite horror movies by a mile. In my circle of roleplayer friends, the "Kevin" is the NPC that completely screws everyone and everything right up, whether by choice or by accident. He's the male equivalent of the Karen trope.

[@Scott_Forsell]

The opening is great. It is a demented version of Scooby-Doo. You've got your Velma. You've got Daphne. Fred. Shaggy. They pile into a Mystery Machine. Oh, and the other superfluous first to die guy, too. The only thing missing is a talking dog.

[@Scott_Forsell]

It must suck to be Daphne. Everybody else has a role. Velma is the brain. Fred is the manager. Shaggy is the catalyst. Daphne is ... ? Princess Peach? Daphne has no agency. She is an object.

[@shanewillis316]

This was before Chris Hemsworth became a super star actor. Cabin in the Woods was film in 2009, but wasn't released until 2012 if I remember correctly.

[@Madbandit77]

Yup. MGM was supposed to release this film, but there were in financial hell. So, Lionsgate picked it up.

[@jimtatro6550]

As a 55 year old horror fan who has been watching every trope since I was about 9 or so, I absolutely love this movie. The final act made me want to stand up and cheer.🤣👍

[@Cooper_Vision]

I dunno why as an elderly English man I like Canadian reactors the best, but I do. You two have kept me sane and entertained and I thank you both for it.

[@Cooper_Vision]

@@Psilocybin77 wanna swop lives and homes?! 😁

[@devernejones7098]

You and friends can be the characters and one gets to be the Ancient Ones in the following board games: 1) Betrayal at House on the Hill - the original. Search the house ad you get different monsters depending on the artifacts. 2) Betrayal at Baldur's Gate - same as above by D&D characters and monsters 3) Betrayal at Mystery Mansion - same, but Scooby-Doo themed so less gore and more dudes in costumes.

[@craigfurness5278]

The Hills Rise Wild, all the players are trying to get the Necronomicon to summon the old ones. Four separate groups, all wonderfully culty/weird.

[@PhatLayCes7825]

@2:55 there were PSA commercials about teenage smoking back in the day where the father found cigarettes in his son's room. That line came from those quirky commercials.

[@PhatLayCes7825]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gYa7k2qapJ52Y9k I found it

[@dougallen9689]

I remember hearing about an interview with whedon/ Goddard where they were asked about the possibility of a sequel and their response was basically "have you SEEN how the movie ends?" I love how Simone is tying it into Buffy and trying to explain Buffy to George, and George is going to explain the SCP Foundation to Simone.

[@shainewhite2781]

This is a crazy fun comedy horror film that has some meta humor The film was originally slated for a 2009 release date but was delayed for 2 years as MGM was facing bankruptcy. It was finally released in 2011.

[@Dacre1000]

If memory serves, the first delay was about making it 3d after Avatar brought a craze about it. Then it was shelved because of the bankruptcy. And yet it never came out in 3d...

[@vincentbowman5346]

Y’all’s intuition is some of the best I’ve seen in my life, extremely impressed. Force field like a hunger games situation, group like the SCP foundation, and the weed bro being the only one actually with it. Bravo

[@justinnaniong7872]

Kevin is a serial killer who looks like a normal adult man. He is summoned by the film strip. It's possible he's a reference to other film killers with banal-sounding names (e.g. Freddy, Jason, Michael, Norman, etc.) and/or a reference to a white-collar murderer like Patrick Bateman.

[@jculver1674]

I'm pretty sure Kevin is supposed to be Elijah Woods' character from Sin City.

[@ApesAmongUs]

I assumed "Henry".

[@anthonymiele4320]

This movie reminds me of Johnny the Homicidal Maniac. "It changes color when it dries! It NEVER stays!! I have to keep the wall wet!!"

[@Twiska]

The movie is trying to say that every horror movie you have ever seen was a ritual set up by these people and the tropes and cliches are all due to these people engineering the rituals to fit the ancient ones' desires. The masked people were a reference to The Purge, the sawblade guy with the puzzle was a reference to Pinhead and Hellraiser, and the twins reference The Shining. I believe Kevin is supposed to be the actual character Kevin from the movie We Need to Talk About Kevin, and the molesting tree is a reference to the Evil Dead. (Edit: It has been pointed out to me that the masked people are in reference to The Strangers and not The Purge. Also, it's not possible for Kevin to be a reference to We Need To Talk About Kevin due to when the films were filmed and released. Some have said it was Kevin from Sin City, and others have said it's just the trope of the Slasher having a common name such as Jason, Freddy or Micheal.)

[@ravenwind1062]

"Deadites" was also reference to the Evil Dead movies. This movie is basically, every horror movie ever all rolled into one. It's making fun of, paying tribute too, and then actually becoming it's own horror movie.

[@andrewforbes1433]

The masked people are a reference to The Strangers, not The Purge.

[@DavidMeddowsTaylor]

It's unlikely that Kevin is from We Need to Talk About Kevin as this movie was filmed (in 2009 but released in 2012) before that one (in 2011). It is more likely Kevin from Sin City, played by Elijah Wood.

[@nixnightbird138]

Correct.

[@ravenwind1062]

@@DavidMeddowsTaylor Damn your right, I missed that one. Good call!

[@ptittannique5621]

About the ballerina, around 27:20, George says "Ok... it's a girl and a moray eel..." Well, that's WRONG, George! It's a girl and a LAMPREY, of course! Pshaw! (All right! My 20-year training as an ichthyologist wasn't ALL in vain, after all!)

[@brucecooley70]

So glad to see you two watching this. One of my favorites of all time. It is one of the best movies to go into with as little knowledge as possible. Felt bad for people when the tv spots started to give away stuff that you never would have expected. Saw it on opening night and went back again the next day as it was just that good.

[@mikeman2862]

If memory serves, someone said this is a kinda "What if" scenario of the universe that was introduced in Buffy, albeit more violent and gory

[@tophers3756]

It's worth reading the film trivia on IMDB. It explains Kevin and even the impossible to read sign the intern was holding.

[@JamieLeaFL]

So happy to see this react. Thank you!

[@Emburbujada]

I'm so glad you reacted to this. Such a fun but also smart movie. Whedon did a great job! I think you should react to Hellblazer next, since you didn't recognize the reference in this one.

[@stephen-macdonald]

I'd love to see a sequel set in a post apocalyptic world full of a wide variety of unleashed monsters, and giant old gods peppered occasionally on the horizon obscured by atmospheric haze, with Dana having survived but struggling with lycanthropy after that bite living nomadically killing monsters but avoiding survivng humans.

[@snowflakepillow8697]

WOW with the instant Sigourney Weaver voice call... wish I had that power working phones...

[@goldenageofdinosaurs7192]

4:07 That was actually a decent joint. It was a little top heavy, but would probably smoke really well.

[@GrumpyOldGuyPlaysGames]

"Kevin" is a reference to Sin City. In that film Kevin Spencer is a badass sadistic cannibal serial killer martial arts master played by Elijah Wood. The full list of possible monsters is as follows: the Alien beast, Angry Molesting Tree, the Balding Menace, the Blob, the Boomer, the Bride, the Bullhead Phantom, Clowns, the Cowskull Giant, the Charger, the Creature with Patterend Segments of Armor on Its Head, the Creeping Shadow, Deadites, Dismemberment Goblins, the Doctors, Dolls, the Dragonbat, the Face Peeler, the Floating Leeches, the Flock of Killer Birds, the Giant, the Giant Floating Head, the Giant Snake, the Gladiator Demon, the Seductive Hell Lord, the Huron, Jack O'Lantern, Kevin, the Ku Klux Klan, the Merman, the Minotaur, the Mummy, Mutants, Rabid Dogs, the Reanimated, Reptilus, the Angry Republicans, the Sasquatch (Wendigo/Yeti), the Shogoth, the Scarecrow Folk, Witches, Sexy Witches, the Snowman, the Sugarplum Fairy (she's the ballerina with teeth), the Tentacle Thing, Twins, the Unicorn, Vampires, Werewolf, Wraiths, the Zombie Redneck Torture Family, and Zombies.

"In that film"… nope, "in that comic". And where does that "Spencer" come from?

[@TenTonNuke]

To truly appreciate the amount of work that went into the special effects, watch Kill Count (with the always majestic James A Janisse). For example, for one brief moment there's a shot of a security monitor with like nine separate camera viewpoints. Each of those scenes was fully shot with costumes and sets. All for something that appeared in the background for a few seconds.

[@kingcaesar3693]

Little fun fact: If you pay attention when they zoom out and show the monsters in the cells. A Boomer from Left 4 Dead can be seen in one. This is because when the movie was shot they originally had a deal with Valve to put some monsters from this into that and vice versa. But I guess the contract ran out so they never did.

[@nighttimejackable]

Heyyyy, Good to see my favorite Canadians 👍🏼

[@nighttimejackable]

@YT Thank you bud. I would have never guessed 🙄

[@nighttimejackable]

@YT Yeah I have. It's been a while though. Oh wait, was that a reference to something? Lmao I'm a stupid ass I didn't get it at first. My bad dude 😂

[@nighttimejackable]

@YT LMFAO 😂

[@clem2795]

I love this movie and it was great seeing others trying to puzzle out the plot like I did when I first saw it. Thank you for choosing this movie!

[@MrDman21]

I like the whiteboard with all the monsters on there and one of the names is Kevin 😂

[@axebeard6085]

There are a lot of horror film references in this film. A few of the ones I know about off the top of my head: The guy with the saw blades holding a metal ball: Pinhead from Hellraiser The twin girls: the twin girls from The Shining Angry Molesting Tree: The demonic tree from Evil Dead And because the question was driving me nuts, I went on the Cabin in the Woods wiki, and they list several possible influences for "Kevin". My personal favorite theory is that "Kevin" is inspired by the Kevin in Sin City.

[@mojoshivers]

Huzzah. The best movie to bridge horror and comedy. I love how meta and funny this is for a scary film. The whiteboard betting parts crack me up.

[@ColombianThunder]

Evil dead 2

[@SpenglerExtreme]

I would love to see you guys react to a Canadian classic, Ginger Snaps 😇

[@paulmatson661]

I'm glad we talked about Kevin.

[@calemobrien1139]

So many horror movie references in this movie! 3 of my favorites are the Evil Dead, Hellraiser(guy with blades & puzzle sphere), and The Shining(2 little girls)which you guys should definitely check out eventually.

[@noyb9999]

I'd like to see a prequel series about how they captured all of the creatures/spirits for the rituals & set up each facility!

[@DarthLesbian]

Ya. They could even go further back with each prequel revealing more and more of how this happened as they go, that would be a unique approach.

[@Mr_Top_Hat_Jones]

I’ve been watching reactions to this movie for a minute. This is my new favorite one. So good.

[@Kronikman07]

it has been such a long time since i've seen this movie I forgot most of it. it was like re-watching it again. awesome.

[@visualartsbyjr2464]

I always thought that the origination got the fool and virgin mixed up. The movie is a good rematch as you can see all the Easter eggs . Awesome reaction as usual.

[@josephg.1.130]

it doesnt matter, just has to fit the stereotype on site

[@Cau_No]

The vault is full of references to other horror movies, some more hidden, because copyrights … The twin girls are from "The Shining", Sawblade guy with the ball is like Pinhead from Hellraiser.

[@seangriffiths4967]

Love this film. I've lost count of how many times I've watched it.

[@wjhull]

Quick FYI: Kevin is the name of Elijah Woods' character in Sin City (the mute cannibal).

[@lostopportunity4701]

The twins..... The shining. The merman is something you need to blink or miss it when the elevator opens. Ghosts, mummies it's literally every movie monster. This movie is a love song to horror movies.

[@animate153]

God this is one of my favorite movies the creativity of the extra monsters makes me want to see more

[@waynekent7068]

Another fun fact: In one of the cubes there is a Reaver from Firefly/Serenity

[@1amazeme]

Sccoby Doo used a similar set of characters including the scary man. Most of the horror movies from the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, and 00’s built the same troop of character for formula. Joss and company decided to turn it on its head, shake his finger at the story writers and say, “Do something different. “ Buffy was created for that same purpose.

[@johnplaysgames3120]

It was really more of a meta-commentary on the horror movie audience than a challenge to other writers. In the meta-commentary, we, the horror movie audience, are the Ancient Ones. They, the filmmakers, make horror movies to entertain and appease us. We're happy when they follow the formula we're used to. When they break the formula, we get mad (like it's the end of the world) and end the world (ie, the movie/franchise gets panned and fails, therefore that "world" ends and all the characters in it "die" because no more of those movies are made). If Joss was shaking his finger at anyone with this, it was at the horror movie audience for demanding the same old formulaic stuff and freaking out if the filmmakers stray from the tropey formula. In an age where internet backlash is fast and fierce and people complain about Hollywood not making anything original but then also complain when Hollywood makes something different than what they expect or what's worked before, I can imagine people like Joss get pretty frustrated with the viewing public. I've always felt like "Cabin in the Woods" was Joss venting a little but doing it in a clever and comedic way.

[@actualamateur149]

"I love to give the fire a lap dance." *Suddenly becomes fire*

[@Braincleaner]

love that you picked up on the buffy thing. the finale of this movie is clearly what Wheadon wanted to do at the end of buffy S5, but lacked the budget :)

[@Shiny7054]

Season 4. Season 5 was Glory

[@TheonlyaviableID]

A lot of layers. The five being watched by the office people. Simone & George (as the watchers, and thus the ancient ones) watching them. We watching Simone & George, and my cat staring at me.

[@vorbis4860]

This movie is so good. And the comedy was so well done.

[@deadlinesoul1999]

you are the only channel that I've seen including that scene when the old man swears to little girls. that scene never gets old lol