The defence The Arthouse Gremlin
“Its refusal to behave is the point.”
The strange choices create the kind of friction that follows you out of the theatre and into the argument.
Back to trending 
The Cabin in the Woods
Horror · Mystery · Comedy · 2012
Five friends set out for a weekend at a remote cabin in the woods, expecting nothing more than fun and relaxation. As night falls, they discover that something far more unsettling is at work and that nothing about their getaway is what it seems.
Movie details
The Cabin in the Woods
“You think you know the story.”
2012 Horror · Mystery · Comedy 1h 35m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.7 / 10
Community rating
Five friends set out for a weekend at a remote cabin in the woods, expecting nothing more than fun and relaxation. As night falls, they discover that something far more unsettling is at work and that nothing about their getaway is what it seems.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over The Cabin in the Woods?
For the defence
The Arthouse Gremlin
“The stranger, the better.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Prestige Tourist
“You like your greatness pre-approved.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
The Blair Witch Project
Horror · 1999
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Freaks of Nature
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In the town of Dillford, humans, vampires and zombies were all living in peace - until the alien apocalypse arrived. Now three teenagers-one human, one vampire, and one zombie-have to team up to figure out how to get rid of the visitors.
The Ritual
Horror · 2017
A group of college friends reunite for a trip to the forest, but encounter a menacing presence in the woods that's stalking them.
Little Monsters
Horror · 2019
A washed-up musician teams up with a teacher and a kids show personality to protect young children from a sudden outbreak of zombies.
Fright Night
Horror · 2011
A teenager suspects his new neighbour is a vampire. Unable to convince anyone, he tries to enlist the help of a self-proclaimed vampire hunter and magician.
Return of the Living Dead Part II
Horror · 1988
A group of kids discover one of the drums containing a rotting corpse and release the 2-4-5 Trioxin gas into the air, causing the dead to once again rise from the grave and seek out brains.
Night of the Demons
Horror · 1988
When partygoers at a deserted funeral home decide to have a séance on Halloween night, they awaken something evil with a thirst for blood.
Werewolves Within
Horror · 2021
When a proposed pipeline creates hostilities between residents of a small town, a newly-arrived forest ranger must keep the peace after a snowstorm confines the townspeople to an old lodge. But when a mysterious creature begins terrorizing the group, their worst tendencies and prejudices rise to the surface, and it is up to the ranger to keep the residents alive, both from each other and the monster which plagues them.
Open Grave
Horror · 2013
A man awakes -- without memory -- in a pit full of bodies and must figure out if the people who rescued him are the killers, or if he is the murderer.
Jennifer's Body
Horror · 2009
Jennifer, a gorgeous, seductive cheerleader takes evil to a whole new level after she's possessed by a sinister demon. Now it's up to her best friend to stop Jennifer's reign of terror before it's too late.
Where it lives
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Drew Goddard
Written by
Drew Goddard · Joss Whedon
Kristen Connolly
Dana Polk
Fran Kranz
Marty Mikalski
Chris Hemsworth
Curt Vaughn
Jesse Williams
Holden McCrea
Anna Hutchison
Jules Louden
Richard Jenkins
Richard Sitterson
Bradley Whitford
Steve Hadley
Court is in session
Put The Cabin in the Woods on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Prestige Tourist
“Oddness is not depth.”
A film can break every rule and still leave nothing behind but the memory of how hard it tried to be singular.