The Campy Horror Classic With A Marvel Star You Can Stream Without Netflix

From the title alone, it’s obvious that The Cabin in the Woods plays into the typical tropes that we’ve come to know and love from the horror genre. It focuses on a group of college students who leave campus to post up for the weekend at a remote cabin where a string of terrors are unleashed upon them. But, unlike other slashers, there’s a twist, as beneath their feet, a group of scientists are controlling the release of the creatures from a secret laboratory. 

This is one of those movies that, just when you think you’ve caught on, a new twist throws you back off course. Such is all that’s to be expected from its helmer, Drew Goddard, who celebrated his feature-length directorial debut with the title. Goddard is well-known by the Buffy the Vampire Slayer fandom for his work on the beloved series, and he also co-penned the screenplay for Cabin in the Woods alongside Buffy creator Joss Whedon. 

The film’s ensemble lineup is a fun who’s who of the time that includes Kristen Connolly (House of Cards), Chris Hemsworth (Thor: Love and Thunder), Jesse Williams (Only Murders in the Building), Anna Hutchison (Vengeance: A Love Story), Bradley Whitford (The West Wing), Fran Kranz (Dollhouse), and Richard Jenkins (Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story) with a really fun but tiny cameo from Alien franchise superstar, Sigourney Weaver. 

As with any Drew Goddard or Joss Whedon project, there are also some familiar faces from the Buffy and Angel universe, with Tom Lenk and Amy Acker tossed into The Cabin in the Woods for good measure. Buffy the Vampire Slayer stans will remember Lenk for his role as Andrew, one of the members of the trio, who appeared in the show’s final two seasons. Meanwhile, Acker was a regular throughout the Buffy spin-off Angel, in which she played Winifred “Fred” Burkle and Illyria.

Released by Lionsgate, The Cabin in the Woods had a pretty successful run at the box office, earning more than $66 million against its $30 million production budget. Most importantly, the film was a smash hit with audiences and critics alike who enjoyed the campy vibes and laugh-out-loud moments mixed in with some truly terrifying and well-written jump scares. Hit with the Certified Fresh stamp of approval, Goddard’s directorial debut currently sits with the nearly perfect Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score of 92 percent.

When it comes to The Cabin in the Woods, the movie should be an easy shoo-in for your 31 days of Halloween watchlist. Standing in its very own unique part of the horror comedy category, the film will give you a solid break from your slasher or paranormal fest. Check it out now on Peacock.