The Cabin in the Woods is a 2012 American satirical horror film directed byDrew Goddard in his directorial debut, produced by Joss Whedon, and written by Whedon and Goddard.^[5] The film stars Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth,Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, and Jesse Williams.

Goddard and Whedon, having worked together previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, wrote the screenplay in three days,^[6] describing it as an attempt to "revitalize" the slasher film genre and as a critical satire ontorture porn. The A.V. Club, elaborating on this description, wrote, "WhereScream put a postmodern twist on slasher films, The Cabin in the Woodstakes on the whole genre and twists even harder... The script brings to the fore Whedon’s love of subverting clichés while embracing them and teasing out their deeper meaning."^[7]

Filming took place in Vancouver, British Columbia, from March to May 2009 on an estimated budget of $30 million. Scheduled to be released on February 5, 2010, the release was delayed until January 14, 2011 so that the film could be converted into 3D. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's financial troubles then delayed the release indefinitely. The distribution rights were bought by Lionsgate in April 2011, who cancelled the planned 3D conversion. The film then premiered on March 9, 2012 at the South by Southwest film festival in Austin, Texas and was released in the United States on April 13, 2012. The film was both a critical and financial success receiving positive reviews, featuring on Metacritic's best films of 2012 list and grossing over $65 million worldwide.