The cabin in the woods setting for horror movies is a trope for a reason. The protagonist is typically away from home, modern communication technology is usually limited, and the cabin is often stuck in a remote location where any number of strangers could be lurking outside the door. Such films became so commonplace after a while that it was cleverly poked fun at in 2012's The Cabin in the Woods, which, as the best satires and parodies do, also ironically stands alongside its predecessors.
Here are our picks for the best horror movies that center the action in a cabin in the woods.
Always Shine (2016)
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Two actresses attempt to repair their friendship while on vacation at a cottage in Big Sur. Their hope for reconnection ultimately turns deadly. —Dana Schwartz
Antichrist (2009)
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In Lars von Trier's thriller, a couple descends into sadomasochist turmoil after the death of their child. The psychiatrist husband (Willem Dafoe) believes that a trip to the same cabin they spent their last summer as a family will help in their healing, but instead, it only drives the grieving mother (Charlotte Gainsbourg) into increasingly violent depths. —D.S.
Backcountry (2014)
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Loosely based on a true story, this survivalist horror movie follows a couple (Missy Peregrym, Jeff Roop) seeking an escape from city life with a camping trip in the Canadian wilderness. However, once they become disoriented, they are hunted by a ravenous, man-eating bear. —D.S.
Cabin Fever (2002)
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In Eli Roth's directorial debut, recent college grads (Rider Strong, Jordan Ladd, James DeBello, Cerina Vincent, Joey Kern) head to a mountain cabin for October break. But when one of them contracts a flesh-eating disease after coming in contact with a dying stranger (Arie Verveen), their getaway spirals into a gruesome fight for survival. —D.S.
The Cabin in the Woods (2012)
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The tongue-in-cheek parody of the genre's tropes still managed to pack a scary punch. When five college friends (Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams) check into a remote cabin, they are systematically hunted by various monsters — including werewolves, wraiths, sugarplum fairies, and more — operated by two conspiring scientists (Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford). —D.S.
Where to watch The Cabin in the Woods: Peacock
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Deliverance (1972)
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Not quite a horror movie, but plenty horrifying all the same. You'll never hear "Dueling Banjos" the same after watching this classic film about a canoeing trip gone wrong. —D.S.
Eden Lake (2008)
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In James Watkins' directorial debut, Michael Fassbender stars as a man who goes on a weekend getaway to a remote English lake with his girlfriend (Kelly Reilly). But when a group of rambunctious teens steal their belongings and wreck their car, the couple is then thrown into a violent cat-and-mouse game for survival. —D.S.
The Evil Dead (1981)
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In Sam Raimi's directorial debut, five college friends take a vacation in the woods, where they find an audio tape that releases demonic spirits once played. When four out of the five become possessed, the final guy (Bruce Campbell) has to battle his way out. —D.S.
Where to watch The Evil Dead: Tubi
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Evil Dead II (1987)
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Sam Raimi's horror trilogy continued with a film often characterized as a "parody sequel," picking up right where the first left off. —D.S.
Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning (1985)
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Years after defeating serial killer Jason Voorhees, Tommy Jarvis (John Shepherd) is being transferred from a mental hospital to a halfway house in the woods. But as a new killer in a hockey mask racks up victims, Tommy begins to question his sanity and begins to wonder if Jason has somehow returned from the grave. —D.S.
Where to watch Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning: Paramount+
Funny Games (2007)
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Naomi Watts stars in the remake of an Austrian horror movie of the same name, about two twentysomething criminals (Michael Pitt, Brady Corbet) who visit a family's lake house and take them hostage. With only so many hours to live, the captors subject the family to a series of sadistic games that will determine their fate. —D.S.
The Hallow (2015)
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A husband (Joseph Mawle), wife (Bojana Novakovic), and baby move out in the backwoods of a remote Irish village. But once the father trespasses the forests — or "hallows" — the family must contend with the demonic forces who surround their home. —D.S.
Where to watch The Hallow: AMC+
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Hush (2016)
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As if being sequestered in the middle of nowhere wasn't terrifying enough, being unable to hear any intruder and scream for help is exponentially scarier. That's the horrid reality for deaf and mute author Maddie Young (Kate Siegel), who retreats to a cabin in the woods to write her next book — only to become the target of a sadistic, taunting serial killer. —James Mercadante
It Comes at Night (2017)
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After a deadly disease wipes out nearly all of humanity, a family isolates themselves in a remote lodging to survive. However, when they offer shelter to another desperate family, they risk exposing themselves and letting the contagion in. —J.M.
The Lodge (2019)
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Riley Keough plays Grace, a soon-to-be stepmother snowed in with her fiancé's two children in their remote cabin during Christmastime. Just as the three begin to connect, inexplicable happenings activate terrifying hallucinations from Grace's oppressive, religious upbringing. —J.M.
Misery (1990)
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"I'm your number one fan." Kathy Bates stunned audiences with her terrifying portrayal of an obsessive fan willing to do anything to keep an author (James Caan) hostage in her isolated home. —D.S.
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The Ritual (2017)
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Four friends (Rafe Spall, Arsher Ali, Robert James-Collier, Sam Troughton) decide to go on a hiking trip in the Scandinavian wilderness to honor a friend who was recently killed. Things don't go exactly according to plan when a rainstorm hits and one of them gets injured — forcing the group to take shelter in an abandoned cabin dwelled by an evil presence. —D.S.
Secret Window (2004)
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In David Koepp's adaptation of a Stephen King short story, Johnny Depp plays a novelist suffering from writer's block and an impending divorce. Relocating to a remote vacation home, the author is confronted and then tormented by a farmer (John Turturro) who claims he plagiarized his work. —D.S.
The Strangers (2008)
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In this slasher flick based on the Manson family Tate murders, a couple (Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman) on the verge of breaking up come to stay at their remote summer home after a friend's wedding. Their quiet night takes a turn when a stranger knocks at the door asking for "Tamara," followed by three masked intruders who invade their property and torture the couple. —D.S.
Where to watch The Strangers: Max
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Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2009)
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Two good-natured country pals (Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine) are looking forward to unwinding at their rickety vacation cabin. But soon, a group of preppy teens misidentifies them as murderers in a comedy-horror send-up of the genre. —D.S.
What Keeps You Alive (2018)
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What's scarier than being away from civilization with no one to call for help and limited cell phone service? In What Keeps You Alive, a couple celebrates their anniversary at — you guessed it — an isolated cabin, where a woman discovers her wife isn't exactly who she thought she was. —D.S.
