The Cabin in the Woods

<p><i>The Cabin in the Woods </i>(2012), directed by Drew Goddard and co-authored by Goddard and Joss Whedon of <i>Buffy</i>-fame, was famously described by co-author Whedon as his ‘loving hate letter’ to horror. Interviews with Whedon reveal that his struggles with modern cinematic horror are not merely emotional, but intensely philosophical. <br><br> This book is the first to read <i>Cabin </i>as a philosophical metatext that asks what horror offers audiences and why audiences accept. Like any good philosophy, the film offers no answers but raises questions: what ‘choices’ are possible in a pre-determined universe? How do we, the audience, see the victims of violence, and with what ethical consequences? And finally, the most fraught question of all: why do we keep looking?</p>