My Top 3 Cabin Horror Films

I went on a trip to a cabin in the mountains with my friends this weekend and we had the awesome idea to watch cabin horror films while we were there. Here are my favorite 3 cabin horror films:

1) The Cabin in the Woods

Cabin in the Woods is the best horror movie to come out of 2012 and great meta fun. Joss Whedon deconstructs the basic formula of horror films and creates a unique meta film that both pokes fun at the genre and improves it by breaking those formulas. It shows how real people are complex and don't fit into the archetypes of the genre unless they're being plied with chemicals and manipulated by some outside force. It also provides a reason why these stereotypes and this formulaic genre exists. Mix all this up with incredibly quotable dialog and a gory, surprising finish and you have Cabin in the Woods.

2) Tucker and Dale vs. Evil

I stumbled upon this one on Netflix (where it is still streaming. Go watch it!) and I wasn't exactly sure what it was except a horror comedy. I could not stop laughing. This movie is so unexpected and fun. It tells the story of a couple of rednecks, who would normally be murderous and possibly cannibals in such a horror film, who buy an ominous vacation house in the middle of a forest. They just want to fix up their home when they run into some college students that happen to be partying near their new house. Misunderstanding after misunderstanding leads to an injured college girl being nursed to health in their house and all of her friends thinking they are murderous hillbilly psycho killers. It's another movie that turns the genre on its head with delightful and gory results.

3) Wrong Turn

For the longest time, I thought Wrong Turn looked like one of the crappiest horror films ever. I finally watched it on cable one night and was surprised to see many actors I actually liked: Eliza Dushku, Jeremy Sisto, and Desmond Harrington. I was surprised to find it was a well constructed and acted film with frightening mutant hillbillies and a huge amount of suspense. I was on the edge of my seat for much of the film, especially in the scenes where the main characters hide in the cannibalistic hillbillies' house and try to stay quiet while their friends are being slaughtered. Wrong Turn falls into a more typical horror film that follows the formulas of the genre, but it's done well. It's definitely worth a watch.

Please share your own favorite cabin films below!