18 of the best 'cabin in the woods' horror movies

When you're far from civilization, with no cell phone service, things are bound to get scary...
By Dana Schwartz
August 21, 2018 at 09:34 PM EDT

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What Keeps You Alive (2018)

Credit: IFC Midnight

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. In theaters Aug. 24.

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The Strangers (2008)

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Three masked strangers break into a remote summer home and torture the couple vacationing there in this slasher flick starring Liv Tyler.

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Funny Games (2007)

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Naomi Watts starred in the remake of an Austrian horror movie of the same name, about strangers who visit a family at their lake house.

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The Cabin in the Woods (2012)

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The tongue-in-cheek pardoy of the genre's tropes still managed to pack a scary punch. Plus: Chris Hemsworth!

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Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985)

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A new killer in a hockey mask racks up victims in the woods in this attempted revival of the horror franchise.

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Cabin Fever (2002)

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Recent college grads fall prey to a flesh-eating virus while renting a cabin in Eli Roth's directorial debut.

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The Ritual (2017)

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Four friends decide to go on a hiking trip to honor a friend who was killed. If you can believe it, things don't go exactly according to plan.

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The Hallow (2015)

Credit: IFC Midnight

A husband, wife, and baby deal with the mysterious surrounding woods when they move out to a remote village.

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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 canoing trip gone wrong.

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Antichrist (2009)

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In Lars von Trier's thriller, a couple descends into sadomasochist madness after the death of their child. Of course, they thought a trip out to a cabin would help.

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Eden Lake (2008)

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Michael Fassbender starred as a man who goes with his girlfriend out to a remoke English lake terrorized by murderous teens.

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Backcountry (2015)

Credit: IFC Midnight

Loosely based on a true story, this survivalist horror movie follows a couple stranded in Canada who must face off against a man-eating bear.

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The Evil Dead (1981)

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Take five college kids, a cabin vacation, and a legion of demonic spirits, and you've got a cult classic.

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The Evil Dead 2 (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.

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Secret Window (2004)

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Johnny Depp plays a novelist suffering from writer's block in an adaptation of a Stephen King story.

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Always Shine (2016)

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Two actresses face off on vacation to a cottage in Big Sur that becomes deadly.

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Tucker and Dale vs. Evil (2009)

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Hillbillies are accidentally mistaken for murderers in a comedy horror send-up of the genre.

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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 hostage in her isolated home.

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By Dana Schwartz