The Cabin in the Woods as Philosophy: Cinematic Reflections on Ethical Complexity, Human Nature, and Worthwhile Horror

A careful analysis of Joss Whedon’s and Drew Goddard’s The Cabin in the Woods demonstrates how the film engages the philosophical process on multiple levels. On one level, it displays and contrasts classic utilitarianism and an ethics of care as plausible ethical perspectives, and spurs the viewer to consider each view carefully. On a deeper level, it offers an implicit philosophical critique of utilitarianism and endorsement of an ethics of care by providing cinematic considerations for finding the latter more plausible than the former. On yet a deeper level, it utilizes an ethics of care, with an assist from an Aristotelian-like account of aesthetics, to implicitly convey philosophically interesting perspectives about horror and human nature, and ultimately a plausible theory for what makes some “slasher” horror films more worthwhile than others.