[soliloquy id=”4829″]
Horror fans are unlike any other breed of cinephile. We go to great lengths to unearth little known facts about our favorite feature films. Because of that, it’s a challenge to find trivia that will pass fact checking and surprise dedicated fans. But in spite of that, we have taken it upon ourselves to attempt to unearth some lesser-known details about the contemporary classic horror film The Cabin in the Woods. Read on for ten things you probably didn’t know about Cabin in the Woods.
MGM’s bankruptcy is the reason the film didn’t see the light of day until 2012
Most fans know that the film was in the can for some time before seeing release but the reason for the delay isn’t as well known. With the bankruptcy of MGM, the film bounced around and experienced a series of setbacks that included an ill-fated attempt to post convert the feature to 3D. LionsGate eventually bought the rights to The Cabin in the Woods and gave it a proper theatrical release in April of 2012.
The film was written in one weekend
Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon confined themselves to a hotel room for a weekend and challenged each other to finish the script by the end of the weekend. While tweaks were made to the screenplay, the original idea and a first draft for the script were conceived over that weekend.
The film’s opening scene is meant to be confusing
Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon explain on the commentary track that they wanted viewers to question if they had walked into the wrong theater after the film began. That reportedly caused problems with one of the film’s distributors but the scene still made the final cut.
Victor Salva (Jeepers Creepers) was considered as a possible director for the film
According to Joss Whedon: Before it was established that Drew Goddard would direct, Salva and other horror director’s names were brought up for consideration to direct.
Heather Langenkamp did special makeup effects for The Cabin in the Woods
Langenkamp and her husband own and operate AFX Studios, the company that did effects for the film. Langenkamp was credited under the pseudonym Heather L. Anderson.
Marty doesn’t jump in the lake because his physique wasn’t befitting of his character
The film’s commentary track reveals that Fran Kranz, the actor who plays Marty, was so muscular at the time the film was shot that showing him get undressed would have been detrimental to maintaining the integrity of his character. Viewers would not expect him to be in such good shape, given that he is the stoner character.
The Latin that is read aloud in the basement has a fitting translation
It means: “Pain outlives the flesh. Pain raises the flesh. Pain ignites the spirit.
The wolf’s head tongue is crafted in silicone and also removable
In the scene where Jules makes out with it, the removable tongue was coated in powdered sugar to make it appear dusty without requiring the actress to ingest something potentially harmful.
The coffee mug/bong functioned completely as both a coffee cup and a bong
The prototype reportedly cost $5,000 to create.
Sigourney Weaver was exceptionally excited to work with a werewolf in The Cabin in the Woods
Weaver’s first question after arriving on set was in regard to when the werewolf would be arriving. She also expressed concern that no one was sitting with the werewolf when the production broke for lunch.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cabin_in_the_Woods
