is Cabin in the Woods anticapitalist?
*spoilers ahead for Cabin in the Woods*
On the surface, Cabin in the Woods is a satirical take on traditional horror films. The larger structures it dreams up in order to tell this satire, however, are ripe for interpretation. My interpretation: Cabin in the Woods (2011) is an anticapitalist allegory for America’s handling of the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Apparently Joss Whedon can see the future!!!
For those who have not seen it, Cabin in the Woods is about a group of college friends who go to a cabin in the woods for a weekend of shenanigans. They represent the usual horror film stereotypes (as described in the movie): the Whore, the Athlete, the Scholar, the Virgin, and the Fool. The twist is that they are a part of a larger plan, an annual worldwide ritual, in which people are sacrificed to appease the “Ancient Ones.” A lab has constructed the entire scenario to result in their sacrificial deaths.
Marty (the Fool) is the first to notice something is amiss, realizing that his friends are not acting like their usual selves. When Dana dismisses his observations, he says to her, “You’re not seeing what you don’t want to see. Puppeteers.” This is Marty’s first inkling that they are being controlled and exploited by someone else — the beginning of his radicalization. This interaction is also his first attempt to radicalize Dana, encouraging her to move through their experience more critically. As the movie and the outside manipulation progresses, so does Marty’s radicalization. A few scenes later he declares, “I’m the boss of my own brain,” attempting to take control of his own life. The use of the term “boss” here explicitly compares Marty’s experience to that of the worker in a capitalist system, whose labor and value is at the mercy of the exploitative boss. It takes Dana slightly longer to come to this realization, but she becomes fully radicalized after the death of Curt (the Athlete), who tries to ride away on his motorcycle but is killed as he hits the “wall” of the simulation. Dana can no longer ignore what is happening around her, and we watch the moment she becomes radicalized as she utters with wide eyes: “puppeteers.”
Once Marty and Dana discover the truth of their situation, they embark on a mission to confront their oppressors. When they finally reach the Director/Big Boss (Sigourney Weaver), it is explained that in order to appease the Old Gods, a secret global agency has decided to sacrifice a few people a year to keep the world functioning as they know it. This ethos is eerily similar to the current republican rhetoric discussing saving the economy during the pandemic. As GOP Congressman Trey Hollingsworth put it, “It’s always the American government’s position to say, in the choice between the loss of our way of life as Americans and the loss of life of American lives, we have to always choose the latter.” In practice, this means putting the lives of the working class at risk to preserve a “normal” way of life for the wealthy. In some instances, workers literally become puppeteers for the rich; Instacart workers put their lives at risk to go grocery shopping so the rich can stay home. Can Joss Whedon really see the future, or has this system been functioning in our country for a while?!?!?!?
Big Boss Sigourney Weaver informs Marty and Dana that they face a choice: to sacrifice themselves for the greater good, or bring about the end of the world. Just as the death card in a tarot deck represents a new beginning and not literal death, the end of the world in this scenario represents a revolution — a radical change to the world as they know it. Rather than let this old system continue, Marty and Dana opt for the revolution. In essence, they form a two person union and strike for their rights, just as workers around the world have been doing during the pandemic to protect their health, safety, and labor. Though the end of Cabin in the Woods and our current society may feel apocalyptic, both offer an opportunity to bring about a new, more just world. We must follow Marty and Dana’s lead and take this chance to build something new, rather than attempt to return to “normal.” Thank you, 2011 Joss Whedon, for giving us a call to action as we face the ritual sacrifice of 2020.
