My Pitch For A Cabin in the Woods TV Show Or Comic Book
(Quick note: If you have not seen this film, don’t read this piece, unless you want one of the best “horror” movies of the last decade ruined) Cabin in the Woods was such a damn good film, and it was this post that reminded me how much I love it. I also feel it did what very few movies ever can do to me. It immediately made me want more. I wanted to see what had happened in all the experiments before. I wanted to see, in depth, all the other countries versions of the sacrifices.
I wanted to see how close they came to waking up the “Ancient Ones” in incidents before. And the movie was told in such a way that every other aspect is pretty much a clean canvas waiting to be painted on. The thing is, in movie form, we may get a great sequel, but we won’t get the story I want. What if I wrote out a pitch, though, and found a good number of supporters, and then sent that pitch to Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard myself? If the pitch was strong enough, could this actually happen??! Probably not, but still, what the hell, nothing to lose in trying, right? Mordecai would hint we would lose “our lives”, but we wouldn’t listen, anyway.
The Setting:
The beauty of a Cabin in the Woods show (which would have to be a cable show for it to be properly explored) would be that it would NOT have to take place at the cabin. If you remember the footage from the Japanese school, there are endless possibilities for the location. The cabin is a location that American horror fans respond to , so that is why the film was set there, but think about all the potential places they could set up a simulation for the show or comic book?
Imagine these “deadites” terrorizing an office building, for example.
The potential for settings and scenarios would never deplete. One week, put the people in a train. Another week, have it take place during a camping trip, with a particular section of the forest being sectioned off. From eerie, old abandoned farmhouses, to sleek, cold, impersonal cityscapes, I drool when I imagine all the locations Cabin in the Woods could tap for inspiration. How about a “boat” episode (or issue) so those much deserved “Mermaids” can get some more attention?
Where would YOU cast an episode? Leave some ideas in the comments.
The “Heroes”:
Obviously, the people can’t “survive” like they did in the film, because then, the world gets destroyed by a giant God of War boss (sorry, couldn’t resist, my one and only complaint is that the “ancient ones” were not represented as Cthulhu, but that is a very minor nerd gripe) so with the show, the fun can be had handing us characters we WANT to see killed off. Certain demographics that most people hate, for example, like the douche. What about a FRAT HOUSE simulation, so we WANT to see all the people die?
That awkward moment when Kraven the Hunter from Spiderman goes full douche.
As much as the Chris Hemsworth bike jump was a hilarious and awesome death, give me more of that, but give it to me with characters I WANT to see die.
Another incredible way this could be explored is with the relationship dynamics between groups. How about four bank robbers, mistakenly hole up in a “simulation”, and they not only have to deal with the creatures, but also the lack of trust and stability in the group? From broken family dynamics, to a bus filled with exotic dancers, again, this is an unending well to pull from.
Don’t act like a bis filled with exotic dancers being terrorized by monsters is not awesome, because you would watch the shit out of that.
The Timelines:
This is when I think most of you will (hopefully) know this is a decent idea, the timeline.
What we saw in the Cabin in the Woods movie was horror and creatures fairly relevant to today’s horror standards. So what if, in a comic or show, we could follow the simulation thorough time? They say in the movie this “simulation” process has been going on forever, so why don’t we jump around on the timeline, and as a result of that, we would have different things people find horrifying. Perfect example: A Grindhouse episode, playing out in 1977.
Ok, so the “mermaid” was a little Grindhouse, but still, gimme more!
You could even jump forward and do a future episode, set in 2050, and have ALL the creatures be variations on Sci-Fi beasts or technology. There has, literally, never been a universe more immediately open for exploration and unending possibilities as the Cabin in the Woods. From period horror (think Lady in Black), to psychological and body horror (think Shivers or Cube) a good writer would never run out of ideas with source material this open-ended and limitless.
Am I getting you guys excited yet, because I am getting almost TOO excited over this. Getting, what some would call, a “husband bulge”.
The Monsters:
The biggest thing for me, that truly sold the Cabin in the Woods, was the betting they were doing in the office. From that moment forth, I was sold. Though, at first, we know little, it is easy to figure out, and once the “zombie redneck torture family” ends up returning as a result of the book being read, you get a glimpse of the board , and all the potential creatures (though this is shown more in depth at the climax of the film) that could have been summoned. Though we see a great deal of those creatures at the “purge” scene at the end of the film, let’s take a closer look at that board, shall we?
Please note there is a difference between “witches” and “sexy witches.” That could be an episode (or issue) within itself.
Let’s just talk about a FEW of the awesome beasts that are on that board. Dismemberment Goblins? Hell Lord? Huron???? Dafuq is a Huron??!?! How about an episode dedicated to how some of these creatures (which we are told are based off nightmares) came to be? Were they captured? Made? Materialized? I can tell you right now, just the Unicorn who gores people in this film deserves its own show or comic, so the fact that I, (or any writer, really) could make fantastic back stories for these creatures only makes the project seem that much more appealing. Who wouldn’t want more of this:
Is there a “mate” option to bet on here, because a Merwolf sounds life changing.
Think about all the possibilities for NEW creatures, too! And they could all be done old school (get me Tom Savini, now!) How about an episode (or issue) dedicated to a creature uprising, or some inter-creature feuds? Do they feed them? Do they have tasks, or do they just stay in those cells until they are summoned? ALL OF THIS could be explored. And worse comes to worse, I could do a few creature designs myself.
I could do the “crazy Muppet headed creature who asks if he is pretty”:
Only the truest of true Whedon fans will know why a Muppet is a perfect homage.
Or we could go with “I wear stuffed animals cuz I have no skin” monster:
You guys really don’t need to comment and tell me these suck, I already know.
Hell, we could even go with my “I am a baby with a cleft pallet and a penchant for killing” mask I made one night.
My girlfriend is still slightly unsettled that this hangs on the wall in my office.
Or maybe, if we’re really desperate, we could use my”scribbly-pen-burnt-monster-with-organs-on-the-outside” thingy.
Actually, I will leave the creature design to professionals.
My terrible art aside, I believe I made my point.
The myths and monsters you would both pull from, and create for this world, would be unrivaled. We can even mess with some urban legends, think Bloody Mary and Slenderman. You could even do an episode playing off certain TYPES of monsters. What about an episode where we have a standoff between movie slashers, like Jason, Freddy, and Michael Myers? How about an episode where the whole thing backfires, and employees get stuck in the simulation? I think you are all starting to see the potential scope for this project. Which leads us to…
Where It All Ends
If I learned one thing from watching LOST, it is you NEVER start an epic story, if you don’t have an epic ending. So what if I told you I had an idea for a way in which this WHOLE universe could come together and wrap itself up perfectly? And what if I told you that it would be perfectly fitting with the whole story, and would honestly do Joss and Drew Goddard proud? If you guys know Joss and are familiar with his material, you know, he doesn’t always end things the way we want him to, but he ends things in very memorable fashion none the less.
The stoner ends up being the hero, specifically BECAUSE of pot? Yes, that was awesome.
I know you are all sitting here, waiting for me to tell you how I would end the show (or comic, or book, or whatever this ends up never becoming) but I won’t do that. Let’s say, on the off chance, someone with some clout reads this, and this thing has the potential to happen? If I put the amazing summary of the show in my pitch that I published, everyone knows what is going to happen, and no one will be invested.
I can give you a hint,though.
Only fans of the show St. Elsewhere will understand this reference, but they will immediately understand how perfect it is.
So you see, this really is a perfect fit. I have it all mapped out in my head, I just need to get this into the hands Josh Whedon now. Speaking of which, remember how you said that your sister works that one guy who used to go the gym with that person who was in the fourth grade with Joss Whedon’s cousin? Yeah, you think you could forward this to them?
If not, no worries. Truth be told, whole article was a simulation to see how you guys would REALLY react to this article in the real word, if I ever choose to write it.
I think I would have kept the two way mirror, and kept my mouth shut. I know, I am a deviant like that.
By the way, if you guys liked this insane pitch, there are many more insane REMblings (wow, I just made that up, that was bad, sorry) over at my site, Better Than Bacon, so dip over and show some love if you have a minute or two.
Thanks, people.
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I’d love to see an episode based around the Angry Molesting Tree
I liked your pitch. I liked you art.
I think this is one of the best ideas for tv show since Lost…I completely love it…I need this show!!!!!!…And the douche you post…is a real douche…He is a son of a great and millionare chocolatier from my country, Argentina, and i believe that the 90% of population would love to see him in the cabin….
Just curious… if, in the movie the world ends in 2011/2012 because the sacrifice failed….
… how could you do episodes/issues based in the future (2050)???
You would be contradicting the whole premise of the movie.
#nerdrage
I’m gonna be completely honest right here, the second I saw Cabin in the Woods I, as did most people, think of The Evil Dead.
Because the cabin is modeled after the Evil Dead! From the look of the cabin, to the swinging door, to the book in cellar, it was just really cool.
Anyway, after I saw ‘Cabin’ (yeah, that’s what all the cool kids are calling it), I re-watched the Evil Dead and imagined the whole movie with Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford behind the scenes (completely with long, 80s hair) operates the whole thing to cause the characters to die.
Then, after doing that, any time I saw a horror movie from that era I would imagine 80s Jenkins and Whitford pulling the ropes, causing that kid in the wheelchair in Friday the 13th Pt. 2 to go outside, the bed to cave in in Nightmare on Elm Street, Day of the Dead just being one experiment that got a little out of hand.
You have to try that game, because it is sooooooo fun.
After I saw the movie, the same thoughts went through my head. How do I get more? Needless to say I’d love to see this happen.
You’re doing it right, Carreiro. Also stave thy unfounded nerd rage, Laughing Man. There are but two words needed: pre and quel.
I don’t know if it would find legs as another movie or tv-show (not as you envision it anyway) but the possibility of it becoming a comic series is very strong seeing as Joss seems to love making comic versions of his past and present franchises; even the cancelled ones.
I think it would be worth trying to pitch it to Joss or Drew, or in the very least raise awareness and support for the idea on the internet. Maybe it could be a kickstarter? I think Joss and Drew might be a little too busy to add another film project to the list but the comics tend to get handed down to other writers and artists. Who knows maybe you’d get credit as the story writer.
Also, take it from an illustration postgraduate, there’s nothing wrong with your art work.
I always thought Cabin in the Woods would make a good video game. Maybe that’s just me. Also it’s awesome that you have that mask in your office. My job would probably fire me first, then have the cops search my house.
Also, my minor nerd gripe: Spiderman up above should be hyphenated. (Spider-Man)
They don’t always have to die, only Japan had the perfect record. They could have a lot of fun messing around with will they won’t they survive.
You don’t necessarily HAVE to kill off all of the characters each episode, which is the beauty of it: because each year you had countries that failed (except the Japanese, according to the movie), you could have the additional intrigue factor of going in not knowing if you’re watching one of the successful rituals or one of the failed ones that happened in of the those other countries. According to the Cabin in the Woods logic, you only need 1 to succeed in order to satisfy the ancient ones. Since the Japanese had that locked up annually until the events of the movie, you’d be in the clear to have the scenario fail in the show, thus giving the viewer the hope that a character they like on the episode might survive to generate a failure.
Ah, someone beat me to the punch with the point as I was writing it up…good call Mr Chalky
What you’re describing already kind of exists in wiki-form, called Secture, Contain, Protect. SCP is basically like the sacrifice institution in the movie, in that it’s a governmental, bureaucratic organization that collects and ‘keeps the world safe from’ fictional beings/objects. The entries are sorted by category and ‘specimen’ number (and full of fun redactions) and surfing them is always interesting. Since it’s a wiki, you can join it and edit entries or write your own. You’d fit in well, I think. I know I love it.
Here are my favorite entries:
The Theme Park: http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-823
The Hanged King: http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-701
Ronald Regan Cut While Talking: http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-1981
Me: http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-426
Hope to see you around the wiki!
Brian yours was so much more eloquent. Good job Sir.
Have you read The Cabin in the Woods: The Official Visual Companion yet?
Highly recommended. Of course, it might all be covered on the Blu-Ray extras.
haha the first thing I discussed with my friend after walking out of Cabin was how awesome of a Starz TV show this would make. Although American Horror Story pushed the boundaries on horror TV shows, to do a Cabin show, I believe a channel like HBO or Starz would be a perfect home where horror fans could indulge in mindless gore and the correct amount of exploitation.
While I also love the idea of having different locations for the scenarios, and barring we forget the cabin was destroyed by a, well I’ll keep this spoiler free, but that basement full of horrific goodies mades me too excited to think about. Once I realized each symbol summoned a different terrifying beast, I couldn’t help but get giddy thinking about the suspense of watching person after person find a brand new monster. But again, I totally dig different scenarios to vary the settings.
I love the idea to death, lets start writing that pitch! haha
@Micah, Thank you, man. Simple and kind. I get that rarely.
@Dana, thank you for the kind words, and the fact that you told me the backstory to that epic douche just made my day, we NEED to get his chocolate-making-ass into that cabin and feed him to the angry molesting tree.
@Trashcanman, You know your nod of approval stands among my most heralded, so thank you, good sir.
@Mike, That is a great point. I wasn’t sure if this thing HAD any legs until reading some of these comments. Actually sent the article to Ben Templesmith (who is the master of comic book monster art in my opinion) and if I am thinking this just may be possible. Also, about the art comment, I literally just said “Really???” out loud to my screen when I read that, so extra thank you for that. Maybe I need to stop thinking my stuff sucks, and that comment helped quite a bit.
@Chalky&Brian, well said on all counts, and Chalky, your nerd gripe was justified, I did that with the X-Men a few times, too, and was slightly ashamed for a few weeks afterward.
Great call about not necessarily having to kill of the characters. That opens up the Universe even more than I had thought. Just getting to see a few of Japan’s perfect resolutions would be an absolute blast to play around with. (seemed like they were winning with love and song in their scenario, which made it all a hundred times more brilliant)
@halfpastoctober, you have me curious, I am definitely gonna be dipping over there and checking that stuff out, maybe tossing an idea or two of my own up there.
@Matt, let’s do this. Message me!
And overall to everyone, thanks, Unreality-ers! Hey, spread this in your own social circles. If I really can get some genuine support, there is probably a much better chance of us getting this thing into the right hands!
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I was 1000% with you until the end. St. Elsewhere? Really? Ugh…. hack. Everything else I would watch the HELL out of.
Your drawings suck. Hugs, SC.
Simulation: #09
Release Angry Molesting Tree on Megan for using the word hack.
Simulation #10
Do nothing. Sara’s pic indicates she is already being face-raped by Tinkerbell. That is torture enough.
Biggest WTF in my book is “Kevin”. Awesome concept though!
Just saw this yesterday, and I gotta say I think this would make a pretty fantastic tv show. I’d definitely watch it.
Everything but the st elsewhere ending would be great. I would do an ending which explored a greater connection between religion and the foundation of humanity with the god of war ripoff
After watching the new Evil Dead, I was terribly inspired to show my BF Cabin because he was complaining about “modern horror movie patterns.” He didn’t know what to say to it, and I don’t think he mentally rated it too high. Oh well, I’m totally for this XD
I swear if they don’t, I will. This mess doesn’t JUST have to be Cabin in the Woods (as wonderful as that’d be).
So, how about this guys…WHAT sealed the ancient evils to begin with? Perhaps the first season could be the history of the evil, sealing, and then sacrifices up until then. Season two could be all of the countries that had won, and then finally touching on the movie. The third season would be resealing the evil ones….somehow? Blah, blah, blah.