Puppeteers

Cabin in the Woods starts off as a typical horror film with college students preparing for a weekend of fun and partying at a secluded house in the woods.  Although many things seem creepy to them like the man at the gas station and the scary painting/mirror in the room, the characters overlook it and continue with their fun.  Even the characters are typical of a horror film including a jock and his dumb blonde overtly sexual girlfriend, sweet and innocent "virgin" girl, hot but sensitive guy, and the comic relief stoner fifth wheel friend.  Even the movie seems typical, it is not predictable and has elements of anxiety and terror.  This group of friends is in a way randomly and unknowingly chosen to be sacrificed and are monitored by a high tech company who bets on the ways they are going to be killed. They are mastermind puppeteers that control the setting and their minds.  It creates anxiety because these people are manipulated and do not have control over their outcome, in a sense.  Having lack of control is terrifying because no matter what you do, your outcome is fixed.  This can cause anxiety in the viewer because it makes them wonder if they have control over their life or if they may just be manipulated by society too.  We may not be manipulated by some company who wants to kill us for a sacrificial ritual, but our thoughts can be manipulated by things like social media and other forms of technology.