“You think this is just a story?”

Join Ian, Liam, Megs & Kev for our 316th episode as we descend into the basement, start pressing buttons we absolutely shouldn’t, and dismantle the horror genre piece by piece with Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon’s The Cabin in the Woods (2011). This week is less about jump scares and more about systems, sacrifice, and whether sometimes… you really should just play the hits.

This week we discuss:

• The central divide — why some viewers desperately wish this film had played it straight, and whether subversion automatically improves a genre story.
• The two-year delay — why The Cabin in the Woods sat finished but unreleased, and how that limbo shaped its eventual reception.
• Ian’s major life milestone this week — and why it weirdly mirrors one of the film’s themes about control and agency.
• Who really enjoys the metaphor — and whether reading the film as an allegory enhances the experience or drains the fun out of it entirely.
• Liam’s unstoppable TV digression — the show he simply will not stop referencing, regardless of relevance.
• We spend some well-earned time talking about Catherine O’Hara — authority, timing, and why she elevates everything she touches.
• The mechanics of the horror machine — archetypes, rituals, and the illusion of choice.
• Megs breaks down the film’s gender politics — subversion, exploitation, and how knowingly the film handles both.
• Kev weighs in on the concept of gatekeeping and who gets to make all these rules anyway?
• The elevator scene — catharsis, overload, or glorious anarchy?
• The ending — nihilistic, freeing, or just pulling the plug on the whole genre.
• And finally, whether The Cabin in the Woods is the Best Film Ever — or simply the most elaborate middle finger horror ever aimed at its own audience.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Paul Komoroski
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey

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Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

The Fantasy Box Office League begins.

Ian is joined by Friends of the Podcast Aashrey, “The Horseshoe” James de Guzman, and Paul Komoroski as 4 of the 10 competitors reveal their thinking ahead of a high-stakes draft: five films each, one year, most money wins.

This is a draft built on instinct, spreadsheets, vibes, and blind confidence. We talk draft strategy, risk tolerance, franchise trust, and how quickly one bad pick can torpedo an entire season. We also talk copious smack about those who couldn't join us.

Hovering over the conversation are the big 2026 questions:

• Event franchise dominance vs. prestige spectacle (**Avengers energy vs. Dune ambition)

• Reliable nostalgia vs. bold cinematic swings (**Toy Story safety vs. The Odyssey risk)

• Proven animation gold vs. superhero reinvention (**Super Mario confidence vs. Supergirl potential)

No box office numbers yet — just claims, confidence, and future receipts waiting to happen.

The draft hasn’t even finished… and the rivalries have already started.

Join Ian from Best Film Ever and Stew from The Stew World Order podcast as we break the BFE format by counting down to chaos at WWE Royal Rumble 2025 from Riyadh Season Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. We discuss whether the Rumble matches delivered on surprises and storytelling—or if they were just a numbers game. Did WWE make the right call in crowning their Rumble winners? How did the Universal Championship match shake up the road to WrestleMania and is AJ Styles still on the road or has he taken the off ramp? We discuss how many kip-ups is too many for a show and what wrestlers do when their Super Mario stars wear off. We'll answer all these questions and hand out post-event superlatives celebrating the night's best (and worst).

Catch more of Stew on his own podcast: Stew World Order at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stew-world-order/id1559913522

You can also catch him at his website where he writes about all sorts of fun things: https://swoproductions.com/