Brick and Cutter's Way can be categorized as both thrillers and films noir due to the fact that the narratives of these films revolve around an investigation into the mysterious deaths of young women at the hands of power-hungry men. While the investigation in Brick is fueled by a desire to expose a drug trafficking ring at a high school, thus making drugs a central issue, drugs in Cutter's Way are not a factor that contributed to the deaths of the individuals Cutter was looking into. However, that is not to say that drugs to not play a major role, as Cutter is heavily addicted to alcohol, which causes him to be discredited despite the fact that he is able to solve not only the

In Cabin in the Woods, drug use, particularly marijuana, is exaggerated and simultaneously used to comment on society's perceptions of drug use and users. Additionally, commentary on the formulaic structure of horror films, and the token pothead, is provided and used to further the parallel narratives, which help to break horror film stereotypes of drug users by allowing the token pothead to not only help defeat the monsters, but also to become a survivor.