Cabin in the woods- representation

1)      What were Jeremy Tunstall's 4 character roles for women and do they apply to The Cabin in the Woods?

·         Domestic

·         Sexual

·         Consumer

·         Marital

They are there to support the male characters in the film as there are no defend role for a female without a male’s presence. There are two of these four characters that are present within the film; these are the sex object and the narrative role. Jules, as the film progresses, becomes more and more sexualised whereas Dana is a consumer and marital role. In parts of the film Dana comes across as mature and almost mother-like in certain situation. Women are depicted as busy housewives, as contented mothers, as eager consumers and as sex objects. Women are seen as a support for the man who is seen as the hero and they are also seen as vulnerable and weak through the ‘male gaze’.

2)      How is Dana typical of Clover's 'Final Girl' theory? Please mention: the ending; Dana's appearance and her actions during the film.

Clovers final girl theory was a theory that there is a final girl who survived the events. This girl would not be a typical girly girl. This girl would be more masculine and nearly always a virgin. She is unlike typical victims of the horror film for example she doesn’t have sex, do any illegal drugs. Sometimes the final girl will have a unisex name such as Alex. Other visible aspects of the final girl make the viewer aware that she will be the survivor is her appearance. As the final girl is more aware and is not dressed like a typical female victim the chances are she won’t get killed.

Dana is extremely typical of Clovers final girl theory and this is evident throughout the film itself. Firstly her appearance is typical of a final girl as her style was rather boyish (blouse and trousers). She also portrays masculine traits throughout the film such as courage. Next there is the fact that she is ‘innocent’ meaning that she was a virgin which also came across later in the film when she is on the sofa with Holden and they are kissing she says that she does  not want to go any further. As well as this the character’s name Dana is a unisex name which is within Clovers final girl theory.

3)      Jules undergoes mental and physical transformations during the film, what are they and how do they cause her to become a horror archetype?

There is only one main physical change that we see to Jules in the film and this is the fact that she dyes her hair blonde. As soon as she dyes her hair blonde then we start to see a very stereotypical ‘dumb blonde’ appear. In the beginning she is clearly smart in the beginning of the film as she is studying at university subjects like psychology, however we know that she is becoming less smart as Wendy mentions that they put chemicals into the hair dye which adjust her cognitive function.

                                                                                        

4)      Is Mulvey's Male Gaze theory exemplified in the film and if so, how? Think about framing, camera angles and POV shots.

The male gaze theory is exemplified in the film. This is shown in different ways; an example of this would be the camera angle when Jules is dancing. It is a low shot, wide shot showing her full body in a suggestive way.  The way that the camera is placed and the angle that we are seeing on screen it may suggest that the audience is sitting watching her.

5)      In the film we, as an audience, are made to be voyeurs; when does this happen and why is it important in regards to representation of character?

This is how the audience is forced to see the characters on the screen in a particular way. This can be done through the positioning of the camera and of the characters in such a way that we are seeing them as the director and producers would like us to see the characters in. This is evident in most films that we see as we see them through the eyes of the writer.

This is present when they are in the rooms and Dana is getting changed and he is watching her through a two way mirror. We are forced to watch Dana through the eyes of a male as we watch her through the mirror completely unaware that she is being watched.

However the male characters in the movie we see straight on giving the male characters a more dominating and serious look to them.

6)      (Briefly) summarise the way women are represented in The Cabin in the Woods. Are they objectified and there to provide satisfaction for heterosexual males and/or do they fulfil another role/purpose?

In this film the women are represented in two ways.

·         The stereotypical girl. This type of girl is what we expect to see within a horror film. Typically they are unaware of their surroundings and not that smart. This type of girl tends to be young and attractive which attracts a mainly male audience. Jules from cabin in the woods fits this stereotype towards the end of the film after dyeing her hair blonde (stereotypical blonde) and the chemicals that have been placed in the hair dye makes Jules less smart then she was at the beginning of the film.  This links to the male gaze theory.

·         The final girl. This girl is to survive the film and shows particular characteristic which reflect this. The final girl is more masculine and tends to have a unisex name such as Alex. This is Clovers final girl theory. Another key feature of this girl is her appearance wearing more male like clothing and the fact that they are normally a virgin. In the film the final girl is Dana. Dana is a unisex name and throughout the film depicts more of a masculine personality. She also is a virgin which is another key aspect of the final girl stereotype.