The representation of women in relation to the cabin in the woods (Goddard, 2012)

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

Jeremy Tunstall had a theory that women were represented in only 4 ways within films, the four character roles are domestic, sexual, consumer and martial. I think that this theory is very true for many films as women are often represented very typically throughout as they aren't as focused on as men in films and are often only in a film with one of these 4 roles to support the male characters. However the only representation of this within the cabin in the woods is the sexual character through the stereotypical 'dumb blonde' (Jules) where she is shown to be sexualised through her actions (dancing and characteristics) and the way she is dressed. She is also talked about in a sexual by the other male characters.

2. How is Dana typical of Clover's 'final girl' theory?

Throughout the film the character Dana is a very good representation of Clover's 'final girl' theory by how she is represented as virginal and slightly boyish in the way she dresses and acts. She shows she can stand up for herself against the threats that present the group compared to Jules who is shown to be defenseless and in need of saving by the other male characters. The idea of having these characters presented next to each other is very effective as it helps exaggerate one another as the are complete opposites. This theory is mainly supported by how she is the last girl left to fight against the threat.

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

Throughout the films Jules changes starting from when she dyes her hair from brunette to blonde, this causes the audience and other characters to associate her as the stereotypical 'dumb blonde' throughout the rest of the film. Even the controllers of the game joke about how the blonde hair dye has gone to her head highlighting this idea for the viewers. When she makes this change by dying her hair the 'pheromone' in this causes her to act in an exaggerated sexual way and this is highlighted by when she takes the drugs she kisses the wolf's head on the wall of the cabin. This also relates to the way she is killed by the 'pheromone mist' being released when her and her boyfriend run off into the woods causing them to have a very sexualised death as it weakens and distracts them.

4. Is Mulvey's male gaze theory exemplified in the film and if so, how?

This theory of the women being used for only an object of the males gaze is related to both Jules and Dana within the film, however it is mainly linked to Jules because her character is very sexualised. This is exaggerated by camera shots and angles throughout the film, examples of this is POV shots when Dana is getting undressed behind the see through mirror and the angle of the camera looking up at Jules as she dances in front of the fire causing her to look as though she possesses power in the way she is presenting herself over the other characters.




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

Examples of the audiences being made to be voyeurs is the scene where Dana doesn't realize that the mirror she is getting undressed in front of is see through and Holden is able to see everything that she is doing in the room next to her. This is slightly forced upon the audience as well as the way Jules is represented sexually by her seductive dancing and the way she dresses. This is important as it shows that the woman are the ones which are represented this way causing them to be shown as not important characters throughout the film but there for the characters and audience to look at as an object of the male gaze.

6. Summarize the way women are represented in the cabin in the woods.

Women in the cabin in the woods are mainly represented by being objectified for objects of the males gaze in the way they are dressed and act but also by the way the other male characters react to them by talking about them in only sexual ways as though they have no other importance. But Dana is also represented as the 'final girl' which shows her determination and independence to not need a male to look after her, this representation subverts to the stereotypical presenting of women in most horror films as it is showing her to be stronger than the men involved, however the 'final girl' theory is often only used for the audience as they find it easiest to sympathize with women.