Cabin in the woods

This film is very different from the rest as it includes various aspects from all types of horror , it includes gory content along with a unsuspecting plot however a very clever plot, with purposeful twists.

The film is about a group of  typical teenagers going on a camping
 trip, they were oblivious that this trip was indeed a set up where they were being watched from their journey from the town to the cabin .As the story unfolds as the teenagers  fates are decided for them and  they end up choosing their  way to die , while upholding the regular conventions of a  film , with the dark cabin and the classic  stereotypes , the jock, the cheerleader, the “nerd” , the hippie and the virgin. Later  in the film it is discovered that they are the sacrifice to the underworld.

This film is  unconventional, as the majority of horror films as the innocence of the “virgin” is apparent  from the very star t, she is deemed the weak one when she actually ends up outliving all the others. The film reveals the predicted timeline of the death of each of the students. Her death  was altered though as she was saved by an unsuspected  person who would have been predicted to be dead., “The Nerd”. 


Together they uncover the real agenda of  the camping trip, the contained horror characters that are released  kill , along with the leaders of the project. However towards the end , there is a final boy and a final girl which is unconventional, they fight and battle it out at first, but then decide to die together making them both the ’Heroes’.  This is seen in the first Hunger games.

According to the Clover’s theory of the final girl, she is typically unavailable, sexually, maybe socially, she is the only one within the house who isn’t dating or involved in any sexual activity. This is shown when one of the other male members of the group is undressing and she looks and shy's away in awe. 

The name Dana is also unisex .The final girl theory helps drive the narrative forward, with out this the audience will not know  the route of death within the narrative , along iwih the suspense and tension, for those who survive . This theory states that the audience will reject the final boy however that is  subverted towards the end of the film as they help each other.

Cabin in the woods uses this idea and subverts it, his leaves the audience confused and stunned as the ending is not what is expected  does not happen, they both die together by choice, her character is also subverted as she  smokes marijuana ,both pleased they din’t kill each other however frustrated that the world will have to suffer, just before the ground collapses.unsuspected

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Monstrous Feminine & Carrie (1976)

Horror and the Monstrous Feminine- An Imaginary Abjeciton

Barbara Creed 

What is the Monstrous feminine?

Is the Idea of the most terrifying and shocking and absolutely horrific about the woman.

The main question in Creed's Theory? 

"Why is there so much emphasis on women as the victim, of the male monster  an no theoretical work around the female monster when this is obviously not a new concept?"   

The theory is based around the reversal role of the male monster, which would be petrifying for a man for various reasons which are based all on gender.

Carrie (1976)- Creed's example

The film based on a young timid girl who is an outcast within her School society , and when her menstruation commences ( Links with the age of a woman- sexuality) she finds that she possesses a power which through the film she tampers with supernatural and her budding sexuality , however the film ends with her being unable to control this immense power therefore leading to extreme chaos , and leaving Carrie to be the monstrosity.

“In Carrie, The film’s most monstrous act occurs when the couple are drenched in pigs blood ,which symbolises menstrual blood, in the terms of the setup by the film. Women are referred to as pigs, women bleed like pig’s, and the pig’s blood runs down Carrie’s body at a moment of intense pleasure, just as her own menstrual blood  ran down her legs during a pleasurable moment in the shower. Here, women’s blood and pig blood flow together signifying horror shame and humiliation”

The horror reader, Chapter Kristeva ,Femininity,  Abjection, Barbara creed . Routledge, London & New York,2000

pg.67

This theory is expressed within these clips put together and edited by Jordan Severs 

Carol J. Clover Her Body, Himself & Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

The theory  analyses the conventions and  challenges  critics and   directors of slasher films. The article looks at the portrayal of women  over time along with the sexualisation of women , she also mentions “Male Gaze and “Final Girl” theories.  The article compares the effects of an attractive women being murdered to an undesirable one on men. But now that the new “Alpha female” roles have been introduced  overtime within horror films.  The theory is that these new “Alpha” women are usually the women  to make it to the end of the film hence “The Final Girl”. The Alpha female would tend to have a unisex name, intelligent and does  not go by the norms of society to drink, have sex  or take drugs , and is also usually the resourceful and the reliable one.

She identifies the processing of slasher films ,the individual characters, usually the ones with less to hang onto die early  in the horror.  This is quite an accurate observation as this is clearly shown in Cabin in the Woods (2012). The girl to make it to the end, was introduced as a head strong girl amongst a carefree group of friends, which died quickly and early.

This theory is also included in Texas Chainsaw (1974) within the opening scenes , as a group of friends go for a trip in the country.  Already at the start of the film you could see the stereotypes especially amongst the girls, the more carefree were  wearing less ,shorter and tighter  clothes and were affiliated with the boys, also they were wearing darker colours  except for one girl, who was wearing lighter colours, light blue and white.

The Girls wearing shorter and tighter clothing seemed to be more care free and less aware of the danger that was right ahead , I would guess not particularly thinking of their safety , within this unknown area. Also one of the girls attention was greatly focused on her boyfriend , completely distracting her from reality , this therefore exercised the stereotype, of the young and dumb teenage girl in love.   

These colours usually connote  innocence and purity, she also was not wearing any make up . Her friends get killed off one by one, she is able to fight her way through to the end  from the evening to the morning , she continued to try and save her life, she did not give up, even though she was exhausted. 

There is also the practicality of the the clothing that is one "The final girl" is wearing long trousers covering her legs, protecting them from any scratches and scars with a plain top and sensible shoes that would allow her to get away faster. 

however the other girls are wearing clothing giving them complete exposure to their skin , exposing more of the flesh, which made it even easier  for  "Leather-face" to dismantle them.