The Representation of Women in Relation to The Cabin in the Woods (Goddard 2012)

The Cabin in the Woods

What were Jeremy Tunstalls 4 character roles for women and do they apply to The Cabin in the Woods?

The four character roles for women are consumer, domestic, marital and sexual. The first character role which women apply to is domestic roles, this included cooking and cleaning. Dana has traits of this role as she is a caring character. Jules is performing her provocative dancing, Dana worries about Jules safety when leaving the cabin with Curt, she acknowledges her to lie down as witnessed her too drunk. Secondly, sexual roles are represented to women. This is the 'eye candy' of the film, Jules represents this part. Her blonde sexy attitude is portrayed throughout the film and is the only girl to engage in sexual activity. No character shows a representation of marital and consumer roles.

How is Dana typical of Cover’s ‘Final Girl’ theory? Please mention: the ending, Dana’s appearance and her actions during the film.

Dana portrays the 'final girl' theory. Dana struggle to survive succeeds and she survives till the end, for us as we never see Dana die as it happens in a different time and space. Dana is presented as being academic and aware of her surroundings, she is able to place bits together from the diary, such as discovering the plan is set up. Dana sticks up for herself and fights back, knocking zombies in a lake and stabbing them in the chest multiple times. These traits suggest that Dana is not a conventional female. Dana is presented as the androgynous character, through her name and clothes such as her granny pants and boyish style.

Jules undergoes mental and physical changes during the film, what are they and how do they cause her to become a horror archetype?
Before the plot duration, Jules dye her hair blonde, this stereotypical effect causes the audience to imply her as the 'dumb blonde'. However, from watching the start we learn that she goes to university where her boyfriend Curt has a scholarship. This implies that the characters are not dumb but clever which is unconventional for these particularly character type in a horror film.  This mental change, causes Jules to act inappropriately in a provocative way. Becoming the whore, Jules acts as the 'damsel in distress', this character acts in a particular way which people will associate her with this stereotype. With Jules dying her hair we later find that the co-coordinators plot this to cause an affect to Jules cognitive development, this causes her to act in the way she does, becoming this stereotypical figure which people expect.

Is 'Mulvey's Male Gaze' theory exemplified in the film and if so, how? 
Mulvey's theory is portrayed throughout the film. The provocative character (Jules), starts dancing in front the fire place sexually. The shot that is used starts horizontally panning up her legs and bum. This is the male gaze as it is a representation of what a male would do and this is shown in many other films. Also within the film, Jules is dared to make out with the wolf that is displayed on the wall, without thought she strolls over to the animal. This scene is over-sexualised to appeal the males within the audience, we get what we would define as a 'sexual walk' starting with another shot of her legs and a slow tilt. When the actions begins we get a POV shot of what the wolf would be experiencing as Jules flirts with it. After this scene we see Jules and Curt wonder into the woods to have sex. Throughout this the staff at the facility say 'show us the goods' which implies an objectifying term, suggests Jules is 'the goods'. This portrays Jules as the male gaze.

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?

A voyeur is someone who gains satisfaction of 
watching someone who doesn't know they are being watched. This representation is shown through the one way mirror. This piece is found by Holden, covered by a creepy image, his disgust causes him to remove the picture only to find Dana, tarting herself up in the opposite room in the mirror. Holden realises that Dana is unaware that she can be watched. As an audience, during the duration of Dana getting changed, we expect Holden to carry on watching Dana. We are shown through Holden's perspective and are engaged in his internal debate of whether to carry on watching, Holden's shock of Dana's body implies him as this virgin character. However to much of out surprise Holden informs Dana of his discovery and swaps rooms with Dana so she is no longer being watched. Once again Dana's shock of Holden's body implies that she isn't in situation like that very often implying her a the 'final girl'.

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 fulfill another role/purpose?
The film briefly represents women as traditional, domestic characters, such elements presented by Carol Clover. The film implies a progressive view of women. The divide between Dana and Jules is strict and obvious, Dana shown as the 'final girl' a strong independent women, this not likely to be seen in an conventional horror film. Her academic and aware ability causes her to keep herself out no trouble, whereas Jules, a sexual character is unaware of her surroundings causing her bad actions (sex) in the woods to cause her to her death. This implies the theory that virginal characters are more likely to survive. The Cabin in the Woods contradicts the ratio of males to women placed in films, the equal number imply that both sex characters are likely to die in danger. The protagonist however is Dana, a female character, this is unusual and the hero is most likely to be male. This implies the progress that women are entailing in movies and their position is becoming this strong willed character. However the traditional position of women is still seen in Jules character with her being the first to be killed and the sexual act.