Summary of the use of Horror conventions in the Cabin in the Woods

The iconography in this film was very close to what a typical horror film would contain in it. The lighting throughout the whole entire film was very low-key, enabling us as the audience to pick out any unfamiliar shapes and shadows as well as it adding a sense of tension.

However the props used as weapons in this film were not along the lines of a typical horror film. Many guns were used in the film by the people that worked with ‘The Director’, furthermore, Marty’s handmade coffee mug bong was used by himself to defend Dana from one of the zombie-like characters, and this adds an element of comedy as it’s not the typical weapon to be used.

The setting of the film is a part of a typical horror movie convention as it is set in a deserted place where their ‘home’ for the duration is old and close to falling apart. This could foreshadow their very near deaths during their stay at the cabin.

The obvious protagonist in the film is Marty, this is because he saves Dana from being killed, moreover, in this film there is obviously more than one protagonist due to the multiple ‘monsters’ however, I personally think The Director and his workers are the real protagonists as they created the beasts in orders to kill people.

The Cabin in the Woods is labelled as a thriller/mystery movie which entices fans of soft horror where the film itself is roughly subtle with the included horror due to the possible comical elements in the film.

How Teen Punishment, Gender & Sexuality, Yonic & Phallic imagery is raised in the film

In the film, teen punishment is an obvious theme because of the five characters used; Curt Vaughn (The Athlete), Dana Polk (The Virgin), Holden (The Scholar), Jules Louden (The Whore) and finally, Marty Mikalski (The Fool). One example where we see this typical theme is Jules’ death. Prior to her death, her and Curt were about to have sex, this then lead to her being sliced by a big sword/knife. In horror movies, the ‘whores’ always die which in this case is what happened, she is being punished for her sins (pre-marital sex).

Gender and sexuality is also one of the main themes in this film. Curt is seen as the manly athlete in this film which is typical as it would make us, as the audience, seem to believe he would save the damsel in distress, however we are wrong. Curts death happened as he wanted to show how masculine and dangerous he can be by jumping over a cliff onto another whilst riding a motorbike, little did he know, there was a force field which knocked him down.

Finally, we see phallic imagery in the film where Holden is stabbed through his throat with a big knife. In the film there was speculation of Holden being gay which lead to us also questioning it because of his death. Being stabbed is a very phallic image because of the knife shape; also it connotes the victim being ‘raped’ by the person. The antagonist that had stabbed Holden was a male which could possibly make him seem more ‘masculine’ compared to Holden