What were Jeremy Tunstalls 4 character roles for women and do they apply to the cabin in the woods?
Jeremy Tunstalls 4 character roles for women were Domestic, consumer, sexual and marital. The only two women that play a large character roles in the film is Dana and Jules. Jules is easy to identify with one of these character roles because her role in the film is the sexual one. Throughout the film up until her death she is portrayed through the male gaze and is objectified for her sex appeal through the use of camera angles and body pose that she uses in most camera shots. Dana however, is a little more complicated. This is because she is an unconventional horror character type because she is the final girl but not a stereotypical androgynous girl, she is much more progressive than that usually represented in a horror film. This means that although she can be classified into the domestic category because she is caring she does not really fit into other categories as easily, making her a progressive character role.
How is Dana typical of clover's 'final girl' theory please mention: the ending, Dana's appearance and her actions during the film
Dana is stereotypical of clover's final girl theory. Firstly, she is androgynous . This means that she is not a female character that represents femininity and is ideologically presented with more masculine traits. For example, she is very reserved, both in personality and in the way that she dresses traditionally. Dana also has an old fashioned name which can be related to the type of older style clothing that she wears. This means that she does not represent stereotypes of femininity and therefore not sexualised, making her the ideal candidate for the 'Final Girl'. Secondly, Dana is also aware. This means that throughout the film she knows and says what is likely to happen and suggests what they shouldn't do. For example, she says to Holden how it is no good to try to get out because they are trapped and that Marty was right with the puppeteers. Another example of how she is aware is when she hit the button in the nightmare room which caused the creatures to be released and eliminate the swat team. Lastly, Dana conforms to the final girl theory because she also fights back. This is evident from the way she carries on fighting the buckner family member on the dock that tries to kill her with the bear trap and again at the end of the film when she has a gun and was prepared to kill Marty to save the world.
Jules undergoes mental and physical transformations during the film, what are they and how do they cause her to become a horror archetype?
During the beginning of the film Jules dyes her her blonde. This creates a stereotype that is then created to represent her as the 'dumb blonde' and the stereotypical 'whore' in the film. However, although Kurt and Jules flirt at the beginning of the film and have intentions, they are both fairly reserved and not over the top. However, as soon as they enter the cabin in the woods the game makers decide to release pheromones which effect the characters differently. Kurt is an academic student however he begins to wear sports jackets and act like a 'douchebag' which is a stereotype of the jock / athlete. The game makers then also say how the blonde hair that Jules now has allows for the gas in the air to be soaked up more easily. This slows down her cognitive ability to be aware and reserved and therefore she becomes the stereotypical horror archetype of the whore and her and Kurt begin to have sex when she is killed. This in itself is a stereotype of the horror franchise because those that commit adultery are usually punished and killed in horror films. Therefore the physical transformation of the blonde hair makes Jules mentally more sexually active in the film and she becomes a horror archetype.
Is Mulveys male gaze theory exemplified in the film and if so, how? think about framing, camera angles and POV shots.
The male gaze is a method of filming which puts the audience in a view of the characters as if they were watching through the eyes of a male. For example, when Jules is dancing in front of the fire she is dancing seductively and the camera in a close up slowly pans from her feet, up her legs up to her chest and face. This slow pan while she is seductively dancing is used to create an ideology of sexualisation and lust towards Jules. She is also made to inappropriately dance near Marty even though she is clearly having a thing with Kurt throughout the film. When Kurt and Jules go off into the woods to have sex, all the male workers are watching in the facility of the game makers. This shows that they are quite literally just wanting to see the sex and Jules naked and represents the sexualisation of women during the film. During the actual sex scene in the woods, Jules takes off all her clothes and Kurt doesn't take off any of his clothes. This is to gratify the audience which would be as if a male was watching the scene because they want to see Jules naked but not Kurt, therefore Jules is fully nude in the scene and Kurt fully clothes which would gratify a male audience but perhaps make a female audience feel uncomfortable. A good example of the male gaze is how the angles and 'Jules Dare' is filmed. Starting at (0.44) in the clip below.
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 characters?
In the film we are made Voyeurs during the scene were Holden first gets into his room and takes down the creepy painting. Only to reveal that it is a one way mirror and he can see that Dana is about to get changed. Dana is unaware of the one way mirror and that Holden would be able to watch her without her knowing. Holden fights an internal battle whether to tell her or not because he wants to be a nice guy but he also shows interest in Dana and as a stereotypical male the audience assumes he would want to see her undressed. However, Holden quickly knocks on Dana's door and shows her the one way mirror, he then offers to swap rooms with her so that he can't spy on what she's doing. This represents Holden as a nice guy and lets the audience connect with Holden for doing a nice gesture. However, Dana jumps at the chance to swap rooms which although we know she is not a virgin, she is being represented as the innocent one in the film and during this scene gives an ideological view to the audience that Dana is a prude.
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?
Dana is the final girl in the cabin in the woods, this means that she is represented in a reserved way but at the same time gives an ideology of a progressive female as she is not androgynous but fights back and in the end is equal to Marty before 'the ancient ones' are released. However, Jules represents every stereotype that conforms to the horror genre for a female. She is sexualised throughout and is portrayed through the male gaze when she is in the frame. Everything from how she was dancing provocatively to having sex with Kurt was for the gratification of the male audience and therefore i would say Jules is objectified in the cabin in the woods to provide satisfaction for heterosexual males. However, Dana forefills the role of a progressive female who is the final girl, much like Ripley in 'Alien'.
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