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

          

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

The game above tells you about the 4 character roles suggested by Jeremy Tunstall; Domestic, sexual, consumer, and marital. In cabin in the woods, I think that two of these apply to the female characters: Domestic and sexual. Jules is the most obvious character in the sexual category. She is shown to be overly sexualised by the clothes she is wearing (short skirts and short shorts), but also by the way she acts. There is several scenes where Jules is shown as a sexual being. The first scene showing this is where she is dared by the others to 'make out' with the stuffed wolfs head on the wall, which she does very seductively. Next she is dancing by the fire (essentially giving Holden a lap dance) and the shot focuses mainly on her legs and bum. Lastly, when she is having sex in the woods with Curt, not only is she actually having sex, but she is the character to be completely naked in the scene, whereas Curt stays fully clothed.

Dana somewhat portrays the domestic role in The Cabin in the Woods. Her personality clearly makes her the 'mother of the group', and she is regularly seen doing things that show this; making and handing out drinks for the whole group, when Curt comes back to the cabin after being attacked without Jules, she tries to go and look for her, and she reassures Marty that he is just stoned and that there is nothing weird going on.
The other female characters in The Cabin in the Woods aren't shown to fit into any of these character roles, such as Wendy (the woman who works in the chem lab of the Facility, and The Director, the boss of the Facility.)

How is Dana typical of Clover's 'Final Girl' theory?

Dana has several characteristics that match the idea of Clover's 'Final Girl'. Firstly, she is shown to be somewhat Androgynous. On her own, she may not be seen as particularly gender-less, but when seen next to Jules, who is purposely shown as very sexy and feminine, a binary opposite to Dana. Her name, Dana, is also a name that can be used for males and females. This is purposeful, to highlight Dana's lack of these features. Dana is also shown as being quite 'Virginial'. Her clothes aren't particularly revealing, and unlike Curt and Jules, she didn't come to the cabin purely to have sex. When the two way mirror is discovered between Dana and Holden's rules, she is somewhat upset and uncomfortable that he could potentially see her naked, and was more than happy to switch rules. Later it is discovered, whilst she is talking to the Director, that having a 'virgin' as the final survivor, was part of the ritual to keep the monsters at bay. Dana questions this as she isn't actually a virgin, and the Director replies with 'We have to work with what we've got'.
Dana is also typical of the final girl that Clover theorized from the fact that she fought back against the monsters. Clover says that 'The final girl fought back'. She traced this from Psycho (1960) up to Texas Chainsaw Massacre pt
II (1986) and the 'final girl' (the female protagonist who survived to the end) went from 'ending A' (being rescued) to 'ending B' (fighting back and saving herself.) Dana has elements of both of these endings in her story. She is saved by Marty on the decking by the lake, without him pushing Mr Buckner into the lake, she would've been killed. This is the only example of her 'being saved', and for the duration of the rest of the film she really fights back, for example when her and Holden enter the 'Black Room' in an attempt to escape the monster that was trying to get them. The zombie grabs Holden with his 'Bear trap', and in an attempt to save him, Dana first stabs the zombie in the face with a crowbar, and then several times in the head and torso with a knife.

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

Even at the beginning of the film Jules has characteristics that help her be a horror archetype. For example we find out within the first minute or so that she has dyed her hair blonde (which we later find out that Wendy from the chem lab has engineered to 'impair her cognitive function'). This helps set her into the 'blonde bimbo' stereotype, that is known for being the promiscuous character in horror films and often dies first. Her clothing also shows her in this light, as she is often shown to be wearing tight tops, short shorts and short skirts (often emphasized by shots focusing on her legs, like the shot when she is dancing in front of the fire, or when she is approaching the wolf to 'make out' with it. The fact she is promiscuous is added to when she shy's off from Curt in the woods, not wanting to have sex outside. The two men in the control room spray some kind of 'pheromone mist' that makes her then want to, and increase the temperature of the woods. Because of this, she is distracted, which ultimately is the cause of her death, she didn't see the zombie coming. Although it is worth nothing that her and Curt were both absorbed in the same activity, but it is Jules that dies (probably due to the fact she is stereo-typically 'the whore who dies first').

Is Mulvey's Male Gaze theory exemplified in the film, and if so, how? 

There are several shots throughout The Cabin in the Woods that use POV shots, showing the scene from the males point of view. Mulvey suggests that much commercial cinema puts the spectator in the position of an 'appraising heterosexual male' through camera techniques.  One prominent example of this is in the scene with Curt and Jules in the woods. When Jules begins to get undressed, the scene is shot from Curt's point of view, showing off Jules' boobs and body. This shot puts the viewer in the place of Curt, aiming for them to enjoy Jules like Curt would be. It is also worth noticing that during this scene, the only character to get undressed is Jules, and Curt stays fully dressed (this may be so she dies topless, emphasizing and hinting at the fact that 'the whore' is the person who needs to die first).
There are several scenes where Jules is sexualised further, to be enjoyed by the audience. Two examples of this are the shots used during the scene where she dances by the fire. The camera shot starts focusing on her legs and bum, dancing provocatively. This is somewhat voyeuristic in the terms of the audience watching, but in the plot, she is doing this dancing for the enjoyment of her friends who are watching, Holden, Marty and Dana (although they seem to feel awkward about the whole situation). Another scene where she is overly sexualised is when she is dared to make out with the wolf. The shots throughout this scene, focusing on her legs, slowly moving up her body, to finally pause on her mouth kissing the wolf, make her look very feminine and sexy (but it is again, somewhat awkward for the audience).
One point to make is that although Jules isn't being seen as voyeuristic by her friends, she is constantly being watched by the men in the control panel, in fact there is one scene where we are shown a group of men all stood in front of the screen watching Jules, who then sigh with disappointment and move away when she does not get naked. One of the control men then add the pheromone mist and make the set warmer, as so she continues to get naked. When confronted by the security if this is really necessary, he says 'We're not the only one's watching' to justify it.

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?

Throughout the film it is made obvious that Jules is made to represent the whore, with her scenes featuring nudity, focus on her legs and bum, and her being a 'blonde bimbo'. These shots and stereotypes somewhat give permission to look at her in that way.
Another way we are made to be voyeurs is the unrestricted narrative, that the friends do not know they are being watched at all, but we do. They do find out later in the film they are being watched when Marty discovers the camera in the lamp (although he then thinks, whilst unbelievably stoned, that he is on a reality TV show). Another important scene that makes the audience voyeurs is the two way mirror scene. When Holden discovers the mirror, he fights with his morals of whether he should keep watching or not. Both us and him are watching whilst Dana is completely unaware. This is important in terms of representation as this idea of people being watched without awareness of it give the viewers power, but it also represents societies attitude towards it being okay to watch and enjoy people who are dressed revealingly (like Jules) without the permission of the person they are watching.

        

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?

Although Dana is shown as independent and fighting back, it is obvious that without Marty's help, she still would've died. So although women are represented as strong and brave, it also shows that the 'final girl' still needs male input to survive. Dana fulfills the purpose of being an independent female character, but in contrast, Jules is there to be objectified and her purpose in the friend group is the for the enjoyment of the males. Dana has the 'motherly role' and Jules has the 'sexual role'. Wendy from the chem lab is also not there for the sexual pleasure of others, and disagrees with the men in the control room objectifying Jules, although she never actually attempts to stop this because of the male dominance in her place of work.