cinema( need to watch the Movie: Cabin in the woods

We often think about genre in terms of expected conventions and narrative patterns. But we can also think about genre with respect to the feelings certain films elicit. The stories told through Horror films often explore deeply entrenched fears. Fears of the unknown. Fear of the dark. The fear of human frailty and failure. Horror films even delve deeply into the fear of oneself through corruption narratives. Think of how many Horror films you may have come across where the protagonist must deal with the challenge of becoming the very monster they fear by way of a vampire’s bite, a werewolf’s scratch, or some form of ghostly or demonic possession. In recent years infection, whether it be an alien virus or a newly discovered species of fungi, has also become a common theme in Horror. These are all narrative strategies for exploring the enemy within.

“Horror films hinge upon a predictable reaction to visual, aural, and narrative elements; we know we’re watching a horror film because we recognize its effect on us.” (Lewis, 2014)

Similar to Film Noir, Horror often employs low key lighting to create lots of shadows in the frame. Pockets of darkness throughout remind the viewer of all they can’t see and all they don’t know. Perhaps all the viewer does know is that something may jump out of those shadows at any time. Horror is a genre which seeks to keep the viewer on the edge of fear.

Historical Context

Between 1930 and 1950 Universal Studios gave the public some of its most enduring versions of Frankenstein’s monster, the Wolfman, Dracula, and the Mummy. The Universal versions of the characters became iconic not just due to the acting and high production values of the films. Universal had also chosen to make what was once considered only monstrous, something which might evoke sympathy in the viewer.

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SOURCE: C.S. DeBose 2017, CC BY

“Universal reconfigured the strict moral balance between human protagonist and eerie antagonists by radically redrawing the boundaries between good and evil and mortal and monster. These creatures do sometimes behave just as appallingly as their mum predecessors, but Universal monsters are also many times more appealing than the creatures of the silents. Even if we sometimes wish they were dead, we oftentimes end up sympathizing with these abnormal beasts and their miserable plight.” (Crane, 2012)

Crane goes on to discuss what this shift in the portrayal of monsters means for the viewer. A monster is monstrous without reason. It is by virtue of their monstrosity that we know they are not human. Therefore, it is by virtue of our humanity that we know we are not monsters. Once we begin to create monsters that seem to have reasons for why they are monstrous, we are forced to reconsider our own humanity. Because maybe we understand why the monster behaves as he does and maybe we might have reacted in the same way. “A monster who loathes his own life and contemplates existence with a downcast eye exhibits troubling parallels with depressed humans…Anytime that monsters are created anew, humans are also remade (Crane, 2012)

A Cabin in the Woods

Like all genres, Horror has a number of sub-genres. One such sub-genre is the collection of films which take place in a cabin in the woods. In 2011 Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard wrote and directed a film entitled The Cabin In the Woods. The film was a nod to the genre and did a particularly good job of exploring the visual and narrative conventions we’ve come to expect from a Horror film.

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SOURCE: Movie poster for Frankenstein

The Cabin in the Woods is a metatextual narrative. A metatextual narrative is one which makes commentary on another text by using itself as the space for discourse (intertextual). In other words, The Cabin in the Woods is a Horror movie which makes commentary on Horror movies. It lists and illustrates different Horror villains and archetypes.

As the film gets underway the first character our ensemble cast will meet is the “soothsayer.” This is a classic role in Horror films wherein a group of teens (or young adults) come across an old man or old woman who warns them to turn back. This warning is usually ignored and on they continue to their demise.

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SOURCE: Promotional poster for the film, The Cabin in the Woods. Fair Use

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SOURCE: Still frame from The Cabin In The Woods, Fair Use

Our cast of characters usually consists of archetypes. An archetype is a very typical, often used character. In Horror we often see the “jock”, the “nice guy”, the “stoner”/drinker, the “cheerleader”(promiscuous girl), the “token minority”, and “the virgin” (usually female). The virgin is usually the last character left alive, or she is the final death.

The Cabin in the Woods adheres to these archetypes perfectly while also adding its own twist in an effort to comment on these oft used archetypes. Archetype in Cinema is often used as a kind of shorthand. Instead of giving the viewer a great deal of background information about each character, filmmakers instead will present an archetype to clarify the different roles in an ensemble cast. Archetypes can be useful, but they can also be used to perpetuate stereotypes.

Final Girl

Another film which hints at a metatextual narrative is the recently produced Final Girl. Written by Adam Prince, the 2015 film made comment on the notion of the virgin archetype which is also known as “the last girl.”

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SOURCE: A still image from the film, The Cabin in the Woods. Fair Use

The overall story follows Veronica, a young woman raised and trained for combat. By strange coincidence she encounters a group of young men who enjoy taking women into the woods and killing them. Because she is their type, they plan to do the same to her. Instead of turning out to be “the virgin,” she is in fact more like an angel of death. Each young man dies receiving his comeuppance at the hands of Veronica.

Films like the Final Girl have become more common as filmmakers explore and explode notions of patriarchy and expectations of women being the weaker sex. Cinema conventions have become expected but they can always be changed by a new generation of filmmakers willing to use archetype in a new way.

As the world changes so too do our definitions of what is horrible and horrifying. Now we look less toward the black lagoon or outer space and instead look toward the homes of our neighbors for the monsters we seek. We find them in our schools or in our office spaces.

“After Halloween, contemporary horror films have been most effective when they are based within instantly recognizable locales during simple celebrations that once had signified the welcome renewal of shared bonds.” (Crane, 2012)

Horror films allow us to witness and face the things we fear most. They also allow us to face fears we didn’t know we had. With their dark mise en scene and low-key lighting they keep viewers on the edge of fear.

Works Cited Crane, J. L. (2012). Terror and Everyday Life: Singular Moments in the History of Horror

Film. Thousand Oaks: Sage. Lewis, J. (2014). Essential Cinema: An Introduction to FIlm Analysis. Boston: Wadsworth.

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