Practice horror movie trailer - Conjuring 2 teaser recreation

LewisHorrorVid.mov

null

Footage belongs to Shutterstock. for educational purposes only.

Themes and Sub-texts in 'The Cabin in the woods'

The Cabin in the woods uses commonly recurring themes and sub-texts of the horror genre to poke fun at / parody the typical formulas / concepts related to the horror genre and it's respective sub-genres. For example, The concept of teen punishment is explored in this movie through exaggerating the traits / characteristics of protagonists such as Jules, who is presented as your stereotypical whore / dumb blonde character. she is sexualised through events such as the truth or dare game where she is dared to make out with a wolf head, as she is fairly willing to do it. Sex before marriage is looked down upon as a sin in religions such as christianity, presenting Jules as a sinful character. she is the film's first victim as a punishment for her sinful lifestyle choices, a typical order for films of the horror genre.

This may lead to the audience expecting your traditional order of deaths, leaving only the pure, final girl (who, in the case of 'The Cabin in the woods' is dana.) for the mostpart, the film follows this formulaic order, but presents us with a unique twist near the end, when we find out that marty is in fact, still alive due to his use of drugs allowing him to become immune to the effects of mind control which the other characters have to face.

The Cabin in the woods also uses conventional iconography such as the use of phallic imagery. Marty uses his long, Coffee mug bong as a weapon, which has a phallic appearance, potentially symbolising masculinity.

The main subtext of the film in general is it's unique way of breaking the fourth wall. both the audience, production team and the characters play a role in the story. 'The Organisation as an antagonistic group are a in-text representation of a film studio, and the cabin in the woods is used as a real life horror movie used as entertainment for their visitors. similar to moviegoers, this audience shows little reaction to the gore / suffering of these 'real world individuals' presenting them as psychopathic.

The film's main twist is when the character's world and producers worlds collide through dana and Maty's discovery of their underground elevator, and they are told directly that they are just characters in a piece of entertainment.

Use of conventions in 'The Cabin in the woods'

The Cabin in the woods, at first glance makes you believe that the film will be your typical cliche horror movie full of stock situations/characters (A group of teenagers visiting a creepy old abandoned cabin in the woods, where supernaturaul events occur.) While this may be true to an extent, as the film does use conventions and cliches which have become so closely engrained with the horror genre and it's respective sub-genres, the way in which 'The Cabin in the woods' uses these elements is mainly to poke fun at / parody these situations, presenting a satirical view on the genre as a whole.

Many of the sub-genres associated with horror are referenced / parodied throughout the film, most notably zombie, supernaturaul, splatter and J-horror, through The antagonist corporation known simply as 'The Organization's' wide range of iconic horror villains which are being stored underground in a secret lab, which the protagonists are supposed to be unaware of, but is later discovered by Marty and Dana (The final 2 surviving protagonists.) This also gives the film elements of sci-fi horror, due to the futuristic appearance and premise of the underground storage area.

each invidual protagonist in the story reflects a particular stereotype. (Curt = the athlete, dana = the virgin, holden = the scholar, jules = the whore and marty = the fool.) Jules, who plays the role of the whore/The dumb blonde is innevitably the first member of the protagonists to die due to her sinful lifestyle. (Sex before marraige is seen as a sin by in christian beliefs. She is victimised as a punishment for her sins.) Marty is the second victim due to his use of drugs, which is also seen as sinful. each character also plays a part as a driver of the overall plot.

 this order of deaths is common throughout the horror genre, however cabin in the woods mixes up this order through the fact that marty manages to avoid death due to his drugs making him immune to the mind control effects which the other characters are faced with. this goes against 'The Organization's' (a representation of a production team) plan, as dana (The final girl) was intended to be the only survivor, due to being 'The pure one.' (Virgin). Ironically enough, it is revealed that Dana is not even a virgin in the first place.

9 Sub-genres of horror : interactive moodboard

Icons of the horror genre

Religion

religious themes are commonly explored in the horror genre through locations such as graveyards (commonly found in churchyards) in zombie films, humans playing god e.g. Frankenstein  attempting to create artificial life, as well as the idea of sin : The 'impure' (those who have sex before marriage) are common recurring victim. Symbols such as the cross are often used as 'protection' against evil.

                                               -Night of the living dead (1990)

Death

in the horror genre, there is a thin line between life and death. the concept of the 'undead' is explored through monsters such as ghosts and zombies. (Monsters who were originally human, but take a different form after death.)

                                          -Shaun of the dead (2004)

Lighting

Lighting is essential to the horror genre, as it is used to set the mood/atmosphere and shroud certain situations in mystery. props such as torches and candles are often the only source of light, and tend to go out, leaving the protagonist vulnerable, as they are left unaware of their surroundings. the contrast between light/dark symbolises the concept of good vs evil and the transition between danger and safety (light at the end of the tunnel)

                                      -Lights out 2 (2018)

Colour

Horror movies use colours as a way of telling the audience if a character is good or bad. white is often linked to purity/innocence while colours such as black and red are linked to evil , death, blood etc.

                                      -A Nightmare on elm street (2010)

Weapons

Antagonists in horror movies are often associated with a trademark weapon, which often connotes phallic symbolism, presenting these characters with masculine power, making the protagonist usually female, appear weak and inferior in contrast.

                                      -Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

                                      

Mirrors

Mirrors are used in the horror genre to connote vanity, sexual themes etc. as well as also being used to pickup details such as seeing the 'monster' in the mirror without him being present in the room to create fear and tension for the protagonist. shattered mirrors also represent a broken life/relationship which could link to the monster's tragic backstory.

                                      -Mirror, Mirror (1990)

Masks

Masks

masks are frequently used as a prop by antagonists as a way of hiding their identity. they lack any form of facial movement, in an attempt to intimidate their victims.

                                      -Friday 13th (1980)

Dolls

dolls are usually a child's toy, which presents the idea of childhood purity and innocence, They reflect the human figure with over-exaggerated features 

giving them a somewhat unsettling appearance. similar to clowns, these traditionally innocent toys were a childhood fear for many, allowing the film 

creators to mess with the consumer's fears.

                                      -Child's Play (1988)

Doors and Windows

In the horror genre, doors and windows are used as barriers against the monster(s) but often prove themselves to be ineffective. for example, In films such as night of the living dead, the zombies are capable of breaking through these 'barriers' in defiance of the efforts put in place to prevent this from happening. The image below from poltergeist (1982) 

features a supernatural monster blocking entrance to a room by covering a door.

                                      -Poltergeist (1982)

Keys and locks

Keys and locks are used to create a sense of secrecy/Mystery. They also  present a sense of vulnerability, as locks can restrict access/escape from a 

location, allowing the antagonist to corner the protagonist. Sometimes, the character can be locked to one spot, restricting their movement, as seen in the image of saw (2004) below.

                                     -Saw (2004)