Panashe Sibanda Blog

Task 3: Cabin in the woods uses very typical horror conventions in its movie such as the cast, which includes “the jock”, “the dumb blonde”, “the druggy”, “the smart one” and “the virgin”. The film seems like a supernatural, slasher film and its mise en scene shows this. There are zombies which show the supernatural side but these zombies are equipped with weapons, showing the slasher side. The film definitely sexualizes women such as in the scene whereby she is attacked by the zombie after she nearly drowns and is thrown around the place which is a representation of domestic violence, as she is powerless to this figure she cannot seem to escape no matter where she goes, deeming her defenseless Task 4: Cabin in the woods is interesting in how it tells a message throughout its whole runtime. The film starts with the typical “teens go to a creepy cabin the middle of nowhere surrounded by the supernatural” setting but it diverges into a deeper conspiracy about how the Gods and d

Religion in horror usually uses themes of  life and death, spirituality, man playing god/blasphemy, man fighting inner as well as outer demons, or good versus evil. Religious artifacts may be  Christian, occult, satanic, voodoo.   Death is common in horror films and some things represent this such as  objects, such as coffins and gravestones. In horror, the difference between life and death can be confusing, especially with supernatural elements involved like ghosts. In pyshco, taxidermy birds represent the dead mother.  Light usually represents feelings of hope, salvation, good, escape or in some cases death. Light in horror usually adds a sense of comfort due to it lighting up the dark  Colors usually symbolize different themes in horror. Red can mean violence, blood or lust.  Weapns can be as a phallic object to convey masculine power for example. The weapon the villain uses can reflect the character. Chainsaw in Texas chainsaw massacre is phallic symbol for raging power