Script for question 2

In the media, we generally see gender as being very stereotypically presented

which can mean women being represented as submissive, passive with a focus
on physical beauty, sexuality and their emotions. Throughout media they are
presented to be attractive and much more compassionate compared to men who
are stereotypically seen as dominant, strong, active and authorities. Women tend
to work as part of a group and take the role of the helper; they are generally
never a leader. Laura Mulvey coined the term male gaze in 1975. She believes
that in film the audience is forced to view characters from the perspective of a
heterosexual male- Female characters are sexualized, and the camera may zero
in on female body parts considered sexual. This relegates women to the status of
objects. An example of a film where these ideas conform is A Cabin in the WoodsThe two women, Jules and Dana, are defined as The Whore and The Virgin two
opposite ends of the spectrum whose deaths are meant to serve as bookends for
the others. The order of deaths is irrelevant except in the case of the women.
Jules, as the corrupted Whore, has to die first, and Dana, the Virgin, has to die
last, if she dies at all. As Holden played by Bradley Whitford says, The virgin
death is optional as long as its last. The female characters are defined only by
their sexuality nothing else about them really matters. Additionally, the scene
with the two-way mirror, where Dana can be seen through the mirror by Holden
but not vice versa is an example of how women are made in to objects to appeal
to the male gaze.
Through the research I have conducted throughout I have noticed that in the
majority of horror films there is a cocky character, usually male that
Visibility in the media has always been an issue when thinking about gender
representations. Around 20 years ago visibility of men in the media outnumbered
that of women at 2:1- proving males are the dominant gender within the media.
This can be applied to our film as in the opening scene there are 5 teenagers- 3
of which are males and two of which are females statistically, only 13% of 2013s
top 100 films featured equal numbers of male and female lead roles. Through our
research we found that there are usually less females in horror films as we
believe the male dominance and masculinity make people in the audience feel
safe as to what will happen and that the females always sought comfort and
safety in the males of the group. The presentation of female visibility in horror
films is different to that in other genres of film- the main female protagonist can
turn into the final girl that is the last one standing. The visibility of women in
horror films does still; however remain low as more often they are in a situation
alone with no one to help. This idea can be applied to A Cabin in the Woods
where there is the same arrangement of characters- 5 teens-3 guys, 2 girls. Dana
is presented as the female protagonist, and is the final girl, building confidence
and bravery as the film proceeds. However she has help from Holden, the other
member of the teenagers to survive the ordeal, Dana is the dominant and more
active role. Hitchcocks Psycho at the time of its release set it apart from other
horror films as it had a modern fear of the monster who looks just like you, the
fear of the boy next door. When we are first introduced to his character, Bates

plays the loner next door who seems ordinary. But this implies that perhaps there
is always this fear of the boy next door due to him being a male, an already
established representation of men, being something to fear. To this day, The
Exorcist is remembered for its sue of a young girl as the possession victimthroughout history, films based around demonic possessions, the demon host is
pretty much always female. Here our film conforms as we made the demonic
host Joshs younger sister, Lilly, who we purposely styled in matching girly
pyjamas. We had her holding a teddy bear that she then viciously throws onto
the floor to differentiate her young, innocent self and the demon that possesses
her.
The Nervous Wife is a staple of the haunted house film genre, and now that
paranormal shows are slowly taking over the small screen, it can be found there,
too. In the first season of the FX channels American Horror Story, the character
Vivien Harmon began experiencing some unnatural and disturbing events in the
new house her family had just moved into, she went to confide in her husband
worried for theirs and their daughters safety, who responds by patronizing her,
saying she is tired, silly, imagining things, nervous. It is only when the
occurrences escalate and the male protagonist himself experiences something
otherworldly that he will believe. Women in horror films are rarely, if ever, the
skeptical ones. Logic is portrayed as a male thing. Women are stereotypically
quick to believe the unbelievable. And to be frightened by it. Another example of
this can be found in the horror film Paranormal Activity. In it, a young couple,
Katie and Micah, live in a suburban house that is plagued by threatening
phenomena. In this instance, the male protagonist believes in the haunting; he
does not, however, believe anyones advice on handling the problem. In a perfect
illustration of male privilege and dominance, Micah dismisses expert advice and
laughs off Katies fear of an increasingly-menacing spirit. More and more
happens then Micah dies. There is often another feature of The Nervous Wife
idea. Once the male protagonist and partner of The Nervous Wife realizes the
danger that was there all along, he will not be cowed. Like a drunken dude
outside the bar at 2 a.m. or a dog protecting his territory he wont back down.
He will show his dominance further by puffing his chest and squaring up to the
problem. At first glance, the message is clear: Men are logical and brave
protectors who do what needs to be done to protect their family. Women, on the
other hand, are emotional and fearful and need to be protected. But there is a
twist. In most cases the female protagonist is proven right. And, as a result of his
hubris, the male protagonist sometimes meets a bad end, as in Paranormal
Activity or Orphan, a horror/thriller where a doomed husband refuses to believe
that his adopted child is really a murderous woman with hypopituitarism until
hes stuck on the end of her knife. Although we do not have nervous wife
character in our film we do have our nervous nerd, Lucy. She is the one to voice
her concern around the Ouija board, trying to convince her friends that it really
isnt a good idea, much to the hilarity of the Will and Josh, who are confident its
all a game and encourage the group to partake. They are both proven wrong
when the demonic possession happens and all hell breaks lose.

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