How are the following themes and sub-texts raised in the film Cabin in the Woods?

Both teen punishment and sexuality are a frequent ideology throughout the film ‘Cabin in the Woods’. There is a distinct focus on the fact that Jules, the first victim was not a virgin. It showed the contrast between her and Dana, the smart virgin. The reason instilled into the audience is that Jules was killed first because of her lack of ‘purity’ this is especially likely because she was murdered while on a sexual escapade with her boyfriend. She was therefore, the first victim because she was being punished for exploring her sexuality. This suggests that females are supposed to be sexually passive like Dana who was very innocent and pure, the reason as to why she was the sacrifice at the end of the film.

As well as this, Marty who was frequently high was also supposed to be killed. This suggests that he was taking part in an act that was considered ‘adult’ so he also was not pure or innocent anymore, leading him to take the consequences and get punished for his actions. 

Also, the use of phallic weapons was often shown in the film. This suggests that the zombies have far more power over the victims simply because they had these weapons therefore, suggesting if someone is male, they are the most superior. However, the use of a basement holding all the answers suggests yonic imagery. This could mean that actually women are the ones with all the answers and are in fact the superior sex. They also all pass through a tunnel while on their way to the cabin, this could be seen as yonic imagery. Within horror, hallways and corridors often represent the journey to death, as tunnels are similar to hallways and corridors this was in fact very symbollic as they all did die in the end.

This film is unique as it does not have just the one theme throughout, it includes; supernatural, zombies and gore. There were multiple antagonists within The Cabin In The Woods for example, werewolves and conventional 'killer' dolls which are frequently shown in many horror films where they take on ideas of possession and demons. Therefore, this film has connected hybrid mixtures of different film genres and merged them together to create an interesting and unconventional film by pushing its boundaries.