Horror films can be subdivided into various subgenres. Rosemary's Baby, for instance, may fall into the category of Satan-inspired films due to the fact that in the film, Rosemary is used as a surrogate to Satan's child. What is interesting about this film is that it relies heavily on the viewers' perception of Satan since the entity is never actually shown and neither is his child. Not showing what Rosemary and Satan's child like forces the viewer to imagine what it must look like based on how he is described, which makes it much more frightening because this image is based on the viewers' psyche and feeds off of what they are most afraid of.
Alternately, Cabin in the Woods, simultaneously provides postmodern and structuralist commentary on horror films through its parallel narratives. At its surface, Cabin in the...
It is through the pastiche used in the
narrative that Goddard makes a postmodern film. Goddard also provides structuralist commentary by deconstructing the different elements of formulaic horror films. In the second, behind-the-scenes narrative, Goddard demonstrates that many horror films follow the same format, however, he builds upon this device and throws in a plot twist that contends that the only reason the behind-the-scenes company manipulates and kills teenagers is to appease the demon they
worship. One of the reasons that this film is successful is because it not only brings attention to the banality of recent horror films, but also provides a comedic twist that embraces other horror conventions.
