10 Best Horror Films Of The 2010s (So Far)

Drew Goddard's debut feature is the type of lovable indulgence only a horror cinephile could create and boy-oh-boy, is it a joyous ride.

The film mixes horror and comedy with staggering results, the likes of which had not been seen since Sam Raimi's early days. By unashamedly embracing both genres, the film is able to rachet up the tension in the service of bigger scares and bigger laughs.

Beginning in cryptic fashion, the film initially appears to be a run-of-the-mill addition to the 'cabin in the woods' subgenre of horror. Instead, it becomes a send-up of horror cinema as a whole. The story chronicles a struggling company whose purpose is to organize sacrifices in various, horrific ways. Essentially, this company is a stand-in for the horror industry as a whole. At the time of this film's release, horror studios were running desperately low on fresh ideas and were failing to say much of anything.

So this film called them on it and delivered the shot-in-the-arm the genre so badly needed. It's funny, it's scary, it's ridiculously entertaining. And honestly, the third act feels like something given to us mere mortals straight from movie monster Heaven.

You don't know how badly you need a gruesomely hilarious mermaid-related death scene in your life until it's there.