10 Most Polarising Horror Movies Of All Time

Joss Whedon knows a thing or two about getting the most out of popular culture, and The Cabin In The Woods represents the apotheosis of his grasp of genre conventions combined with his ability to dissect and satirize the core aspects of the material. As far as movies with Easter eggs go, few other horror films have succeeded in cramming in quite so many references.

It's the obsessive attention and reverence to horror movie lore which is perhaps the most crucial component of the audience polarization to The Cabin In The Woods, which playfully sends up - and subverts - the expectations audiences have cultivated for horror films in general and slasher movies in particular. Horror cliches are openly flaunted, with Whedon and co-writer/director Drew Goddard gleefully exploiting and twisting genre conventions.

For die-hard horror fans The Cabin In The Woods is a treat of meta-filmmaking featuring a smorgasbord of references to tick off a checklist (there are numerous articles and videos breaking down in detail all the horror movies references scattered throughout the film). The final act in particular requires a sharp eye in order to spot all the horror film references without cheating and using the pause button.

For the more casual viewers who weren't in on the (many) in-jokes, much of the satire went over their heads, leaving the impression of a silly and disjointed movie which seemed too clever for its own good while lacking in genuine horror thrills.