A Game for the End of the World

Cabin in the Woods!
Wonderful movie and a great plot. It has the setting of a horror movie, but becomes more of a scifi action (still retains that sense of excitement and anticipation).
The grossly exaggerated elements of horror, like the different types of people and who would die first, causes the movie to lose its fear-inducing effect. Because these elements are so exaggerated, it becomes sort of comedic to the audience. You are essentially taking something they've seen before and removing the horror from it, leaving something familiar but not disagreeable. For example, zombies are something familiar that we've learned to fear through generations of media, but the zombies in this movie are red-necked, pain-loving, religious zombies, which is so outlandish and far-fetched that its hilarious.
The agency that sets all this up to prevent the end of the world makes it a game, which also lends to comical aspects of the movie. It takes away the fear and creates kind of this new world of technology and advancement vs. old world of zombies and "fictional creatures." The way the agency monitors the sacrificial group with their technology and precision resembles spy movies.