Cabin in the Woods and Metafiction

What I loved the most about Cabin in the Woods are the metafictional aspects of the movie and how they function at different levels. First, we get the metafiction that creates the reference to The Evil Dead. Having that reference in the movie makes you think about the genre of horror movies in general. But then, taking a step back, we have the metafiction that the second narrative of the story creates (the narrative about the scientific creation of a horror movie). And this element of metafiction makes us think not only of the genre in general, but also HOW it is that horror movies are formulated. We get the stereotypical characters, settings and plot and we, as audience, become aware of the structure of a horror film. And finally, we get all the monsters of horror movies together, which adds another layer of metafiction. This time we get to think not only of horror films but of fantasy films in general and how we use mythology to create stories.