Er... "despised" is rather strong, I don't think anyone feels that intensely about it. I'd say people just don't like it because it's frequently riding on the borderline of campy or pretentious, not because of objections to violence (which, honestly, is unexceptional and largely off-screen, aside from the Evil Dead level absurdity of STICKS FOR HANDS).

To me, the entire thing plays as dark comedy and I like to think the campiness and over-the-top theatricality was intentional. But even with all the silly melodrama, the very ending scene with the music and the baby and walking into the horizon genuinely touched me.