Here's a stat for you: most "elevated horror" films like Hereditary or The Babadook make less than half their money back at the box office compared to mainstream horror. That's not artistry — that's a niche audience pretending they're above jump scares. Look, I get it. These movies want to be taken seriously. But calling them "elevated" implies regular horror is somehow lesser. That's elitist nonsense. A film like The Conjuring delivers genuine tension and character work without needing a two-hour lecture on grief. Elevated horror often forgets to be scary. It gets so caught up in its metaphors and slow-burn pacing that the actual horror feels like an afterthought. Horror should unsettle you first, make you think later. Not the other way around.