For a movie to hold my attention, it needs compelling vibes and atmosphere. The plot can be paper-thin as long as the vibes are right. I actually prefer paper-thin plots, since I’m honestly quite dumb, so if the plot is too complicated I get lost and lose interest (for example, I’ve tried watching The Lord of the Rings many times but haven’t been able to get through it for this reason), lmao. That’s why my favorite kind of horror is folk, atmospheric horror: Suspiria, The Witch, Midsommar, Hereditary, The Wicker Man, Blink Twice, Hagazussa, Lamb, The Blair Witch Project, Rosemary’s Baby…
Exact opposite. I need a plot where the characters aren’t complete bone heads and the plot needs to be deeper than “some dude grabs a knife”. Because of this I tend to enjoy horror thrillers more than slashers. It’s the reason most of my favorites are things like “The Crazies”, “You’re Next”, and “The Strangers”. That isn’t to say that I need high fidelity or effects. Some good entries there are “Splinter”, “Vacancy”, and (to a lesser degree) “Rest Stop”.