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…
Being genuinely unsettled by the events or images shown. But I also like seeing the monster. The Thing is pretty much perfect. But a good deal of body-horror works just as well.
If you’ve not seen Color Out Of Space, that’s got some great, practical body horror in it. Very unsettling.