Compare that to the "Blair Witch" sequel that arrived at the same time. "Blair Witch" not only earned predominantly lousy reviews, but also a mediocre box office return. As of this writing, "Blair Witch" has earned $20.5 million while "Don't Breathe" has grossed $88 million. The ship has sailed for found-footage horror films, and the tide is pulling us back to horror that uses violence realistically and disturbingly. The financial success of "Don't Breathe" could lead to a new wave of brutal violence in horror films, and it'll happen sooner than you think.

The most original horror films of the year were likely not screened at theaters near you, and often came from other countries. You didn't need to look very hard for a cause celebre or two, like "The Witch," that rare genre movie that not only does well financially, but earns overwhelming critical praise. But horror nuts have otherwise had to dig into the catalogs of companies like IFC Midnight, Drafthouse Films, Magnolia Entertainment, and other independent film companies that occasionally release horror films. How else would you know to look for South Korean horror flick "Train to Busan" or Polish exorcism/possession flick "Demon"? There are a lot of great horror movies out there, but so few of them are getting the opportunities they deserve since distribution companies are afraid of alienating some mythological general audience of horror fans.

To be fair, indie and foreign language horror films are a tough sell in a marketplace that treats smaller movies that doesn't know what to do with films without built-in, easily-exploitable stars or established track records. Distributors don't want to take a chance on smaller movies, not even high-concept ones, because they're not necessarily sure-fire moneymakers. It's a crap shoot: some foreign titles get simultaneous Video On Demand and theatrical releases, but many don't. Some foreign films barely get theatrical releases, let alone publicized to media outlets that can help get the word out (cough). This last point stinks. It's hard enough for a film critic to track down the right publicist for some foreign titles: imagine what it's like for viewers looking for something new on a Friday night.