Bird Box (2018)Director: Susanne BierWriter: Eric HeissererCinematographer: Salvatore TorinoEditor: Ben Lester We here at Dethink to Survive only use the term elevated horror in two ways. Either perjoratively for films that think they’re smarter and classier than most horror films and for horror films that take place on mountains or airplanes. The 2018 film Bird Box…

Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (2015)Director: Christopher LandonWriters: Carrie Evans, Emi Mochizuki, Christopher LandonEditor: Jim PageCinematographer: Brandon Trost Christopher Landon is one of the most prominent queer horror filmmakers working today. His take on slasher films, seen in films like Happy Death Day 2 and Freaky, are unbashedly LGBTQ+ friendly. Having a queer voice behind the camera feels refreshing for a genre that often is not friendly to anyone who is not straight, white, or male.

Director: Peter SykesWriter: Chris Wicking, John Peacock, Gerald Vaughan-Hughes (Based on the novel by Dennis Wheatley)Cinematographer: David WatkinEditor: John Trumper There is a certain infamy in being the final horror film from the golden age of legendary studio Hammer Film Productions. That is maybe the only legacy of To the Devil a Daughter. While this film didn't kill the studio, it provides a good case why their fortunes had declined both creatively and financially.

The Battery (2012)Writer/Director: Jeremy GardenerCinematography: Christian StellaEditor: Alicia Stella, Michael Katzman The Battery, the 2012 film directed by Jeremy Gardener, shows once again how clarity of vision trumps a huge budget.  This is a film clearly made with barely any budget. The cast tops at out at around six people, outside of one scene with a zombie horde.