Art house movies trying desperately to look meaning filled and suspenseful are no more "horror" than tawdry gorefests are. Both are extremes that allow the audience to detach themselves from the narrative. After the credits roll, five minutes later these movies are forgotten.
Good horror keeps you engaged, leaves you uncomfortable, and lingers in the mind. It fills the liminal spaces. Most modern horror flicks shoehorn poor quality crap into the liminal spaces and call it good.
You're both wrong. The Witch is basically Sixteen Candles with a better ending and more goats.
Don't Look Now
Picnic at Hanging Rock
I much prefer unsettling to startling, so I think I might like The Witch
Good horror keeps you engaged, leaves you uncomfortable, and lingers in the mind. It fills the liminal spaces. Most modern horror flicks shoehorn poor quality crap into the liminal spaces and call it good.