Period horror movie The Witch exploded out of the Sundance Film Festival in 2015. It won immediate critical acclaim and earned many more fans as it toured the festival circuit. Whether it lives up to that advance hype, though, is left for general audiences to decide during its theatrical release this week.

The Witch follows in the footsteps of other fright flicks that debuted at festivals ahead of wide theatrical release. It's a pattern that dates back to The Blair Witch Project, which debuted at Sundance in 1999, and caught fire with Saw in 2004. But that's not the only way to raise hype. Before the days when wide releases were common, The Exorcist opened in very limited theatrical release and soon tales of spooked patrons spread like wildfire. That too has inspired a marketing trend: film the audience's reaction to the movie.

Here are some horror movies that had major hype, whether it was through word of mouth or strategic publicity campaigns. Did they live up to it?

It Follows

What It's About: After a sexual encounter, a young woman is stalked by a supernatural force.

How Hyped: Debuting at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2014, it won very positive critical reaction as the rare type of horror movie that might appeal to a broader audience. Marketing was limited to social media, focused on encouraging those who had already seen it to spread the word.

The Word: "The most singularly creepy lo-fi American horror movie to slink into theaters in years." -- Rolling Stone

Budget: $2 million

Box Office: $14 million

Critics' Rating: 97%

Audience Score: 65%

Further Reading: Don't Call It a Flop: The Internet's Odd War of Words Over 'It Follows' Box Office

Verdict: YES

The Gallows

What It's About: High school students restage a play in which a teenager was accidentally killed.

How Hyped: The filmmakers posted a trailer for their indie horror movie online, where it became a viral sensation and led to a distribution deal with a major studio. After further revisions, it was marketed extensively ahead of a wide summer release.

The Word: "So scary...it's hard to watch." -- Audience member at advance screening

Budget: $100,000 (est.)

Box Office: $22 million

Critics' Rating: 15%

Audience Score: 24%

Further Reading: 'The Gallows': How a Small Indie Horror Landed with WB and a July Release

Verdict: YES

The Green Inferno

What It's About: Environmental protestors crash-land in the territory of very hungry cannibals.

How Hyped: Eli Roth's first movie in six years debuted at the Toronto festival in September 2013, but then fell victim to distribution woes. Secret screenings continued to build word of mouth for hard-core horror fans until the movie finally gained release in September 2015.

The Word: "Will leave viewers stumbling out of the theater." -- Fangoria

Budget: $6 million

Box Office: $7 million

Critics' Rating: 35%

Audience Score: 34%

Further Reading: Was 'The Green Inferno' Worth the Wait?

Verdict: NO

You're Next

What It's About: A family reunion comes under attack by masked killers.

How Hyped: The film debuted to great success at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2011, then was kept off the festival circuit until its long-awaited theatrical release almost two years later. That dimmed the initial word-of-mouth excitement, which was rebuilt via a more traditional media campaign.

The Word: "Strays just enough from formula to tweak our jaded appetites." -- New York Times

Budget: $7 million

Box Office: $18 million

Critics' Rating: 75%

Audience Score: 59%

Further Reading: Box Office: Why Did 'You're Next' Fail to Scare Up Audiences?

Verdict: NO

The Cabin in the Woods

What It's About: A small group of friends head to the titular location for a bit of fun. But not everything is what it seems.

How Hyped: Because of distribution snafus, the original release of the film was scuttled. Devoted fans of cowriter Joss Whedon were not happy and that kept interest alive until it finally opened. A secretive marketing campaign added to the anticipation.

The Word:  "A truly rare and original horror film."-- FoxNews.com

Budget: $30 million

Critics' Rating: 92%

Audience Score: 73%

Further Reading: Is 'Cabin in the Woods' Over-hyped?

Verdict: YES

Paranormal Activity

What It's About: A couple with a small child are plagued by supernatural forces.

How Hyped: After debuting at a festival in 2007, the movie was fine-tuned with additional editing and shooting. Released in the fall of 2009, the marketing campaign invited potential audiences to "demand" that the movie be released in more cities. It was then boosted by positive word of mouth.

The Word: "It's the scariest thing I've ever seen." -- Audience member

Budget: $15,000 (est)

Box Office: $107 million

Critics' Rating: 83%

Audience Score: 56%

Further Reading: How 'Paranormal Activity' Hit It Big

Verdict: YES

Freddy vs. Jason

What It's About: Serial killers Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street) and Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th) meet for the first time.

How Hyped: The two franchises came under control of the same company in the early 1990s, instantly raising anticipation for a possible meeting. More than a decade later, all means of media advertising -- television, radio, print, Internet -- were used extensively to promote the long-awaited release, though it was difficult to find critics with positive things to say about it in advance.

The Word: "There are far less lively ways to spend a night at the movies." -- Entertainment Weekly

Budget: $25 million (est)

Box Office: $82 million

Critics' Rating: 41%

Audience Score: 50%

Further Reading: 13 Things You May Not Know About 'Freddy Vs. Jason'

Verdict: YES