Horror fans are often unfairly characterized as having narrow tastes, but the truth is that it takes a a fair amount of research and a broad perspective to discover unique terrors on-screen. Take, for example, the Sundance Film Festival, which opens this week in Utah.

While the festival is primarily known as a showcase for new American independent features, it's also served to boost the prospects of select horror movies. Perhaps because there are relatively few horror titles in the program each year, the good ones tend to get a disproportionate amount of attention, stretching back to The Blair Witch Project (Sundance 1999) and Saw (Sundance 2004).

The last couple of years has seen a glut of good movies benefiting from a Sundance boost, including A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (Sundance 2014), The Babadook (Sundance 2014), What We Do in the Shadows (2014), It Follows (Sundance 2015) and The Witch (Sundance 2015). What are this year's potential breakouts?

Under the Shadow (above)

What we know: A mother and daughter struggle to survive as the Iran-Iraq War tears apart Tehran in 1988. As if bombing campaigns and a bloody revolution aren't bad enough, a mysterious evil begins stalking their apartment building.

Why it might be a hit: Hailing from Jordan, this Persian-language horror thriller will stand out among titles that will debut at midnight and if it delivers on its premise, it could easily break out to wider attention.

31

What we know: Five friends are held hostage in a terrifying place known as Murder World. While trapped, they must play a violent game called 31, in which the mission is to survive 12 hours against a gang of evil clowns.

Why it might be a hit: Musician-turned-filmmaker Rob Zombie has been hit and miss with his recent projects, but a contained environment with a clever premise could allow him to regain the vitality that distinguished his earlier films.

Carnage Park

What we know: Set in 1978, the film follows fledgling criminals who have bungled a bank heist and are hiding out in the desert with a hostage in tow when they are confronted by a psychotic ex-military sniper.

Why it might be a hit: Director Mickey Keating has quickly built up a strong reputation with his recent horror hits Pod and Darling; the period setting and the presence of Ashley Bell (The Last Exorcism) and Pat Healy (Cheap Thrills) in the cast suggests this is a thriller that could surprise.

The Greasy Strangler

What we know: A father and son compete for an alluring woman who takes their walking tour. As the competition grows heated, the mysterious titular creative enters the picture.

Why it might be a hit: What stands out here are the producers, including Elijah Wood, Tim League, Ant Timpson and Ben Wheatley, who have lined up behind director and cowriter Jim Hosking. When experienced genre veterans line up behind someone making his feature directorial debut, it means the rest of us should pay attention, because something special is likely to emerge.

Yoga Hosers

What we know: Kevin Smith returns with a horror-comedy that features Harley Quinn Smith and Lily-Rose Depp, also known as the daughters of Smith and Johnny Depp, respectively. The two young women reprise their roles from Smith's Tusk as bored clerks who discover an ancient evil buried beneath the convenience store where they work.

Why it might be a hit: Devoted horror hounds realize that we need more movies in which young women are heroines, not victims. The movie will also grab attention because of the curiosity factor about its young stars, especially if one or both of them gives an especially promising performance.