It's time again for my top 10 horror movie picks of the year. I watched around 160ish in 2024. Is that EVERY horror film released in 2024? Nope but it's a good chunk of them.
2024 was a GREAT year for horror movies with a # of strong entries-- from major studio releases, to stand out independent films, to a few movies made on a shoestring budget that knocked it out of the park. In fact, it might be one of the best years for horror since 2018-- when Ari Aster (and others) ushered in the horror renaissance and the age of "elevated horror". No longer is horror relegated to the bottom of the bin. We now have major stars making horror movies and even have recognition at Hollywood awards time (but more on that later).
Before I get to my top 10, I wanted to cover some general info-- how many sequels/prequels there were in 2024, movies by topic, by streaming service, etc.
Sequels/Prequels/ Remakes: These are the bread and butter of horror movies. The fastest way to "get butts in seats" or in this case "eyeballs on screens" is to attach to an existing property. There were at least 12 sequels/prequels/remakes in 2024.
- The First Omen- prequel to The Omen
- VHS Beyond- 7th movie
- Alien Romulus- occurs btwn Alien and Aliens- thi is the 9th Aliens movie
- A Quiet Place: Day One- prequel- 3rd in the series
- Apartment 7A- considered a prequel to Rosemary's Baby
- Crow- remake
- Smile 2
- MaXXXine- last of the Ti West trilogy
- Terrifier 3- obvs #3
- Speak No Evil- remake of a Dutch film
- The Strangers: Chapter 1- prequel
- Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice- sequel
By Studio:
- A24- I Saw The TV Glow MaXXXine, The Front Room, Heretic
- Blumhouse-/ Atomic Monster- Speak No Evil, Imaginary, Night Swin, Afraid, House of Spoils, 2024 was a bad year for Blumhouse except for "Speak No Evil". I usually love everything they do but not this year
- Focus Features- Nosferatu, Lisa Frankenstein
- NEON- Longlegs, Immaculate, Cuckoo
- Shudder (owned by AMC)- Oddity, Mads, Infested, You'll Never Find Me, Black Cab, Azriel, Daddys Head, VHS Beyond, Hell Hole, Demon Disorder,
- IFC Films- In A Violent Nature, Late Night With the Devil, Stop Motion, IFC released in theaters and then Shudder streams
- Big studio releases- Paramount (A Quiet Place: Day one, Smile 2), 20th Century Studios (Alien Romulus, The First Omen), Universal (Abigail, Speak No Evil, Night Swin), Lionsgate (Imaginary, The Strangers Chapter 1, Never Let Go), Warner Brothers (The Watcher), MUBI (The Substance), Sony Pictures (Tarot)
Favorite Directors/ Relatives:
- Roger Eggers- Nosferatu
- Ti West- MaXXXine
- Fede Alvarez- Alien Romulus, previously did the most recent "Evil Dead"
- Oz Perkins- Longlegs- son of Anthony Perkins
- Tyler Gillett- Abigail, previously did "Ready or Not"
- Tim Burton- Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice
- The Adams family- Hell Hole
- Alexander Aja- Never Let Go
- M Night Shyamalan- Trap (director), Caddo Lake (producer)
- --
- Zoe Kravitz cowrote and directed Blink Twice) daughter of Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet
- Caitlin Cronenberg- Humane
- Eggers brothers (not Robert)- A Front Room
- Ishana Night Shyamalan- The Watchers
- Monkeypaw Productions- Jordan Peel's company
- Twisted Pictures- SAW franchise
- Red Room Pictures- Mike Flanaghan
- David Cronenberg- the Shrouds released in US in 2025
- Ari Aster- nothing this year
By Topic:
This year seems to be the year of body horror (with The Substance, Immaculate, The First Omen, among others). Other types of movies:
- Nuns- The First Omen, Immaculate
- Slashers/ serial killers- A Violent Nature (killer POV), Terrifier 3, Longlegs, Strange Darlings, Red Rooms Lowlifes
- Creature Features- Under Paris (sharks), Infected (spiders), Sting (spiders), A Quiet Place, Acadian, Hell Hole, Frogman, killer pumpkin (Carved),
- Possession- 2023 was considered the year of the possession movie. This year we have: The Deliverance, The Exorcist-- not to be confused with The Pope's Exorcist. Both movies star Russell Crow. Late Night With The Devil
- zombies- Mads, Apocalypse Z
- vampires- Abigail, Nosferatu
- aliens- Alien Romulus
- Satanic groups- Apartment 7A
- Werewolves- Werewolves, The Beast Within, Blackout
- Time travel- Time Cut (similar to last year's fun movie "Totally Killer")
- Folk Horror- The Devils Bath, The Watchers
- found footage- Milk and Serial, VHS
- Comedy- Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Lisa Frankenstein
- stop motion- one named "Stop Motion"
- IP grabs- The Mouse Trap and Winnie The Pooh Blood and Honey 2, and of course any Amityville movie (since it can't be copyrighted since it's a town)
What I Didn't Include On My List:
- Heretic- $20 on Amazon
- Nosferatu- not streaming yet
- Given the current buzz about them, these movies would probably be on my top 10 list if I have seen them.
Honorable Mentions:
- Oddity- Shudder Original- slow burn but very atmospheric, great job by the lead actress who does double duty
- First Omen- surprisingly good for a prequel
- Abigail- little girl vampire- who can ask for more?
And Now For My Top 10 List:
By streaming source. Typically, on my year end list there are: a few movies from Shudder, one or two from NetFlix and Hulu (they have smaller horror catalogs) and a # streaming on Amazon. This year we have 3 from Shudder (including one Shudder Original), 1 from YouTube,1 from Hulu and the rest from Amazon.
DISCLAIMER: BETTER TO GO INTO THESE MOVIES BLIND IF POSSIBLE
10. You'll Never Find Me- Shudder Original- An isolated man living at the back of a desolate caravan park is visited by a desperate young woman seeking shelter from a violent storm. As the savage storm worsens, these solitary souls begin to feel threatened -- but who should really be afraid? 81 and 65% on Rotten Tomatoes. Not many people are talking about this movie. It's a very quiet two person show that entirely takes place in a trailer during a bad storm. I just loved trying to figure out what was going on.
9. Infested- Shudder- Kaleb is about to turn 30 and has never been lonelier. He's fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive. 95 and 62% on RT. I really, really hate spiders and typically dont watch anything with them in but for some reason I actually enjoyed this movie.
8. Long Legs- Amazon- In pursuit of a serial killer, an FBI agent uncovers a series of occult clues that she must solve to end his terrifying killing spree. 85 and 51% on RT. There was TONS of hype about this movie. I didnt love it as much as some. I did enjoy Nicholas Cage being his usual batshit crazy self (but this time he is unrecognizable under all those prosthetics). Go into the movie knowing as little as possible in order to enjoy it.
7. Milk & Serial- YouTube- this is a 1 hour movie made for $800 by a duo that typically does comedy skits on YouTube. It's about friends that like to pull pranks on each other. An excellent quick watch. I would like to see this as a full feature movie.
6. Mads- Shudder- Eighteen-year-old Romain has just graduated and makes a stop at his dealer's place to try a new pill. As he heads off to a party, he sees an injured woman on the side of the road and decides to help her, but when she gets in his car, she suddenly smashes her own head against the dashboard, bleeding out until she dies. Is this a bad trip? Or is it something else? One thing is for sure, it's only the beginning of the night. 93 & 73 on RT. I wasnt sure I would enjoy it at the beginning but then it blew my socks off. This is a ONE shot movie (not one shot per scene, it's one long shot throughout the entire movie). Very impressive. This movie is like a shot of adrenalin.
5. A Quiet Place- Day One- Amazon- a prequel that shows what happens with the alien monsters first attack. 86 & 72% on RT. This show hasnt gotten a ton of support but I really enjoyed it. Lupita was great. Is the original still the best, yes but this is a worthy entry. I grew to care about the characters and the monsters (unofficially called Death Angels) are great.
4. Immaculate- Hulu- Sydney Sweeney (Anyone But You, Euphoria, The White Lotus) stars as Cecilia, an American nun of devout faith, embarking on a new journey in a remote convent in the picturesque Italian countryside. Cecilia's warm welcome quickly devolves into a nightmare as it becomes clear her new home harbors a sinister secret and unspeakable horrors. 70& 58% on RT. Sydney is excellent. The final scene is a standout.
3. Alien Romulus- Amazon- While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe. RT 79/85 (higher among viewers). prequel btwn Alien and Aliens. I didnt love the story but the action was great. Wonderful use of the aliens (including facehuggers, chest busters and others). I would watch again.
2. Strange Darling- Amazon- In Strange Darling, nothing is what it seems when a twisted one-night stand spirals into a serial killer's vicious murder spree. RT 95/85. The interesting thing about this movie is it in told in 6 parts and out of sequence. Due to this, you're not really sure what is going on. Go in blind. Lots of fun.
1. The Substance- bought by MUBI (I watched on Amazon)- Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself? You, only better in every way. You should try this new product, it's called The Substance. IT CHANGED MY LIFE. With The Substance, you can generate another you: younger, more beautiful, more perfect. You just have to share time -- one week for one, one week for the other. A perfect balance of seven days each... Easy right? If you respect the balance... What could possibly go wrong? RT 90/75- Demi Moore just won a Golden Globe for Best Actress. Will she win an Oscar? Elizabeth Sparkle turns 50 and is fired. Life goes downhill from there. This movie is really a gut punch to women of a certain age. The mirror scene is heartbreaking. Again, I'd like to say more about the movie, but you should go in cold.
Photo Credit: https://mashable.com/article/best-horror-movies-2024
GMonsterTV
TV: Heavy On Horror, Sci Fi, Fantasy & Adventure
January 11, 2025
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