The 24 Best Horror Movies From 2024

2024 delivered a lineup of horror films that captured the terror and suspense of the times of our brave new world.

1. Nosferatu

Based on the original 1922 Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror by director F.W. Murnau, which was in turn based on the 1897 novel Dracula by Bram Stoker, Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu is more than a mere remake or adaptation. Nosferatu is a gorgeously realized work of art. Eggers’ penchant for meticulous detail within the realm of historically-based horror is on full display in this film. At times it’s like a storybook come to life, while at the same time it’s a nightmare made real. The world is inhabited by characters who may be familiar to most viewers, but who are made compelling through the work of a phenomenal cast. Leading the way is Lily-Rose Depp with an absolutely chilling performance as Ellen Hutter, a woman whose mind and will are tested by forces both supernatural and man-made.

2. Strange Darling

3. Longlegs

If you like horror that is filled with creeping dread, then Longlegs should be at the top of your list for 2024. Maika Monroe stars in Longlegs as FBI Agent Lee Harker. After Harker’s unusually accurate intuitive abilities are recognized by her superiors, she is put on a decades-old unsolved case involving a string of murder-suicides with an unsettling connection. As Harker gets closer to solving the case, the mysterious person behind the deaths gets closer to her. The horror in Longlegs stems from a sense of overwhelming dread that begins with Maika Monroe’s uncomfortably tense performance, and ends with a finale that feels excruciatingly inevitable. The stark imagery and the unforgettable appearance of Nicolas Cage as the mysterious Longlegs further heightens the dark effect of this bleak horror film.

4. I Saw the TV Glow

I Saw the TV Glow works on many different frequencies, some of which the viewer might never have known they could hear and feel. The film begins in 1996, and it follows the life of Owen from adolescence to adulthood. Owen feels out of touch with himself, but while in high school, he finds a connection with his schoolmate Maddy and their shared obsession with a TV show titled The Pink Opaque. What this connection means to both of them, and how they both react to it over the course of their lives, is what I Saw the TV Glow explores in a beautiful and devastating way. This is the type of film that won’t work for everyone, but for those it touches, it can be a profound experience that will stick with them for a very long time.

5. Infested

Infested delivers pure, skin-crawling adrenaline. It follows Kaleb (Théo Christine) and a small group of his family, friends, and neighbors as they try to survive and escape when their rundown apartment building is overrun with large, vicious, and rapidly-reproducing spiders. The film is claustrophobic even if you’re not prone to being nervous in tight spaces, it’ll get under your skin even if you’re not an arachnophobe, and it even has some good character development to make you care about the characters who are in tight spaces with more spiders than they can count. Also, the movie looks great, with impactful camera movements, fittingly distressed locations, and great uses of light and darkness.

6. Cuckoo

If you like your horror movies nightmarish and odd, Cuckoo might be just what you’re looking for. The story is about a teenager named Gretchen who moves to a resort isolated in the Bavarian Alps with her father, stepmother, and younger stepsister. Gretchen is still reeling from the death of her mother, and she is struggling to find acceptance within what remains of her family. To make matters worse, Gretchen can tell there is something strange going on in secret at the resort, and she has no choice but to get involved when she is attacked one night by… something. The first half of Cuckoo might be better than the second half as the surprisingly complex plot is illuminated in greater detail, but the scares are phenomenal, the strangeness is unnerving, and the heart of the story is straightforward and emotional.

7. The Vourdalak

The Vourdalak is a gothic fairy tale come to life. Set in the mid-18th century, it begins with Marquis Jacques Antoine Saturnin d’Urfé—a nobleman and envoy to the King of France—stranded in the wilderness after an attack by bandits leaves him with no escort and no means of getting home. Jacques is promised aid by a local family, but the family has problems of their own to deal with first. The patriarch of the family, Gorcha, has been gone for days, and he returns home the same day that Jacques arrives. But Gorcha is not the man he used to be, and whatever is afflicting him threatens to tear the family (and Jacques) apart. With a gorgeous aesthetic, a sense of dark humor, and a bold choice in creating a highly stylized interpretation of its supernatural elements, The Vourdalak is a beautifully haunting movie with a timeless appeal.

8. The Substance

The Substance might be the most visually compelling movie of the year. With its unrestrained body horror and highly stylized aesthetic, it is a movie that demands your attention with every frame. The themes—including absurd beauty standards, ageism, self-loathing, etc.—are hammered home repeatedly with body horror that gets suitably more horrific as the story moves along. Ushering us through this wild journey in a darkly humorous and satirical way are Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley who both give bold and riveting performances, even when they’re covered in pounds of prosthetics and makeup effects. If you missed The Substance in theaters, then you missed out on one of the best theatrical experiences of 2024.

9. The Devil’s Bath

The Devil’s Bath instills a sense of profound sadness in its viewers. Set in Austria during the 1700s, the story follows Agnes, a deeply religious woman who, at the beginning of the film, is newly married and full of hope. But Agnes has a difficult time adjusting to the new way of life that is expected—even demanded—of her, and the toll weighs heavier and heavier on her mind, body, and soul as the days pass by. The Devil’s Bath inches along at a methodical pace that grows to a palpable sense of dread before its devastating finale. It is a beautiful and affecting film that delves deep into psychological and societal horror.

10. Exhuma

Exhuma is a South Korean mixture of many different subgenres of horror. It begins with a supernatural curse that is affecting a wealthy family. A shaman and her partner enlist the help of a mortician and a geomancer to try to get rid of the curse, but when they exhume the remains of one of the family’s ancestors, they may be doing more harm than good. Before Exhuma is over, viewers will witness curses, folk horror, possessions, monsters, and more. It’s quite the journey, and it’s a fantastically good horror movie.

11. Alien: Romulus

From director Fede Álvarez, Alien: Romulus provides one of the most exciting horror movies of the year. With a story that stands alone while at the same time unmistakably drawing from the extensive lore of the Alien franchise. This movie feels like a blending of the action-forward horror of Aliens, while still retaining some of the dread-horror of Alien. It’s right in-between those two movies (tonally and chronologically), and it’s a mix that creates a familiar and intensely fun time. And though the movie could be broken down into distinct set pieces and action sequences, the central story of a young woman (Cailee Spaeny) and her synthetic brother (David Jonsson) trying to find their place in the universe is compelling enough to tie it all together well. Plus, there are never enough outer-space horror movies like this.

12. Heretic

In Heretic, Hugh Grant delivers one of the most engrossing performances of his career. Grant stars as Mr. Reed, a theologist of sorts who tricks two female missionaries—played by Chloe East and Sophie Thatcher—into entering his home. Once inside, Mr. Reed challenges the young women’s beliefs and faith through intellectual, physical, and spiritual tests that grow in intensity over the course of their time together. Chloe East and Sophie Thatcher are great, but Hugh Grant is fantastic. He is charismatic yet pompous, and as his plans start to go sideways, viewers might slowly begin to see the cracks in his meticulous planning. The movie as a whole starts to feel unsteady as Mr. Reed’s control begins to slip away, but it’s all intentional. The finale brings everything together in a gloriously understated way.

13. Stopmotion

Stop-motion animation is already creepy in the most calming of settings. Put it in a horror movie, especially in a horror movie where the stop motion is combined with live action, and you have the makings of a visually enthralling and totally unsettling film. Stopmotion is a psychological horror movie about Ella (Aisling Franciosi), a stop-motion animator who, after working for her filmmaking mother for years, is attempting to create her own short animated film for the first time in her life. Ella struggles with self confidence and her creative side, and when inspiration comes to her in the form of a young girl living in the same apartment building, Ella’s work begins to take over her life and mind.

14. Frogman

15. MaXXXine

The best part about Ti West’s “X” trilogy—consisting of X (2022), Pearl (2022), and MaXXXine (2024)—is that each movie provides something completely different. X is a gory slasher, Pearl is Psycho meets The Wizard of Oz, and MaXXXine is an homage to Brian De Palma’s giallo-inspired thrillers. MaXXXine does a great job of creating a seedy atmosphere based on a certain perception of the darker side of Hollywood in the 1980s. It also takes its Hollywood setting to heart, creating a story that is bigger and arguably more outlandish than the previous films in the series.

16. Terrifier 3

Art the Clown is back for more murder, and this time he’s celebrating Christmas! Terrifier 3 improves upon the previous entry in the series in many ways, making this threequel a great addition to any splatter fan’s holiday-watching traditions. The gore is just as good as the previous Terrifier films, but what really stands out is the story. The ongoing rivalry between Art (David Howard Thornton) and Sienna (Lauren LaVera) is particularly well done here, making the final scenes in Terrifier 3 more impactful than all of their shared screen time in Terrifier 2.

17. Double Blind

Double Blind is a tense thriller that builds up to a psychological horror finale. It is about a double-blind drug trial taking place in a completely isolated underground facility. The volunteers don’t know what the drug does, but they all submit to the trial for various reasons (mostly for the money they’ll receive). The effects of the drug turn deadly when the volunteers realize they will die if they fall asleep. Double Blind doesn’t take too many big risks with its storytelling, it just does everything exceedingly well. The sterile look of the production design supports the themes, the visual metaphors are clear and unobtrusive, the cast is engaging, and the suspense is tight and effective.

18. Immaculate

Immaculate is an insidious horror movie. It starts off perfectly fine, though it is somewhat similar to other religious thriller and horror movies of the past, such as Deliver Us which was released late last year. But at a certain point early in Immaculate, you can tell it’s something special. The visual style is superb, and Sydney Sweeney is fantastic as Cecilia, an American nun who has just taken her vows in an Italian convent where she finds herself inexplicably pregnant. Immaculate draws on the history of nunsploitation and even more general religious-themed horror movies, but that’s not a bad thing. Immaculate is beautiful, unsettling, and has a finale that is going to be hard to beat this year.

19. Lisa Frankenstein

Zelda Williams (the director), Diablo Cody (the writer), and Kathryn Newton (the star) should collaborate more often. Lisa Frankenstein is a cute horror comedy that emulates movies like Beetlejuice (1988) and Edward Scissorhands (1990) in a loving way. Though it doesn’t quite live up to those classics, Lisa Frankenstein still manages to elicit laughs and a few dark surprises in its tale of an outcast in 1989, Lisa Swallows (Kathryn Newton), who is surprised to find that a young man who died in 1837 has risen from the grave due to fate and a critical misunderstanding of a wish Lisa makes.

20. Blink Twice

With Blink Twice, Zoë Kravitz establishes herself as a director to watch. The film is a psychological thriller that gets surprisingly dark and unexpectedly violent. The story begins with best friends Frida (Naomi Ackie) and Jess (Alia Shawkat) being invited to the private island of the absurdly rich Slater King (Channing Tatum). The hedonistic pleasures of the wealthy give way to a hidden darkness when Frida notices one morning that Jess has gone missing, but nobody remembers she was ever there. This takes Frida down a path that will change her life forever. Blink Twice is very obvious with the messages it’s trying to convey, but it tells its story with such style and substance that it keeps viewers hooked all the way to the end.

21. The First Omen

Most of the time, a prequel struggles to tell a story that makes it truly meaningful when placed next to the movies that came before it (but take place after it). So, since we know basically where any prequel to The Omen (1976) is going to end (with the birth of the Antichrist), the movie needed to be really good for it to have a true impact. Thankfully, The First Omen is really good. The story follows Margaret, a novitiate in a Catholic orphanage in Italy during 1971. Margaret begins to develop bad feelings about her new home, and she is drawn into a conspiracy that could lead to, well, the birth of the Antichrist. The film is surprisingly engaging thanks to a great cast and a wonderful attention to detail. It does stray into the area of sequel baiting from time to time, and some of its references to the other Omen movies teeter on the edge of drawing too much attention to themselves, but the core of The First Omen is very well done.

22. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

For much of its run time, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice feels like its focus is split a little too far. There are lots of characters with lots of subplots that move along separately for a long time. But the cast is amazing, and even when the movie appears to be multiple movies in one, it’s still a blast to watch. And then, by the end, everything comes together delightfully. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice isn’t better than Beetlejuice, but comparing any movie—even its sequel—to one of the best comedies of all time isn’t fair. As a legacy sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice delivers great nostalgia while never losing sight of what made the original such an entertaining movie to begin with. It’s fun, it’s funny, the visual style is impeccable, and the cast is brilliant.

23. Trap

Does Trap get ridiculous? Yes, it does. But that’s part of what makes it so enjoyable. Trap is like a “dad joke” of a movie. Meaning, it’s dumb in many ways, but it goes so far that it’s obviously supposed to be silly a lot of the time, and if your sense of humor is attuned its particular wavelength, then you’re really going to enjoy it. M. Night Shyamalan is a director who many moviegoers tend to either really like or really dislike. He was obviously having fun with Trap, and so was Josh Hartnett who is fantastic as both a caring father and a heartless killer. The fun the star and director are having in this movie is infectious.

24. Abigail

What is there to say? Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett simply know how to make fun horror movies. The first part of Abigail plays out like a crime thriller as we watch the kidnapping of 12-year-old Abigail and get to know the culprits, their personalities, and their growing distrust for the job and each other. Then, in a twist not so dissimilar from the switch in From Dusk till Dawn (1996), a crime movie becomes a vampire movie. Abigail the vampire attacks her kidnappers, and it’s a cat-and-mouse style bloodbath. A good cast, suitable writing, and amusing chases make Abigail a pleasure to watch.