Ah, Halloween! Leaves are falling, there’s a chill in the air, and someone in a William Shatner mask is hiding behind a hedge. Well that’s enough of me describing the vibe of Halloween — although do check my ranking of the entire franchise here— this list is all about my favourite horror movies of 2024 for you to settle in with this spooky season.
You’ll recognise some of the bigger titles here but here’s hoping I’ll convince you to give some lesser-known horrors a try. In no particular order, here’s everything you should watch this Halloween Week.
The Substance
If I could watch only one movie from this list, I’d make it The Substance. Coralie Fargeat’s latest is a splattery body horror flecked with jet-black comedy and heart-wrenching tragedy. But even that description feels too constrained, too humdrum to sum up the sensory encounter that is this movie. Demi Moore soars as Elisabeth Sparkle, a fading star who chugs on a drug that births a younger version of herself in the shape of Margaret Qualley.
Both actors deliver unrelenting performances that perfectly oscillate to match the wildly swinging mood of each scene. Whether it’s the sight of stomach-churning prosthetic gristle, of needles plunging into infected sores, or the staccato stabs of its soundtrack that ebbs and blats like a bat to the brain, The Substance is a blistering assault that demands better for all women and isn’t afraid to make you barf in the process. If you missed it at the theater, it’s now streaming on Mubi.
Abigail
Okay, let’s get it out there: the big twist in Abigail dropped in trailers months before its theatrical release. This writer knew that juicy tidbit despite avoiding teasers, but my controversial take? A good movie can withstand plot reveals. Abigail kicked in my front teeth and kept going for my wisdoms– it’s a non-stop frenzied take on the vampire myth as told by the Radio Silence team.
A gaggle of crooks kidnap the child of an important figure and are promised $50 million to keep her safe for 24 hours. Reservoir Dogs via From Dusk Till Dawn, if you will. The staggering cast keeps you on your toes – shout outs to Kathryn Newton and Dan Stevens, both deliriously at home bedecked in blood – along with the twists and turns. One hell of a monster movie. Abigail 2, when?
Oddity
I’m not sure how Damian McCarthy managed to top the most sinister totem of recent cinematic memory – that darn bunny rabbit from Caveat – but Oddity tops it. If you’ve seen any shots from the movie then you’ll be familiar with the wooden mannequin that now haunts my dreams, a shudder-inducing object that hails from a curio shop owned by blind medium Darcy Odello (Carolyn Bracken in a phenomenal dual role performance).
The mannequin becomes the anchor in Darcy’s investigation to uncover the truth behind her twin sister’s murder, most of which unravels within a single location. McCarthy’s skill at maintaining tension in every scene is masterful; locked-off shots forcing you to wait, agonisingly, for something horrific to slip into frame. Oddity is a haunting tale of unchecked misogyny that carries one of the best final shots of recent years.
Lovely Dark and Deep
Georgina Campbell first caught my attention as the breakout star of Barbarian, and she continues to mesmerise in Lovely Dark and Deep as withdrawn backcountry ranger Lennon. Determined to investigate a string of disappearances in the far reaches of Arvores National Park, she is slowly clued into the truth within the woods in both sinister and heartbreaking ways. Campbell knocks this out of the (national) park with a truly haunting turn informed by writer-director Teresa Sutherland’s solid screenplay.
Sutherland conjures up one hell of a horror yarn that tackles trauma (I know, I know) without feeling well-worn, opting to employ clever methods for revealing the mystery. One sequence involving Lennon and a middle-aged couple packing up their campsite is chef’s kiss. Don’t sleep on this underseen gem. The best part? It’s currently on Tubi, so it’s free to watch!
It’s What’s Inside
A hint of Talk to Me? A smattering of Ready or Not? Whatever comparisons stored in your mind won’t prepare you for Greg Jardin’s dazzling and assured feature debut which is now streaming on Netflix. Body swapping en masse immediately spins to the dark side for a group of friends with a piece of new tech that asks— What would you do if you could hijack another person’s body?
Depending on these characters it’s more like who would you try and screw over? Jardin employs smart filming techniques to distinguish true selves hidden inside others, so it’s not overly confusing. While I guessed the final twist early on, it’s still a parting shot that will leave you gasping for a sequel.
Love Lies Bleeding
I love this film so much I decided to visit its filming locations — yes, I’ve sat where K Stew sat and flexed where K O’Brian flexed. Rose Glass’ follow up to Saint Maud is a confident, visual splendor led by two knockout turns from Stewart and O’Brian as lovers in small-town New Mexico faced with some, shall we say, tough decisions. Lou’s life as a gym manager is going nowhere fast until she meets Jackie, a bodybuilder with dreams of fame.
They encounter hurdles aplenty as forces in their lives — thanks to stellar supporting cast Ed Harris, Jena Malone and Dave Franco — disrupt their plans. Southwestern production stylings conjure jaw-dropping vistas alongside grimy backstreets, making Love Lies Bleeding one hell of a time that culminates in a dreamy, phantasmagoric finale for our sapphic pair. Clint Mansell’s score is one of my favorites of the year. It was added to streaming in July, and you shouldn’t miss it.
Immaculate
When it comes to religious-tinged horror, 2024 has given an embarrassment of riches so far. Immaculate stands alongside The First Omen as a brand of genre film that pushes its actors to the limit and then asks, how about we push a little bit more?
Writer-director Michael Mohan reunites with Sydney Sweeney (if you’ve not watched The Voyeurs then do so for a ’90s erotic thriller throwback) to tell the story of American Sister Cecilia who ventures to a picturesque Italian convent to take her final vows. As expected, things go horribly wrong, and the movie swiftly ramps up into a wild, bloody ride. I was captivated by Sweeney’s performance in the final sequence— unrelenting and brightly shocking. There’s plenty more on Hulu too, check out our best Hulu movies list.
Monolith
Cast as the sister-turned-lead in Evil Dead Rise Lily Sullivan delivers one of the best performances of the year in this investigative thriller that quickly turns horrific. In fact, Sullivan is the only actor we see onscreen for the entire runtime as a character we only know as The Interviewer who is drawn into a story surrounding a mysterious object– a black brick.
Following a professional mishap, she encourages her podcast listeners to contact her if they have any similar experiences and the floodgates open. Most of the film unravels in an isolated home as Sullivan’s podcaster is pulled in deeper– one phone call with an art collector Klaus is particularly sinister but nothing can quite prepare you for the unusual ending. One of the year’s most iconoclastic genre pics, and you can catch it on Prime Video.
Lisa Frankenstein
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This fun script from Juno and Jennifer’s Body scribe Diablo Cody attracted the attention of Zelda Williams who makes her directorial debut with Lisa Frankenstein. While this writer would have loved a harder push into gore to snag an R rating, this PG-13 horror still manages to pack in some outlandish grabs at body horror and is funny as hell. Kathryn Newton, who is having a year, stars as a teen whose crush on a local legend summons him from beyond the grave.
Like most Cody movies it’s so damn watchable because of its enticing dialogue and charming characters and Williams’ style brings out terrific turns from its cast. A major shout-out to Liza Soberano as Newton’s stepsister, who secretly has the best arc of the entire movie. Watch it on Prime Video now.
The First Omen
No-one was quite prepared for The First Omen to be this good. In a world of regurgitated IP, the advent of a new Omen movie was approached with caution by the horror community. And then this dropped. It’s easy to dismiss a prequel to a horror stalwart such as The Omen because surely we know its ending? The restriction of this one fact only contributes to the awe of the final product.
Director Arkasha Stevenson assembles a visual feast that treads its own distinct path, from its opening sequence that’s a nice wink to the 1973 version without being groan-inducing. The plot married tightly to the story, the film tells the Nell Tiger Free’s American nun Sister Margaret, who ventures to Rome only to discover some unholy shenanigans are underway. Free’s turn is revelatory with echoes of Possession‘s Isabelle Adjani. It’s currently streaming on Hulu.
Longlegs
It was impossible this summer to avoid the frankly award-worthy turn by Neon’s marketing department, and it’s now available to rent on Apple TV. Longlegs fever hit and never let go. Osgood Perkins delivers a serial killer period piece set in the 1990s (excuse me while I crumble to dust) that liberally steals from Silence of the Lambs yet throws in enough esoteric scenery-chewing madness from Nicolas Cage to exist within its own world.
Maika Monroe continues to establish her scream queen credentials in a more subdued, nuanced role of Lee Harker, an FBI agent with a special set of skills who it turns out carries a personal connection to the case. The film crackles with scares, every frame a potential minefield of nightmares. Why? Because according to Perkins there are 15 appearances of the devil lurking in the background. Oh, goodie.
In A Violent Nature
What if Friday the 13th but from Jason’s perspective? From the opening shots as the killer Johnny is awakened from his not-so-eternal slumber to its closing sequence, In A Violent Nature tweaks the slasher formula to vomit-inducing effect. Less concerned with a frenetic scurry of terrified teens, this ambient, mumblecore-esque slasher takes its time as we follow the resurrected Johnny. And he walks through the woods. A lot.
It’s weirdly effective, a meditative exercise at times that lulls you before Johnny swings the axe again. While its pace is gentle, the gore is not. Lauded for its supremely evil and drawn-out kills, it was more the ending that caught my breath– a long, casual encounter that had me unable to move, frozen in my seat. Can’t wait for the sequel.
I Saw the TV Glow
The horror community eagerly awaited Jane Schoenbrun’s follow-up to We’re All Going To The World’s Fair but no-one was prepared for I Saw The TV Glow. What sets Schoenbrun apart is their dedication to sculpting theme from their characters, insisting that their stories paint the production design, and inform the visual and aural core of the movie, which is now streaming on Max.
Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine star as two teens who bond over a late night TV show, the Pink Opaque while discovering who they are. The mood summons ’90s Gregg Araki, wide swathes of teen angst pushing at boundaries to try and feel alive. While not your run of the mill horror, I Saw The TV Glow will nevertheless haunt you long after the static fades. It had such an impact on writer Rowan Davies, that it made him revisit his favorite 90s show.
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