What are the best horror movies of 2024?
It’s a big year for horror, with several marquee franchises dropping sequels and prequels amid a long list of tantalizing terrors that stretches clear to Christmas. So far, we’ve singled out 14 standout fright flicks, including Abigail, I Saw the TV Glow, Late Night with the Devil, Longlegs, MaXXXine, and more. You can use the auto-updating JustWatch.com links to see where to stream, rent, or buy the films.
For now, the list of blurbs is alphabetized, but we’ll update this list throughout the year as we see the rest of 2024’s queue of creepshows—and rank them in a year-end list.
The best horror movies of 2024 (so far)
Abigail
(Video screenshot from YouTube)
If you’re still broken up about Melissa Barrera’s undeserved firing from the Scream franchise like I am, Abigail comes to the rescue. Its self-aware humor, twists and turns, and vampire-ballerina horror make it a fun ride from start to finish. Abigail’s directors Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin (Ready or Not, Scream [2022]) deliver another bloody-and-fun modern horror that teaches you surviving a vampire really depends on knowing what type of vampire you’re dealing with—Anne Rice or True Blood? What about a Twilight heartthrob? (I personally couldn’t handle all the glitter.)
Barrera’s performance may not surpass her Scream role, but three of the cast nabbed Best Supporting Performance nominations from FANGORIA’s Chainsaw Awards. —Aaron Gates, Deputy Editor
Where to watch Abigail
The Coffee Table
(Video screenshot from YouTube)
Caution: This film hurts. Like Hereditary examined grief through a devil-worshippy lens, Caye Casas’s The Coffee Table does the same without supernatural elements.
Casas’s film asks what happens when a trivial husband-and-wife spat over furniture spirals into profound, unforeseeable horror. The answer takes us to an uncomfortable place.
As this tragi-comedy of (t)errors unfolds, you’ll cringe, squirm, and even laugh (guiltily) while trying to reconcile amusement, empathy, grief, guilt, hopelessness, and shock. All while holding your breath, anticipating an inevitable raw, visceral resolution. It’s a stunning effect powered by a simple concept, superb script, and standout performances. —Randy Harward
Where to watch The Coffee Table
The First Omen
(Video screenshot from YouTube)
Another devil-baby movie, released a week after Immaculate? Yup. Arkasha Stevenson’s prequel to Richard Donner’s 1976 classic The Omen isn’t exactly the same as Immaculate, but they were probably roommates at a previous convent.
Going into The First Omen, we know that another mysterious, not-so-immaculate conception will bring forth Damien Thorn—aka The Antichrist—The Omen’s central character. Damien, however, plays only a bit part in the prequel. Rather, we follow his mother, Margaret (Nell Tiger Free), and learn the twisted machinations that lead to the boy’s birth.
Since the Omen sequels are so disappointingly bereft of the original film’s creeping dread and intermittent shocks, we worried the prequel would be, too. Instead, we’re delighted that The First Omen got most everything terrifyingly right. (RH)
Where to watch The First Omen
Here for Blood
(Video screenshot from YouTube)
Big, bad babysitter movies (lowest-common-denominator PG action-comedies where Hulk Hogan or Vin Diesel kicks ass to protect children) should be more like Here for Blood. Daniel Turres’ award-winning horror-comedy brings wrasslin’, rock ‘n’ roll, social commentary, and practical blood ‘n’ guts to the mix—sublime improvements all around.
Shawn Roberts (Land of the Dead) plays a former pro wrestler whose girlfriend tags him in on her babysitting gig. When a cult of masked killers shows up (because of course that would happen), Roberts dispatches them with moves straight outta WrestleMania, and blood gets everywhere. A cameo from Twisted Sister vocalist Dee Snider—as a ravenous, raving disembodied skull—is the cherry atop the pile of bodies in this raucous Screambox original. (RH)
Where to watch Here for Blood
I Saw the TV Glow
(Video screenshot from YouTube)
Jane Schoenbrun’s follow-up to the quietly creepy We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, I Saw the TV Glow lays out the lonely life of suburbanite Owen (played by Justice Smith and Ian Formen) with surrealistic aplomb. Gorehounds might question whether or not this film belongs to the horror genre, but horror is ultimately about fear, and the film nails the coming-of-age anxieties of gender, self, and social belonging. Come for the all-star indie rock soundtrack (Alex G. et al.) and hypnotic auteur directing, stay for the dreamy, sometimes-campy monsters and body horror (and the Fred Durst cameo). —Mike Strayer, Managing Editor
Where to watch I Saw the TV Glow
Immaculate
(Video screenshot from YouTube)
Sydney Sweeney as a nun is quite a change of pace, but the Euphoria star inhabits (snort) the role well. Sister Cecilia arrives at a convent for senior sisters and fits in almost too well when she, a virgin, conceives a child. The ex-scientist priest and other church authorities tell her it’s a blessing. It’s not, though, and Sweeney’s Cecilia begins to figure this out as increasingly spooky stuff transpires within the celibate sorority. Her faith falters to the point she’s had enough. But can she escape this predicament? Mmmmmaybe.
Immaculate flirts with nunsploitation (probably because of Sweeney’s sexy rep) and derives from other devil-baby movies until its unpredictable and shocking end. Spoiler alert: You’re not the father! (RH)
Where to watch Immaculate
In A Violent Nature
(Pierce Derks)
In this brutally creative POV slasher, writer/director Chris Nash shows us what masked killers get up to between cutting folks up.
It’s a gamble, just following resurrected killer Johnny (Ry Barrett) for 94 minutes as he wrecks campers in refreshingly creative ways. Between kills, Johnny calmly strolls from victim to victim. The just-novel-enough plot exposes itself in piecemeal and we even start to sympathize with Johnny’s motivations.
That’s not enough for some people. In A Violent Nature turns off about half of its audience. But those are the impatient moviegoers. The folks who can’t settle into their seats and let a movie take them away. That’s the secret to enjoying the film.
Johnny’s craftsmanlike murder spree-slash-nature walk is alternately terrifying, fascinating, peaceful, and refreshing. It feels strange to use most of those words to describe a movie like this—but that’s why In A Violent Nature works. (RH)
Where to watch In A Violent Nature
Infested
(Shudder)
Many spider movies—think Arachnophobia, Eight Legged Freaks, and 2024’s other arachno-flick, Sting—rely on three things: the near-universal fear of spiders, sensationalized arachnid information (like bites = instant death), and humor. Obviously, Sébastien Vaniček’s debut feature preys upon that fear and employs exaggeration—but it forgoes humor for straight-up terror.
In doing so, Vaniček achieves a level of terror that eludes the aforementioned spider horror-comedies. These deadly arachnids—portrayed by real, harmless giant huntsman spiders—are loose, rapidly breeding, and doling out agonizing deaths. Without comic relief, the jump scares hit harder, the skin-crawling moments tickle more, and the stakes—thanks to well-drawn, interesting characters—feel much higher.
Infested is the spider movie where you can’t laugh the fear away—and that’s what makes it so fun. (RH)
Where to watch Infested
Late Night with the Devil
(IFC Films/Shudder)
In Cameron and Colin Cairnes’ unsettling found footage fake documentary, late-night host Jack Delroy’s (David Dastmalchian) ambition leads him to invite a malevolent demon—as a possessed guest—into his life. Horrible hijinks ensue (of course), putting Delroy, the devil-girl, her guardian, and the other guests (a mentalist and the James Randi-style skeptic there to debunk him) through hell on live TV.
With debts to other found footage films like the WNUF Halloween Special and The Exorcist, the Cairnes’ film is an uneasy good time. (RH)
Where to watch Late Night with the Devil
Longlegs
(Video screenshot from YouTube)
Osgood Perkins’ buzzy Longlegs offers Satan, serial killers, and Nicolas Cage at his most unhinged. If that doesn’t scream “must-see,” what does?
Devil-worshiping dollmaker Carl “Longlegs” Hobble is immediately terrifying—and almost unrecognizable as Cage thanks to prosthetic makeup and a malignantly loony, sing-songy voice. He steals every scene, oozing madness. Every word of his demented, sinister dialogue slithers under your skin.
Cage makes Longlegs fascinating and uncomfortable to watch—you want, but also dread, more of him. But his screen time is surprisingly short. Perkins, though, ensures we feel the character’s presence throughout the film.
As FBI special agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) works to solve the case—that, to her, feels strangely personal—Longlegs lingers like a curse. And, when the story resolves, and the credits roll (backwards, at that), you’ll feel Longlegs following you out of the theater. (RH)
Where to watch Longlegs
MaXXXine
(Video screenshot from YouTube)
At its best, MaXXXine is a pitch-perfect homage to 80s horror. At its worst, MaXXXine smacks of pure nostalgia porn. Which begs the question, why head to theaters for MaXXXine when you could be slothing on the sofa enjoying ’80s slashics like My Bloody Valentine, Sleepaway Camp, or Stage Fright? Well, Mia Goth’s (the titular Maxine) charismatic performance is more than enough reason. And if you’re anything like us, you’ll want to finish Ti West’s X trilogy to see if hard-knock Maxine comes out on top. (MS)
Where to watch MaXXXine
Stopmotion
(Samuel Dole)
You wouldn’t think that live-action body horror and stop-motion animation could work so well together, but first-time feature director Robert Morgan works magic with the combo. Ella (Aisling Franciosi), an animator trapped as an assistant to her famous and dying mother, attempts her own project with the help of a bossy, creepy little girl in her building. The girl dictates a story—and particular artistic choices—to Ella, who complies, losing her mind (and then some) in the process. You might get grossed out during Stopmotion, so keep a barf bag within reach. (RH)
Where to watch Stopmotion
You’ll Never Find Me
(Ian Routledge)
In this first feature from Indianna Bell and Josiah Allen, a young woman (Jordan Cowan) knocks on Patrick’s (Brendan Rock) trailer door on a dark and stormy night. She needs a ride, but Patrick won’t give her one until the storm passes. He invites her in, and the two lie to each other until it’s unclear if either of them is safe in the company of the other.
Suspicions form and change frequently throughout the film as the mystery deepens and the tension tightens. It all leads to a shocking reveal, but you’ll have to watch this Shudder original to discover what happens.