It’s been a head-scratcher of a year for horror, with some boldly original new films and more than a few flops. As the genre continues to gain mainstream acceptance, there’s bound to be an influx of duds—but I think we all would’ve been just fine without the haunted pool movie “Night Swim.”
READ MORE: The 20 Best Films Of 2024
Still, 2024 had plenty to offer in the way of inventive thrills and chills. Many franchises got top-notch updates, and a few festival greats finally became publicly available. (Note that that’s what I’m counting as a 2024 release: anything that people with regular access to movies could see in 2024.) There was plenty of crossover gold, though we tried to stick to straightforward scares for this list. Honorable mentions include “Lisa Frankenstein,” “Terrifier 3,” “A Quiet Place: Day One,” “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” “The Watchers,” “Cloud,” “Lovely, Dark, and Deep,” “The Vourdalak,” “The Girl with the Needle,” “A Different Man,” “Salem’s Lot,” “Mads,” “V/H/S Beyond,” “Azrael,” “Arcadian,” and whatever else gave ya goosebumps this year. Horror is probably one of the most subjective genres, so if you think we’re crazy for loving “Abigail” over Universal‘s “Speak No Evil” remake, well, I’m sure you’ll sound off in the comments.
READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2025
Quick, stop me before I turn into Hugh Grant’s character in “Heretic”! Here are the 20 best horror films of 2024. — Lena Wilson
Follow along for all our Best Of The Year and Most Anticipated coverage here.
“Abigail”
Immortal ballerinas! An intriguing lollipop motif! Dan Stevens doing a funny accent! This supernatural heist film from “Ready or Not” directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett has it all. After a group of criminals who have never worked together before kidnap a powerful man’s daughter, it quickly becomes clear that they’ve been led into a monstrous trap. The pressure is on as this excellent cast – including Melissa Barerra, Kathryn Newton, and Angus Cloud (R.I.P.), as well as Stevens—is locked in a spooky mansion with their ward-turned-tormentor. As secret identities are revealed and buckets of blood are shed, “Abigail” just keeps getting better. If you’re looking for one of 2024’s slickest popcorn flicks, look no further. —LW
“Alien: Romulus”
Though Fede Alvarez leaned into fan service rather than put his own spin on Ridley Scott’s iconic, intergalactic franchise – right down to a shot of a xenomorph screeching in the protagonist’s face – “Alien: Romulus” is unquestionably a worthy work of sci-fi horror. Cailee Spaeny grounds the film with an emotional performance as lead Rain, and David Jonsson is particularly excellent as Rain’s glitching android brother, Andy. Most importantly, this movie looks great. In a winter of cinema dominated by beige Oz, it’s nice to look back on the stylish throwback visuals and eye-popping practical effects of “Alien: Romulus.” This is how you capitalize on and refresh an iconic film while still honoring the original vision. As the characters dodge acid blood in zero gravity and fend off a brand new abomination, you can’t deny that, while “Alien: Romulus” might be derivative, it is absolutely never boring. —LW
“Bone Lake”
Okay, on the one hand, Mercedes Bryce Morgan’s “Bone Lake” is paint-by-numbers horror— it’s got a set-up derivative of recent hits like “Barbarian,” “Speak No Evil,” and “Ready Or Not.” But, man, Morgan sure does fill in those boxes with assured panache, and it’s a joy to watch this one with a crowd that’s game. What’s supposed to be a much-needed romantic getaway for couple Sage (Maddie Hasson) and Diego (Marco Pigossi) becomes something else entirely when they discover that their rental got double-booked. It’s initially unclear why the other couple—the happy, successful, and sexy Will (Alex Roe) and Cin (Andra Nechita)—are so at ease at this lakefront estate, but by the time everything clicks, the trap is already set, and it’s up to Sage and Diego to settle their differences so that they can make it out of the weekend alive. “Bone Lake” is a bona fide crowd-pleaser with a smart, twisty script, a brisk runtime, lots of laughs, and some of the best gore of the year. But it’s the chemistry between the four main players that makes this one a late-year festival favorite—if “Bone Lake” ends up a breakout film for this entire ensemble, this writer won’t be surprised. —Ned Booth
“Cuckoo”
[Laughs maniacally] How to describe “Cuckoo,” Tilman Singer’s hotly anticipated Neon debut? Well, Hunter Schaefer plays a fed-up teenager named Gretchen who, still reeling from the loss of her mother, moves into a resort town in the German Alps with her father (Marton Csokas), stepmother (Jessica Henwick), and half-sister (Mila Lieu). There’s something weird going on at the resort, though, and Dan Stevens — once again showing off his accent range—seems to be in on it. Cue a screeching monster woman, Sapphic rebellion, and a climax you cannot possibly see coming. It’s a weird one, but “Cuckoo” is definitely one of the most original horror movies released this year. —LW
“The Devil’s Bath”
I’ve been watching horror movies for a long time, and I’ve never had a problem going to sleep afterward— that is until I watched “The Devil’s Bath.” “Goodnight Mommy” and “The Lodge” filmmakers Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala have a way of getting into your head, and “The Devil’s Bath” is like a cottagecore nightmare from which you can’t wake up. It draws inspiration from (very real!) cases of suicidal women in early modern Germany who murdered children in order to face the death penalty. If you don’t have the stomach for such bleakness, fair enough—but the filmmaking is impeccable and the subject is important. “The Substance” offers plenty of surface-level feminist critique, but if you really want to get in deep, get into this. You’re welcome/sorry in advance. —LW
