I know you're not afraid of a little dark. Because you ARE the dark.
Trick 'r treat time, kids! Let's start by gorging ourselves on my 10 favorite horror flicks of the year ... so far. What? You thought there would be candy?
Hello, hello!
As the days grow shorter and the nights last longer, it’s the perfect time to regale you with what I believe are the best horror movies of 2024 ... so far. This list will undoubtedly evolve before we close out the year — particularly with Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu on the horizon.
Why bother constructing this list now? Because it’s October and we’re in the middle of spooky season, of course! Horror fans are bingeing their favorite films and discovering new faves during this most terrifying of months. So, really, there is no better time.
Take a gander at which flicks have earned my undying love this year. Don’t forget to tell me which scary movies made your pulse race in the comments!
Abigail
The titular vampirina ballerina (played with aplomb by Alisha Weir) gleefully plays with her food after being snatched and stashed in an empty mansion by a ragtag group of kidnappers. Brought to us by the devious minds behind Ready or Not and Scream V/Scream VI, this is one fang-tastically fun flick.
A Quiet Place: Day One
Lupita Nyong’o is magnificent as a woman desperately trying to cling to some semblance of a normal life when the alien invasion begins. Joseph Quinn offers stellar support in Michael Sarnoski’s tight, tense prequel that injects fresh life into the franchise after an uneven Part II.
Cuckoo
Grief and the ties that bind fuel writer-director Tilman Singer’s off kilter latest featuring knockout performances from Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens. The film leaves you feeling disquieted and adrift as its secrets are revealed — and it's all the better for it.
Immaculate
Sydney Sweeney is electric as a young nun who, after joining a convent in the Italian countryside, discovers she's pregnant with the Devil's spawn. A gonzo neo-nunsploitation flick that doesn't pull its punches — especially during the film's final minutes.
In a Violent Nature
Told mostly from the POV of a pissed off spirit named Johnny, who comes back from the dead to wreak vengeance, writer-director Chris Nash's slasher nods at Jason Voorhees' legacy while slicing its own path. A clever take that refreshes a well-worn horror movie trope.
I Saw the TV Glow
One of the best films of the year, Jane Schoenbrun perfectly captures the otherness of being in their transcendental sophomore effort. It features magnificent turns by Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine as two lost souls who bond over a TV show, and an out-of-this world soundtrack.
Late Night With the Devil
Documenting the supernatural shenanigans that went down during a live broadcast of a (fictional) late night talk show on Halloween 1977, this faux documentary looks like it was shot on video in the late '70s (definitely a compliment) and features a sensational performance from David Dastmalchian as host Jack Delroy.
Lisa Frankenstein
Diablo Cody penned a killer script, which Zelda Williams knocked out of the park in her directorial debut. Kathryn Newton shines as the teen outsider who finds love with the Victorian-era corpse (a sweet Cole Sprouse) she inadvertently reanimated in this hilarious dark comedy with a to die for '80s soundtrack.
Longlegs
The Nicolas Cage grotesquerie may be what initially draws you into this tale of a young FBI agent on the hunt for a serial killer, but it’s the double act of Maika Monroe and Alicia Witt that helps Osgood Perkins’ absorbing film transcend its Silence of the Lambs comparisons.
The Substance
A feminist perspective that brilliantly skewers beauty culture and gender bias in aging while reveling in body horror and gore, writer-director Coralie Fargeat's latest makes you squirm in all the best ways. It's also a much welcome showcase for Demi Moore, who makes the most of this rare leading role by delivering a sensational turn along with the fantastic Margaret Qualley.
BEST OF THE REST
Alien: Romulus; Beetlejuice Beetlejuice; The First Omen; Oddity; and Strange Darling.
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