My favorite horror movies of 2024 so far - including the biggest body horror of the year

Ah, Halloween! Leaves are falling, there’s a chill successful nan air, and personification successful a William Shatner disguise is hiding down a hedge. Well that’s capable of maine describing nan vibe of Halloween — although do cheque my ranking of nan full franchise here— this database is each astir my favourite scary movies of 2024 for you to settee successful pinch this spooky season.

You’ll recognise immoderate of nan bigger titles present but here’s hoping I’ll person you to springiness immoderate lesser-known horrors a try. In nary peculiar order, here's everything you should watch this Halloween Week.

The Substance

If I could watch only 1 movie from this list, I’d make it The Substance. Coralie Fargeat’s latest is simply a splattery assemblage scary flecked pinch jet-black drama and heart-wrenching tragedy. But moreover that explanation feels excessively constrained, excessively humdrum to sum up nan sensory brushwood that is this movie. Demi Moore soars arsenic Elisabeth Sparkle, a fading prima who chugs connected a supplier that births a younger type of herself successful nan style of Margaret Qualley.

Both actors present unrelenting performances that perfectly oscillate to lucifer nan wildly swinging temper of each scene. Whether it's nan show of stomach-churning prosthetic gristle, of needles plunging into infected sores, aliases nan staccato stabs of its soundtrack that ebbs and blats for illustration a bat to nan brain, The Substance is simply a blistering battle that demands amended for each women and isn't acrophobic to make you barf successful nan process. If you missed it astatine nan theater, it's now streaming connected Mubi.

Abigail

Okay, let's get it retired there: nan large twist successful Abigail dropped successful trailers months earlier its theatrical release. This writer knew that juicy tidbit contempt avoiding teasers, but my arguable take? A bully movie tin withstand crippled reveals. Abigail kicked successful my beforehand teeth and kept going for my wisdoms– it's a non-stop frenzied return connected nan vampire story arsenic told by nan Radio Silence team.

A gaggle of crooks kidnap nan kid of an important fig and are promised $50 cardinal to support her safe for 24 hours. Reservoir Dogs via From Dusk Till Dawn, if you will. The staggering formed keeps you connected your toes – outcry outs to Kathryn Newton and Dan Stevens, some deliriously astatine location bedecked successful humor – on pinch nan twists and turns. One hellhole of a monster movie. Abigail 2, when?

Oddity

I'm not judge really Damian McCarthy managed to apical nan astir sinister totem of caller cinematic representation – that darn bunny rabbit from Caveat – but Oddity tops it. If you've seen immoderate shots from nan movie past you'll beryllium acquainted pinch nan woody mannequin that now haunts my dreams, a shudder-inducing entity that hails from a curio shop owned by unsighted mean Darcy Odello (Carolyn Bracken successful a phenomenal dual domiciled performance).

The mannequin becomes nan anchor successful Darcy's investigation to uncover nan truth down her copy sister's murder, astir of which unravels wrong a azygous location. McCarthy's accomplishment astatine maintaining hostility successful each segment is masterful; locked-off shots forcing you to wait, agonisingly, for thing horrific to gaffe into frame. Oddity is simply a haunting communicative of unchecked misogyny that carries 1 of nan champion last shots of caller years.

Lovely Dark and Deep

Georgina Campbell first caught my attraction arsenic nan breakout prima of Barbarian, and she continues to mesmerise successful Lovely Dark and Deep arsenic withdrawn backcountry ranger Lennon. Determined to analyse a drawstring of disappearances successful nan acold reaches of Arvores National Park, she is slow clued into nan truth wrong nan woods successful some sinister and heartbreaking ways. Campbell knocks this retired of nan (national) parkland pinch a genuinely haunting move informed by writer-director Teresa Sutherland's coagulated screenplay.

Sutherland conjures up 1 hellhole of a scary yarn that tackles trauma (I know, I know) without emotion well-worn, opting to employment clever methods for revealing nan mystery. One series involving Lennon and a middle-aged mates packing up their campsite is chef's kiss. Don't slumber connected this underseen gem. The champion part? It's presently connected Tubi, truthful it's free to watch!

It’s What’s Inside

A hint of Talk to Me? A smattering of Ready aliases Not? Whatever comparisons stored successful your mind won’t hole you for Greg Jardin's dazzling and assured characteristic debut which is now streaming connected Netflix. Body swapping en masse instantly spins to nan acheronian broadside for a group of friends pinch a portion of caller tech that asks— What would you do if you could hijack different person’s body?

Depending connected these characters it’s much for illustration who would you effort and screw over? Jardin employs smart filming techniques to separate existent selves hidden wrong others, truthful it's not overly confusing. While I guessed nan last twist early on, it's still a parting changeable that will time off you gasping for a sequel.

Love Lies Bleeding

I emotion this movie truthful overmuch I decided to sojourn its filming locations — yes, I’ve sat wherever K Stew sat and flexed wherever K O’Brian flexed. Rose Glass’ travel up to Saint Maud is simply a confident, ocular splendor led by 2 knockout turns from Stewart and O’Brian arsenic lovers successful small-town New Mexico faced pinch some, shall we say, reliable decisions. Lou’s life arsenic a gym head is going obscurity accelerated until she meets Jackie, a bodybuilder pinch dreams of fame.

They brushwood hurdles aplenty arsenic forces successful their lives — acknowledgment to stellar supporting formed Ed Harris, Jena Malone and Dave Franco — disrupt their plans. Southwestern accumulation stylings conjure jaw-dropping vistas alongside grimy backstreets, making Love Lies Bleeding 1 hellhole of a clip that culminates successful a dreamy, phantasmagoric finale for our sapphic pair. Clint Mansell's people is 1 of my favorites of nan year. It was added to streaming successful July, and you shouldn't miss it.

Immaculate

When it comes to religious-tinged horror, 2024 has fixed an embarrassment of riches truthful far. Immaculate stands alongside The First Omen arsenic a marque of genre movie that pushes its actors to nan limit and past asks, really astir we push a small spot more?

Writer-director Michael Mohan reunites pinch Sydney Sweeney (if you've not watched The Voyeurs past do truthful for a '90s seductive thriller throwback) to show nan communicative of American Sister Cecilia who ventures to a picturesque Italian convent to return her last vows. As expected, things spell horribly wrong, and nan movie swiftly ramps up into a wild, bloody ride. I was captivated by Sweeney's capacity successful nan last sequence— unrelenting and brightly shocking. There's plentifulness much connected Hulu too, cheque retired our best Hulu movies list.

Monolith

Cast arsenic nan sister-turned-lead successful Evil Dead Rise Lily Sullivan delivers 1 of nan champion performances of nan twelvemonth successful this investigative thriller that quickly turns horrific. In fact, Sullivan is nan only character we spot onscreen for nan full runtime arsenic a characteristic we only cognize arsenic The Interviewer who is drawn into a communicative surrounding a mysterious object– a achromatic brick.

Following a master mishap, she encourages her podcast listeners to interaction her if they person immoderate akin experiences and nan floodgates open. Most of nan movie unravels successful an isolated location arsenic Sullivan's podcaster is pulled successful deeper– 1 telephone telephone pinch an creation collector Klaus is peculiarly sinister but thing tin rather hole you for nan different ending. One of nan year's astir iconoclastic genre pics, and you tin drawback it connected Prime Video.

Lisa Frankenstein

This nosy book from Juno and Jennifer's Body scribe Diablo Cody attracted nan attraction of Zelda Williams who makes her directorial debut pinch Lisa Frankenstein. While this writer would person loved a harder push into gore to snag an R rating, this PG-13 scary still manages to battalion successful immoderate outlandish grabs astatine assemblage scary and is funny arsenic hell. Kathryn Newton, who is having a year, stars arsenic a teen whose crush connected a section fable summons him from beyond nan grave.

Like astir Cody movies it's truthful damn watchable because of its enticing speech and charming characters and Williams' style brings retired terrific turns from its cast. A awesome shout-out to Liza Soberano arsenic Newton's stepsister, who secretly has nan champion arc of nan full movie. Watch it connected Prime Video now.

The First Omen

No-one was rather prepared for The First Omen to beryllium this good. In a world of regurgitated IP, nan advent of a caller Omen movie was approached pinch be aware by nan scary community. And past this dropped. It’s easy to disregard a prequel to a scary stalwart specified arsenic The Omen because surely we cognize its ending? The regularisation of this 1 truth only contributes to nan awe of nan last product.

Director Arkasha Stevenson assembles a ocular feast that treads its ain chopped path, from its opening series that's a bully wink to nan 1973 type without being groan-inducing. The crippled joined tightly to nan story, nan movie tells nan Nell Tiger Free’s American nun Sister Margaret, who ventures to Rome only to observe immoderate unholy shenanigans are underway. Free's move is revelatory pinch echoes of Possession's Isabelle Adjani. It's presently streaming connected Hulu.

Longlegs

It was intolerable this summertime to debar nan frankly award-worthy move by Neon’s trading department, and it's now disposable to rent connected Apple TV. Longlegs fever deed and ne'er fto go. Osgood Perkins delivers a serial slayer period piece set successful nan 1990s (excuse maine while I crumble to dust) that liberally steals from Silence of nan Lambs yet throws successful capable esoteric scenery-chewing madness from Nicolas Cage to beryllium wrong its ain world.

Maika Monroe continues to found her shriek queen credentials successful a much subdued, nuanced domiciled of Lee Harker, an FBI supplier pinch a typical group of skills who it turns retired carries a individual relationship to nan case. The movie crackles pinch scares, each framework a imaginable minefield of nightmares. Why? Because according to Perkins location are 15 appearances of nan devil lurking successful nan background. Oh, goodie.

In A Violent Nature

What if Friday nan 13th but from Jason’s perspective? From nan opening shots arsenic nan slayer Johnny is awakened from his not-so-eternal slumber to its closing sequence, In A Violent Nature tweaks nan slasher look to vomit-inducing effect. Less concerned pinch a frenetic scurry of terrified teens, this ambient, mumblecore-esque slasher takes its clip arsenic we travel nan resurrected Johnny. And he walks done nan woods. A lot.

It's weirdly effective, a meditative workout astatine times that lulls you earlier Johnny swings nan axe again. While its gait is gentle, nan gore is not. Lauded for its supremely evil and drawn-out kills, it was much nan ending that caught my breath– a long, casual brushwood that had maine incapable to move, stiff successful my seat. Can't hold for nan sequel.

I Saw nan TV Glow

The scary organization 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 isolated is their dedication to sculpting taxable from their characters, insisting that their stories overgarment nan accumulation design, and pass nan ocular and aural halfway of nan movie, which is now streaming connected Max.

Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine prima arsenic 2 teens who enslaved complete a precocious nighttime TV show, nan Pink Opaque while discovering who they are. The temper summons '90s Gregg Araki, wide swathes of teen angst pushing astatine boundaries to effort and consciousness alive. While not your tally of nan mill horror, I Saw The TV Glow will nevertheless haunt you agelong aft nan fixed fades. It had specified an effect connected writer Rowan Davies, that it made him revisit his favourite 90s show.

You mightiness besides like

• Heretic is simply a caller scary deed but moreover eerie Hugh Grant couldn't make it my favourite A24 movie of nan year
• The Substance is nan champion assemblage scary of 2024 and it's yet sewage a streaming day connected Mubi
• 4 supernatural scary movies connected Prime Video, Max, and much that I urge streaming for Halloween 2024