And before we even got a chance to stop and look around, 2024 has passed us by. It did, however, leave some really good horror films in its wake. So, before we start talking about all the films we’re looking forward to in 2025 (Del Toro’s Frankenstein, Leigh Whannell’s Wolf Man, 28 Decades Later…whatever), let’s look back at some of the successes of the previous year.
Also, please remember that while the title of the article is “Top 10 Horror Films…”, these are just my favorites, so I’m sure that you’ll disagree with some of my choices – as well as some of my intentional omissions. And as always, the order of the below films is alphabetical, not ranked…but if you absolutely MUST know, I will say at the end which 2024 horror film was my favorite.
Let’s go!
ARCADIAN
So, so many “post-apocalyptic” films and shows these days – signs of the times, I guess. This is a movie that I didn’t see on a ton of folks’ year-end lists and I kind of get it; it’s a bit messy at times but I still really, really enjoyed the incredible tension that this film was able to pull off. It was the best Nic Cage horror film of the year (sorry Longlegs aka Silence of the Lame)
AZRAEL
I’m kind of bummed that alphabetically this and Arcadian had to lead off this list as they are the two least strong films of the lot. It’s always great to see Samara Weaving gracing the screen in a horror film, but it’s weird when she’s not allowed to scream – because this movie is all about the “shhh”. It’s another post-apocalyptic landscape as the Rapture has occurred (not the Blondie song) and speaking is looked upon as a sin. Violent cults rule the day, and Samara is on the run from them…for a while.
EXHUMA
Right up there among the tops of my 2024 watch list, this South Korean gem from Jae-hyun Jang (Svaha: The Sixth Finger) stars Choi Min-sik (Oldboy, I Saw the Devil) is a geomancer (yeah, I never heard of that either), who gets caught up with an insanely evil spirit. Great performances all around, really interesting concept, and super creepy.
HERETIC
You know damned well that I love religious horror (as long as it’s not The First Omen). The past king of the romantic comedies – Hugh Grant – plays a brilliant psychotic. Definitely not the guy whose door you want to knock on to have a discussion about Jesus. Enjoy that blueberry pie though.
HUMANIST VAMPIRE SEEKING CONSENTING SUICIDAL PERSON
I’ve been saying for years that I love sort of odd takes on the vampire genre (The Transfiguration, Midnight Son, Martin, etc.) – well, stick this on that list. Featuring a young French vampire who is too sensitive to kill (fantastically played by Sara Montpetit) who meets a young suicidal human and strikes up a very heart-warming, and weird, relationship.
NEW LIFE
This is one that I didn’t hear much about this year for some reason. A sort of cat and mouse chase between a hunter/tracker who is hired to track down and bring in a young woman who seems to be an asymptomatic carrier of a really nasty virus. Great acting and a really gut-wrenching script by first-time filmmaker John Rosman; he’s a voice to look out for in the future.
ODDITY
Home invasion? Check. Supernatural horror? Check. Murder/Mystery? Check. Oddity hits hard on all fronts. Great pacing and superior creepiness – just fantastic.
SPEAK NO EVIL
Wait. What? Does this title sound familiar? It should…it was on my “best of” list in 2022 . So why the heck is it here again? Because the original was so good that someone deemed it necessary to make an English-language remake for those who don’t like subtitles. While I generally don’t entertain such nonsense, this one was actually really, really good. James McAvoy in the antagonist is nothing short of amazing. Someone recently asked me if they should watch this version, or the 2022 Dutch version and I told them both – the 2024 for McAvoy’s performance and the 2022 for the superior, much darker ending.
THE SUBSTANCE
Coralie Fargeat now has two feature films under her belt and both have ended up on my year-end lists: the first was 2018 with her brutal rape/revenge flick Revenge and now The Substance. This stunning body horror film turns the idea of beauty in Hollywood on its head. Incredible performances by Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley (and a fantastically douchey Dennis Quaid), with a wild ending that will remind viewers of the gross Screaming Mad George “shunting” effects of 1989’s Society.
YOU’LL NEVER FIND ME
Making a great film in one location with a cast of two cannot be an easy task but You’ll Never Find Me is a hell of an example of how to do it. I spent the entire film on the proverbial edge of my seat having no idea who to trust. Who is the bad guy here? The filmmakers do a great job of making the viewer play that tennis match between the two characters and then when the reveal happens, it’s massive.
Alright – those were my favorite 10. There were others that I enjoyed that didn’t quite make the top: Out of Darkness, I Saw the TV Glow, Abigail, A Quiet Place: Day One, and MadS immediately come to mind. Out of this list of ten, my absolute favorite was The Substance – it was one of those films where I knew as soon as I saw it that it would not be topped for my favorite of the year (and I was right).
Here’s to hoping that you’ll find a few films on this list that you haven’t seen yet and will maybe entertain and scare you for a few hours.
Stay gory my friends!
