Joey Magidson
The Sunday Scaries are upon us once again! Yes, as the weekend concludes, most of us feel an oncoming sense of anticipatory dread about the week ahead. Anxiety about work manifests itself into a feeling that’s known as the Sunday Scaries. However, we at Awards Radar are here to combat that, by taking back the name. Now, we want you think about a horror-centric piece on the site when you hear the term. So, let us continue on with another installment of the Awards Radar Sunday Scaries! Today, the last 2024 installment of the column looks back on the horror efforts of the year…
In 2024, horror took a step towards Academy acceptance, if you can believe it. Nosferatu and especially The Substance are legitimate Oscar contenders, with other horror films like Longlegs launching actual campaigns. Now, we don’t know how many movies will actually get nominated, but it all adds up to a very good year for horror. At least for my money, it was up there with just about any recent one.
What you’ll see below are ten scary movies that were the cream of the crop this year. This here is where I stood at the midway point of 2024, for comparison’s sake. I’ll be linking to my reviews, so give them a look, but anything that made this list is certainly something I recommend. As always, there’s original films, prequels, sequels, and just an overall sense of creativity that made me very happy. Now, on to the list…
Enjoy my top ten, and as a special added bonus, let us begin with our own Myles Hughes’ list for 2024:
10. Exhuma
9. Smile 2
6. It’s What’s Inside
4. Your Monster
3. Longlegs
2. Nosferatu
1. I Saw the TV Glow
Now, here are some of the best fright flicks of 2024, according to yours truly:
Honorable Mentions: Abigail, Alien: Romulus, Heretic, Smile 2, and V/H/S/Beyond
10. Nosferatu
Succumb to the darkness. That’s been the Focus Features marketing slogan for Nosferatu. It’s an apt one, too, as this Robert Eggers passion project does not shy away from the darkness of the Dracula type story, nor does it avoid the seduction. There’s plenty of gross moments in the film, but it also has an element of longing that really plays. Eggers brings his unique precision and craftsmanship to the vampire tale, making it the sort of feel-bad holiday offering that cinephiles should go nuts over.
Nosferatu is Eggers with no filter. It proves that he’s a good match for the material, befitting his longstanding interest in making this movie, but it also means that this is not quite a mainstream horror flick. Gross and weird, while also being classically haunting is perfect for the arthouse, especially given Eggers’ instincts. The multiplex? Well, that can be a harder sell. At the same time, anyone who gets bored with this one either is unfamiliar with his previous outings, has no patience for a story breathing, or just doesn’t get what he’s putting down. Being on the Eggers wavelength is key here.
9. Terrifier 3
When Terrifier 2 came out, it was an unexpectedly epic sequel to the tiny independent horror film Terrifier. Raising the stakes with a higher budget and bigger ambitions, the second installment became notable for inspiring walkouts. Now, with Terrifier 3, lots of the movie’s marketing is focusing on fainting spells and walkouts. How is it as a film, though? Well, it’s pretty good if you love gore with your horror. The flick definitely delivers.
Terrifier 3 is very successful at what it sets out to do. The franchise is very much only for hardcore horror buffs and gore hounds, but it’s undeniable that those into the concept are going to be satisfied. It’s a series that knows who to cater to and does it almost with surgical precision. I had a bloody good time once again.
Despite enjoying both prior films in the franchise quite a bit, I actually went into A Quiet Place: Day One with some level of apprehension. A Quiet Place and A Quiet Place Part II had managed to find smaller, more character based stories within a monster movie premise. Would this prequel, trafficking in more blockbuster territory, have any hope of capturing that same feeling? Well, to my surprise, the answer is a resounding yes.
A Quiet Place: Day One is the rare prequel that doesn’t exist purely as a money grab. Having an interesting filmmaker like Michael Sarnoski at the helm certainly helps, but resisting the urge to fully make this a dumb blockbuster really makes all the difference. There are science fiction and horror tropes at play, but we’re always meant to be invested in our survivors. It’s a different flavor than the last two flicks in some ways, but in others, it’s clearly part of a whole.
It would be fair to go into The First Omen with a bit of skepticism. After all, while The Omen franchise is well known, it’s mostly known for pop culture taking on the name Damien for all manner of demonic child. The first movie is considered a classic, but the sequels are more or less forgotten. Decades have passed, while the series basically lay dormant. Now, this prequel hits, with prequels in general not inspiring much confidence. So, it’s not just surprising, but also quite pleasing, to state that this flick absolutely slaps.
The First Omen exceeds expectations by never succumbing to what most prequels get lazy about. I’d second those calling it the Rogue One of Omen movies, since it does its own thing, while dovetailing into exactly where the franchise begins. By following the beat of its own drummer, the film spends time with ideas, as well as scares. It’s far more of a full cinematic meal than you might be expecting.
6. MaXXXine
How can you not love a gory little indie horror franchise? Both X (reviewed here) and Pearl (reviewed here) showcased some of the best work from filmmaker Ti West to date, so I went into MaXXXine with decently high expectations. After all, when you see a trilogy organically coming together within the genre, especially when the installments have all been really good, you get excited. Lucky for us, West and his muse Mia Goth have outdone themselves here. MaXXXine is the best in the franchise, a top tier 2024 horror flick, and a terrifically entertaining film. It’s a bloody good time at the movies!
MaXXXine again shows West mixing gory horror with a vivid period setting. He’s become a master of the homage, with here the influences being not just Hollywood in the 1980s, but the video nasties of that era as well. It’s grimy in all the right ways. There’s dark fun to be had, as long as you don’t have a problem with blood and guts. This is both the most plot heavy and also the most violent of the trilogy, which is no easy task.
There has never been a film like In a Violent Nature. Sure, there are films that attempt something similar, in that it’s a horror movie told from the slasher’s perspective, but not in this way. Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, for example, was a mockumentary and took a black comedy route. Here, we have a fright flick that’s an honest to goodness slasher, just from the killer’s point of view. It sounds simple, and it is, but it really makes a difference. Not only is this one of the best horror outings in years, it’s one of my favorite works of the year so far.
In a Violent Nature manages to do all of the things a work within this genre would do, but in following only the killer, it all comes off so much differently. There’s a level of dread you experience in following our murderous protagonist, knowing the victim in the distance is doomed, but not being able to do anything about it. Some folks might find this to be a deeply unsettling experience, but anyone who appreciates horror will love this big swing being taken.
You all know that I love when a movie sneaks up on me. The talent involved in Lisa Frankenstein had me very intrigued. After all, I love Diablo Cody‘s writing, Kathryn Newton has impressed me on more than one occasion, and I was eager to see Zelda Williams up to bat. Even so, I was expecting to probably be amused by this flick, at worst. So, consider me almost shocked at how much I out and out loved this film. Lisa Frankenstein is one of my favorite films of the year so far, which I did not have on my dance card. Regardless, this is a wild gem.
Lisa Frankenstein is Heathers by way of, you know, Frankenstein. It’s almost as if the best elements of Tim Burton have been filtered away from his worst impulses, put into a blender with the Mary Shelley classic, and sprinkled with Cody’s specific sort of dialogue. It may sound like a weird mix, but trust me that it works in a massive way. I had an amazing time with this film.
It has become a cliche to say that a horror film is extreme or unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Too often, the degree to which something is gory or out there is exaggerated, resulting in some level of audience disappointment. Well, I’m here to tell you that The Substance warrants those kinds of brash comments. A body horror satire with terrific performances, it’s as out there as it gets. No matter what you’ve heard, you’re not read for this flick, and I mean that as a major compliment, too.
The Substance goes hard. It does so in service of a metaphor that wouldn’t jive with subtlety, that’s for sure. Women in Hollywood, the aging process, sexism, it’s all in here, done in a savagely satirical manner. Plus, again, this is a very graphic body horror epic, at nearly two and a half hours long. Is it going to be for everyone? No. Was it very much up my alley? You better believe it. This is one of the most darkly enjoyable experiences of the year.
By and large, found footage horror has seen its moment pass. Aside from some of the recent V/H/S installments that have been a bit on the clever side, we mostly haven’t seen anything new in a while. So, when along comes something like Late Night with the Devil, it’s truly exciting. Not only does it tinker with the format to have it serve its own devilish purposes, there’s also a riveting performance at its core to go along with creative filmmaking. The result is one of the bigger genre surprises of the year.
Late Night with the Devil managed to surprise the hell out of me. I went in curious enough, since even though found footage rarely blows me away anymore, I still tend to like it more often than not. So, to see that it’s a more playful and darker take on that, combined with a demonic story that actually invests you in what’s happening, actually leaves you shaken. Considering how much the filmmakers do with modest means, it’s a truly impressive work.
1. Longlegs
I’m rarely scared by horror. Now, I love the genre, but the more you know how the sausage is made, an appreciation for scary movies does tend to lead to fewer and fewer actually frightening you. So, when I’m unnerved or even outright terrified by something, it bears notice. With Longlegs, the very essence of the film chilled me to my core. There are some scares to be found, sure, but the movie injects fear into your very marrow. Anything and everything can happen, which puts you on edge. This is a masterpiece of the genre and just out and out art. Nothing I’ve seen so far this year has come close to Longlegs. Yes, it’s that good.
Longlegs is the best serial killer horror film since The Silence of the Lambs. They don’t quite traffic in the same territory, but they’re cousins in some ways, notably in petrifying vibes, impeccable craftsmanship, and just overall quality. Watching this mix of police procedural, occult slayings, and atmospheric stress, you’re able to give yourself over to the filmmaker. For about 100 minutes, you’re allowing the possibilities of a great horror movie to just wash over you.
What were your favorite horror films of 2024? Let us know!
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