Best Horror Movies of 2024, Ranked: ‘Nosferatu,’ ‘Longlegs’ & More

Universal Pictures

Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett have perfected their mix of scares and comedy with “Scream VI” and “Ready or Not,” and “Abigail” is no exception. When a gang of crooks kidnaps a vampire who appears to be a little girl, they’re quickly in over their heads in this gory caper, elevated by inspired performances by Melissa Barrera and Dan Stevens.

20th Century Studios

Director Arkasha Stevenson and star Nell Tiger Free make the most of this moody prequel to the nearly 50-year-old franchise. Deft camerawork and creepy sets build a haunting backdrop for Sister Margaret’s investigation into her unwanted conception. And Free’s increasingly feral performance echoes cinematic triumphs like 1981’s “Possession.”

Shudder

The creature feature of the year is this French spider bonanza, in which director and co-writer Sébastien Vanicek brings a tidal wave of lethal arachnids to a run-down apartment building. Audiences will jump, flinch and itch as the body count rises and the spiders run amok across every wall and surface.

IFC Films / Shudder

Robert Morgan’s dour look at artistic obsession blurs the lines between reality and nightmare as a stop-motion animator (Aisling Franciosi) is freed from her controlling mother but finds untold darkness while fashioning her own story. A punishing mixture of psychological, surreal and body horror, Morgan’s vision is hopeless yet gorgeous.

Neon

All hail Sydney Sweeney’s coronation as a scream queen, as she leads this deliciously lurid chronicle of a young nun who finds herself pregnant. Helmed by Michael Mohan, the handsomely shot saga cranks up the creepiness until Andrew Lobel’s script flies into B-movie madness, ratcheting up the gore and giving Sweeney an indelible final shot.

Magenta Light Studios

This gorgeous, twisty serial killer drama has style to spare, only matched by striking performances from its two leads, Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner. Their cat-and-mouse pursuit upends a small Oregon town, where good people who are accidentally cast into their orbit don’t stand a chance. With a shocker of an ending and final scene that burrows deep inside after the credits roll, “Strange Darling” cements itself as the most go-for-broke indie of the year.

A24

This touching, surreal drama about lonely teens forever bonded through a cult TV series is equal parts hypnotic and poignant. Writer-director Jane Schoenbrun has created a bold story exploring the dysphoria of the closeted trans experience, where the unease of alienation becomes more disturbing than any monster could be.

IFC Films / Shudder

Director Caitlin Cronenberg’s feature debut is set in a future where Earth’s resources are limited and citizens are urged to get euthanized for cash to reduce the population. Michael Sparaga’s funny, fleet script focuses on a rich family that can’t buy its way out of trouble this time. A delightfully nasty indie that examines how badly we treat the ones we love.

IFC Films / Shudder

Damian McCarthy’s supernatural murder mystery is filled with striking imagery and compelling performances. Carolyn Bracken is striking as a blind woman with psychic powers trying to solve the mystery of her sister’s death. She owns a haunted antique store and brings a spooky wooden mannequin along for the ride, searching for clues in her sister’s palatial estate. With clever beats that conjure true emotion and a sharp, satisfying, ending, it’s both a satisfying step up and companion piece to McCarthy’s feature debut, 2020’s “Caveat.”

Independently released on YouTube

While Hollywood execs obsess over how to fill theaters and wrangle expensive IP, filmmaker and comedian Curry Barker said “fuck it” and made one of the year’s best thrillers for $800. Starring Barker and his creative partner Cooper Tomlinson, this 62-minute found footage roller coaster ride is a masterclass in tension, editing, storytelling and creating a chilling villain. Released for free on YouTube, it’s easy to imagine that many of its 1 million viewers are now inspired to go make their own art.

Cinephobia Releasing

Not for the faint of heart, this supremely sinister domestic drama has a hook it’s best not to spoil. Director Caye Casas turns a new father’s purchase of a tacky coffee table into a fable that spins out of control, with a horrific twist of fate so nauseating it will leave viewers drenched in nervous sweat. Go in blind, if you dare.

IFC Films / Shudder

David Dastmalchian (“Dune,” “Ant-Man”) is commanding as a second-rate talk show host determined to juice his ratings, so he dreams up a Halloween episode featuring a girl who might be possessed by Satan. The cleverly constructed tale moves in real time and keeps the proceedings erratic right up to an off-the-wall final act.

Utopia

An examination of true crime obsession that slips under your skin and stays there, “Red Rooms” follows a mysterious young woman named Kelly-Anne (Juliette Gariépy) whose obsession with a gruesome murder trial grows deeper and darker with each day. Although most of the film takes place in two minimalist locations — a courtroom and Kelly-Anne’s apartment — there is a dread constantly enveloping our protagonist. With gorgeous and haunting imagery and an ending that is equal parts hopeful and outrageous, “Red Rooms” is a movie that demands attention and analysis.

Mubi

Coralie Fargeat’s celebrity satire starts as a glossy sci-fi tale about reversing aging only to erupt in a third-act ballet of blood that is fun, outrageous and tragic in equal measure. Demi Moore plays a TV personality who uses a secretive drug that gives birth to a younger version of herself, played by Margaret Qualley. Both actors are at the top of their craft with big, brash performances that perfectly knock down the dominoes of the film’s high concept. Yet the end — best not spoiled — is more surreal than expected and elevates the movie to brilliance.

IFC Films / Shudder

Director Chris Nash’s innovative take on ’80s slashers is catnip for VHS-era fans. The deliberately paced film follows a supernatural killer named Johnny, with a camera over his shoulder keeping the viewpoint tightly controlled. Amid the outrageous kills and crisp camerawork lies a sharp satire laced with empathy, beauty and genuine fear.

Focus Features

Gothic horror, perfectly executed. Of course Robert Eggers would be obsessed with the 1922 original, and his meticulous attention to period detail in the remake creates a lush, living world infested by creeping death. Lily-Rose Depp’s physicality as Ellen is an acting masterclass, while her foil, Bill Skarsgård’s Count Orlok, repulses every time he appears. You can practically smell his rot through the screen, his menacingly bass voice ringing perversely in your ears. A bleak vision perfectly executed by unrivaled craft and a mastery of tone, “Nosferatu” is an instant classic of the genre.

Neon

Evil lurks everywhere in Oz Perkins’ indefatigably frightening feature. Maika Monroe solidifies her status as indie horror’s predominant scream queen in this impactful update of police procedural. The tone and atmosphere are constantly brimming with wickedness, and this richly shot tale is filled with the inky blacks and darkness of doom. Perkins never eases up on the dread, especially with long-held shots that leave audiences sweating as they wonder what might bound around the corner. “Longlegs” is a mesmerizing vision of horror, a dark fable that can stand alongside the classics.