Summary
The cinematichorrorgenre has been having one of the best years I’ve ever seen. 2024 has been full of ups and downs at the box office, with surprising weak performances from seemingly surefire blockbusters likeFuriosa: A Mad Max SagaandThe Fall Guy(that have been finding far better luck with home releases). However, while horror films might not be breaking the box office, there have been several impressive scary films across the first half of 2024 that have earned rave reviews and solid results in theaters.
As a horror fan,I’ve been ecstatic with this development. The sheer number of well-received horror movies that have come out this year can’t be understated, speaking to a level of craft and respect for the genre that it doesn’t always get recognized for. The fact that the year is only halfway over means other horror movies are coming out that should keep fans' blood pumping for the rest of the year. Here are all the greathorror movies that have come out in 2024, and which ones are still on the horizon.
Mike Flanagan’s Forgotten 2016 Horror Movie Shows How He Can Save The Exorcist Franchise
Mike Flanagan’s in talks to helm the next Exorcist movie, and his work on a forgotten 2016 horror prequel shows just how he can save the franchise.
Horror Fans Have Been Having A Tremendous Year 2024
A Dozen Horror Movies Have Been Certified Fresh On Rotten Tomatoes In 2024
2024 has been a banner year for the horror genre, with several scary movies released in the first half of the year earning rave critical reviews. As a long-time horror fan, it’s hard to pick out another year with so many creative, thought-provoking, and entertaining scary stories. There are nearly a dozen horror movies that have been released this year that are “Certified Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes, meaning they earned a roughly 75% positive critical score. Notably, it’s not just one type of horror film that’s been connecting with critics, but a range of concepts and approaches to the genre.
Late Night With The DevilandI Saw The TV Glowtook meta approaches to the genre, while franchise prequels likeThe First OmenandA Quiet Place: Day Oneproved new perspectives can successfully remix old concepts. Loving tributes to the past eras likeMaXXXineandIn A Violent Naturecarved out their own approaches to the horror.Fresh approaches to classic threats like vampires and serial killersresulted in the absurd and intense heights ofAbigailandLonglegs. Dramatic approaches to horror likeNew Life, TheInheritance, andInfestedprove how cerebral the genre can be.
Future Horror Cult Classics From 2024 Are Picking Up Fans
2024 Has Been Great For Goofball Weirdo Horror, Too
I’ve been ecstatic with the reception horror films have been receiving critically across 2024, but I’m also happy to see that even themovies that were met with a more mixed reception have still been finding fans. AlthoughLisa Frankensteinwas considered a box office disappointment, the film’s campy approach to young love and grisly murder is bound to become a sleepover staple.Immaculatewas a wild time (and a terrific showcase for Sydney Sweeney) that is well on its way to becoming a cult classic.Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2was so successful, it spawned an entire universe.
The shark-infested waters ofUnder Parishelped catapult the film to the heights of Netflix’s charts, the post-apocapyticArcadianand surprisingly funnyTarotwere both solid.There have been over a dozen strong horror movies released in the first half of 2024 alone, highlighting just how good the year has been for the genre. I’ve also loved the varied range of approaches to the genre, which have left audiences unsettled in the best way possible. Horror fans have been able to scratch all sorts of itches this year, and the year’s only halfway done.
20 Best Horror Movies Of All Time
What are the best horror movies of all time? Every fan has their opinion, but these movies have stood the test of time to become certifiable icons.
What Other Horror Movies Are Coming Out In 2024?
There’s Over A Dozen Great Looking Horror Movies Still Left To Come Out In 2024
While the second half of 2024 might not be as stacked as the first,there’s still plenty coming out for horror fans to get excited about. The Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark-ledStarve Acreis a very strong film that plays on some very realistic fears with a supernatural element.Longlegsis a critically acclaimed serial killer movie that’s being favorably compared toThe Silence of the Lambs.Cuckoolooks to be an unsettling and effective film that adds to the large number of scary movies starring Dan Stevens (who also starred this year inAbigail).
Smile 2
October 18
M. Night Shaymalan’sTraplooks like one of the filmmaker’s best movies in years, and James McAvoy’sSpeak No Evilhighlights his horror skills. Returning franchises likeAlien: Romulus,Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,Smile 2, andTerrifier 3are coming back to the big screen Other horror movies likeOddity,The Abandon,Never Let Go, andAbruptioset for a 2024 releasehave been earning rave reviews. I’ve been extremely happy with thehorroroutput in 2024, and I can’t think of a single other year with a better record for the genre.
Late Night With the Devil
Cast
Late Night with the Devil is a horror thriller starring David Dastmalchian as Jack Delroy. Delroy is a late-night talk show host in 1977 trying to keep his broadcast on the air. But when he tries to communicate with the devil through a young girl live on the air, things don’t go according to plan.
MaXXXine
In 1980s Hollywood, adult film star and aspiring actress Maxine Minx lands her big break, but her rise to stardom is jeopardized by a mysterious killer targeting starlets. As the body count rises, secrets from Maxine’s past threaten to surface, intertwining her quest for fame with a deadly game of survival.
Abigail
Abigail is a 2024 horror thriller directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. The plot follows a group of people who kidnap the daughter of a dangerous crime lord only to discover that the little girl is actually a vicious vampire out for blood. Alisha Weir stars as the titular character alongside Kathryn Newton, Melissa Barrera, and Dan Stevens.
