The best horror films of 2024 (so far)

To enjoy being scared
‘A Quiet Place: Day One’
'Abigail'
‘Alien Romulus’
'Infested'
‘Arcadian’
Cuckoo
'Handling the Undead'
'Inmaculate'
'Late Night with the Devil'
'Sleep'
'Stopmotion'
'The First Omen’
‘Strangers: Chapter 1’
'The Substance'
'The Watchers'
'When Evil Lurks'
To enjoy being scared

From terrifying supernatural stories to psychological thrillers that explore the darkest corners of the human mind, 2024 is not disappointing when it comes to the horror genre, offering a list of unmissable titles... Let's take a look.

Photo: Paramount Pictures

 

 

‘A Quiet Place: Day One’

Starring Lupita Nyong'o and Joseph Quin and directed by Michael Sarnoski, ‘A Quiet Place: Day One'  tells the story of a woman named Sam who must try to survive an alien invasion in New York City.

 

Photo: Paramount Pictures

'Abigail'

Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. ‘Abigail’ is inspired by ‘Dracula's Daughter’ (1936), by director Lambert Hillyer, and tells the story of Abigail, a kidnapped girl who is the daughter of a powerful personality from the underworld. What her captors don't know is the power of her true vampiric nature...

Photo: Universal Pictures

‘Alien Romulus’

‘Alien Romulus’, a film directed by Uruguayan filmmaker Fede Álvarez. A group of young colonisers explore an abandoned space station, unaware that they will come face to face with a non-peaceful life form...

Photo: 20th Century Studios

'Infested'

This film is not recommended for people with a phobia of spiders, as in this film by French director Sébastien Vanicek, which was presented at the Sitges 2023 Film Festival, its protagonists suffer an invasion of arachnids that places them in a truly difficult situation.

Photo: Shudder

 

 

‘Arcadian’

In director Ben Brewer's ‘Arcadian’, Nicolas Cage stars as Paul, a father of two young boys. After the disappearance of one of them, he must leave the safety of his fortified farmhouse to fight ferocious creatures.

 

Photo: RLJE Films

Cuckoo

‘Cuckoo’ is a psychological horror film by filmmaker Tilman Singer about a family's disturbing visit to the German Alps. It premiered at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival.

Photo: Neon

 

'Handling the Undead'

Norwegian filmmaker Thea Hvistendahl brings us with  ‘Handling the Undead’, a story based on the return of deceased relatives to their families on a hot summer day in Oslo. Its protagonists will have to discover what their intentions are...

 

Photo: Nordisk Film

 

 

'Inmaculate'

Sister Cecilia (Sydney Sweeney) is offered a position in a convent in the Italian countryside. What at first seems idyllic, soon begins to turn dark when some secrets start to come to light.

Photo: Neon

'Late Night with the Devil'

This Australian film, won the award for best screenplay at the 56th Sitges Film Festival. Directed and written by the Australian brothers Cameron and Colin Cairnes, it takes us to a 1970s television programme where we meet the key players: a possessed girl and a TV presenter in his twilight years.

Photo: Shudder

 

'Sleep'

The South Korean film ‘Sleep’, which was very well received at the last editions of the Cannes and Sitges festivals, is a horror film directed by Jason Yu, which deals with the life of a couple, where the husband, who sleepwalks, transforms into another person at night.

Photo: Lotte Entertainment

'Stopmotion'

British filmmaker Robert Morgan is behind ‘Stopmotion’, a psychological horror film starring Aisling Franciosi. A stop-motion animator who is dealing with the death of her mother, focuses on shooting a macabre puppet movie... As an incentive for genre lovers, please note that it caused a woman in the audience at the Sitges Film Festival to faint.

Photo: IFC Films

 

'The First Omen’

'The First Omen' , a prequel to 'The Prophecy' (1976), is directed by Arkasha Stevenson and tells the story of a young American woman who is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the Church. There, however, in addition to questioning her own faith, she discovers a conspiracy that may bring about the birth of the incarnation of evil.

 

Photo: 20th Century Studios

‘Strangers: Chapter 1’

'The Strangers: Chapter 1', directed by Renny Harlin, takes us to an eerie little town in Oregon where, after their car breaks down, a young couple are forced to spend the night in a cabin in the middle of a forest where they will be terrorised by a group of terrifying masked men...

 

Photo: Lionsgate

'The Substance'

Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid star in ‘The Substance’, directed by Coralie Fargeat. Elisabeth Sparkle, the star of an aerobics show, is fired when she turns 50. In order to rectify her career, she injects herself with a miraculous substance that promises to bring her back to the best version of herself.

 

Photo: Mubi

'The Watchers'

Mina (Dakota Fanning) is a young woman who becomes trapped in a forest in Ireland along with other strangers. There they realise that they are being watched by mysterious creatures in the night. Ishana Night Shyamalan is at the helm.

 

Photo: Warner Bros.

'When Evil Lurks'

Critics have praised the film ‘When Evil Lurks’. The plot tells the story of two brothers who discover an epidemic of diabolical possessions in a remote village. It won the award for best feature film in the Official Fantàstic Competition at the Sitges Film Festival 2023.

Photo: Shudder

 

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