2024 featured plenty of unique and frighteninghorrormovies that left a strong impression on the world. Films likeSmile 2andLonglegssucceeded in theaters by featuring plenty of surprisinghorror movie jump scares, as well as a great amount of spine-tingling suspense. Meanwhile, movies likeTerrifier 3andThe Substancestood out by presenting an overwhelming amount of blood and violence that both upset viewers' stomachs and brought in huge profits.
Whatever their style, many of2024’s great horror moviessucceeded at scaring its audience. As the modern horror renaissance continues to sweep the cinema industry, 2024 presented many profitable and critically acclaimed films that have made for some of thebest horror movies of all time. Simply put, 2024 featured some incredibly frightening movies, and these ten films are the scariest ones of the year.
10Immaculate
Directed By Michael Mohan
NEON’s filmImmaculateshows one young nun becoming embroiled in a religious conspiracy in the midst of an unexpected and seemingly virgin pregnancy. Such a tale invokes relatable fears of motherhood and explores the horrors of society’s mistreatment of women. As priests and nuns are shown jumping off buildings, cutting off people’s tongues, and branding people with hot irons,this film presents a gruesome depiction of religious extremism that anyone would find upsetting.
Immaculate Ending & Shocking Final Shot Explained
Sydney Sweeney leads Immaculate, a religious horror that has a few twists and a shocking ending. We break down the biggest moments and a key scene.
Actor Sydney Sweeney left an especially strong impression inImmaculate’s agonizing final scene, as her character, Sister Cecilia, gives a painful, bloody birth in one uninterrupted take. One can hear all the anger and torment Cecelia experienced in the film pour out in her screams. This makesImmaculate’s conclusion one of the most deeply chilling and disturbing horror movie endings in recent memory.
9Late Night with the Devil
Directed By Colin & Cameron Cairnes
Though there have been countless possession movies throughout cinema history,Late Night with the Devilpresents a fresh spin on movies likeThe Exorcistwith its format.Late Night with the Devil, especially its ending, presents a shocking but comedic form of terror with its mockumentary style and hokey, B-movie visuals. Though it takes time to build up to its truly horrifying moments, the film is nonetheless terrifying as it builds terror and suspense surrounding Jack’s demonic guest.
A lot of the film’s horror can be credited toIngrid Torelli’s unnerving performance as the possessed Lilly. The character switches in and out of a demon on a dime, but she always keeps viewers on edge as she displays a great darkness lurking beneath the surface.Late Night with the Devilculminates in a showstopping climaxfeaturing some incredible body horror effects and shocking deaths, particularly in the film’s final moments.
Directed By Parker Finn
Though directorParker Finn’sSmile 2relies on multiple jump scares to terrify its audience, the movie succeeds in presenting a frightening follow-up to the wildly popular original film. Like the latter, this sequel crawls underneath its viewer’s skin with its unnerving sound design, disturbing creature design, and shocking twists.Smile 2’s ending, in particular,made for an especially terrifying conclusion due to the death of Skye Rileyand the implications it carries for those around her.
10 Biggest Questions Smile 2 Doesn’t Answer That Smile 3 Will Have To
Smile 2’s Skye Riley story left audiences with many lingering questions about the smile entity and what lies next for the franchise.
Skye’s story also adds an extra layer of horror to the movie. Her experiences with drug addiction and surviving a deadly car crash add profound emotional terror, especially when the film cuts back to her fateful accident. Despite featuring a creepy, smiling monster with demonic powers,Smile 2features plenty of dark realism that allows the audience to empathize with Skye and her story, making her fate at the end of the movie all the more horrifying.
7A Quiet Place: Day One
Directed By Michael Sarnoski
Though theQuiet Placefranchise had released two films before,the Death Angels proved to be as scary as ever in this 2024 prequel film. They are especially terrifying in hordes as they shake New York City itself and pursue their prey in a relentless invasion of Earth. Even when they’re not on-screen, the film builds incredible tension and suspense with the idea that they could be lurking around every corner and that even the slightest noise can lead to a person’s death.
All in all,A Quiet Place: Day Onesucceeded in presenting a nightmarish vision of the end of the world with its massive scale, breathtaking suspense, and frightening twists.
When the killer aliens suddenly appear in the film,they unleash a jolt of terror so strong into the audience that it’s enough to make viewers jump out of their seats. Though the movie holds back on the gore and violence, it doesn’t make the Death Angels any less terrifying. All in all,A Quiet Place: Day Onesucceeded in presenting a nightmarish vision of the end of the world with its massive scale, breathtaking suspense, and frightening twists.
6In A Violent Nature
Directed By Chris Nash
This modern slasher from writer/director Chris Nash presents a unique take on a popular but predictable genre.In A Violent Nature’s unique perspectivepresents its story through the point of view of its masked villain, Johnny, as he hunts down a group of teenagers in the woods in the vein of Jason Voorhees inFriday the 13th. The movie presents a frightening realism to its story with its unsettling, long takes and a lack of a musical score.
In the end,In A Violent Naturemakes its mark by presenting a fresh but familiar brand of terror that goes above and beyond to shock and disgust viewers.
At the same time,the movie delivers plenty of gory and over-the-top kills one commonly sees in the slasher genre. The movie spends plenty of time on Johnny as he meticulously mutilates his victims in gratuitous ways. That jaw-dropping yoga scene alone cemented this movie’s place in horror history. In the end,In A Violent Naturemakes its mark by presenting a fresh but familiar brand of terror that goes above and beyond to shock and disgust viewers.
5The First Omen
Directed By Arkasha Stevenson
Though it retreads similar elements from the 1976Omenfilm,The First Omenputs a distinctive and terrifying spin on a classic storywith frightening echoes of classic horror films likeRosemary’s BabyandPossession. Though it features strong similarities toImmaculate, the film features a stronger degree of terror and shock value. Specifically, the film holds nothing back as it presents the terrors of womanhood and religious repression experienced by Sister Margaret and the mysterious Carlita.
Lead actor Nell Tiger Free especially elevates the film’s fright factor with her unsettling and layered performance as Margaret, especially when she finally gives birth to the Antichrist in the climax.
While Margaret finds herself tormented and controlled by a Satanic cult throughout the film,The First Omenunleashes graphic and disturbing images of demonic births and mutilated corpses. Lead actor Nell Tiger Free especially elevates the film’s fright factor with her unsettling and layered portrayal of Margaret. When the latter finally gives birth to the Antichrist in the film’s climax, Free invokes a primal and demonic performance that won’t soon be forgotten.
4Alien: Romulus
Directed By Fede Álvarez
Despite being a sequel to a revered horror movie,Alien: Romulussuccessfully replicates the chilling Gothic atmosphere of Ridley Scott’s originalAlienfilm. Many audiences were already familiar with Facehuggers and Xenomorphs by the time this film premiered. However,Alien: Romulusbuilds incredible suspense and psychosexual terror with its established story, which shows Rain and her friends find themselves stalked by murderous aliens throughout the titular space station.
Alien: Romulusalso presents an unsettling depiction of android Andy’s sudden loss of identity, invoking relevant fears of AI and how it can turn against humanity. The film’s terror reaches its apex when Kay, in a shocking sequence, gives birth to the mutant alien Offspring. All in all,Alien: Romulusmanaged to create unique and profound scares that lived up to the high standards set by previousAlienfilms and resonated with modern audiences.
3Terrifier 3
Directed By Damien Leone
With a much higher budget than its predecessor,Damien Leone’sTerrifier 3went all out delivering its trademark brand of shocking content and ultraviolent gore for the holidays.Art the Clown featured new and inventive ways to mutilate his many victims in this film, and they are nothing short of disturbing. Images of Art hacking two teenagers to pieces in the shower with a chainsaw and force-feeding a woman live rats will not soon be forgotten.
How Terrifier 3’s Major Box Office Record Reshapes The Horror Genre’s Future
Terrifier 3 has broken all manner of box office records, but the horror sequel’s biggest surprise has the potential to reshape the genre’s future.
Terrifier 3’s possessed new villain Vicki also makes for a frightening antagonist that ranks next to Regan McNeil fromThe Exorcist, invoking extreme terror and disgust throughout the film. The way she and Art relentlessly torture Sienna and her family makes for an unforgettable and horrifying Christmas movie. On top of that,Terrifier 3’s shocking cliffhanger ending leaves Sienna on such a dark note, it makes her character’s journey one of the most horrifying in modern movie history.
2Longlegs
Directed By Osgood Perkins
Despite being a slow-burning indie movie,Longlegswent viral as it succeeds at terrifying its viewers much differently than most modern horror films. Director Osgood Perkins’s film unnerves its audience as it bombards them with psychedelic and nightmarish images, making for a chilling odyssey into the complex mystery of the film’s titular killer. Longlegs himself is an especially strange and unsettling character, thanks especially to the acclaimed performance of actor Nicolas Cage.
Longlegsshined in 2024 for delivering a deep feeling of dread with its unconventional approach to horror. The story also featured an all-but-hopeless ending for protagonist Lee Harker that made it even scarier.As it left it ambiguous whether she will succumb to the curse of Longlegs, the film ensured it will leave a lasting impact on its audiences long after the credits roll, making it one of the most distinctive and popular movies of 2024.
1The Substance
Directed By Coralie Fargeat
Director Coralie Fargeat’swell-reviewedThe Substancepresented a bold vision of horror not often seen in modern cinema. LikeTerrifier 3,this movie features a stomach-churning level of body horror that attacks the viewers' senseswith disturbing sights and sounds. Such horror is thanks especially to the film’s terrifying makeup and practical effects, which unleash several shocking transformation sequences andEvil Dead-levels of blood and gore.
What makes this story even more terrifying is how its events were the result of one woman’s insecurities brought on by men’s demanding standards of female beauty.
This movie presents unforgettable images of Sue birthing out of Elisabeth’s back, the latter’s rapid physical decay following the abuse of the Substance, and the shocking and bloody New Year’s climax starring Monstro Elisasue. What makes this story even more terrifying is how its events were the result of one woman’s insecurities brought on by men’s demanding standards of female beauty.Many audiences can relate to Elisabeth and Sue’s story inThe Substance, making it even more upsetting to witness her tragic downfall in thescariest of horror movies in 2024.
