I wouldn’t be a particularly great horror critic if I didn’t carve out space to champion some of my favourites from 2024. The year has been a banner one for the genre, with horror being the most consistent performer at the box office. It seems that the superhero bubble is bursting and that horror might just be about to steal its throne. Here are ten that stood out most to me in 2024. N.B There will be a few omissions that some will be expecting to see, but this year I got burnt by a lot of overhype prior to seeing some of the bigger titles.
10. Livescreamers
I caught Michelle Iannantuono’s Livescreamers when covering Panic Fest remotely. The film is a screenlife story of a gaming channel whose latest recording sees them play a mysterious game that hides a deadly secret – if they die in the game, they die in real life. Since the Panic Fest screening, Livescreamers has landed onto Digital so there is no excuse to not take a chance on it
After demonstrating how to make a video game horror work with Livescream, writer/director Michelle Iannantuono is back with its sequel, Livescreamers. The film once more places players at the mercy of a maniacal video game, but as with any good horror sequel, the ante and fear factor are elevated considerably.
Screen-life movies can be tricky to get right, but in Livescreamers Iannantuono has managed to build on the already strong foundations of Livescream to create something really special. Video game horrors are even harder to get right than screen-life ones, and that Iannantuono has managed to make two compelling versions is nothing short of miraculous. Those that have long championed the likes of Stay Alive finally have a video game horror of critical merit that they can use to argue that this subgenre of horror is worth investing in. Given the simple format of the Livescream films, the possibilities for sequels and spin-offs are infinite, and at least one more movie would round out this series nicely.
9. MaXXXine
Having been a fan of both X and Pearl, I was super excited to see MaXXXine, the last chapter in Ti West’s horror trilogy. This time the setting shifts from the 70s to 1985, and the rural and remote farmland to the hustle and bustle of the Los Angeles night-life. Whereas X borrowed influence from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and Pearl took from The Wizard of Oz, MaXXXine switches things up again. This time West embraces elements of Giallo, The Black Dahlia, and the occult, to create a film that both compliments what has come before, but still remains its own entity.
A fitting end to a thoroughly enjoyable trilogy, MaXXXine is as different to its predecessors as they are to one another. The constant reinvention of West’s work is to be commended with each film working as both a standalone project, as well as a cohesive whole. Look deep enough and the threads that connect the trio of movies are abundantly clear, and yet those that have yet to delve in won’t feel as though they are missing integral information. Each film varying so much in tone and style not only opens up the potential audience for the series, but also ensures that there is at least one film for everyone. In this case, West might have saved the best entry to last, with MaXXXine a neon-tinted Hollywood nightmare filled with ambition, cut-throat action, and an excellent depiction of the final girl.
8. The Last Video Store
The Last Video Store debuted in the UK at FrightFest Halloween back in 2023. I immediately appreciated its nostalgic charm, but after the screening, news about the film went cold. Then, in the summer, Arrow Films announced that they would be releasing The Last Video Store on Blu-ray, as well as adding the movie to this year’s line-up at Celluloid Screams. It was a rewatch on the big screen that cemented how special The Last Video Store is.
Ten years in development from short to feature, The Last Video Store is a true ode to the bygone era of the video store. Everything on screen is tinged with nostalgia and this horror comedy presents a real treasure trove for genre fans, both new and old. The story plays somewhere between Final Girls and Last Action Hero, but in reverse, and houses a beautiful message about getting left behind, clinging too hard to the past, and the power of friendship to overcome even the strangest of scenarios. Moody neons, a pounding synth score, and buckets of gore, create the perfect fertile ground for this loving throwback to the movies that made horror and cult cinema what it is today.
7. Infested
2024 was littered with films that had very similar concepts. First there were horrors Immaculate and The First Omen, then came revenge action thrillers Boy Kills World and Monkey Man, and finally there were warring spider movies Infested and Sting. Of the two, it was Infested that was the more compelling feature.
As an extreme arachnophobe, getting through the first half of Infested was a struggle. Director Sébastien Vanicek (who will next helm an Evil Dead film) uses a mixture of real, practical, and CGI spiders to induce maximum terror. The real ones crop up more during the first act, as eventually they become the size of dogs, and Vanicek knows exactly how to shoot the creatures scuttling legs to make arachnophobia sufferers blood run cold. No word of a lie, at several points during the opening ten minutes, I almost vomited. Later, a scene in a bathroom almost ended me. A far meaner, and vastly more political riff on 90s spider-fest Arachnophobia, Infested is an exceptional feature debut.
6. Red Rooms
Filled with shock and awe, Red Rooms is exceptional. Director Pascal Plante utilises some interesting elements from the horror genre to ensure that this terse courtroom drama punches the viewer in the gut and leaves them reeling. With several moments that will get trapped in your psyche, Red Rooms manages to be more effective than several big name genre movies, making it a contender for most discomforting film of the year.
A riveting and unflinching drama that analyses society’s obsession with true crime. Red Rooms might not push as hard as some will be hoping for in terms of gore, but by leaving the worst to the imagination, it ensures that Plante’s movie will get under your skin.
5. The Moor
Chris Cronin’s The Moor debuted at FrightFest 2023 as part of their First Blood strand. Then in 2024 it managed to get a limited theatrical run and wide digital release. This was fantastic news as The Moor charted on my festival list this time last year. A film steeped in mist and melancholy, The Moor is a very accomplished debut for Chris Cronin.
The cinematography is incredible and perfectly communicates the dangerous beauty of the Yorkshire moors. Add to this a wonderful story of grief, loss, and guilt, and The Moor has all the components to become a future classic.
4. Speak No Evil
The announcement of an English language version of Speak No Evil was met with disdain and despair. This intensified after the release of the first trailer with many complaining that it gave away the entire film. Those that said this clearly hadn’t paid much attention to the trailer for the original Speak No Evil, as they are nearly identical. I was happy to give the film a chance, even more so after speaking to one of the stars, Scoot McNairy, during an interview for his indie crime drama Blood for Dust.
Upon settling down in the cinema, I was pleased to find that my gut instinct about Speak No Evil was correct. Yes, the last act is entirely different and less traumatic than the original, but the film needed to go somewhere different to earn its existence. Plus, after having always given audiences a harrowing and bleak ending in Eden Lake, director James Watkins clearly didn’t have it in him to do it a second time. The dread and tension hits differently in Watkins’ version but the core quartet of cast are all in exceptional form and more than make up for any shortfalls elsewhere.
3. Your Monster
Historically, I am not a romantic comedy kind of person, and yet somehow Your Monster is in my top three of the year. In my defence, as rom-coms go, Your Monster has a strong thread of black comedy throughout, but in all honesty, it is simply charming. Melissa Barrera and Tommy Dewey are adorable as the down on her luck Laura and the beast lurking inside her childhood closet.
Despite its darker undercurrent, which comes into play beautifully during Your Monster’s final act, there is an overriding feeling of comfort when watching. Set at least partially during autumn, the costumes are cosy, with Laura swathed in layers of jumpers and coats. The colour palette of the set design and lighting embrace hues of oranges and reds, injecting further warmth, and the music is serenely soothing.
Disarmingly sweet and deceptively dark, Your Monster is infectiously entertaining and will win over even the most blackhearted of viewers. Its warmth, and the charming chemistry and comedic performances from Barrera and Dewey, are difficult to avoid. Add to this a powerful tale of assertion and one Hell of an earworm song, and Your Monster becomes one of the cosier crowd pleasers of the year.
2. The Substance
Ever since its debut at Cannes, it has been hard to escape The Substance. The film marked the return of Demi Moore as she played an ageing TV personality drawn to experimental methods to remain at the top. Directed by Coralie Fargeat, The Substance didn’t win over all audience members, but I loved almost every batty moment. A first viewing at the end of five days of FrightFest was not optimal, and I did find myself wishing that the film had ended twenty minutes before it did. However, a more recent second watch made me appreciate The Substance even more.
The dual performance of Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley is rightly earning them both awards buzz, and it would be fantastic to see horror represented at the Oscars. More than the performances, it is the costume, production design, score, sound design and VFX that sizzle. Each and every element has been cleverly thought through and the result is a film that skyrocketed to the top end of my list.
1. Smile 2
Having loved Parker Finn’s Smile I was somewhat dubious to hear that a sequel was in the works. After viewing the first trailer my fears were allayed and I was all in. Prior to viewing I had an idea of how I wanted Smile 2 to both start and end, and somehow Parker Finn read my mind and fulfilled my wish. It wasn’t just this shared brain that made me enjoy Smile 2 so much, it’s just a classic example of a sequel that improves on the original on every level, assisted by an awards worthy performance from Naomi Scott as international pop star, Skye Riley.
The first Smile was insular and intimate. Its protagonist, Rose (Sosie Bacon), was a reserved person who, during the course of the curse, became isolated from those around her. Consumed by her childhood trauma and grief, everything about the film felt as if the viewer was watching something horribly private. In Smile 2, Parker Finn switches things up and moves the setting into a much more public domain. It’s a clever direction to take the series into, with Finn almost following the blueprint of the Alien series. Like Alien, Smile is contained and claustrophobic, and it is all-out war, a la Aliens, in Parker Finn’s sequel. A step up from the original at every turn, Smile 2 expands upon the already solid original, venturing to new frightful heights. Aided by a committed and compelling performance from Naomi Scott, Parker Finn’s sequel is the worthy winner of my horror of the year.
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