2024 was a heck of a year for horror, with films like The Substance, Longlegs, In a Violent Nature, and Strange Darling generating buzz and discussion. Beyond 2024, some of the films on this list seem likely to become cult favorites, garnering new viewers and fans well beyond this year and their initial theatrical runs.

Here are my favorite/top horror movies of the year.

*Please note that many of these films are western/American films. However, for 1428 Elm, I published a list of my favorite foreign horror films of the year. You can check that out here.*

Runner-up: Nosferatu

Robert Eggers’ take on F.W. Murnau’s German Expressionist classic looks fantastic on the big screen, and that’s really how it should be seen. The cast is great, too, especially Nicholas Hoult as Thomas Hutter and Lily-Rose Depp as Ellen Hutter. The creature/monster design for Bill Skarsgard’s Count Orlok is bone-chilling. Eggers captured the Gothic mood and tone, but this was a strong year for original horror films that pushed the genre in exciting new directions. This is now the third take we’ve had on Nosferatu, hence why, for as good as this movie is, it’s a runner-up.

Tiger Stripes

This Malaysian film was censored in its home country prior to its festival run and VOD release in the U.S. The film follows 11-year-old Zaffan (Zafreen Zairizal), who’s bullied at school as she undergoes physical changes. Yes, this is a body horror movie about puberty. It’s also a drama and comedy, but to be clear, it does have some gross-out moments and one heck of an exorcism scene that lampoons the very concept.

When I first saw this film at the Jim Thorpe International Film Festival last spring, I couldn’t stop telling people about it. Hopefully, as more time passes, this one will find a bigger audience. Here’s my initial review of the film from Horror Buzz, and here’s an interview I did with writer/director Amanda Nell Eu for 1428 Elm.

Tiger Stripes is available on VOD.

Oddity
Director Damian Mc Carthy’s follow-up to his feature debut Caveat is a moody, Gothic film largely set in a creepy old house. There’s also a wooden mannequin in this Irish film that’s the stuff of nightmares. Meanwhile, Carolyn Bracken turns in a heck of a dual performance, playing both Dani, who’s killed mysteriously early in the film, and her blind sister Darcy, who runs an oddities shop and is determined to solve her sister’s murder.

Oddity is one of the most atmospheric films on this list. It’s also proof that Mc Carthy is one of the most interesting directors working in the genre today. You can check out my full review from earlier this fall over at Signal Horizon.

The film is currently streaming on Shudder.

Longlegs

Few films received as much hype this year as Longlegs. This is, in part, due to Neon’s stellar marketing campaign, giving very little away about the film’s plot, while sharing eerie posters and very vague trailers. In writer/director Osgood Perkins’ film, Maika Monroe (It Follows) stars as Agent Lee Harker, who becomes obsessed with a series of grisly occult murders. Nicolas Cages plays the hair-raising villain Longlegs and gives one heck of an unsettling performance.

Longlegs didn’t fully stick the landing for me, and a lot of this feels like Silence of the Lambs with an occult element, but both Monroe and Cage are great in this film. Like Perkins’ other work, this film evokes a grim mood and just feels cold. Unlike his other films, this one does a bit better balancing the substance and story with the atmosphere and imagery.

Longlegs is currently available on VOD.

In a Violent Nature

Writer/director Chris Nash’s In a Violent Nature is a bit polarizing. The entire film is shot from the POV of a slasher named Johnny (Ry Barrett). Because of this, much of the film takes place in the woods and features a lot of walking and nature shots. Still, this film includes some of the gnarliest kills out of any film on this list, especially the yoga scene near the halfway point.

Yes, the nature walks are tiresome at times, but give Nash credit for doing something different with the tired slasher genre. Also, Johnny looks really, really cool in his antique firefighter mask. You can read my full review of the film over at Signal Horizon.

In A Violent Nature is currently streaming on Shudder.

Immaculate

In the first half of the year, we had two theatrical releases that dealt with a woman’s bodily autonomy, fitting for a post-Dobbs world. The First Omen and Immaculate released about a month apart. Both films focus on nuns who birth the anti-Christ. The First Omen is a solid prequel, much better than it deserves to be, with a strong performance by Nell Tiger Free (The Servant) as Damian’s birth mother.

However, Immaculate made this list simply for its ending, which is so wild and raw that it really has to be seen. Sydney Sweeney also turned in one of the year’s best horror performances as Sister Cecilia. This is another banger from Neon. Read my full review over at 1428 Elm.

Immaculate can be streamed on Hulu, and it’s also available on VOD.

Late Night with the Devil

Like In a Violent Nature, Late Night with the Devil takes a tired subgenre, in this case possession movies, and injects it with much-needed creativity and freshness. David Dastmalchian stars as Jack Delroy, a TV host who lost his wife to cancer and whose show struggles in ratings. To save his program, he hosts a Halloween special and interviews Dr. June Ross-Mitchell (Laura Gordon) and her patient Lily (Ingrid Torelli). Both claim that Lily is possessed by a demon after surviving a Satanic cult.

Late Night with the Devil is a freakin’ blast and good time, especially Dastmalchian’s performance. Most likely, this film will become a Halloween favorite in future years. The movie is currently streaming on Shudder.

Strange Darling

Writer/director JT Mollner’s film looks freakin’ gorgeous. If you ever get a chance to see this film on a big screen, please do so. This film also contains my two favorite performances of the year, Willa Fitzberald as The Lady and Kyle Gallner as The Demon. This film addresses serial killers and the culture’s fascination with them. It’s also told in non-linear fashion, beginning in the middle, before arriving at its startling conclusion.

I really can’t say enough positive things about this film. If you want to read my full review, check it out over at Horror Buzz. The film is available on VOD.

Red Rooms

Red Rooms is probably the most disturbing film on this list, and it’s certainly not as bloody and gory as a few of these other movies. Even more than Strange Darling, this French-Canadian thriller comments on serial killer obsession. Juliette Gariépy plays Kelly-Anne. She looks like one of Ludovic Chevalier’s (Maxwell McCabe-Lokos) victims, all of which were young women. Kelly-Anne attends every trial date, as Ludovic sits behind glass, not uttering a single word.

Kelly-Anne then meets Clementine (Laurie Babin), who’s convinced Ludovic is innocent. Clementine leads Kelly-Anne down the dark web, where she watches countless snuff videos. Trust me, Red Rooms will creep under your skin. You can check out my full review of the film over at Horror Buzz.

Currently, Red Rooms is available on VOD.

I Saw the TV Glow

Writer/director Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw the TV Glow is my favorite film on the list, other than the next one on the list. I couldn’t stop thinking about this one weeks after I first watched it. It’s also visually stunning. Both Justin Smith, as Owen, and Brigette Lundy Paine, as Maddy, give heart wrenching performances as two outcasts who bond over the Buffy the Vampire Slayer-like TV show called The Pink Opaque.

I Saw the TV Glow is very much about nostalgia and memory, but more than anything, it’s a trans allegory. Yet, the feature will resonate for anyone who’s ever felt different or questioned their identity. In short, Schoenbrun’s film is a gorgeous and poetic work whose central message “There’s still time,” feels like a potent rallying cry at the dawn of Trump 2.0 to be yourself and comfortable in with your identity. Oh, and this film has the best soundtrack out of any film on this list.

I Saw the TV Glow is currently streaming on Max and also available on VOD.

The Substance

In a perfect world, Demi Moore would earn a much-deserved Oscar nomination for her role as Elisabeth in The Substance, an aging celebrity who’s essentially iced out of Hollywood. To regain her youth, she takes a mysterious drug that causes her to morph into a younger, more attractive self named Sue, played by Margaret Qualley. Of course, this doesn’t go well and the two try to kill each other.

Writer/director Coralie Fargeat’s second feature isn’t subtle in its messaging. It also has the most bonkers final act out of any horror film this year. This is pure body horror a-la Cronenberg with a sharp feminist message. You can check out an interview I did with Fargeat from a few years ago over at Signal Horizon about her first film, Revenge.

The Substance can be streamed on MUBI and VOD.