Prepare for sleepless nights as we dive into the most spine-chilling films of 2024! From supernatural threats to psychological terrors, these movies pushed the boundaries of horror. Join us as we count down the year's most terrifying cinematic experiences that left audiences screaming, squirming, and begging for more.
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00:00What has been used on one side is lost on the other side.
00:04There is no going back.
00:05Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at movies that breathed new life
00:09into the horror genre in 2024.
00:11Although a couple of these technically had their world premieres a year prior.
00:14There is nothing holy here.
00:17Your religious text is mere ornament.
00:21Number 10. A Quiet Place Day One
00:23The first two Quiet Place movies were about survival.
00:26So is this prequel, but it's more about closure for our protagonist.
00:29See, I might be dead by then.
00:31Oh yeah, you might, but if you're not dead, it's short and it's in the city.
00:36When's the last time you were in the city?
00:38Last time was supposed to be the last time.
00:43Well, here's another time.
00:45Before aliens fell from the sky, Lupita Nyong'o's Sam was already in hospice.
00:49She's accepted fate, but Sam wants a slice from her favorite pizza joint first.
00:54A terminal illness won't stop her, and neither will an invasion.
00:57We have to head back now.
01:00Why?
01:01Something's happening in the city, and they want us back ASAP.
01:04But we're getting pizza first.
01:06No, we're gonna have to raincheck the pizza.
01:09Although her motivation sounds simple, the emotional stakes remain high,
01:12as do the physical ones.
01:14The heavily populated urban backdrop adds another layer of intensity to a premise
01:18where the slightest sound equals death.
01:20While the setting is grander, there's a personal story at the film's core.
01:24Even if you sense where some journeys will end,
01:26we fear for the characters every step of the way.
01:29It's good to have been back.
01:332022's Smile performed better than anyone could have expected.
01:36You're going to die! You're going to die! You're going to die!
01:41While it would have been easy for the inevitable sequel to rehash the same formula,
01:45Smile 2 elaborates on the original's creepy concepts.
01:48Where the first film explored trauma, Smile 2 adds substance dependency
01:52and the price of fame to the mix.
01:54These elements flow together naturally,
01:56but the film's secret weapon is Naomi Scott's arresting performance.
02:00You okay?
02:04Want to take a break?
02:09You sure?
02:10Let's just get through this.
02:11Scott makes us feel every ounce of paranoia as a pop star
02:15who can't escape the spotlight or the eerie smiles following her.
02:18For all the gore and jump scares,
02:20the film also gets under our skin with more universal fears.
02:23Let's just say, if you were afraid of public speaking before,
02:26one scene will completely take your breath away.
02:33Carolyn Bracken is fairly new to the silver screen,
02:35but she demonstrates limitless screen presence with her dual role here.
02:44Bracken plays twins, one of whom is blindsided.
02:47The other is literally blind,
02:49convinced that her sister's untimely demise was more than meets the eye.
02:52The main character in Oddity may lack the ability to see,
02:55yet she possesses another sense telling her that danger is hiding in plain sight.
03:00Danny would never allow a strange man into her home in the middle of the night.
03:05She isn't the only one who may be in danger.
03:07Another threat rests at the crime scene that others fail to recognize.
03:11Although Damian McCarthy's film is a slow burn,
03:13Oddity leaves you on constant edge with its gothic atmosphere.
03:17The results balance the power of suggestion and what's right in front of us.
03:21Danny told me what you were like when you were ill.
03:24Seeing and hearing things that weren't there.
03:29Believing things that weren't real. This is not real.
03:35We've all heard of body horror.
03:36I Saw The TV Glow is what we describe as out of body horror.
03:39He's always messing with time and reality.
03:42He wants to rule the world, to trap Isabel and Tara in the Midnight Realm.
03:46This surreal experience doesn't fall back on the tropes we typically associate with the genre.
03:50From start to finish, Jane Schoenbrun's film carries an uncomfortable sentiment.
03:55Everything seems purposely a little off.
03:57Most notably protagonist Owen, played by Justice Smith.
04:01A TV show awakens something inside the meek Owen.
04:04Do you ever get confused?
04:09Like, maybe the memory isn't quite right?
04:15What do you mean not quite right?
04:16He isn't entirely sure what that something is, however.
04:19As Owen undergoes a lifelong identity crisis, his reality begins to collapse.
04:24While there are many ways to interpret the film's meaning,
04:26I Saw The TV Glow will resonate with anyone who's ever been forced to repress the person on the inside,
04:31screaming to get out.
04:33Come on.
04:36I know it's scary. That's part of it.
04:41Speak No Evil is a textbook example of how to remake a horror film,
04:44largely dependent on twists and turns.
04:46You're terrible. Terrible.
04:49You do not know the half of it.
04:50If you've seen the original Danish thriller from 2022,
04:53you know this vacation will go down a dark path.
04:56James Watkins' adaptation doesn't try to replicate its predecessor beat for beat, though.
05:00The remake goes in a different direction while preserving the film's central themes.
05:04Quiet around here. Do you guys even have any neighbours?
05:07Yeah, all the way across the valley, but, you know, we look after each other.
05:10I was across the hall. I don't think we've ever spoken.
05:14Doesn't hurt having James McAvoy, who effortlessly shifts between being a charismatic host
05:18and a possessive captor.
05:20As unhinged as this getaway gets, we identify with the pressure to remain gracious guests
05:24before finally being pushed to your limits.
05:27This is a tense-at-time, darkly comedic nail-biter
05:30that'll convince every viewer to just take a staycation next holiday.
05:34And this, in here,
05:39that's gonna eat you alive.
05:43You gotta let it out.
05:445. Late Night with the Devil
05:47Imagine if Twilight Zone invaded an old episode of The Tonight Show.
05:51You'd get Late Night with the Devil.
05:53With its entertaining mix of interviews, music and sketch comedy,
05:56Night Owls with Jack Delroy captures the hearts and minds of midnight America.
06:01The film could also be described as a cross between The Exorcist and Network.
06:05Those two aren't as far removed as you might think.
06:08To make a killing in the ratings, sometimes you need to make a deal with the devil.
06:13Just when you thought the found-footage genre had been done to death,
06:16siblings Colin and Cameron Cairns took an innovative approach
06:19with this lost episode of a 70s late-night talk show.
06:22Good to see you again, Jack.
06:28Sorry, I don't believe we've been acquainted.
06:30Don't be a fool.
06:31We go way back.
06:33We met amongst the tall trees.
06:35Remember?
06:36The period production design and cinematography engross us in the era.
06:40The whole cast is utterly believable, especially David Dasmalchen as a host
06:45who'll give anything to be number one, his soul included.
06:49It's not every day that you see a demonic possession on live television.
06:55Longlegs became a surprise box office hit for Neon,
06:58even if some viewers walked away conflicted.
07:00It's that one.
07:02What's what one?
07:053525.
07:08He's in there.
07:09Those anticipating a modern Silence of the Lambs only kind of got that.
07:13Micah Monroe's Lee Harker is a female FBI agent worthy of Clarice Starling.
07:18Like Hannibal Lecter, an unrecognizable Nicolas Cage isn't on screen for long.
07:22Whenever his Longlegs killer surfaces, the audience is immobilized with fear.
07:26Excuse me, who are you and why are you talking to my kid?
07:31Even when offscreen, Longlegs looms over the film, creeping up our necks like a spider.
07:36While the film blends crime procedural and psychological horror,
07:40there's a supernatural element many won't be prepared for.
07:43Whether or not you vibe with the outcome, director Osgood Perkins
07:46undeniably creates an unsettling ambience,
07:49making the audience feel as if they're the ones being watched.
08:03Number 3. Nosferatu
08:05There have been numerous adaptations of Bram Stoker's Dracula,
08:08but 1922's Nosferatu has cast a wide shadow for more than a century.
08:16While no remake can surpass its impact, Robert Eggers is perhaps the only living director
08:21who could deliver a worthy successor.
08:23It's a hellish match made in heaven,
08:25as Eggers brings his signature chilling atmosphere to a classic story.
08:29Standing before me was death, but I'd never been so happy.
08:38In terms of sheer scale, Nosferatu might be the year's most beautifully crafted horror film,
08:43with cinematographer Jaron Blaschke draping every shot in blood-curdling dread.
08:48It also showcases two of the year's most transformative performances
08:52from Bill Skarsgård and Lily-Rose Depp.
08:54Whether you've heard this tale before or not, Nosferatu washes over you like a plague.
08:59You strangely can't resist.
09:02I'm ready.
09:03Number 2. Heretic
09:05Hugh Grant has played villains before, but Heretic pushes the actor to uncharted places
09:10that make us wonder why he didn't tackle the horror genre sooner.
09:13Well, ladies, I think it is time.
09:16Time for what?
09:18Time for enlightenment.
09:20At first, Grant seems like his usual charming self.
09:23What starts as a friendly conversation about religion
09:25snowballs into a more heated debate and possibly a hostage crisis.
09:30If there's no God, then we're just horny microscopic ants floating on a rock through space
09:34with no divine purpose and no hope to achieve eternal life.
09:36Well, that's terrifying too.
09:39Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East are equally excellent as two Mormon missionaries
09:44who try to remain polite, initially out of courtesy and eventually for survival.
09:49The film plays like an escape room.
09:51In addition to challenging the characters' wits,
09:53Faith is put to the test with both sides making compelling arguments.
09:57Heretic doesn't align with one person's philosophy per se,
10:00although one thing is for certain.
10:03The pie is a lie.
10:04It's a simple choice, but it should not be made simply.
10:09Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
10:12Abigail. Alicia Weir creates a horror comedy icon.
10:16Joey?
10:17Yeah.
10:20I'm sorry about what's gonna happen to you.
10:23Stop motion. Puppets somehow just got even more sinister.
10:27It must take ages.
10:29It does.
10:31Why bother?
10:33Well, because I like it, and I'm good at it,
10:37and it feels like you're bringing something to life.
10:43Alien Romulus. Fede Alvarez brings the franchise back to its horror roots.
10:48Young?
10:49Stop playing around, man. Just get out.
10:50I'm not playing around. There's something in the water.
10:52What do you mean? What is it?
10:53Maxine. Mia Goth is exceptional, as always.
10:57I'm not where I want to be yet.
11:00I want the good life.
11:03I figure acting is acting.
11:05I can do just as good of a job as any of those other blondes out there.
11:08Terrifier 3. An instant Christmas classic?
11:13Yes, that's me. Guilty as charged.
11:17Santa, looks like you got a fan.
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11:34Number 1. The Substance.
11:36Despite seemingly being set in modern day, The Substance submerges us into a retro world
11:41where aerobics TV shows still exist.
11:44You got it. Feel that power, lady.
11:50And Mark, get those knees up.
11:52When Coralie Frasher's film takes place doesn't matter,
11:55whether this is the 80s or the 2020s, one standard remains.
11:59Beauty reigns supreme, and every it girl is eventually replaced with a shiny new model.
12:04Demi Moore gives an Oscar-worthy performance as Elizabeth Sparkle,
12:08a fading star who will sacrifice anything to regain her fame.
12:12There's been a slight misuse of The Substance.
12:16A few extra hours were accidentally used, causing an alteration.
12:27What ensues is an exercise in body horror that speaks to this industry's unforgiving nature.
12:33Margaret Qualley also provides a relatable perspective as a young starlet
12:37who fails to realize that actions have consequences.
12:40Between her recklessness and Elizabeth's desperation,
12:43a monster is created that could only emanate from Hollywood.
12:47I don't know what you're talking about.
12:50I'm fine. Everything's fine.
12:54What's your favorite horror movie of 2024? Let us know in the comments.
12:58I'll be a little bit of everywhere.
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