2024 will soon be a memory, but we’re lucky it left behind some notable horror films that we’ll definitely be returning to for years to come. From new entries in beloved franchises to stories that aren’t afraid to put the spotlight on difficult subjects, there’s plenty to look back on, even if that walk down memory lane is littered with body parts and jump scares from We’re Still Recovering.
Horror isn’t an easy formula to crack, but when done right it’s a genre that can hold a mirror up to us like no other and ask us some very hard questions. It can lead to a haunting and/or disgustingly good time with our friends and family, complete with embarrassing reactions we’ll never stop eliciting. These winners (yes, they’re all just different levels of winners, right?!) reflect that and remind us why we rush to the theater or to our couch with a big bag of popcorn and that icky feeling we can’t. get enough
honorable mention
While there may only be one best horror movie of 2024 for IGN, there are a few that almost deserve praise for how well they scared, scared, disturbed, or caused us many sleepless nights. This year, we have to give most honorable mentions to two great films that happen to be prequels: A Quiet Place: The First Day and The First Shogun.
A Quiet Place: Day One is the perfect example of a prequel done right. Not only does it stand on its own and deliver its own major moments of silent terror and tension, but it makes the two films that came before it all the more impactful. As for The First Woman, it makes this list because its star Nell Tiger Free and director and co-writer Arkasha Stevenson elevate this latest entry in the nearly 50-year-old series to ever-higher emotional heights while still delivering poignant moments that are almost an NC-17. led the ratings.
Runner-up: Long Legs
How can you go wrong with a Satanic spin on The Silence of the Lambs, a serial killer/true crime tale, a sprinkling of the supernatural, and a good dose of Nicolas Cage? While Longlegs may seem like it’s headed down a haunted road we’ve seen many times before, there’s a reason we love to keep going.
between us long legs review, We say director Osgood Perkins “combines the grim realism of crime-scene photographs with the startling surrealism of a nightmare. The result feels forbidden, like something we shouldn’t see and might suffer consequences for seeing.”
We’re glad we chose to make it through the film, as it’s well worth the trip.
Runner-up: I Watched TV Glow
We all love jump scares and those moments where it feels like our skin is crawling off our bodies in a scary film, but there’s something truly special about a film that can speak to us on another level and skillfully wraps up a personal story. Scream I Saw the TV Glow is that kind of film, and it’s an impressive second feature for director Jane Schoenbrunn.
I Saw the TV Glow follows Owen’s life over the years, when we first see him hook up with a friend named Maddie in a TV series called The Pink Opaque. The series follows two girls who use their psychic bond to take on supernatural evil, and we see clips from the show woven into the story.
Throughout the film, these characters, this show, and other elements come together to tell a story that tackles important topics like gender, nostalgia, and finding yourself, and it’s all beautifully presented. between us I saw the TV Glow review, We said the story was “a fleeting smoke that transforms 1990s suburbia into day-glo dreamscapes.” Don’t miss this one.
Runner-up: Alien: Romulus
Alien: Romulus took this beloved franchise back to its roots, and it was one of the best decisions that could have been made. We talked at length about why Evil Dead and Don’t Breathe are directors Fede Alvarez and Alien are a match made in “Space Hell”. And we’re happy to say that he didn’t disappoint while playing Xenomorphs.
Alien: Romulus is pretty much everything we’ve ever wanted in a new Alien film, and it all starts with a slow set-up that welcomes us back into this terrifying world once more. From there, the combination of CG and practical effects gives us the feel we were hoping for, adding a perfectly distilled glass of alien.
And it all comes full circle back to us, as directors Alien: Romulus Review, We said, “Like a kid in a Freudian nightmare in a candy store, Álvarez feasts on alien iconography and cryptozoology with reckless glee, even and especially in bone-chilling fight scenes.”
Winner: Substance
We’ve had some truly fantastic horror films this year, but 2024’s biggest honor goes to The Substance. This incredibly poignant movie that doesn’t make light of celebrity culture’s obsession with youth and beauty, won our hearts and minds and made us feel very uncomfortable
Demi Moore stars as Elizabeth Sparkle, a middle-aged fitness guru who, after being fired by Dennis Quaid’s gross media executive Harvey, uses a drug called “The Substance” to split her body’s cells and create a smaller version of herself (played by Margaret Qualley). Unfortunately, they must be switched every week.
It goes as well as you would guess and what follows is a fascinating look at our perception of beauty and perceived ideas of aging. between us Material review We said, “This is definitely a movie for the sickos and the insane: limbs fall from backs, studio audiences are artery-sprayed on an endless loop, and bodies are beaten into unconsciousness.”
However, all of this serves a purpose. As our reviewer puts it, “Elizabeth’s story is a tragedy because those who are allowed to age are actually lucky. Depriving yourself of that grace—physical, mental, or both—to serve someone else’s twisted goals is a fate that substance expects any woman to have any more.” Never have to suffer.”
