Yahoo Picks: If you liked 'Hereditary,' 'Midsommar' and 'Pearl,' check out these under-the-radar A24 horror movies
The indie movie studio's archives are fruitful when it comes to twisted, haunting stories that will easily become new Horror staples.
As someone who takes comfort in scary movies, I know what it’s like to hit your limit on rewatching your favorites — even when they are all A24 masterpieces. If you can quote the “I am your mother!” speech perfectly alongside Toni Collette, then it might be time to watch something other than Hereditary. Thankfully, the A24 archives are fruitful when it comes to twisted, haunting stories that will stay with you and easily become new creepy staples.
Obviously the indie entertainment company knows what it’s doing, with massive horror hits like Midsommar, Bodies Bodies Bodies, Pearl and most recently, the terror-inducing indie flick Talk to Me in its catalog. But with all the buzz around those bigger titles, you might have missed some of A24’s more underrated scary movies. Have no fear, I’ve borne witness to every last terrifying one of them (with the help and endless coaxing of my college bestie, Lexie), and am here to help recommend some alternatives to your favorite A24 films.
Here are some underrated A24 horror movies to check out instead of just putting on Midsommar again.
If you liked Hereditary (2018), consider The Blackcoat’s Daughter (2017)
If you enjoyed Ari Aster’s Hereditary, a supernatural tale of loss, grief and a sinister presence tormenting a family, then The Blackcoat’s Daughter is for you. Told across three separate timelines, the film follows two young students left behind during winter break at their isolated private Catholic boarding school, where they’re plagued by trauma, grief and potentially something supernatural. Emma Roberts, Kiernan Shipka and Lucy Boynton star in this haunting story. You can stream both The Blackcoat’s Daughter and Hereditary on Max.
If you liked Midsommar (2019), consider Climax (2019)
If you appreciated the stressful, eerie score and the creepy yet celebratory vibes that quickly devolve into terror-inducing chaos in Ari Aster’s Midsommar, then you may enjoy Gaspar Noé’s gorgeously gory Climax.
Starring Atomic Blonde actress Sofia Boutella, the 2019 film follows a teen dance troupe who lock down in an empty school building one cold winter evening for an all-night rehearsal-meets-rager. But the beautifully choreographed gathering turns violent and vengeful after the dancers discover their party punch has been laced with LSD by one of their own. Climax offers a can’t-look-away level of intensity and plenty of flawed but talented characters to cry in horror over. You can rent Climax through Prime Video or watch it free with a free trial for the Cinemax add-on.
And if you do feel like rewatching Florence Pugh fall into the clutches of a Swedish cult, you can also rent Midsommar on Prime Video.
If you liked Pearl (2022), consider Saint Maud (2019)
I know, I know, but she’s a star! Nobody will judge you for rewatching Ti West’s eccentric prequel to A24’s X, starring Mia Goth, David Corenswet, Tandi Wright, Matthew Sunderland and Emma Jenkins-Purro. But if you’d like to check out another one of A24’s unhinged leading ladies, consider Saint Maud. The 2019 psychological thriller, from first-time director Rose Glass, tells the tale of a troubled, devoutly religious young woman working as a private home hospice nurse. When assigned to a terminally ill atheist with a hedonistic past, the nurse believes she is being called to save the soul of her patient, by any means necessary. Saint Maud stars The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power actress Morfydd Clark, and Jennifer Ehle. You can stream Saint Maud free on Prime Video.
And if you do want to rewatch Goth’s headline-grabbing performance in Pearl, you can stream it on Paramount+.
If you liked X (2022), consider Green Room (2016)
If you loved the intensely violent X, where a group of aspiring adult filmmakers fight for their lives on a rural farm, under attack from the deadliest senior citizens to ever exist, then you’ll probably be enticed by Green Room. Jeremy Saulnier’s 2016 horror movie follows a punk band who, after playing a show a bit too far outside of Portland, wind up witnesses to a murder within the neo-Nazi skinhead “community.” Trapped inside the venue’s green room, surrounded by bloodthirsty skinheads, the group has no choice but to fight their way to freedom. Green Room stars Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat, Joe Cole, Callum Turner and Patrick Stewart. You can stream Green Room on Max (for now, the twisted title departs from HBO’s streaming platform on Nov. 30).
Want to revisit X? You can stream the steamy slasher on Paramount+.
If you liked Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022), consider Life After Beth (2014)
If you giggled just as much as you jumped out of your seat during the 2022 campy comedy-horror movie Bodies Bodies Bodies, then I think you can find it in your probably cynical heart to enjoy Life After Beth. Aubrey Plaza stars as the charmingly undead Beth, and Dane DeHaan as Beth’s loving but bewildered boyfriend, Zach. Grieving his girlfriend after she’s killed by a snakebite, Zach tries to stay connected with her parents, only to realize they’re keeping their recently resurrected daughter a secret from him. The scariest thing in Life After Beth is the rom-com-level chemistry between Beth and Zach, and it’s so clearly a product of our zombie-obsessed mid 2010’s, but if you want something spooky-adjacent to watch this Halloween season, the dark zombie comedy will totally satisfy your hunger. Molly Shannon, Cheryl Hines, Paul Reiser, Matthew Gray Gubler and John C. Reilly also star in Life After Beth, now streaming on Max.
And if you want to watch the hot rich kids (Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova, Myha'la Herrold, Chase Sui Wonders, Rachel Sennott, Lee Pace and Pete Davidson) romp around a mansion mid-hurricane before meeting their comedically-timed ends, you can stream Bodies Bodies Bodies on Paramount+.
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