All the Best Horror Movies Coming Out in 2024
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2024 started off with a ton of promise—and so far, it has delivered. From the deeply unsettling Stopmotion and the skin-crawling Infested, to early highlights of the year like The Devil’s Bath and Longlegs (starring ultimate scream queen Maika Monroe), the hits are hitting.
Lucky for us, there’s so much more to come, too. We’re talking Abruptio, an experimental puppeteer parable starring the voice of Jordan Peele; The Front Room, a holy terror starring Brandy; and Nightbitch, a highly anticipated twisted take on magical realism starring Amy Adams.
Ahead, all the best horror movies you don’t want to miss this year. And while you’re at it, don’t forget to check out the scariest horror movies of all time, the best classic horror movies, and the funniest horror movies ever—all of which are regularly updated with new additions.
I Saw the TV Glow
Weird and wonderful, Jane Schoenbrun’s indie takes an entirely different approach to its scare tactics, offering viewers more intrigue and experience than jump scares and wrought tension. The story revolves around two unlikely friends who bond over their love for a retro kids’ show loosely akin to Nickelodeon’s Are You Afraid of the Dark? Beneath its surface, though, Glow is a singular trans allegory from a rising voice, which every genre buff should see for themselves.
Now streaming on Prime Video.
Heretic
Hugh Grant trades the orange tone distinctive to Roald Dahl’s Oompa Loompas for several shades of weird in yet another promising offering from A24. He stars as an unhinged recluse who gets a knock on the door from a couple of faith spreaders, invites them in for blueberry pie—and then tests their faith in a series of challenges. Costarring Sophie Thatcher (Yellowjackets, MaXXXine) and Chloe East (The Fabelmans, Generation) as the trapped missionaries, this one sounds divine.
In theaters November 15.
Never Let Go
It’s been more than 20 years since we saw Halle Berry in a horror flick. This fall, she reenters the genre with a supernatural fright helmed by Alexandre Aja, the French director behind brutal genre staples like the remake of The Hills Have Eyes, High Tension, and Crawl. Set in the wilderness sometime after the end of the world, the film centers on a single mother and her two boys—a family haunted by evil and unseen forces lurking beyond their remote home.
In theaters September 27.
Nightbitch
The gifts are plenty in this horror-comedy based on Rachel Yoder’s 2021 magical-realism novel of the same name. Not only do we have Amy Adams in the leading role, but Marielle Heller, whose entire body of work—from The Diary of a Teenage Girl, to Can You Ever Forgive Me? to What the Constitution Means to Me—is a film buff’s dream, cowrote and directed the film. In case you’re not familiar with the novel, here’s the gist: Enraged by her new normal, a stay-at-mom turns feral.
In theaters December 6.
A Different Man
They say real beauty is on the inside, but when a man with a facial deformity turns to the scalpel for a new look, things get ugly. Sebastian Stan stars in this comedy-thriller hybrid as said guy who undergoes reconstruction surgery, only to become obsessed with an actor who looks just like he did before the operation. Let’s just say, if Fresh—Mimi Cave’s dark comedy from 2022 was a mindfuck—you’re in for one glorious head-scratcher with this one.
In theaters September 20.
The Front Room
Horror runs in the Eggers family’s blood, apparently, as Sam and Max Eggers, the twin half brothers of modern genre maestro Robert Eggers, director of The Witch and The Lighthouse, are officially entering the conversation with their feature debut, The Front Room. Maternal mayhem breaks out between an overzealous mother-in-law and the expecting lady of the house in the latest from the slick A24 studio house, which stars none other than ’90s R&B icon Brandy in the lead.
In theaters September 6.
The Devil’s Bath
Based on the proxy-suicide phenomenon that plagued Europe in the 18th century, this piece of unsettling folk terror from Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala follows an Austrian peasant named Agnes. A member of an overly superstitious community, she prays a lot, wants a baby, and sleeps with a severed finger under her mattress. But The Devil’s Bath treads into territories way darker than just morbid ritual. Piercing and primal, this is prestige horror from the Goodnight Mommy duo.
Now streaming on Shudder.
Abruptio
Jordan Peele, Hana Mae Lee, and James Marsters lend their voices to the puppets starring in this animated genre-blender. Buffy alum Marsters takes the lead as Les, a hapless lad who wakes up to find a bomb implanted in his neck. Tasked with a hyperviolent to-do list, Les goes about committing heinous crimes so as to not explode. With mind-bending effects and performers made of rubber and eyelashes, this wild ride treads deep into the dark side of humanity.
In theaters September 27.
Mr. Crocket
Based on Brandon Espy’s short film of the same name featured in Hulu’s Bite Size Halloween series, Mr. Crocket sees a woman (Jerrika Hinton) journey to retrieve her son from a sinister kiddie-show host (Elvis Nolasco) who snatches his fans. Side note: There’s another fun feature with origins in Hulu’s shorts getting the feature treatment. Carved, starring Prom Pact’s Peyton Elizabeth Lee, offers a humorous twist on the killer pumpkin. So keep your eyes peeled for both films.
Streaming on Hulu in October.
Your Monster
In this modern take on beauty-and-the-beast tales, Melissa Barrera of In the Heights, Scream, and Abigail fame plays an actor who catches feelings for a snarky monster that lives in her closet—and is played by Casual’s Tommy Dewey in a shaggy wig and brutish prosthetics. Mixing elements of horror, romance, and comedy, writer and director Caroline Lindy offers moviegoers a fun, easy watch that scored high marks at Sundance.
In theaters October 25.
Night Swim
Blumhouse expands its vast library with a supernatural horror film that turns the classic swimming-pool game Marco Polo into a death wish. The narrative belongs to the Waller family, a brood of four settling into their new home, when they begin to sense that their shimmering backyard pool harbors some sort of sinister force. Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin) and Wyatt Russell (Lodge 49) star, while Bryce McGuire (writer on 2023’s Baghead) directs.
Destroy All Neighbors
Prog rock, a genre of music that embraces the esoteric, is admittedly not for everyone. But Josh Forbes’s homage to the genre’s glory days is for every horror buff. A mash-up of chuckles, chills, and, gore, Destroy All Neighbors sees a creatively stagnant musician named Will go on a killing spree. And aside from the bonkers tunes, there’s much to cheer for: old-school special effects, tons of splatter, and even a fun cameo from Kumail Nanjiani.
Somewhere Quiet
A Boston woman named Meg is kidnapped from a parking garage in Beacon Hill, but Olivia West Lloyd’s Somewhere Quiet isn’t interested in the salacious details of the six months Meg spent in captivity. Rather, this slow-burner is keen on the aftermath: the terrifying ways trauma manifests in Meg’s mind; the gaslighting she experiences from those around her, including her husband; and the primal fear that becomes a forever dark passenger for survivors of harrowing events.
Lisa Frankenstein
Cole Sprouse and Kathryn Newton star in this ’80s-set horror comedy written by Diablo Cody and directed by music-video alum Zelda Williams. Newton plays a high schooler with a crush on a dead guy (Sprouse) who comes back to life after a fit of mad science. Together, they unleash pandemonium. Think of it like Heathers meets Valley Girl with a Mary Shelley twist. Also featuring a rad soundtrack and saturated neons that bring to mind Lisa Frank Incorporated, the film is a gift for Valentine’s Day.
In theaters February 9.
Out of Darkness
It’s 43,000 BCE—read: nothin’ but animal hide as clothing—and a group of early nomads are on the move. Confronted with dangers, both natural and mystical, they find themselves hunted by a demon and forced to do whatever it takes to stay alive. So you can imagine things get savage in this Stone Age survival tale. But where Andrew Cumming’s debut really shines is in its atmospheric mood and the bone-chilling attention to detail in every crunch, kill, and scream. Surround sound, for sure!
In theaters February 9.
Stopmotion
Quite possibly the freakiest thing you will lay eyes on this year, Stopmotion is nothing like the idiosyncratic wonder-worlds that spring from the mind of Wes Anderson. Rather, this psychological assault comes from puppet master Robert Morgan, telling the story of an animator terrorized by her creations. A gloriously grotesque watch, with some of the most disturbing frame-by-frame animation you’ll ever see, this one will likely sear its imagery onto the wrinkles of your brain.
In theaters February 23.
Imaginary
After M3GAN, Chucky, and Annabelle, you’d think folks would have learned their lesson with cozying up to creepy toys. But apparently not yet, as the little girl in this Blumhouse offering finds herself an attic teddy named Chauncey. Little does she know this stuffie is really just a host for the imaginary friend the home’s previous tenant left behind. And now he’s full of rage.
In theaters March 8.
Immaculate
On the heels of her rom-com hit Anyone but You, Sydney Sweeney returns to the big screen as star and producer. This time, however, she’s promoting a psychological horror story set in an Italian convent. Immaculate unfolds through its protagonist, Cecilia, a devout nun who learns she is pregnant with a “miracle” child. Whether the seed is that of God, man, or something way worse is for us to find out come spring.
In theaters March 22.
Late Night With the Devil
Set in 1977, this refreshingly innovative take on found footage features a late-night talk show kicking off its sixth season on Halloween night and inviting one of its guests—13-year-old Lilly, the sole survivor of a Satanic mass suicide—to conjure the devil on live television. A SXSW 2023 favorite from Aussie brothers Colin and Cameron Cairnes, the occult film is a nerve-frazzling nightmare that would send the ghost of Johnny Carson running.
In theaters March 22; streaming April 19.
You’ll Never Find Me
Starring Jordan Cowan and Brendan Rock, this two-handed chamber piece premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last June, where it was acquired by Shudder; and come late March, it will finally be available to stream. The story, a well-crafted tension-builder, hits its stride when a paranoid man invites a sopping-wet young woman into his RV to wait out a raging thunderstorm. The interactions and conversations that follow leave a trail of clues, lies, and hair-raising reveals.
Streaming March 22.
Mickey Mouse’s Trap
When the copyright for Steamboat Willie—the 1928 animated short in which Mickey Mouse made his debut—expired in January 2024, the House of Mouse’s iconic rodent entered public domain, and creative minds wasted no time. The villainous force behind at least two upcoming horror films, Mickey will first take lives in this indie slasher about a theme park worker who spends her 21st birthday working the late shift from hell.
In theaters March 2024.
The First Omen
Arkasha Stevenson—an episodic director whose credits include Brand New Cherry Flavor, Channel Zero, and Legion—makes her feature-film debut with a prequel to Richard Donner’s revered 1976 original Omen. Starring Servant’s Nell Tiger Free as nun-to-be Margaret, the origin story of the devil incarnate takes place in Rome, where the young novitiate’s faith is tested when she learns the church is meddling in dark matters.
In theaters April 5.
Abigail
The guys behind the new Scream franchise and Ready or Not, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, are back, with another horror film that looks to be a blast on the docket. Abigail, a genre-blender that stars a ton of familiar faces (Melissa Barrera, Giancarlo Esposito, Dan Stevens, Alisha Weir, Kathryn Newton, and the late Angus Cloud), features a kidnapping gone wrong, when a seemingly innocent ballerina morphs into fanged bloodsucker in a tutu, hell-bent on maiming her abductors.
In theaters April 19.
Infested
A movie about a spider attack is heading to Shudder, but this time, there’s no John Goodman in a pest-control uniform to save the day. Infested (original title: Vermin) is a French film from Sébastien Vanicek that impressed audiences on the festival circuit last year. But if Arachnophobia was too much back in 1990, then this creature feature about a man who brings a venomous spider home on his birthday and unleashes a cluster of creepy crawlies will definitely bug you out.
Streaming April 26.
Return to Silent Hill
In 2006, Christopher Gans adapted Konami’s survival horror video game for the screen, resulting in a monster thriller starring Radha Mitchell as a mother looking for her daughter in the foggy titular town. A cult following was born, and though the fans didn’t care for the disjointed sequel from another director in 2012, they are getting hyped over this Return. Gans comes back to the world of Silent Hill, too, this time with a story about a man who ventures into the fog to find his long-lost love.
In theaters April 26.
Cuckoo
Representation in horror is getting good. With every Jordan Peele instant classic, Julia Ducournau mind-bender, and Ryan Murphy scream, marginalized groups have gone from purged bodies to characters who matter. Here, Euphoria’s Hunter Schafer stars in Tilman Singer’s thriller as Gretchen, a 17-year-old who moves with her family to a German resort where creepy things happen. We can’t wait to add Cuckoo to the growing list of great examples of onscreen representation.
In theaters May 3.
Tarot
A Ouija board, a videotape, a cell phone, a doll—the list of portals through which evil is unleashed is never-ending. Here, malevolent forces pierce the thin veil that separates the living from the dead through a set of tarot cards. The users? A group of friends who blatantly disregard the boundaries they’re warned about. One shuffle of a cursed deck later, and each pal is confronted with his, her, or their fate.
In theaters May 10.
The Strangers: Chapter 1
The third film in the franchise, The Strangers: Chapter 1 bears striking similarities to the 2008 original. But according to Collider, this summer release is not a sequel, nor a reboot, nor a remake. Rather, it broadens the backstory and offers more information about the mythology’s characters. Chapter 1 is the first in a trilogy whose collective time range spans only a few days, and Chapter 3 will tap into the history of the original’s masked murderers.
In theaters May 17.
The Watchers
Shadowing her father, M. Night, as a writer, director, and producer on Apple TV+’s Servant, Ishana Shyamalan makes her big-screen directorial debut this summer with The Watchers. She and her dad adapted the screenplay from A.M. Shine’s 2021 novel of the same name. The narrative proper unfolds around a young artist who seeks shelter from night monsters with three strangers in Ireland, and stars Dakota Fanning, Georgina Campbell, and Hannah Howland.
In theaters June 7.
A Quiet Place: Day One
John Krasinski, who directed the previous two Quiet Place films, returns to the series with this prequel, this time as a cowriter and coproducer. Relative newcomer Michael Sarnoski (Pig) is directing. Another big change? The story focuses on an entirely new cast of characters. As its title suggests, the movie is set on the first day of the alien invasion that drives the horror, and reveals the why we’ve been pondering since 2018. Stars include Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff, and Djimon Hounsou.
In theaters June 28.
Longlegs
A master of the slow burn, Oz Perkins returns this summer with a procedural thriller that has the potential to be something really special. Another entry on his résumé of atmospheric, psychological horror (Gretel & Hansel, The Blackcoat’s Daughter), Longlegs stars Maika Monroe (It Follows, The Guest) as Lee Harker, an FBI agent assigned to a serial killer case with ties to the occult. Costars include Nicolas Cage, Alicia Witt, and Blair Underwood.
In theaters July 12.
Trap
We can always count on the details surrounding an M. Night Shyamalan release to be kept under lock and key, but the master of the twist ending has dropped a couple of breadcrumbs for us to snack on while we wait for August to arrive. Trap, a no-doubt psychological thriller set in Philadelphia (like most of Shyamalan’s films), takes place at a concert and will be “very unusual.” Josh Hartnett, Hayley Mills, and Vanessa Smythe star.
In theaters August 2.
Alien: Romulus
The Alien universe has seen its fair share of captains, but 2024 will see its most relentless auteur yet: Fede Alvarez. Known for Don’t Breathe, the brutal 2013 Evil Dead remake, and the abstract Apple TV+ series Calls, Alvarez is next to unload a cosmic nightmare in the sci-fi series originated by Ridley Scott. A well-deserved flex for the Uruguayan filmmaker, Romulus stars Cailee Spaeny, Isabela Merced, and David Johnson, and is rumored to be the darkest installment yet.
In theaters August 16.
Blink Twice
Zo? Kravitz’s directorial debut has ditched its original NSFW title, Pussy Island, for a more family-friendly moniker—although we’re pretty sure the kiddos should remain with the babysitter for this movie night regardless. Blink Twice, a cocktail of genres blending elements of horror, drama, and suspense (or as its star, Channing Tatum, called it, “a crazy thriller”), follows a tech billionaire, the waitress he whisks away to his private island, and her subsequent fight to survive.
In theaters August 23.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
It’s showtime! Well, almost. After decades of delays, the sequel to Tim Burton’s cult-classic 1988 afterlife comedy has a definitive release date. And it can’t come soon enough. Reprising his role as the crass “bio-exorcist,” Michael Keaton stars; Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara are also returning, as Lydia and Delia Deetz. Newbies include Jenna Ortega, who plays Lydia’s daughter, and Willem Dafoe, who plays a dead cop. The plot proper, however, remains shrouded in mystery.
In theaters September 6.
Speak No Evil
Too often, remakes of brilliant foreign horror films miss the mark. In 2022, Christian Tafdrup made one of the most brutally unsettling films of all time: a slow-burner about a couple whose good manners cost them everything. It’s so good that under normal circumstances, we’d tell you to ignore any impostors. But: This remake has James Watkins—who gave us Eden Lake and Black Mirror’s “Shut Up and Dance”—in the director's chair, and James McAvoy opposite Mackenzie Davis in front of the camera. The potential here is palpable. And you can bet we’re buying a ticket.
In theaters September 13.
Saw XI
Behold, another notch in the Saw franchise! We can only assume that because of the positive reactions that poured in for Saw X—a pseudo prequel that centers on villain Jigsaw’s cancer diagnosis and treatment—studios are kicking this dead sawhorse for all it’s worth. Admittedly, the 10th installment did return to the true essence of the torture-porn original created by James Wan. So here’s hoping director Kevin Greutert can continue reinvigorating a franchise that was once on its last leg.
In theaters September 27.
Smile 2
Though 2022 breakout hit Smile is so scary, it might make you cry, learning about its sequel should make a lot of horror buffs very, very happy. Writer-director Parker Finn returns to continue his spine-chilling story about an evil entity that preys on its victims’ trauma. The plot for the sequel is still under wraps, but the cast so far includes Lukas Gage (The White Lotus, Euphoria) and Naomi Scott (Aladdin, Anatomy of a Scandal).
In theaters October 18.
Wolf Man
One of the original Universal Classic Monsters, the Wolf Man has been reborn under many moons, but perhaps never quite like this before. Under the direction of Leigh Whannell, who cut his teeth writing for the Saw franchise with James Wan, the Blumhouse film deals with a man, his family, and the shaggy predator terrorizing them. Ryan Gosling was originally set to star, but is now an executive producer, with Christopher Abbott taking his place opposite Julia Garner.
In theaters October 25.
Nosferatu
Robert Eggers, whose directing résumé has given us highly conceptual gems like The Witch, The Lighthouse, and The Northman, is poised to gift us another haunt come Christmas. A remake of the silent film from 1922 about a vampire who obsesses over another man’s wife, Eggers’s gothic tale stars Bill Skarsg?rd (who played Pennywise in the new It films) as the Count and Lily-Rose Depp as his infatuation. Can’t wait to sink our teeth into this one.
In theaters December 25.
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