THE BEST HORROR OF 2024

2024 has been an interesting year for horror. Whilst some of the bigger budget studio horrors flattered to deceive, we were treated to some bold and inventive features that delivered plenty of shocks and talking points. Rather than do the usual 'top 10 best horror movies' list, here are YGROY choice awards (and runner ups) for a variety of subjects. From best scene, lead performance to the scariest.

The best horror of the year

Winner: THE SUBSTANCE

Director: Coralie Fargeat

It's very rare for a notable horror film to please mainstream critics, gross out casual viewers, and satisfy hardcore horror addicts. But that’s what this wacky arthouse take on celebrity culture managed to do. As well as pour several gallons of fake blood on a cast of extras and pay homage to The Incredible Melting Man. On paper, it shouldn’t work. Demi Moore plays a fading star (cleverly parodied on the Hollywood Walk of Fame) who takes a “youth drug” and regains the attention of the masses. In practice, this highly enjoyable genre humdinger, written and directed by Coralie Fargeat, remains a high point of the cinematic year. From the pitch-perfect performances of the two leading ladies to the incisive dissection of social hypocrisy and crass commercialism, it all comes together very nicely. Intentionally over-the-top in places, you have to love a mainstream film that is confident enough to feature vomited-up mammary glands and bury the leads under a ton of ugly prosthetics and a room full of gore. A great experience, with literal substance. 

Runner-Up: LONGLEGS

Director: Osgood Perkins

Director Osgood Perkins had already made a name for himself with quirky and eerie indie horror movies. So when the buzz started to build about Longlegs and a bravura turn by good old Nicholas Cage, it quickly escalated into must-see territory for most people. As such, casual viewers and those familiar with his work were drawn into the bizarre American Gothic atmosphere that he created. Maika Monroe is excellent as the twitchy (and possibly psychic) FBI agent, and Cage knocks it out of the park as the pale weirdo with an odd serial killer motif. Some of the details push the concept a bit too far maybe (was the inclusion of creepy dolls always in the plot and really needed?), but otherwise this is a truly creepy effort that become a mainstream hit. 

SCARIEST FILM

Winner: SMILE 2

Director: Parker Finn

Entries in franchises like The Omen and Final Destination are often so compelling for a specific reason. Once satanic forces have a victim in their grip, they are invariably a lost cause, despite their efforts to wriggle out of a preordained fate. And so it is with both of the “Smile” films, except we become so wrapped up with the lead characters' survival mechanism throughout the running time of the film, that we identify with their escalating fear. So when the flawed singer Skye Riley (a fantastic turn by Naomi  Scott) starts to experience the world-warping tricks of the Smile Entity, it is genuinely upsetting, creepy, and scary. From simpering fans to naked stalkers (with filthy underpants!!), and a grinning dance-troupe home invasion, her experiences become more freaky. Until a series of sequences introduce a new incarnation of the Entity in a heart-stopping fashion. Shudders a-plenty and some genuinely effective scares.

Runner-Up: LONGLEGS

Director: Osgood Perkins

Filmmaker Osgood Perkins has the sublime gift of infusing the most mundane settings and situations with otherworldly creepiness. See The Blackcoat’s Daughter and I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House for evidence. This wonderfully broke into the mainstream consciousness with this almost indescribable slice of weirdness. Try to describe the plot coherently to a non-genre fan. We dare you! Suffice it to say that this 70s to 90s procedural crime thriller/horror revels in bucketfuls of bizarre details that originate from the dark side. Creepy dolls, possessed people, satanic shadows, and clairvoyance. And lingering behind it all is the pasty-faced weirdo with a birthday girl fetish. It gets under your skin and makes you feel dirty, even though it never gets as graphic as The Silence of the Lambs or Seven. Simple as. No wonder The Monkey is getting major coverage already.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

WINNER: THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER ONE

Director: Renny Harlin

An absolute perfect example of how NOT to perform a reboot. When fans of the Bryan Bertino originally heard that Renny Harlin (of all people) was ushering in not one, not two, but three follow-ups to the original cult offering… there were “mixed” reactions. But being open-minded and hopeful, many still awaited “Chapter 1” of the reinvigorated slasher with anticipation. Turns out they might just as well have re-watched the 2008 version and saved their time! Because, despite two new leads and the introduction of the local townies, this was almost a needless shot-by-shot remake of the Bertino narrative. Same situations, same masks, same kills… hell, even some of the dialogue is almost identical. No new twists and no imagination. The effect is that interest in the remaining two chapters is pretty low, to say the least. A bewildering way to treat a genre favourite. Maybe 2 and 3 will buck the trend (if they ever get a release date and are not dumped to streaming). Poor.

RUNNER UP: TRAP

Director: M Night Shyamalan

Trap is a perfect analogy for M . Night Shyamalan’s career trajectory at the moment. Full of promise but all over the place and often disappointing. And yet projects like Split and Knock at the Cabin tease a return to genre goodness, so we can’t help but err towards hopefulness with each new project. This looked good, with Josh Harnett as a (potential) serial killer being set up for capture at a pop concert. It actually brushed with some neat concepts as the lead character starts to use some ingenious “MacGyver” methods to escape the cops. But this phase is just the beginning and is thoroughly wasted. Instead, we get LOTS of footage of Lady Raven in concert (played by Shyamalan’s daughter), the “trap” of the title taking up only half of the film, dumb (really dumb!) cops aplenty, and annoying side characters (including another cameo by the director). It’s a shame because Hartnett is pretty good in the (initially) ambiguous role and Alison Pill shines as his wife in later scenes (as does Ariel Donoghue as his daughter). Hilariously, it turned out that the rumours of the outrageous (false) endings that circulated online were FAR better than the actual storyline.

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

WINNER: DEMI MOORE/MARGARET QUALLEY (THE SUBSTANCE)

Because, as we are incessantly reminded throughout the film, “They are one”. It’s no exaggeration that Demi Moore gives a career-best performance that is both showy and surprisingly subtle in the very best way. Her declining Elizabeth Sparkle is wracked with self-doubt and anxiety, whilst still craving the spotlight and attention that she is used to. In a turn that is remarkably short on actual dialogue, she exhibits a pitch-perfect to showcase emotions and motives. Take the bravura sequence where a should-be joyful date with a genuine admirer turns into a repeated “make-up” session in front of the mirror where it devolves into near self-abuse. Chef’s kiss It’s worth mentioning that Qualley equals her strength in this area, manipulating the male gaze and (literally) betraying herself for selfish reasons. It’s all good. And then the fact that both of them are buried in hideous prosthetics and have to emote in the most difficult of situations also speaks volumes. We’ll never see a sequel, but wasn’t it a fun time?

RUNNER-UP: NAOMI SCOTT (SMILE 2)

With her first appearance in a horror movie, Scott has immediately established her credentials for being a top scream queen. Miles away from Aladdin and Charlie’s Angels, this worthy sequel creates a platform for the actress to scream her guts out, shout in defiance, and scrabble away as the movie-length final girl for most of the running time. Being that her character (falling pop star Skye Riley) is culturally recognisable as an amalgamation of high-profile celebrities (and IRL problems), it gives Scott plenty of chances to catch the ball and throw it out of the park. From stalking to managerial manipulation, it segues into hideous entities and nightmarish scenarios. This could have been a pantomime performance, but Scott is so good that you can’t help empathising with her, even as you second-guess some bad decisions made under the clear influence of the Smile Entity. Really, really good. We just hope that we see more of her in future genre projects and she doesn’t turn down the opportunity to tangle with more spooky stuff. 

BEST YOUNG ACTOR

WINNER: PYPER BRAUN (IMAGINARY)

Okay, so the film itself is pretty disappointing and was a standard PG-rated Blumhouse concept, despite a promising trailer. But Braun, who plays the young “Alice” (she gets kidnapped and trapped in “Never Ever” Land, geddit!!), is absolutely ace. It’s a remarkably layered performance by the young actor, whose pitch-perfect pronunciation of the strapline (“He’s not imaginary… and he’s not your friend!!”) is so good that it’s used numerous times in advertising. Not only that, but she remains sympathetic and un-annoying throughout, despite some bad decisions and understandably stroppy behaviour. She even nails a therapy scene where she changes her voice and attitude, channelling the demonic mannerisms of Chauncey the Bear. Just a shame that the rest of the film doesn’t meet her spirited performance. 

RUNNER-UP: PERCY DAGGS IV & anthony b. jenkins (never let go)

A creepy forest-set fable that melded fairy-tale horror into psychological and apocalyptic themes. It wasn’t a major hit, despite an excellent performance from Halle Berry, but it was a decent film. There was also a fair amount of recognition for the young actors who played Berry’s threatened and isolated sons, Nolan and Samuel. Remarkably astute, assured, and mature performances, they carry the bulk of the narrative forward, especially after a shocking event midway through the plot. They also embody different characteristics and essential qualities in the storyline. Daggs as Nolan is understandably inquisitive and questions his mother’s judgement, leading to some pivotal sequences. Whereas the slightly younger Samuel is more compliant and makes some shocking decisions that have repercussions as time progresses. With less accomplished young players, this could have misfired badly, but they easily match Berry’s commitment and provide some fine acting.

BEST FEATURE DIRECTORIAL DEBUT

WINNER: CHRIS NASH (IN A VIOLENT NATURE)

A masked killer relentlessly stalking young people in the backwoods of America—it's a premise we've seen countless times before. Surely, there’s only so much you can do with that setup, right? Well, it turns out there’s still room for surprises. In a Violent Nature is one of those films that stirs up strong opinions. While it performed well with critics (78% on Rotten Tomatoes), general audiences and genre fans were sharply divided. For our part, we’re happy to sit on the fence a little on this one and awarded it a solid three-star rating. Some aspects hit the mark, others not so much, and it’s no shock that some viewers found it a bit of a slog.

That said, director Chris Nash has crafted a slasher satire designed to subvert expectations and keep audiences off balance. Yes, there are plenty of scenes of the killer trudging through the forest, and the tension doesn’t always land. But the gore? There’s plenty of it. If you’re looking for a slasher that feels unpredictable and a little dangerous, this might just be a fascinating watch. While imperfect, In a Violent Nature is a bold and intriguing debut for Nash, and it’ll be interesting to see what he brings to the sequel.

RUNNER-UP: THE FIRST OMEN (ARKASHA STEVENSON)

Richard Donner’s The Omen (1976) is rightly hailed as one of the greatest horror films of all time—a classic so iconic that even non-horror fans recognise its imagery and music. However, despite a decent sequel, the franchise’s subsequent entries—including the 2006 remake—haven’t done it any favours. Director Arkasha Stevenson changes that with The First Omen, a prequel to the original. Though Stevenson is no stranger to horror, her prior experience has been limited to television, directing episodes of Channel Zero, Legion, and Brand New Cherry Flavor. That experience pays off here because, while The First Omen has its flaws—primarily story-related issues and a frustrating ending—the direction is exceptional. Stevenson excels at creating a brooding atmosphere, delivering genuinely eerie sequences, and showcasing striking visuals (yes, we’re referring to Nell Tiger Free’s animalistic transformation near the end). Like In a Violent Nature, it has its imperfections, but as far as Omen films go, this is second only to the original and a truly solid prequel.

BEST SEQUEL/PREQUEL/REMAKE

Winner: A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE

Director: Michael Sarnoski

As prequels go, AQPD1 pretty much nailed it. Parts 1 and 2 of the fresh-faced horror franchise were excellent, but Day One was a surprisingly exciting diversion that branched off into the big city for a new angle. New lead characters, Lupita Nyong'o as Samira ("Sam") and Joseph Quinn as Eric, are agreeable substitutes for the Abbott family, and bring new qualities to the scenario. Sam is facing a dim future with a terminal condition and Eric is a stranger in unfamiliar territory, so their bonding and eventual friendship is a joy to watch. As well as that, there are heart-stopping moments where the Death Angels do more damage to NYC over some days than Godzilla did to Rome in his MonsterVerse sequel. Cool sequences, such as the initial meteor shower, the cat rescue, the silent exodus down the main street, and the underground pursuit are just superb in their presentation. Another benchmark for the franchise, and proof that it can sustain new ideas in the future.

RUNNER-UP: SMILE 2

Director: Parker Finn

When a new horror franchise is born from an acclaimed (and commercially successful) film, there’s always a concern that a sequel won’t live up to the previous entry. In this case, it was mitigated somewhat by the continued steering of Parker Finn, returning to directing duties. But there was a new lead character, and we were now wise to the machinations of the Smile Entity and its incessant curse. Didn’t matter. The double-whammy of Naomi Scott and a tricksy narrative that STILL fooled people, even after the events of the previous plot, meant that this was as close to a solid sequel as you could get. Sure, the plot beats are relatively identical. Skye gets cursed and tries to escape her fate. Same as before. But the emphasis and correlations between celebrity culture and hellish mind games made for a very entertaining and effective ride through a new landscape. Neat imagery, savage gore, uncompromising sub-plots, and an even more ghoulish unveiling of the Smile Entity mean that very few people were disappointed by this assured follow-up. Hopefully, entry number 3 isn’t too far off. 

SURPRISE HIT

WINNER: TERRIFIER 3

Director: Damien Leone

Think about it. There’s a sequel to an award-winning film about an infamous comic-book villain, starring a returning Oscar-snatching actor and one of the hottest musical talents around. There’s also a cheaply budgeted slasher horror about a hellish clown that performs chainsaw enemas in graphic detail and never speaks. Which one is going to dominate the box office and get the best media press? Precisely. And yet Terrifier 3 smoked Joker 2 in the USA when it was released. Wonderfully gratifying. Damien Leone’s ongoing gory franchise continues to succeed with fans because it just delivers on what it promises and pushes the bad-taste button whenever it can. It’s kind of refreshing to see. Roll on number 4.

RUNNER-UP: SPEAK NO EVIL

Director: James Watkins

We get it—an English-language remake of the Danish horror Speak No Evil didn’t exactly excite us either. Why can’t people just read subtitles? Most viewers are already using them for English films and TV anyway! (Rant over.) Even with Blumhouse’s experienced hand at the helm and an impressive cast including James McAvoy and Mackenzie Davis, it’s fair to say this felt like a film no one really asked for. But we’re happy to admit we were wrong. James Watkins’ reimagining of Speak No Evil is about as strong an adaptation as anyone could have hoped for. Is it as impactful as Christian Tafdrup’s oppressive original? Not quite. But crucially, Watkins and his team understood that the best remakes honour the core of the original while offering fresh elements and enough changes to avoid feeling like a rehash. This American version shifts the tone slightly, leaning into a more “fun” approach, with McAvoy delivering a villainous performance far more over-the-top and unhinged than Fedja Van Huet’s calculated menace in the original. It’s a surprisingly solid remake that’s worth your time, even if you’re still digging your heels in and refusing to watch it!!

best of british

WINNER: member's club

Director: Marc Coleman

British horror cinema has seen a decline in standout films over the past several years. Between 2000 and 2010, we enjoyed a rich period with hits like Shaun of the Dead, The Descent, Creep, 28 Days Later, and Dog Soldiers. However, recent offerings have been less prolific. That said, the genre hasn’t completely disappeared, and this year has brought a handful of commendable British-made features. Among them, the standout is Member’s Club—a bawdy, irreverent horror-comedy centred on a group of middle-aged strippers (aptly named Wet Dreams!) who accept a lucrative gig at a remote village hall. It doesn’t take long for them to realise this is far from an ordinary performance.

Member’s Club delivers plenty of laughs and some nice horror flourishes and there’s also an emotional through line that holds everything together quite nicely for those looking for something besides nob jokes and gore.  With its old-school charm, the film may not appeal to everyone, but it’s arguably the funniest British horror-comedy since Attack the Block (2011).

RUNNER-UP: STOPMOTION

Director: Robert Morgan

Aardman’s family friendly franchise Wallace and Gromit is a much-loved staple of British television and the duo’s latest outing, Vengeance Most Fowl was as brilliant as you’d expect. But as charming as stop-motion can be, there’s the potential for it to be, well… quite scary. There’s an uncanniness to the animation that can just feel a bit unsettling. It’s the jerky unpredictability of it all. It’s something that film maker Robert Morgan knows only too well, having been creating short stop-motion video content for a few years now (check it out on Youtube, some of it is wonderfully nightmarish). Morgan’s debut feature, the aptly named Stopmotion, stars Angel Franciosi as a frustrated stop-motion animator (of course) whose new project, a grim movie about the ‘Ash Man’, causes her to grip on reality to fray at the edges. Cue some brilliantly grotesque imagery and general nightmarishness. It’s one that critics seem to like a bit more than general audiences (a 91% / 49% split on RT) but that’s to be expected when the output is this strange and disturbing. Franciosi is excellent as always and does a grand job of portraying a character undergoing severe mental anguish. If you like your horror weird and gloopy, this will appeal. It’ll be interesting to see what Morgan does next.

best tv series

WINNER: THE CREEP TAPES

Fans of Patrick Brice and Mark Duplass's Creep films have long awaited a third installment in the beloved indie franchise. For those unfamiliar, the films revolve around an enigmatic serial killer known as Josef (or so he calls himself), who lures unsuspecting strangers into participating in his fabricated videography projects. After murdering his victims, Josef meticulously archives the footage in a personal video library, as revealed in the chilling conclusion of the original film, where shelves of tapes bear his victims' names.

While this premise sounds profoundly grim—and both Creep films are undeniably unsettling—they also possess a wickedly dark sense of humour. It’s this masterful blend of found-footage horror and black comedy work so well. The new six-part TV series on Shudder serves as an episodic continuation of the films. Though slightly formulaic, it delivers exactly what fans have been craving over the past seven years. Mark Duplass is the undeniable standout, with his unhinged performance elevating the series. The low-budget aesthetic only heightens the illusion of watching disturbingly authentic snuff films. 

RUNNER-UP: INSIDE N0.9

Whilst Mark Gatiss has been churning out a BBC Ghost story every year (to differing degrees of success), his old League of Gentlemen chums Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton have also stayed within genre with their hugely impressive horror-adjacent black comedy series, Inside No.9. Its anthology format means that each episode is self-contained with a new plot and characters, so if you aren’t keen on one, then the next one will probably tickle you or scare you. Or both. Our personal favourite episodes are probably The Trial from Elizabeth Gadge and The Devil of Christmas, the latter a truly shocking festive chiller. Whilst none of the 6 episode ninth and final series that aired in the spring matched those heights, they were still all excellent. Escape rooms, broken down trains, doorbell cams and Edwardian curses all feature, and it all ends with a rather meta episode where Shearsmith and Pemberton play versions of themselves where they ponder the evolution of their working careers. It’s a fitting end to a genuinely great series that has given us over 50 highly entertaining and rewatchable episodes.

best FOREIGN LANGUAGE

WINNER: MADS

Director: David Moreau

A frenetic and thoroughly French take on the beginning of the end from the director of the underrated Them (2006). Written and directed by David Moreau, it has the hook of being a 90-minute film shot in (Moreau swears it’s true in several interviews !!) just one take. That would be impressive for any type of movie, but the fact that this belongs to a certain sub-genre (which we won’t spoil) makes it that much more effective and seriously salute-worthy. The camera follows the events set in motion as a spoiled rich kid drugs up and encounters a mysterious blood-stained woman. As the next hour and a half unfolds, the narrative intersects with two other characters and branches off into their story without ever (supposedly) ceasing to film. If that sounds like an experimental mess, it’s really not. Funny, cynical, and surprisingly gripping in parts, this is well worth tracking down, even if you don’t have access to Shudder.   

RUNNER-UP: INFESTED

Director: Sebastien Vanicek

With Immaculate and The First Omen, we had a pair of convent horrors that were released almost simultaneously. We also got the same deal with spider movies, with Sting and Infested being released within weeks of each other. Now Sting was a perfectly watchable throwback and a good fun creature feature. But Sebastien Vanicek’s Infested, a French language film about a Parisian apartment block that becomes overrun with hordes of big venomous spiders, is the more impressive movie. It actually debuted at the Venice Film Festival last year but has just taken an absolute age to get an actual release. Well, it was worth the wait as it’s the best spider movie we’ve had since Arachnophobia. It wastes little time getting into the action and doesn’t really let up, giving us a handful of nerve shredding sequences - including one where some of the residents attempt to tiptoe down a corridor that’s been made into a grotesque giant spider nest. It’s tense and full of action. Think Attack the Block meets Aliens and you’ll know what to expect. Vanicek also makes an effort to get us to care about his diverse central characters too, so when the spiders strike we feel it all the more. He’s been tapped up to direct the new Evil Dead movie and we’re confident he’s got what it takes to make a success of that.

best ANTAGONIST/VILLAIN

WINNER: THE SMILE ENTITY (SMILE 2)

When you think of the Smile Entity, your first thought is probably of the skinless, many-jawed monstrosity that pulls itself from a torso at the climax of both Smile films. Whilst that’s icky enough to get a nomination for a top-tier antagonist, have a think about what it does and the glee it takes in its actions. It’s an absolute bastard, with a sadistic streak a (s)mile wide and no sense of mercy. How’s that for qualification? It flawlessly adopts the characteristics of your closest friends and allies, manipulates your every action, plays with time and space to fool you, and insists on making you smile whilst you kill yourself. Not only that but when it speaks through others, it even taunts your efforts to escape it. “Break a leg” indeed…. The only modern character to come close to the sheer bastardy of Freddy Krueger for unadulterated cruelness, just for the perverse sake of it.   

RUNNER-UP: LONGLEGS (LONGLEGS)

In all probability, in any other movie, the character of Longlegs would be a catastrophic misstep and a laughable villain. Even casting Nicolas Cage as the pasty-faced family killer is asking for trouble, as it’s a coin-flip between excellence and eccentricity. But in Longlegs, the villain is just the creepy icing on the shit-cake that dominates Agent Harker’s life. Whether it’s menacing women with a sing-song, dangling his fingers in front of his face for no good reason at a store, or having a screaming fit whilst driving, there’s an otherworldly quality about this sinister scumbag that defies description. He owns every scene he’s in and gives the watcher the “ick” without taking up hours of screen time. We probably won’t see his like again, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. 

best scene (spoilers!)

WINNER: THE SMILE ENTITY TAKES TO THE STAGE (SMILE 2)

And she would have gotten away with it as well if it wasn’t for that pesky Smile Entity! Topping the last scene in Smile, is (perhaps fittingly) the last scene in Smile 2. After several glimpses of hope, where it looks like Skye Riley had foiled her intended fate, the Smile Entity pulls out the card from its sleeve and proves that she never stood a chance. Instead of being in a grotty Pizza store as she thought, Skye is actually on stage on the opening night of her tour. Aghast, she stands in front of her audience and faces down a mirror image of herself grinning madly… until her doppelganger pulls apart her stomach and releases a crazy-eyed, mega-sized version of the Smile Entity. Gross and disturbing on so many levels, the final action of a possessed Skye takes place offscreen, and the aftermath presumably dooms everyone in the audience. Noice. 

RUNNER-UP: SISTER CECILIA BRINGS NEW LIFE INTO THE WORLD (IMMACULATE)

A divisive and genuinely shocking moment that benefits from some Bonafide acting from Sydney Sweeney. The captors of Sister Cecilia have underestimated the sheer anger and will of a pregnant woman, especially since she has been manipulated and abused throughout the plot. So after bloodily murdering several people with her bare hands (and holy nails), it seems like she will escape her fate after all. But as she makes her way into the sunlight, she starts to go into labour. In a one-take shot that focuses on her gore-covered face throughout, she gives prolonged birth in agony, severs the umbilical cord with her teeth, listens to the unnatural sounds of her unseen baby, and takes action in a final act of empowerment that you may or may not agree with. Powerful and uncompromising. Bland studio horrors take note.