2024’s range of brilliant horror films proved the genre to be amidst a renaissance. From Osgood Perkins’ demonic thriller, Longlegs, to the latest Alien reboot, the consistently high quality of horror films released in the past year takes the cake for possibly the best year in horror film history, so let’s take a look at some of the standouts.   

Longlegs combines a chilling FBI murder mystery with a supernatural twist. We follow Lee Harker (Maika Monroe), a rookie agent investigating the cryptic murders haunting her town. Alongside her, we learn these murders follow a devilish pattern that leads to the frighteningly twisted killer, Longlegs. Played by Nicolas Cage, he gave a career-best performance. Perkins balances an intense narrative that keeps you on the edge of your seat with a tight script reminiscent of The Silence of the Lambs (1991, Jonathan Demme). 

Coralie Fargeat’s sickening body horror The Substance was everywhere in 2024, now earning itself five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actress. Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley electrify the screen as they showcase the pain caused by the pressures of beauty and youth, taking such commentary to a vile extreme. Body horror is a notoriously difficult subgenre to nail, as it requires a delicate symmetry between the disgusting but mesmerising visual effects and a plot with substance (wink, wink!). Fargeat, however, does this masterfully, creating an entertaining commentary on Hollywood. It may not be for everyone as it’s more than slightly on the nose, yet audiences have found themselves sick to their stomachs and wanting more.  

Deservedly so, the prospect of another Alien reboot was met with scepticism but Alien: Romulus’ (Fede Alvarez) promise of returning to Ridley Scott’s roots whilst exploring new ground was kept and very successful at that. With a cast of promising young actors (Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, etc.), we follow scavengers fighting for survival against the iconic xenomorphs in this action-packed sci-fi horror mashup. Benjamin Wallfish’s powerful score was a standout, pulling the audience into terror. Alien: Romulus may be the best instalment in the franchise other than the original, proving itself to have plenty of scares left. 

Lastly, this is cheating as it was released in early 2025 for us in the UK, but why not? Nosferatu, directed by horror legend Robert Eggers, is the latest in a history of Nosferatu films, starting with the 1922 silent version and Werner Herzog’s Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) and now Eggers’ rendition. This gothic tale is entrancingly both gorgeous and horrific. Let the darkness consume you as you watch an incredible ensemble cast (Lily Rose-Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Bill Skarsgard, etc.) transport you to a blackened world. Depp and Skarsgard will blow you away in a cursed romance.  

2024 also saw memorable entries to the genre, such as MaXXXine (Ti West), In a Violent Nature (Chris Nash), and I Saw the TV Glow (Jane Schoenbrun). This next year is looking just as exciting with The Monkey (Osgood Perkins), Presence (Steven Soderbergh) and more soon to grace our screens. Here’s to a horrific 2025!