The Horrors of 2024

A Bloody Good Time... 🔪

From chilling thrills to heart-pounding scares, 2024 has already proven to be a treasure trove for horror enthusiasts. Join me as we delve into the darkened corridors of fear and excitement, exploring five standout gems and five eagerly anticipated upcoming releases that promise to send shivers down our spines.

LISA FRANKENSTEIN

Synopsis: “In 1989, a misunderstood teenager has a high school crush — who just happens to be a handsome corpse! After a set of playfully horrific circumstances bring him back to life, the two embark on a murderous journey to find love, happiness… and a few missing body parts along the way.”

Written by Diablo Cody (JENNIFER’S BODY) and directed by Zelda Williams, LISA FRANKENSTEIN is a cute, clever horror-comedy reminiscent of films like MY BOYFRIEND’S BACK and EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, with a great lead performance by Kathryn Newton and a fantastic soundtrack.

IMMACULATE

Synopsis: “Cecilia, an American nun of devout faith, embarks on a new journey in a remote convent in the picturesque Italian countryside. Cecilia’s warm welcome quickly devolves into a nightmare as it becomes clear her new home harbors a sinister secret and unspeakable horrors.”

Sydney Sweeney delivers an excellent performance in this intense and atmospheric slow burn from Michael Mohan. It’s interesting that two different horror movies in which an American nun goes to Italy only to get knocked up by a demon came out within weeks of each other - it’s like 1998’s DEEP IMPACT / ARMAGEDDON all over again.

THE FIRST OMEN

Synopsis: “When a young American woman (Nell Tiger Free) is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church, she encounters a darkness that causes her to question her own faith and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate.”

The second nunsploitation film of the year, THE FIRST OMEN is a fantastic prequel to Richard Donner’s 1976 classic. Nell Tiger Free is amazing, as is the darkly sensuous mood created by director Arkasha Stevenson and cinematographer Aaron Morton. This one is genuinely frightening and feels like a true throwback to ‘70s filmmaking.

LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL

Synopsis: “Johnny Carson's rival Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian) hosts a syndicated talk show, 'Night Owls, ' that has long been a trusted companion to insomniacs nationwide. However, ratings for the show have plummeted since the tragic death of Jack's beloved wife. Desperate to turn his fortunes around, Jack plans a Halloween special like no other — unaware he is about to unleash evil into the living rooms of America.”

In the vein of GHOSTWATCH, WNUF HALLOWEEN SPECIAL, and THE LAST BROADCAST, LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL uses the found footage format to tell a story steeped in analog nostalgia with surprising emotional depth thanks to a tremendous performance by David Dastmalchian.

ABIGAIL

Synopsis: “After a group of would-be criminals kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, all they have to do to collect a $50 million ransom is watch the girl overnight. In an isolated mansion, the captors start to dwindle, one by one, and they discover, to their mounting horror, that they're locked inside with no normal little girl.”

From Radio Silence, the group that brought you READY OR NOT (2019), SCREAM V (2022), and SCREAM VI (2023), comes another hilarious, blood-splattered black comedy with an amazing cast. Kathryn Newton, Dan Stevens, and Melissa Barrera are great, but most impressive is 14-year-old Alisha Weir, who plays the titular vampire ballerina.

---

IN A VIOLENT NATURE

Synopsis: “When a locket is removed from a collapsed fire tower in the woods that entombs the rotting corpse of Johnny, a vengeful spirit spurred on by a horrific 60-year-old crime, his body is resurrected and becomes hellbent on retrieving it. The undead golem hones in on the group of vacationing teens responsible for the theft and proceeds to methodically slaughter them one by one in his mission to get it back — along with anyone in his way.”

• Director: Chris Nash

• Cast: Ry Barrett, Andrea Pavlovic, Cameron Love, Reece Presley, Liam Leone, Sam Roulston, Lea Rose Sebastianis

• Release Date: May 31, 2024 (Theatrical), followed by a streaming release on Shudder later this year.

LONGLEGS

Synopsis: “FBI Agent Lee Harker is assigned to an unsolved serial killer case that takes an unexpected turn, revealing evidence of the occult. Harker discovers a personal connection to the killer and must stop him before he strikes again.”

• Director: Osgood Perkins

• Cast: Maika Monroe, Nicolas Cage, Alicia Witt and Blair Underwood.

• Release Date: July 12, 2024 (Theatrical)

CUCKOO

Synopsis: “17-year-old Gretchen leaves her American home to live with her father, who has just moved into a resort in the German Alps with his new family. Arriving at their future residence, they are greeted by Mr. König, her father's boss, who takes an inexplicable interest in Gretchen's mute half-sister, Alma. Something doesn't seem right in this tranquil vacation paradise. Strange noises and bloody visions plague Gretchen until she discovers a shocking secret concerning her family.”

• Director: Tilman Singer

• Cast: Hunter Schafer, Jan Bluthardt, Marton Csokas, Jessica Henwick, Dan Stevens

• Release Date: August 9, 2024 (Theatrical)

ALIEN: ROMULUS

Synopsis: “While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers encounter the most terrifying life form in the universe.”

• Director: Fede Álvarez

• Cast: Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, Aileen Wu

• Release Date: August 16, 2024 (Theatrical)

NOSFERATU

Synopsis: “NOSFERATU is a gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman (Lily-Rose Depp) and the terrifying vampire infatuated with her (Bill Skarsgård), causing untold horror in its wake.”  

• Director: Robert Eggers

• Cast: Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Willem Dafoe

• Release Date: December 25, 2024 (Theatrical)