It’s never been a more exciting time to be a fan of movies and the cinematic experience. Franchises and blockbusters are at an all-time high, but the advent of streaming services and niche markets have helped smaller film studios, like A24, make important names for themselves. A24’s time in the film industry has been brief, and they’re still a year away from celebrating their tenth anniversary, yet the company has accomplished an incredible amount in this short period of time.
A24 prioritizes daring filmmakers who have unique stories to tell, which has helped them tackle a wide range of genres, yet some of A24’s most celebrated releases are a part of the horror genre. A24 is slowly becoming synonymous with groundbreaking and uncomfortable horror and these are the movies that will frighten audiences the most.
10 Tusk Pushes Body Horror Down A Dark And Disturbing Path
Kevin Smith is a filmmaker who cut his teeth with dialogue-driven independent films, but the later stages of his career have included a curious pivot towards the horror genre. Smith’s horror offerings have been a mixed bag, but Tusk generates the most discussion, and there’s a genuinely disturbing kernel of an idea at its core. Tusk, one of the strangest body horror stories of all time, tells the story of what happens when a hapless podcaster finds himself as the test subject for a cruel and deranged social outcast. It’s debatable if Tusk sticks the landing, and some audiences are likely to laugh at the disturbing final fate for Justin Long’s character, but silliness aside, Tusk is an intense ride.
9 Saint Maud Is A Demonic Tale Of Faith That Doesn’t Dilute Its Message
There's an inexorable connection between the horror genre and religion. Dark forces and struggles over faith have inspired horror films for decades and some of the most successful versions of these draining stories are the ones that are more intimate and small-scale in nature. Saint Maud doesn't overextend itself and its strengths lie in the eerie atmosphere that never subsides. A conflicted nurse begins to worry that the eternal soul of one of her patients is in demonic danger, and Maud's crisis of faith, combined with Amanda's unnerving behavior, culminates into a tense, effective horror film.
8 Climax Is A Kinetic Piece Of Horror Where Anything Feels Possible
Gaspar Noé isn't strictly a horror director. However, his pieces of work are filled with such haunting and foreboding visuals that it's easy to group his filmography into the genre. 2018's Climax isn't technically a horror movie, but it turns its 96-minute runtime into a building panic attack that never relents. In the film, a dance troupe tries to celebrate their recent performance, but they’re unknowingly dosed with hallucinogens.
Climax is a kaleidoscopic story that bursts with synchronized dances, but the mounting confusion and unpredictable impulses of these characters means that anything can happen. Climax makes the audience feel like they're trapped in this mind game with the characters.
7 X Embraces The Past With Its No-Nonsense Slasher Experience
Ti West is an accomplished writer and director with a flair for horror films that are authentically steeped in the past, like The House of the Devil. X, his newest movie, takes place during the end of the 1970s and the slasher properly taps into the gritty and raw aesthetics of the decade. X embraces exploitation with its lurid premise that gradually transforms into a generational bid for survival. West was initially unsure if the stylized throwback nature of X would resonate with audiences, but he has a trilogy planned that will continue to expand on this dark story and its shocking third act.
6 The Witch Sets The New Benchmark For Freaky Folk Horror
One of the bigger trends to invade horror over the past decade is the influx of folk horror, and the success of projects like Robert Eggers' The Witch is largely responsible. It's very easy for traditional horror stories from bygone eras to come across as inauthentic, but every single element from The Witch feels real, right down to the utensils on the tables. The Witch embraces antiquated dialogue and patient, restrained filmmaking that only helps the evil occult presences hit harder. The final act is truly chilling, and Black Phillip has grown into a beloved horror icon.
5 Midsommar Traps Its Characters Into An Eye-Opening And Transformative Experience
Ari Aster has quickly become one of the most exciting new voices in horror. His feature film debut, Hereditary, is too intense for many, which has put more of a spotlight on his follow-up film, Midsommar. Midsommar is interested in grief and identity, just like Aster's other works, but this movie is such a subtle magic trick.
Midsommar slowly lures in its audience, only to then aggressively strike when it's too late to escape. The atmosphere and visuals in Midsommar elevate the movie to a higher level, but Florence Pugh's revelatory performance in the lead is also hard to ignore.
4 The Killing Of A Sacred Deer Is An Unnerving Fever Dream That Swallows The Audience Whole
Visceral frights and carefully-constructed jump scares are easy ways to get the audience's attention in a horror movie. However, it's often so much more effective to create an uncomfortable atmosphere where the audience remains off guard and unsure where the real horrors lie. Yorgos Lanthimos has an incredibly eclectic filmography, and The Killing of a Sacred Deer is a methodical tone poem that never fully explains itself. So much of the movie is a terse debate between opposing forces who are played by Barry Keoghan and Colin Farrell, the latter of which watches his family slowly crumble away through mysterious means. The Killing of a Sacred Deer continues to provoke its audience until it becomes almost unbearable.
3 Under The Skin Recontextualizes The Alien Narrative Through Shock And Awe
Horror and science fiction films about aliens are nothing new and there is no shortage of subversive stories that attempt to take this material somewhere new. Under the Skin presents a familiar idea, but it feels like a cursed movie that's not supposed to be seen. Scarlett Johansson, in what's some of the most nuanced work of her career, plays a displaced alien who does her best to understand Earth, its population, and the body that she inhabits. Voyeuristic filmmaking, a moody score, and a confident narrative that doesn't lose itself in exposition all turn Under the Skin into a one-of-a-kind experience that's simultaneously frightening and fascinating.
2 Green Room Is A Creepy And Claustrophobic Exercise In Tension
Some of the most haunting horror films are the ones that pull from real life and existing fears. An alien or demon is inherently scary, but there's a natural distance to these incredulous concepts. Alternatively, Green Room builds its tension and terror out of the prejudices and hatred that exist in men. An alternative music venue becomes a holding cell for vitriolic sacrifices once a group of white supremacists become triggered. The stakes in Green Room are impossibly tense, but top performances from the late Anton Yelchin and a very against-type Patrick Stewart are the movie's secret weapons.
1 Hereditary Is A Brutal And Unflinching Look At Loss
A24 has become a leading name in the horror genre, but it's the raw emotions of movies like Hereditary that have practically become synonymous with A24's output. Hereditary dips into the occult and the film bears a lot in common with Rosemary's Baby. The demonic activity that consumes the third act of Hereditary is truly frightening, but this movie gets under so many people's skin because of the gutting emotion that the actors--especially Toni Collette--bring to the characters. Even without any of the supernatural elements, Hereditary still succeeds as a heartbreaking look into grief, loss, and a wounded family that's under unbelievable pressure.