Hard to top the first one because, unfortunately for the series, it’s one hit played (so far) just in three different styles. In ten years, I’m sure we’ll have Terrifiers for Thanksgiving, Easter, Memorial Day… because the people who love this just want more of it. He did firebomb a bunch of children, though.

Most likely, you didn’t know this movie existed. The entire 1h29m movie is one take, rooted in Patient Zero of a “zombie-like” infection taking first hold of a town. It’s a lot of fun, Gen Z coded, and one of the obscure ones I’d recommend to people who have “seen everything.”

God I wanted so much more from this. Another remarkable Scene of the Year candidate towards the end of the movie, but I just had a hard time getting over the concept after which the movie is named. I still love you, Hunter Schaefer.

It was exactly what I wanted from a movie that you know going in is attempting to re-hash the fear of “trapped in space.” How can you a) set yourself apart, b) maintain Alien-inspiration integrity, while c) coming up with new ways to make the closed-room-thriller instill fear? (Extra points for Fede Alvarez Going For It at the end.) Big year for Spaeny with this movie and Civil War on the heels of last year’s Priscilla.

Sydney Sweeney certainly saw an opportunity to showcase her Acting Skills. For a lot of the year, it was higher on my list, but it was a banner year for good horror releases and it kept being shown up. It will live on as great to throw on on any Halloween for a vibe set.

I’m not sure it’s a horror movie, but it’s certainly horror adjacent as the conclusion in the X / Pearl / Maxxxine trilogy. Gets trite as it seems to treat any nostalgia like celebrity cameos, low-hanging fruit to score audience points. Did it work? Sure. I definitely enjoyed my experience watching it. Did that make it a better film? Maybe for some.

Obscure Austria-German co-production that apparently only made $55,000 at the box office but was nearly nominated for an Academy Award and is based on an obscure piece of European history where eternal damnation prevented suicide so (mostly) women would murder a child so they could be willingly executed.

Strictly as a filmmaker, Oz Perkins might be my favorite of the horror genre. The Blackcoat’s Daughter is one of the biggest inspirations in my life, and Gretel and Hansel and I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House are definitely under-viewed. Off-the-charts marketing campaign here getting a fever pitch to boil over for its release. But where the movie lacked for me, according to Perkins himself, was intended, e.g. the parody of Silence of the Lambs and killer-as-wacky tropes. (I’m not sure I believe him.) But Maika Monroe is the modern scream queen we deserve.

As with Red Rooms (see below), an ending away from leapfrogging a ton of movies on this list. It’s pop-horror that’s freaking beautifully shot, perfectly saturated, and Stanislas Reydellet’s production design puts us right where we need to be to evoke the caught-in-time Neverland-Los Angeles of the movie. Margaret Qualley is a godsend. The movie also Goes For It, which see below, is something I always want from filmmakers.

Was this seen by a lot of people? Probably underrated, then. A masterclass in letting a holding shot do work on the viewers’ brains.

This was an ending away from being one of the best films of the year, leapfrogging almost everything on this list. I’ve never seen a female protagonist portrayed this way in modern film. I’ve never been so locked-in on guessing at her intentions with absolutely no idea what was coming next. Fantastic one-take shot in the beginning that only kicks off the detailed filmmaking that was to follow. Even if it wasn’t No. 1 on this list, it would probably be one I recommend over all of them.

The great parts are really great. My main complaint is Willem Defoe; he ends up being an unfortunate and unintentionally comedic role effectively playing himself. Following, he acts as an informal narrator, which cheapens the “show don’t tell” aspects of storytelling. This sounds like it shouldn’t be fourth on this list, but Robert Eggers’s pedigree warrants high criticism and this work still clears nearly all cinematic thresholds for stellar theater.

SPOILER: The great parts like the first time we see Nosferatu sucking blood; the final scene; nearly all of Lily-Rose Depp’s manic episodes.

Am I cheating by putting this in horror? Thriller, for sure. The ending is one of the best scenes I’ve saw in a movie in all of 2024. Plot-chop techniques used to perfection, a great Tarantino feel to letting the action play out.

The ’70s, a great era to spook, when information was limited and people wanted to believe. Late Night With The Devil took the good concept and executed it great.

Most of the time, what I want in any movie is someone who goes there. Men from Alex Garland wasn’t perfect, but if you’ve seen it, you know he Goes For It. I want those wild swings because sometimes it pays off. The First Omen does this while keeping in close harmony with the original Omen. Not just one of the best horror movies, one of the best of the year period.