As a huge cinephile, for those of you who know me by following me on my social media platforms (as well as my YouTube show Kris Avalon Unfiltered) that I love the horror genre.
As 2024 comes to a close, the plethora of horror films released this year did not disappoint because my little black heart was fed aplenty with so many quality horror films. Not only did the films I have listed have me squirming in my seat at times, but also took me on a journey as so many of the films pushed the genre in so many creative directions.
So without further ado let's get into my list of horror films that not only pushed the story creatively, but also exceeded my expections (Smile 2 being the biggest surprise for me).
Terrifier 3 - After surviving Art the Clown's Halloween massacre, Sienna and her brother are struggling to rebuild their shattered lives. As the holiday season approaches, they try to embrace the Christmas spirit and leave the horrors of the past behind. But just when they think they're safe, Art the Clown returns, determined to turn their holiday cheer into a new nightmare. The festive season quickly unravels as Art unleashes his twisted brand of terror, proving that no holiday is safe.
The Substance - Audaciously gross, wickedly clever, and possibly Demi Moore's finest hour, The Substance is a gasp-inducing feat from writer-director Coralie Fargeat.
Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself? You, only better in every way. You should try this new product, it's called The Substance. IT CHANGED MY LIFE. With The Substance, you can generate another you: younger, more beautiful, more perfect. You just have to share time -- one week for one, one week for the other. A perfect balance of seven days each... Easy right? If you respect the balance... What could possibly go wrong?
Smile 2 - Blessed with a nerve-jangling star turn by Naomi Scott, writer-director Parker Finn broadens Smile's conceit into a pop stardom nightmare that'll leave a rictus grin on horror fans' faces. About to embark on a new world tour, global pop sensation Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) begins experiencing increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events. Overwhelmed by the escalating horrors and the pressures of fame, Skye is forced to face her dark past to regain control of her life before it spirals out of control.
Strange Darling - JT Mollner delivers a thrillingly unexpected and electric ride with two breakout performances by Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner in Strange Darling, a film in which a twisted one-night stand spirals into a serial killer's vicious murder spree.
If you haven't seen this film, go into it knowing as little as possible about the plot, because you think you know where this story is going to take you, but trust me when I tell you the twists and turns will have you thinking differently by the time the credits roll.
Abigail - 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. Abigail is a little silly, a little scary, and a lot of fun -- just be prepared for a story that takes its time getting going and might go on a little too long.
Stream - As the Keenan's try to bring their family closer together, they unwittingly enter themselves into a game of life or death. With four deranged killers patrolling the halls of their hotel and competing for the most creative kills, the odds are definitely stacked against them.
Another ultra-bloody gorefest from the team behind 'Terrifier,' this slasher isn't as smart as it wants to be in terms of social commentary, but it works well enough as a cat-and-mouse thriller.
Blink Twice - When tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) meets cocktail waitress Frida (Naomi Ackie) at his fundraising gala, sparks fly. He invites her to join him and his friends on a dream vacation on his private island. It's paradise. Wild nights blend into sun soaked days and everyone's having a great time. No one wants this trip to end, but as strange things start to happen, Frida begins to question her reality. There is something wrong with this place. She'll have to uncover the truth if she wants to make it out of this party alive.
Working from a script that she co-wrote with E.T. Feigenbaum, Kravitz shows a keen visual eye and a master sense of pacing – creating a highly effective, star-studded thriller that is also a razor-sharp social commentary.
Infested - Kaleb is about to turn 30 and has never been lonelier. He's fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.
Emerging director Sébastien Vaniček’s skittering debut rocks Attack the Block vibes, except with earthly eight-legged menaces instead of aliens ... disturbingly good fun, it will leave you itching for more.
Speak No Evil - When an American family is invited to spend the weekend at the idyllic country estate of a charming British family they befriended on vacation, what begins as a dream holiday soon warps into a snarled psychological nightmare.
As a fan of the original, I really think this did it justice and added a new twist and made its own film.
V/H/S/Beyond - Six bloodcurdling tapes unleash horror in a sci-fi-inspired hellscape, pushing the boundaries of fear and suspense. “V/H/S Beyond” grossed me out, made me laugh and made me jump — and it set a high bar for ensuing entries to jump over.
Azrael - In a world in which no one speaks, a mysterious, devout community hunts down a young woman named Azrael (Samara Weaving) who has escaped their imprisonment. Recaptured by its ruthless leaders, she is to be sacrificed to pacify an evil which resides deep within the surrounding wilderness -- but Azrael will stop at nothing to ensure her own freedom and survival. From the seeds of this gritty, relentless parable of sacrifice and salvation, comes an immersive, real-time, action horror tale from the visionary minds of Simon Barrett and E.L. Katz.
The filmmakers give birth to a new nightmare, one overflowing in possibilities and, it should be noted, several purposefully unanswered questions. Azrael is a blood-soaked blast.
Arcadian - In a near future, life on Earth has been decimated. Paul (Nicolas Cage) and his twin teenage sons, Thomas (Jaeden Martell) and Joseph (Maxwell Jenkins), have been living a half-life -- tranquility by day and torment by night. When the sun sets, ferocious creatures of the night awaken and consume all living souls in their path. One day, when Thomas doesn't return home before sundown, Paul chooses to leave the safety of their fortified farm to find him before the creatures arrive. Just as he finds his boy, a nightmarish battle ensues and Paul is gravely wounded. Now the twins must devise a desperate plan for surviving the coming night and use everything their father has taught them to keep him alive.
For a low-budget film, the effects work is minimal but effective. Arcadian keeps the aliens’ origins intentionally ambiguous and is all the more spine-tingling for it.
Cuckoo - Reluctantly, 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. Gretchen is plagued by strange noises and bloody visions until she discovers a shocking secret that also concerns her own family.
Directed with inventive flair by Tilman Singer while given flavorful personality by stars Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens, Cuckoo is a madcap madhouse horror that's on the right side of deranged.
The First Omen - When a young American woman 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 First Omen has plenty of spooky atmosphere and some great performances, although if you aren't in the mood for a slow burn, the pace might be a deal-breaker.
In A Violent Nature - 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.
It is so ruthlessly, mercilessly, casually, relentlessly, violent that it will deter lots of viewers, which is understandable and the film telling the story from the POV of the Jason Voorhees-like killer may prove tedius at times. However I liked that cinemattically Chris Nash opted to experimentally take the tried and true slasher genre into a different direction.
Oddity - When Dani is brutally murdered at the remote country house that she and her husband Ted are renovating, everyone suspects a patient from the local mental health institution, where Ted is a doctor. However, soon after the tragic killing, the suspect is found dead. A year later, Dani's blind twin sister Darcy, a self-proclaimed psychic and collector of cursed items, pays an unexpected visit to Ted and his new girlfriend, Yana. Convinced that there was more to her sister's murder than people know, Darcy has brought with her the most dangerous items from her cursed collection to help her exact revenge.
Exhuma - When a renowned shaman (KIM Go-Eun) and her protégé (Lee Do-hyun) are hired by a wealthy, enigmatic family, they begin investigating the cause of a disturbing supernatural illness that affects only the first-born children of each generation. With the help of a knowledgeable mortician (YOO Hai-jin) and the country's most revered geomancer (CHOI Min-sik), they soon trace the affliction's origin to a long-hidden family grave located on sacred ground. Sensing an ominous aura surrounding the burial site, the team opts to exhume and relocate the ancestral remains immediately. But as something much darker emerges, they soon discover what befalls those who dare to mess with the wrong grave.
Immaculate - Sydney Sweeney (Anyone But You, Euphoria, The White Lotus) stars as Cecilia, an American nun of devout faith, embarking 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.
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