2024 is coming to an end, the opportunity to take stock of the past year. After the superhero films, we look back at the 12 best horror films of this year 2024. Longlegs, Without a Sound, The Cursewe had a tough time this year:
12) Quietly – Day 1
This third part of the saga Without a sound is unfortunately the least convincing of the trilogy. It must be said that John Krasinski left his place as director to Michael Sarnoski (Pig). Weaker than its predecessors, especially in its emotional springsthe fact remains that Quietly – Day 1 remains to be a largely controlled entertainment and more convincing than ordinary Hollywood. Less surprising, more common, more telephonic, yet something very intimate still emerges from the characters. The horror has left the saga a little, in favor of film catastrophe. More Joseph Quinn et Lupita Nyong’o put on a show!
11) MaXXXine
After the excellent X and the very disappointing Pearl, Ti West concludes his horrific trilogy. MaXXXine is the only opus to have obtained a theatrical release on French territory. And against all odds, MaXXXine is the most successful episode of the trilogy. More accomplished, more ambitious, more complete, this conclusion which breathes the 1980s is a superb homage to the horror films of this decade. It is violent and uncompromising. And Mia Goth is by turns radiant and destructive.
10) Alien : Romulus
Fede Alvarez has already proven himself to be one of the new masters of horror. Don’t Breath and its remake of Evil Dead are two huge successes of recent years. Obviously, fans of the saga Alien were waiting a lot Romulus. Classy film, aesthetically very pleasant, Alien : Romulus clearly understood the legacy of this heavy saga. If the film is at the top of the basket, it nevertheless lacks originality. Damn movie extremely controlled, Alien : Romulus nevertheless lacks madness, freedom, and originality to really stand out from the rest. The inspiration of Alien : Isolation is obviously very present, but the horror springs do not go far enough to really shake its spectators. We could have clearly had worse, but we still expected better…
9) Heretic
When the writers of Without a sound come back behind the camera it gives Heretic. Antithesis of Without a sound and of 65 – The Earth Before (their previous achievement), Heretic is a very talkative moviebut often very clever. Opposition of beliefs, defeating of religious ideas, verbal jousting, Heretic is a exciting theological tennis match. The suspense and pressure, crescendos, bring horror springs that are certainly classic but devilishly effective. Anxiety-inducing closed sessionthe idea of taking Hugh Grant in this unique counter-job is absolutely brilliant. And even if the ending disappoints a little, the film works in its parallels with our contemporary society, and leaves a lasting impression.
8) Sleep
South Korean’s first feature film Jason Yu, Sleep is the little ufo of this list. Thrilling horror film, Sleep diverts the codes of the witty film with a intelligence rare. An agonizing and clever proposition, Sleep is a unique version of possession horror cinema, completely outside the constraints of the genre. Surprising at every moment, we simply regret a staging that is sometimes too wise.
7) Smile 2
With Smile 2Parker Finn does the same thing as the first part but better. More successful in every way, this sequel is mastered from A to Z. The filmmaker manages to make advance its mythology while avoiding recycling the first part too much. It’s clever, often very courageous in its script choices and the world of music lends itself perfectly to the exercise. While he takes a scathing look at our modern entertainment society, Park Finn will have especially succeeded in us stick with a radical conclusion and incredible striking force.
6) Longlegs
With Longlegs, Osgood Perkinsthe son ofAnthony Perkins (Psychosis), offers a unique horror thriller, fascinating rereading of the myth of boogeyman. Somewhere between It Follows et The Silence of the Lambs, Longlegs avoid clichés, never take the easy routebanishes the fucking jump scares, to present itself as an unusual, harsh and punchy work. The world of thriller and horror combines perfectly, Nicolas Cage is unrecognizable and the whole thing is simply best horror thriller of the year.
5) The Curse – The origin
Contrary to Halloween, The Exorcist – Devotion or even Candyman, The Curse – The Origin avoids the mistake of being the “real” first sequel to a cult license from the 1970s – 1980s. No here, Arkasha Stevenson offers a prequel to The Curse of Richard Donner. A brilliant, muscular, terrifying prequel, which brings interesting added value to the 1976 classic. Modern female gaze, polished aesthetic approach, The Curse – The Origin propose some truly terrifying horrific visions. While The Curse: The Origin sometimes looks towards the body-horrorthe feature film also talks about rape, abortion, the disposal of one’s own body, and it is also a firebrand against conservative religion. Finally, we must highlight the impressive performance of Nell Tiger Freeimperial, always in tune, despite some extremely difficult passages to play. It’s modern, political and arguably the most effective film on the list.
4) The Substance
After his excellent Revenge, Coralie Fargeat is back with The Substance. A real phenomenon at the end of the year, The Substance is a film sans concessiondefinitely radical, which offers a totally brainless conclusion. The genius and the stupid (voluntary?) rub shoulders in a exciting work who wears a acerbic look at our modern society of appearance and the superficial. A very contemporary proposition, the film has divided opinions, in particular because of its deliberately superficial aesthetic approach. Some see it as a form of denunciation, others on the contrary a form of conformism. A true genre film, The Substance therefore addresses the condition of women in Hollywood. Feminist proposal for some, totally macho for others, The Substance in any case shines Demi Moore et Margaret Qualley in a story that is not afraid to go to the end of things.
3) Nosferatu
Robert Eggers he is one of the pioneers ofelevated horror. So when he is responsible for proposing a remake of Nosferatu, we are in heaven. And that’s good because Nosferatu is a real success. The gothic style, dark, the use of black and whitedear to its author, are obviously omnipresent in this remake. The austere and immersive visual aesthetic by Robert Eggers really gives a profound impact of his rereading of the vampire myth. The American filmmaker completely manages to immerse himself in the visual identity of the story. Each shot is carefully crafted like a work of art. Always somewhere between an omnipresent threat and an unhealthy fascination, the film plays with our senses, with our primary fearswhether it is that of the dark or the monster hiding under our bed. The lines, the textures, the almost spooky black and whitethe light effects, are of crazy artistic power, and allow the film to be given a Absolutely stunning aesthetic.
2) When Evil Lurks
It’s definitely the craziest movie from the list. When Evil Lurksa gem from Argentina, produced by Demián Rugna, is the craziness you need to catch up on. Not necessarily very creepy, When Evil Lurks depicts particularly disturbing and frontal attacks of violence. The staging never skimps on graphic violence. Dark, merciless, the film shakes up, makes people uncomfortable, disgusts the most fragilevia a disturbing realistic aesthetic. And certain sequences mark the retina forever. No one is safe, and especially not children. Crazy !
1) The Red Rooms
Is it that The Red Rooms is a horror film strictly speaking? Hard to say. But it is in any case the most terrifying film of the year. This legal thriller which focuses on snuff-movies and which depicts the trial of a murderer using terrible techniques turns our hearts. While Pascal Plante never fall into the demonstration of style nor in the trap of the demonstrativewith calm, almost surgical mastery, he depicts a society where morbid fascination for serial killers worries. After a visually perfect introduction in the form of cold, structured, planned sequence shots, which have nothing to envy of David Fincher, The Red Rooms begins as a banal trial film which serves to confuse the issue. The Red Rooms is taken by a terrifying, chilling, disturbing crescendowhich will not leave its spectators unscathed. Via a subtly disturbed protagonist, Pascal Plante tells how Evil intrudes into the public’s mind. But also from the audience, from the people, as these images are normalizedthese recurring stories. It addresses the danger of over-exploitation of these news items on the desire to sell the image as a consumable commodity. And the impact that all this can have on us. Chilling…
Source: hitek.fr
