A24 is one of the biggest names in horror, and for good reason. The boutique studio’s willingness to support the weirder side of filmmaking has made it a trusted brand in the world of horror and beyond. A24 has given us some of the greatest modern classics that will undoubtedly stick with people for decades to come. Here are our picks for the best horror movies A24 has released—so far.
12. It Comes at Night (2017)
It Comes at Night is a little harder to watch now than when it came out, as the film is driven by fear and paranoia surrounding disease. Of course, that arguably makes Trey Edward Shults’ film even scarier than it was before. With a plot that’s equal parts The Shining and Night of the Living Dead, this is another film with a devastating ending that sticks with you long after the credits roll.
11. Under the Skin (2013)
Under the Skin was one of A24’s early forays into horror but that doesn’t make it any less impactful. Jonathan Glazer’s surreal film has many readings, one of the most prominent of which is the exploration of rape culture, only with the genders reversed. Scarlett Johansson’s character is a predator hunting men, and the violence she commits is uncaring and random, no matter how the men behave. Eventually, Johansson’s character becomes a victim of sexual assault, just in case anyone in the audience doesn’t understand the metaphor and the reality that women inhabit. The casting of mostly non-actors and the use of hidden cameras for filming scenes in public both serve to emphasize this point: anyone can be a victim and nowhere is safe.
10. Green Room (2016)
Green Room is an excellent reminder to people of all walks of life: if you think you aren’t affected by politics, you’re dead wrong. That’s what a D.C. Punk band finds out after they play at a skinhead bar and stumble across an in-progress murder. Patrick Stewart is honestly terrifying and unsettling as Nazi skinhead bar owner Darcy Banker, and the late Anton Yelchin gives a solid performance as the male lead in Jeremy Saulnier’s follow-up to Blue Ruin. The film is more of a thriller than a traditional horror movie, but the execution (no pun intended) definitely veers into horror territory.
9. Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)
Most comedies that make fun of Gen Z can come off as mean-spirited or out of touch, but Bodies Bodies Bodies pokes fun at Gen Z in the best way: by portraying struggles that almost every generation deals with, but focusing on how Gen Z uniquely approaches them. Addiction, toxic friendships / relationships, dependence on technology—all of the characters struggle with these and more. With a cast that includes Rachel Sennott, Maria Bakalova, and Pete Davidson, Bodies Bodies Bodies arguably more of a comedy, which tends to break the tension in a given scene.
8. Saint Maud
Saint Maud is an excellent exploration of mental health and religion, two things that have been tied together for much of history, whether they should have been or not. Director Rose Glass also gets into the very complicated feelings that queer people can have when it comes to religion and God, both of which have historically been used against the LGBTQ+ community. The imagery is amazing and the final scene is perhaps one of the most haunting endings on this list.
7. The Witch (2015)
You may have to crank up your screen’s brightness and turn on subtitles for this one, but it is worth it. The Witch starts off with the on-screen murder of a baby and does not let up from there, devolving into a mess of awful family dynamics and religious paranoia. This is also a film in the category I would call “bad for her,” where the ending seems to be liberating or cathartic for the main female character … but is honestly not much of an improvement on her situation. Poor Tomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy) goes from being the punching bag of her family to a plaything of the Devil.
6. Midsommar (2018)
Chances are, if you hear the phrase “elevated horror,” one of the first films you think of is Ari Aster’s Midsommar. It is one of those movies that has something to say about almost everything: grief, relationships, xenophobia / racism, abuse and gaslighting, community—this film touches on it all. Accompanied by some of the most amazing costumes and production design in a horror film, Midsommar looks beautiful, but that beauty serves to both mask and enhance the true evil of the cult within.
5. The Lighthouse (2019)
The Lighthouse feels a bit like sleepwalking; at some point, it becomes hard to tell what’s real and what’s not, or if either of the main characters can be trusted. Brittany Knupper called Robert Eggers’ film “dark, disgusting, and wonderful,” an apt description of the surreal viewing experience. Both Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe give standout performances, going from apathy to adoration to absolute loathing almost within the same shot.
4. Talk to Me (2023)
Horror movies exploring grief are nothing new (we have at least four movies on this list that heavily explore the terror of grief), but Talk to Me once again proves that there are always new ways to explore concepts and themes. Sophie Wilde gives an amazing performance, and the film knows exactly how much to show viewers to freak them out. Because sometimes not seeing something is scarier.
3. Pearl (2022) and 2. X (2022)
I put X and Pearl together because while they are both very different movies, they are part of a trilogy, and I adore them both. (The third film, MaXXXine, is en route.) X is more of your standard slasher, though with a deeper exploration of sex and aging, and it has a surprising twist. Pearl is a prequel to X that follows protagonist Pearl as she struggles with her duties as a daughter of German immigrants, her own desire for stardom, and her murderous urges that ultimately doom both herself and her family. I personally prefer Pearl for how different it is, but also completely understand if people prefer X. In either case, Mia Goth should have been nominated for an Oscar for either film and the incredible aging makeup effects in X should have won for best makeup.
1. Hereditary (2018)
Even with the supernatural cult and possession aspects, what makes Hereditary so effective is the grounded emotions and performances. Toni Collette deserved an Oscar nomination for her performance in this film, but every other actor also gives their all. This brutal exploration of grief and parenthood has no comfort, no relief, no catharsis—it is just trauma stacked on trauma. Add in some haunting imagery and nauseating sound design and you have one of the most horrifying movies of the past decade, maybe even in all of horror movie history.
(featured image: A24 / Illustration by The Mary Sue)
Published: Oct 12, 2023 03:39 pm