Sommerleigh Pollonais, Horror Head Writer
Another year in the blood-soaked bag so you know what that means, it’s time for The Spookies, where I rank my favourites and not so favourites of the past year. So, buckle up buttercups and let’s take a look at THE BEST AND WORST OF HORROR AWARDS 2024.
BEST TELEVISION SHOW
WINNER: FROM
With a similar vibe to the much beloved series Lost, but with a strong bend towards horror, From is a thrilling and intriguing mystery designed to keep you guessing to the very end while also delighting in frustrating with more questions than answers along the way.
The story of a group of strangers who all end up trapped in a town where vicious creatures come out at night is one that’s well written, with well-developed and performed characters who you’ll either loathe or love.
Three seasons in the bag so far with the third packing one hell of a finale, the great creature designs and cinematography, as well as strong performances and well-written episodes all come together to show why From has quickly become must-see television for fans of the genre. If you loved Netflix’s Dark, then I think this one will be right up your alley.
Runners Up: Grotesquerie, Parasite: The Grey, Joko Anwar’s Nightmares and Dreamscapes, Dead Boy Detectives, The Grimm Variations, Interview with The Vampire.
BEST HORROR MOVIE YOU MISSED (MAYBE)
WINNER: ODDITY
At a tight one hour and 38 minutes, Oddity presents itself almost like a short story that could easily work in an anthology setting like Tales from the Crypt. Starting off simply enough with the murder of a doctor’s wife, things veer into supernatural territory once it’s revealed she has a twin sister who also has psychic abilities.
It’s a film best seen with no prior knowledge of the story — I would go as far as to avoid trailers — with every step forward pulling you into a whodunit masterfully blended with the kind of subtle and atmospheric chills that put your teeth on edge. Some may take issue with the movie’s conclusion or its lack of “hand-holding” when it comes to the supernatural elements, but personally I loved the twisted humour of the final shot and I think this is one Oddity most worthy of your time.
Runners Up: Cuckoo, Immaculate, Arcadian, Dancing Village: The Curse Begins, Blink Twice, Caddo Lake
BEST HORROR MOVIE KILL
WINNER: IN A VIOLENT NATURE
It is truly an uphill battle trying to create new and inventive ways to make a slasher film stand out among the crowd and while it’s far from perfect, In a Violent Nature is the kind of movie if released in the heyday of the popular horror genre would’ve gone on to be considered legendary. In the vein of Friday the 13th but mostly seen and told from the killer’s perspective, this brutal tale of a “man” seeking his belongings while carving a path of blood-soaked destruction easily takes the win for most inventive and definitely most memorable kills I’ve seen this year.
From a FANTASTIC one-shot opener viewed through the eyes of Johnny, a reanimated and vengeful entity bent on reclaiming a locket stolen from his resting place to the ever-increasing brutal takedowns he executes that would be right at home in a Mortal Kombat game, there was one particular kill that made my jaw literally drop. As to not spoil the experience for anyone who missed out this year on seeing In a Violent Nature, let me just say you’ll never look at metal hooks, chains and yoga practitioners the same way again. Seriously, I’ve seen a lot of inventive kills in my days, but I can easily say this just about tops them all.
Runners Up: Smile 2, Alien: Romulus, Longlegs, Abigail, Terrifier 3, Cult Killer, Grave Torture, Sting
MOST DISAPPOINTING HORROR/THRILLER MOVIE OF THE YEAR
WINNER: THE CROW
It wasn’t even close. This uninspired remake would’ve made a better music video than it did a movie. Remaking/rebooting/reinterpreting a movie as iconic as Brandon Lee’s 1994 The Crow was never going to be easy, but there are dozens of films such as 2004’s Dawn of the Dead, 2013’s Evil Dead and even this year’s stellar prequel The First Omen that more than proves such an endeavour is not impossible.
Poor Bill Skarsgard has nothing to work with here but a look that screams try-hard coupled with an insipid love story, boring villains and pacing that your grandparents would consider too slow. Other than some nice imagery I can’t think of a single reason to recommend this to anyone. Mediocre at best and deeply forgettable, if you want to see a better use of a large black bird coupled with a supernatural being you’ll be better off (re)watching The Fall of the House of Usher instead.
Runners Up: MaXXXine, Afraid, Apartment 7A, Azrael, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Your Monster, Sting
BEST CREATURE FEATURE
WINNERS: A QUITE PLACE: DAY ONE & ALIEN: ROMULUS
This year we have our first tie in the winners circle and that’s just because I couldn’t choose and believe both of these movies ticked all the right boxes.
For one, both films managed the difficult task of making a prequel suspenseful and engaging. The biggest issue I’ve always had with prequels is we all know what comes next, so it’s difficult to keep you invested in the fates of the players. Not so this time around with Day One as Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn’s performances not only kept me on the edge of my seat, but it also perfectly balanced the sense of tragedy and hope one finds after such tragic events. Keeping up the pattern of revealing as little as possible about their blind but brutal adversaries who treat anyone making noise with the same savagery as my dad when we disrupt his weekly cricket match viewing, this franchise (there’s a video game out now based in this world, so it’s officially a franchise now) proves it can still pack an emotional wallop.
As for Alien: Romulus, this is a movie I’ve already revisited twice. Superb atmosphere and set pieces, likeable lead characters and more Xenomorphs than you can count, it’s a near perfect prequel and the major win this franchise needed to get things rolling again. Here’s hoping they were smart enough to keep director Fede Alvarez around while crafting the upcoming tv series Alien: Earth. If they did, we’re in for one hell of a good time.
Runners Up: Arcadian, Hellboy: The Crooked Man, Monster Summer, Salem’s Lot, Bagman, Under Paris, The Watchers
BEST SLASHER
WINNER: TERRIFIER 3
It’s too long and too complicated for its own good, but if you squint your eyes just right, focus on the blood-soaked kills and mayhem and enjoy a series-best so far performance by David Howard Thornton as Art the Clown, Terrifier 3 easily takes the win among similar slashers released this year.
Thornton as Art this time has to not only play the deranged demonic clown but playS him as Art would act if he was running around dressed as Santa Claus. His larger-than-life facial expressions coupled with the way he moves continues to make this a character horror lovers won’t soon forget. The movie shines when it sticks to the reasons people were drawn to the Terrifier films in the first place — the over-the-top kills and heavy use of practical effects — but stumbles as the narrative becomes overly complicated. Which is to say like most slashers it’s going to get really tricky coming up with fresh ideas in this series that don’t require sending Art into space (although say what you will, Jason X was a hoot).
Still, there’s still enough clown makeup in Art’s bag of tricks to keep things looking fresh and to give him the win for Best Slasher this year.
Runners Up: Time Cut, In a Violent Nature, #AMFAD: All My Friends Are Dead, MaXXXine,
BEST SO-BAD-IT’S-GOOD HORROR
WINNER: WEREWOLVES
The super-moon is turning everyone exposed to moonlight into werewolves. One year later a biochemist and brilliant scientist played by action star Frank Grillo (stick with me now) is working on a cure while trying to also protect his deceased brother’s family. The name they come up with for said cure? Moonscreen… you know, like sunscreen, because why the hell not! Also, you may be asking yourselves how does a super-moon turn people into werewolves, and does it affect some and not others and why wouldn’t a secure lab have safety parameters in place when something ultimately goes a$$ up? Oh, you silly goose, this is not a movie for logic, this is a movie where we get to see what it would be like if The Purge had lycans running about.
The movie gets points for having my favourite monster in it as well as utilising practical effects for them which I appreciated, but it takes itself WAY too seriously. I just wished they leaned into how ridiculous the premise was and just enjoyed the ride. Still, it’s the kind of movie you can put on with a group of likeminded friends and just have a blast ripping the plot holes (more like plot chasms really) to shreds. Take a shot every time a character does something stupid and I promise you’ll be sloshed before they even make it to the second act.
Runners Up: The Watchers, Under Paris, Mickey’s Mouse Trap, Pagpag 24/7, The Front Room
BEST POSSESSION MOVIE
WINNER: IT’S WHAT’S INSIDE
An innovative twist on the possession genre that plays out like a mix of Clue meets Get Out. This movie does take its time getting to the meat of it all but it’s time well spent for the most part as each player gets their time to shine before things go berserk. It starts off simply enough as a group of old college friends getting together to catch up. The usual tensions and secrets lace the air until an unexpected “friend” from their past shows up with a machine that allows one person to switch bodies with another. It’s all fun and games until secrets are revealed and one of them accidentally dies leaving a member of the group stuck in a body that isn’t theirs.
With enough body hopping to confuse even the most avid Simon Says player (remember that game? The one with the lights and the sounds that mocked your memory as it sucked up all the batteries in the house?) this may not be your typical demonic possession movie but with friends like these who needs demons, am I right?!
Runners Up: Possessions, The Exorcism, The Deliverance
WORST HORROR MOVIE OF THE YEAR
WINNER: WINNIE THE POOH: BLOOD AND HONEY 2
Taking the title two years in a row is Pooh and his friends with the sequel being a lot better than the first, yet that’s like saying a punch in the gut is better than one in the face. The first movie made its meagre budget back and then some, which means we get better effects, better designs for the human/animal hybrids that are Pooh, Piglet, Tigger and more. It also had a much better lead this time around with them swapping out Nikolai Leon for Scott Chambers as Christopher Robin. But none of that stops this from being yet another mean-spirited story with a lot of moments that look like they were “inspired” by other classic and recent genre entries.
Again, it’s a major step up from the first film and I’m sure these horror movies based off of characters who are no longer protected by copyright will draw an audience (there are Easter Eggs hidden throughout that hints to future films). I just wished they wouldn’t take themselves so seriously, embrace the silly nature of their screenplays and maybe then I’ll find something to enjoy in them.
Runners Up: The Crow, Azrael, Afraid, Mickey’s Mouse Trap, Night Swim, Tarot
BEST HORROR MOVIE OF THE YEAR
WINNER: NOSFERATU
It came down to the wire on this one as this was my last must-see horror movie this year and it only released after Christmas holidays. But Robert Eggers once again proves the devil’s in the details with his reimagining of the 1922 classic silent film of the same name. Just the thought that this version is over a hundred years after its predecessor is a bit mind-blowing and ironically feeds into the immortality of a character like Dracula.
What I find most fascinating about Egger’s work thus far is his ability to tap directly into a time and place, immersing you completely until you lose yourself in a world that that’s as visceral as its surreal. The performances by these young actors especially those of Bill Skarsgard — a young man who like Andy Serkis seems to be carving out a niche in playing inhuman characters, this one being his best to date. And Lily-Rose Depp, who up until now I’m not ashamed to admit I saw as just another nepo baby, but who seems to give up her very soul to this performance.
With it’s dreamy/nightmarish colour palette, gorgeous gothic settings, haunting sound design and twisted romance story that also draws inspiration from Francis Ford Coppala’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula (although this one is less tragic love story and more stalker-ish), Nosferatu sinks its fangs into the heart of fans who love horror, specifically gothic horror, and never lets up. It was a close race right up until the end as The First Omen held strong to the top spot on my best of list but after viewing Nosferatu there’s no doubt in my mind that it deserves to take the gold.
Runners Up: The First Omen, Cuckoo, Smile 2, Longlegs, A Quiet Place: Day One, Late Night with the Devil, Alien; Romulus, The Substance
What were you best/worst horror picks for 2024? And you can check out more great horror lists including the previous Spookies below:
Sommerleigh of the House Pollonais. First of Her Name. Sushi Lover, Queen of Horror Movies, Comic Books and Binge-Watching Netflix. Mother of two beautiful black cats named Vader and Kylo. I think eating Popcorn at the movies should be mandatory, PS4 makes the best games ever, and I’ll be talking about movies until the zombie apocalypse comes. Double Tap Baby! Read More