While many of this year’s critically acclaimed horror movies were released before Halloween, the spooky season hasn’t been the peak season for the top-rated horror movies in 2024.
As such, four horror films that garnered high ratings and were among the top 10 most sensible by Rotten Tomatoes critics before Halloween were excluded from the list.
Perhaps the most notable film to come out of RT’s top 10-rated horror videos is writer-director Damien Leone’s Terrifier 3, starring David Howard Thornton as the killer Art the Clown. Although the film earned a “new” rating of 78% based on 121 reviews, the rating wasn’t high enough for Terrifier 3 to max out at 10.
So, with Nosferatu released on Christmas Day, the last big horror movie of 2024, here’s a look at the 10 horror movies of the year ranked by RT critics, plus where you can watch them.
Directed by Scream and Scream VI filmmakers Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Abigail is a reboot of the Universal Studios Monsters movie Dracula’s Daughter.
Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, Kevin Durand and Will Catlett star as a crew tasked with kidnapping Abigail (Alisha Weir), the daughter of a wealthy mob figure, only to discover while awaiting their ransom money that the young girl is a vampire.
Also starring Matthew Goode and Giancarlo Esposito, Abigail was released in theaters on April 19.
RT Review Rating: 83% “new” in 222 reviews.
RT critics’ consensus: “Using the worn-out vampire tropes with a touch of ballet, Abigail dances around the familiarity of her premise with a cast of actors and sublime style. “
Abigail is streaming on Prime Video.
Directed by James Watkins, Speak No Evil is an adaptation of the 2022 Dutch horror mystery of the same name.
James McAvoy stars a Paddy, a seemingly well-intentioned man who along with his wife Ciara (Aisling Franciosi) befriends an American family (Mackenzie Davis, Scott McNairy and Alix West Lefler) on vacation in Italy and invites them to stay at their farm deep in the English countryside. Paddy and Ciara, however, have no intentions of letting the family leave.
Also starring Dan Hough, Speak No Evil was released in theaters on September 13.
RT Reviewer Rating: 83% “new” on 204 reviews.
RT Critics Consensus: “Capitalizing on the suspense of James McAvoy’s twinkle-in-the-eye about poor health, Speak No Evil is the rare remake that eases worries of ‘I was there, I already did it. ‘»
Speak No Evil is streaming on Peacock.
Written and directed by Osgood Perkins, Longlegs stars Maika Monroe as Lee Harker, an emotionally damaged FBI agent tasked with trying to crack the case of the Satan-worshipping serial killer Longlegs (Nicolas Cage), who has eluded authorities for more than 30 years
Also starring Blair Underwood and Alicia Witt, Longlegs was released in theaters on July 12.
RT Review Rating: 85% “new” in 309 reviews.
RT critics’ consensus: “Saturated with a foreboding temperament while harnessing a nightmarish gonzo functionality of Nicolas Cage, Longlegs is a satanic, panic-inducing horror. “
Smile 2 stars Naomi Scott stars as Skye Riley, a troubled pop superstar about to embark on a global tour a year following a car crash that killed her boyfriend (Ray Nicholson). Exacerbating Skye’s torment is an invisible parasite that bores into her brain, which only manifests itself with visions of demented smiles of people surrounding her.
Also starring Rosemarie DeWitt, Lukas Gage, Dylan Gelula and Kyle Gallner, Smile 2 opened in theaters on Oct. 18.
RT Reviewer Rating: 86% “new” on 201 reviews.
RT Critics Consensus: “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.”
Smile 2 is streaming on Paramount+.
Writer-director Robert Eggers remakes the old 1922 gothic horror film starring Bill Skarsgård, aka Count Orlock, a decrepit vampire interested in his lost love, Ellen Hutter (Lily-Rose Depp).
Also starring Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Simon McBurney, Ralph Ineson and Willem Dafoe, Nosferatu opened in theaters on Dec. 25.
RT Reviewer Rating: 87% “new” on 195 reviews.
RT Critics Consensus: “Beautifully orchestrated by director Robert Eggers, Nosferatu is a monster of a horror movie that is both repulsive and alluring. “
Nosferatu is in the cinema.
Hugh Grant shows the dark look of his jovial old on-screen character as M. Reed in Heretic, a sinister devout heretic who traps two Mormon missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) in his home with virtually no way to escape.
Also starring Topher Grace, Heretic opened in theaters on Nov. 8.
RT Critics Rating: 90% “fresh” based on 262 reviews.
RT Critics Consensus: “Hugh Grant has infectious fun playing against type in Heretic, a religious horror that preaches the gospel of cerebral chills over cheap shocks.”
Heretic is streaming on premium video on demand.
Demi Moore plays Elizabeth Sparkle, an acclaimed actress turned TV aerobics guru who is fired by her sexist boss (Dennis Quaid) on her birthday.
Hoping to regain her youth, Elizabeth injects herself with the black market drug that restores her to a “younger, better version of herself” (Margaret Qualley). However, there are consequences when Elizabeth doesn’t follow the rules.
The Substance was released in theaters on September 20.
RT Critics Rating: 90% “fresh” based on 344 reviews.
RT Critics Consensus: “Audaciously gross, wickedly clever, and possibly Demi Moore’s finest hour, The Substance is a gasp-inducing feat from writer-director Coralie Fargeat.”
The substance is transmitted by Mubi.
Written and directed by JT Mollner, the serial killer mystery stars Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner in a game of cat and mouse where everything is as it seems.
With the cinematography of acclaimed actor Giovanni Ribisi, Strange Darling was released in theaters on August 23.
RT Review Rating: 95% “rate” on 153 reviews.
RT Critics Consensus: “JT Mollner delivers a thrilling, electric adventure with two notable performances from Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner in Strange Darling. “
RT Score: 77% of “rates” based on over 500 reviews.
Strange Darling is streaming on video on demand.
Directed by Damian McCarthy and starring Carolyn Bracken, she plays a blind psychic who enters the space of her deceased sister (also Bracken) to identify the woman’s guilty user.
Also starring Gwilym Lee and Caroline Menton, Oddity opened in theaters on July 19.
RT Review Rating: 96% “new” on 118 reviews.
RT Critics Consensus: “A stylish, creepy ghost tale peppered with shocks, Oddity tackles the basics of scares and achieves surprising results. “
Oddity is streaming on Shudder and AMC+.
Written and directed by Cameron Cairnes and Colin Cairnes, Late Night with the Devil stars David Dastmalchian as a late-night show host whose latest attempt at huge ratings is going horribly wrong in a Halloween broadcast on Oct. 31, 1977.
Also starring Laura Gordon, Ingrid Torelli, Ian Bliss, Fayssal Bazzi and Georgina Haig, Late Night with the Devil hit theaters on March 22.
RT Critics rating: 97% “fresh” on 231 reviews
RT Critics Consensus: “Delightfully dark, Late Night with the Devil proves that the horror of the property unfolded and is an exceptional boast for David Dastmalchian. »
Late Night with the Devil is streaming on Shudder, Hulu and AMC+.
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