Macabre Daily Staff Top 10 Of 2024: Lowell's Picks!
You know it’s been a hell of a year for horror films when you have to make cuts to your annual list of favorites. There was something for everyone this year. From slashers to curses, to body horror, and even dueling nunsploitation films, 2024 brought some series heat. The following films are in no particular order, but they’re my favorites. As of this writing, I still haven’t seen “Heretic,” “Red Rooms,” or “Terrifer 3,” but I stand by my list. Pitchforks up!
Abigail
The marketing clearly wanted it to be this year’s “M3gan,” (“A ballerina vampire? OMG!”) but “Abigail” surpassed expectations. “From Dusk Till Dawn” might seem like the obvious influence, and it’s definitely there, but there’s a Sam Raimi streak of chaotic bloodshed that runs throughout. Melissa Barrera makes a hell of an action hero, and Kathryn Newton and Dan Stevens need to keep sending fruit baskets to their agents. Or onions.
I Saw the TV Glow
Perhaps the most identifiable still from the film is a childlike chalk drawing on a suburban street that reads “there is still time.” I’m still not sure if Jane Schoenbrun’s dysphoria fable needs this shot, as it gilds an already-impressive lily. Schoenbrun’s sophomore feature is one of the most affecting experiences of the year. I’m still parsing through it months later, and I doubt I’ll ever stop. Maybe it’s too early to call it this generation’s “Donnie Darko,” but time will tell.
Not the film anyone thought it was going to be, mostly thanks to some deliciously vague marketing. Osgood Perkins takes a match to some insidious nightmare fuel. “Longlegs” is the type of film that gets better with multiple viewings. Much has been made of Nicolas Cage’s glam rock boogeyman and Maika Monroe’s semi-psychic FBI agent, but we’ve come to expect tremendous performances from both of them. The ace in the hole here is Alicia Witt. Who knew?
The zombie renaissance of “The Walking Dead” has worn out its welcome several times over, so any experimentation with the form is welcome. How about a French riff on “28 Days Later” told in real time? Writer/director David Moreau (“Ils”) never lets up, maintaining tension as his own zombie virus incubates. I’ve heard it described as “George A. Romero’s ‘Run Lola Run,’” which is incredibly apt.
“What’s happening?” “Are you kidding me?” “How is it still going?” If either of these questions occur to you as you watch a film, it’s probably not a winner. Coralie Fargeat’s body horror opus elicits all three over the course of 261 minutes, none of which you feel due to the abject insanity happening on screen. Who knew Frank Henenlotter and Brian Yuzna would be reference points for one of the best films of 2024?
Speaking of “The Substance,” if it came out any other year, “Grafted” would be the body horror film to beat. As gross and visceral as it is tragic, don’t miss this slice of Kiwi horror when it hits Shudder later this month.
I caught this Spanish-language monstrosity “The Coffee Table” last year at Fantastic Fest, but it’s out now to win the title of the most uncomfortable film of 2024. Maybe, ever? It’s impossible to discuss it without spoiling the horrifying inciting incident, but know that it’s not for everybody, or honestly, probably most people. Well, I appreciated it.
Nosferatu
It’s Robert Eggers doing “Dracula.” You know how bad he’d have to fuck it up to leave it off this list? Bill Skarsgard is barely in it, but his presence looms large. His Count Orlock isn’t quite what you’re expecting, which is refreshing in an adaptation that’s almost slavishly devoted to the original. Cold as hell, but very much alive.
Jason Voorhees meets Kelly Reichardt. Yeah, yeah, that one kill was great, but so were the rest of them thanks to a crack special effects team. Much like “MaDs,” it’s one big swing that could have easily been a miss, but everyone hits it out of the park. Cinema, baby!
Andrew Cumming’s “stone age horror” went largely overlooked earlier in the year, but it cooks like a caught game over a campfire. The ending is a gut punch. With apologies to “Smile 2” and the recent nunsploitation resurgence, it belongs on here.
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