Naver Webtoon debuts Maengjong on May 30.

The series hails from Haemuri (Olgami) and will trace the high school origins of how shaman duo Hwarim and Bonggil, played by Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun in the 2024 film, came together to face occultish threats.

The story is set to begin when “Hwarim, who has been concealing her identity following a childhood encounter with a snake spirit called Jin, crosses paths with Bonggil at their school.”

Variety notes that Exhuma director Jang Jae-hyun participated in the project’s early concept stage.

“We are presenting ‘Maengjong,’ a new series capturing the appeal of the horror-occult genre, ahead of the full summer season,” said Lee Jeong-geun, Naver Webtoon’s Korea webtoon content leader. “With the high school story of Hwarim and Bonggil, who left a strong impression in the film ‘Exhuma,’ enhanced by Haemuri’s characteristic tense direction, we expect it will be a welcome work for genre fans.”

“It is meaningful that the spin-off story of ‘Exhuma,’ loved by many audiences, expands by meeting the new grammar of webtoon,” said Lee Hyeon-jeong, managing director of the film business division at Showbox, which distributed the film. “We hope it will be a fresh experience for both film fans and webtoon readers.”

Exhuma was a breakout hit in 2024, becoming the first Korean occult film to surpass 10 million ticket buyers and the country’s highest-grossing film of the year. I wrote in my review that “the intricately woven Exhuma delivers one of the year’s biggest surprises in horror so far.”

The bond between Hwarim and Bonggil was one of the film’s highlights, making this prequel webtoon a must for fans.

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2024 has been a fascinating year for film. Still reeling from 2023’s SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America strikes and pushed back release dates, movie audiences have continually embraced the safe and soothing nostalgia of franchise fare and superhero cinema. Nearly every film from 2024’s top ten highest-grossing titles are sequels, which is creatively frustrating on some level, but this trend hasn’t impeded the horror genre from making significant cinematic gains. 

Horror has seen incredible success in 2024, whether it’s The Substance accruing five major Golden Globe nominations, Terrifier 3 and Smile 2 setting new franchise records, and the critical acclaim of original releases like I Saw the TV Glow, Abigail, and Cuckoo. These domestic horror movies all bring something original to the table, but audiences are doing themselves a disservice if they don’t check out what other countries have to offer. 2024 saw the release of some remarkable international horror films that should be mandatory viewing for any fans of daring, groundbreaking, and unforgettable horror. 

These are the top 10 best international horror movies of 2024.

Animale

Directed by Emma Benestan; France

Body horror is a broad enough sub-genre that manages to cover a tremendous amount of ground, but there’s a very specific sect of these stories that unpack the idea of people who find themselves transforming into an animal. The Wolfman struck a chord with this premise in 1941 and now, more than 80 years later, it’s being taken to innovative places through horror films like Emma Benestan’s Animale. The French horror movie is as much a character-driven lesson in gender studies as it is a brutal tale of transformation and loss of self. 

Nejma (Oulaya Amamra, who gives a tour de force performance) is an outlier as a female bullfighter who struggles to find respect in a vocation that’s dominated by men. Nejma begins to experience disturbing changes after she’s mauled by a bull, all of which coincides with a string of murders that see her male bullfighting peers being taken out by a rogue bull. Animale is aggressive and vicious, but it’s also deeply human and a film about identity. It’s the perfect double-feature with Amy Adams’ Nightbitch. Animale is female-driven body horror done right that bucks like a bronco and goes for the jugular with its horns.

Under Paris 

Directed by Xavier Gens; France

Animal attack movies are a visceral variety of horror that have featured everything from lions to alligators as murderous creatures. However, sharks hold a special role in this horror subgenre and there are well over a dozen movies that pit people against these ravenous aquatic creatures. Under Paris is more The Meg than it is Jaws, but it adeptly balances B-movie camp with ultra-violent terror. In Under Paris, a grieving marine biologist becomes Paris’ best hope for surviving a brutal bloodbath when a monstrous shark invades France’s Seine river. 

Under Paris doesn’t take itself too seriously and understands why people watch a shark attack film, yet it doesn’t just reduce its characters to blood-filled snacks for its central beast. There are some exceptional set pieces in Under Paris where all hell breaks loose that are guaranteed to make audiences wince. Under Paris benefits from its direction by Xavier Gens, the New French Extremity filmmaker who first made waves with the woefully nihilistic Frontier(s). Under Paris may not be as strong as Frontier(s), but it proves that Gens still has bite. Under Paris sets itself up for a bigger and bloodier sequel, so don’t be surprised if a more unhinged follow-up hits Netflix in 2025 or 2026.

Tiger Stripes

Directed by Amanda Nell Eu; Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, France, Germany, Netherlands, Indonesia, Qatar

Tiger Stripes was initially released in 2023 in Malaysia after it won the Critics’ Week Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. It’s such a striking debut feature from Malaysian filmmaker, Amanda Nell Eu, that presents an eye-opening coming of age tale of repression, conformity, and how to rise above these things and embrace your truest self. Zaffan (Zafreen Zairizal) is an 11-year-old girl whose body begins to change as she experiences puberty, only for this natural experience to go in a very unexpected direction. Tiger Stripes is a body horror transformation story that’s like Cat People – or Ginger Snaps – but with pre-teens. Child actors can make or break a movie and Tiger Stripes showcases an exceptional cast of young talent, especially Zairizal. The whole central trio of girls are revelatory and carry the film, which is no small feat.

The effects in Tiger Stripes are slightly cheap and hoaky (there’s a recurring glowing eye effect that’s likely to elicit more laughs than screams), but this is excusable for such a micro-budget production that still nails its performances, storytelling, themes, and uncomfortable energy. Tiger Stripes expertly masters how puberty can turn someone into an outcast who is afraid of their own body, but the film turns this up to 11 as Zaffan’s body begins to fail her and turn her into an impossibility. It’s a movie that’s not frightening, per se, but effective and creative as it indulges in pure chaos that has something to say.

Cloud

Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa; Japan

Kiyoshi Kurosawa is a filmmaker who has been fascinated for decades by the hidden horrors of the internet and the freedom that’s allowed through technology’s distant and anonymous nature. Kurosawa struck gold with this alienating premise with Pulse, while Cloud returns to these themes, albeit in a more modern and nihilistic context. Masaki Suda’s Ryosuke Yoshii is an internet reseller who grows addicted to the power trip that accompanies his items being in demand. However, make no mistake, Yoshii has no interest in helping others and the goods that he sells have more to do with his ego and the ability to manipulate others. Cloud leans into two distinct extremes, where its first-half is a masterful slow-burn psychological horror story that forces audiences to spend time with a truly deplorable protagonist. The film’s second-half is when Yoshii’s wicked acts catch up with him and the film becomes more of a bullet-filled action film. 

Fans of Kurosawa’s past works are likely to prefer Cloud’s fist act, but the movie commits to its ideas and deserves credit for an unpredictable trajectory that’s as chaotic and random as an internet message board. Cloud’s biggest monsters are the humans who are willing to cheat one another and flaunt their collateral, yet this becomes a cathartic experience that’s hard to turn away from. Much like any transaction on the internet, Cloud is an extended exercise in trust. It’s a taut thriller that sticks the landing and hopefully marks a comeback for one of Japan’s most interesting voices in horror.

Stopmotion 

Directed by Robert Morgan; United Kingdom

Coming from the United Kingdom, Stopmotion may seem like a bit of a cheat. However, Robert Morgan’s feature-length directorial debut is such a confident burst of original horror that it deserves all the love that it can get. Stopmotion animation isn’t a medium that’s inherently creepy, but its stilted and surreal nature naturally lends itself to confounding visuals that feel like waking nightmares. There are endless movies about the creative process and how storytellers can lose sight of themselves as they get progressively lost in their craft. Stopmotion tackles these familiar themes, but in a manner that’s completely original and endlessly unnerving. The psychological horror movie follows a struggling stop motion filmmaker, Ella (Aisling Franciosi), who strives to perfect and finish her mother’s magnum opus after she experiences a stroke and is left in a coma. 

Stopmotion depicts Ella’s messy attempts to exorcise her demons by turning them into stop motion creations, while the lines between reality and fiction become hopelessly blurred. Stopmotion is like if Synecdoche, New York and Mad God were to get into one of the telepods from The Fly. It’s a lucid drug trip that needs to be seen to be believed, while the movie’s unsettling “Ash Man” is a modern horror monster for the ages. Robert Morgan hopefully has a rich horror career ahead of him that continues to provoke and push boundaries.

Rita

Directed by Jayro Bustamante; Guatemala

Dark fantasy is such a powerful horror sub-genre when it’s properly handled. It’s nothing short of magic when an imaginative veneer shrouds reality and can turn a dark narrative into a transformative adventure. Rita is Jayro Bustamante’s follow-up to 2019’s serviceable La Llorona and it’s such special cinema, albeit one that isn’t afraid to get lost in darkness. Rita is provocative storytelling that’s reminiscent of Pan’s Labyrinth, with some Sucker Punch thrown in for good measure (or, honestly, The Promised Neverland anime). Rita (Giuliana Santa Cruz) is a young girl who escapes from her abusive guardian, only to end up in a dour institution that’s full of angels and fantastical beings with incredible powers who need her help to take down the demons and witches that call the shots and oppress them. 

Rita makes a meal out of the contrasting extremes that make up its narrative and how these mystical creatures have their wings clipped — figuratively and literally — through horrible abuse. Rita is a hauntingly beautiful dark fable that isn’t for everyone, but most will be hypnotized by the film’s remarkable visuals that don’t hold back. There’s a lot of seething rage that bubbles under the surface in Rita. However, it’s the eye-popping and sumptuous cinematography by Inti Briones that’s Rita’s secret weapon. It elegantly compliments the movie’s dark fantasy genre and themes.

Oddity

Directed by Damian McCarthy; Ireland

Damian Mc Carthy first made waves with 2020’s Caveat and this year’s Oddity illustrates that he’s only grown more accomplished as a filmmaker. Caveat and Oddity are both psychological horror films that are in conversation with each other, but Oddity packs a slightly stronger punch that is likely to stick with the audience long after it’s over. Set within the rich and unsettling world of curio and antique shops, Oddity follows a blind medium, Darcy (Carolyn Bracken, who also does double duty as Darcy’s twin, Dani), who tries to process her grief over her dead twin sister and simultaneously solve the mystery surrounding her murder. 

The titular “oddity” is a life-sized wooden mannequin that’s such a perfect prop for this macabre horror story. McCarthy creates effective scares and tense sequences that gradually reach terrifying breaking points. Oddity grabs hold of the audience and doesn’t let go, plus it’s a rare horror movie that concludes on a truly perfect final shot. There’s a lot of Child’s Play and Dolls in Oddity. However, McCarthy should be the first name in the conversation if they ever remake the gonzo human anatomy dummy movie, Pin.

Lumberjack The Monster 

Directed by Takashi Miike; Japan

Takashi Miike is a legendary director with an extremely diverse filmography that includes quirky musicals, clandestine rom-coms, samurai showdowns, kid-friendly ninja fare, and dozens of anime and video game adaptations. Miike has directed over 100 movies and shows no signs of slowing down. Despite his eclectic interests, horror has always been Miike’s greatest love and there’s just such a palpable energy when he indulges in his signature ultra-violence and soaks the screen in blood and guts. Lumberjack the Monster is a heightened slasher massacre that pits a desensitized psychopath against an axe-wielding serial killer with a twisted story that functions like Dexter meets Se7en. 

Lumberjack the Monster creates a gripping mystery around its murders that grows increasingly convoluted, but in a manner that’s vintage Miike. There’s such a wild first act twist that turns this cat-and-mouse hunt into an entirely different story. Lumberjack the Monster was quietly buried on Netflix, but this is no reflection of its quality. It keeps the audience guessing until its final moments and it’s yet another scary, stylized triumph from one of Japan’s most fearless filmmakers.

Grafted

Directed by Sasha Rainbow; New Zealand

Sasha Rainbow’s Grafted is a subversive black comedy body horror masterpiece that’s like if Takashi Miike directed Face/Off as a Tales From the Crypt episode. Wei (Joyena Sun) is a Chinese exchange student who moves to New Zealand to live with her cousin after her father’s experiments with skin disease and facial disfigurements have fatal consequences. Wei, determined to finish her father’s life’s work, is pulled in different directions as she attempts to juggle her father’s science, her awkward social anxiety, and her desire to be comfortable in her own skin and find popularity. 

Wei’s inability to fit in as an expat and her status as an “other” in a new country becomes a powerful emotional center to this bold, bloody spectacle. Sun’s performance is on a whole other level and she rises to the occasion with Wei’s incredible journey. Grafted accomplishes the right level of camp as she each act pushes the story to wilder places. In a year where The Substance largely dominated horror’s female-driven body horror narrative, Grafted is a worthy counterpart that composes a distinct symphony, albeit one that hits many of the same notes.

Exhuma 

Directed by Jang Jae-hyun; South Korea

Jae-hyun Jang’s Exhuma, an atmospheric and immersive occult thriller that’s steeped in history and the sins of the past, broke box office records and became South Korea’s highest-grossing film of 2024. A mysterious grave’s excavation triggers a dangerous domino effect that unearths far more than just a body. Exhuma is steeped in class strife, wealth disparity, and a story that digs into family, lineage, and legacy. This all amplifies the foreboding narrative, only for it to grow increasingly unnerving and surreal as spirits strike and bodies drop. Exhuma explores the idea of what becomes of people – and their energy – after they die and how this can fester and spread to become rampant curses. It’s a mature and psychological approach to hauntings, negative power, and “ghost diseases.”

Oh, and there’s a giant samurai oni who starts slicing up bodies to balance the karmic scales.

Honorable Mentions: Handling The Undead (Norway), Grave Torture (Indonesia), Out Of Darkness (Scotland), Sayara (Turkey), The Moor (United Kingdom).

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That doesn’t even touch on the huge studio earners like Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, or Alien: Romulus. Yet the surprises extend well beyond how well horror performed at the box office; 2024 horror is defined by the way it refused to stay within its tidy genre bounds.

This is reflected in the way that 2024 horror found new angles to push franchises forward through prequels and sequels, with films like The First Omen finding new ways to expand a franchise through stunning artistry and delicate yet dark subject matter. It’s reflected in new shifts in true crime-inspired thrillers like Red Rooms, a cold, clinical depiction of true crime obsession. Slashers like In a Violent Nature got experimental with a familiar formula to an exciting albeit divisive degree, while Exhuma shook up the tired exorcism horror subgenre.

It’s also a year where horror got deeply personal, featuring no shortage of films framed from a singular perspective, including I Saw the TV Glow or Stopmotion. In short, 2024 pushed the genre forward in exciting ways, introducing new voices while finding fresh fertile ground in even some of the more well-trodden corners of the genre.

Without further ado, here are the top fifteen best horror movies of 2024.

15. Oddity

Writer/Director Damian Mc Carthy‘s sophomore effort feels like a narrative and thematic extension of Caveat.  Aside from the brief return of at least one familiar face and a nightmare bunny, Oddity continues the filmmaker’s exploration of supernatural karma and retribution with offbeat characters and a unique vision for scares. Playing like a whimsical Irish folk tale with expertly crafted scares that send icy shivers down your spine, Oddity relies on pared-back storytelling that lets its horror elements and dual performances from Carolyn Bracken shine. While simple in setup, there’s a more assured tone and polished plotting to Oddity that makes it easy to hope Mc Carthy continues his exploration of this strange, frequently haunting cinematic universe.

14. The Coffee Table

A jaw-dropping inciting event transforms the film into a relentless pressure cooker that never gives its audience a moment to breathe in Caye Casas’s grim dark horror comedy- emphasis on dark. The gallows humor here might warrant a trigger warning for its boundary-pushing horror that serves as the catalyst. The filmmaker mines horror from a freak tragedy to a degree that often leaves those on board with the insanity torn between laughter and edge-of-the-seat suspense. A mundane task turns into an unspeakable nightmare that somehow only escalates the insanity until a doozy of a finale. It’s audacious in plot but even more impressive for the way it shreds your nerves with glee.

13. Woman of the Hour

Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut shakes up the true crime format with this stranger-than-fiction tale of serial killer and rapist Rodney Alcala and his bizarre appearance as a bachelor on the TV game show “The Dating Game.” Screenwriter Ian MacAllister McDonald and Kendrick tell this harrowing story nonlinearly, methodically painting a stark picture of Alcala’s tactics as he targets vulnerable women across the country throughout the ’70s. It’s not horror in the traditional sense, but Kendrick wrings abject terror through nail-biting, suspenseful sequences and one bone-chilling performance by Daniel Zovatto as real-life killer Rodney Alcala. An unsettling killer and centerpiece suspense sequences ensure Kendrick’s debut rattles. But it’s the unwavering empathy for Alcala’s victims and a powerful final gasp that earns this stunner a spot on our list.

12. Stopmotion

Horror is filled with stories exploring the lengths an artist will go to for the sake of their art, but BAFTA-nominated filmmaker/animator Robert Morgan fuses Stopmotion with tactile, squelchy stop-motion animation that sets it apart. The film’s deft blending of live-action and stop-motion animation is utterly captivating, grounded by Aisling Franciosi’s portrayal of a woman coming undone by her ambition. It’s not just the animation that stuns while simultaneously inducing revulsion but the unnerving sound design. Open wounds and puppets alike often come with discomforting, squelching sounds and wet noises that ensure an immersive experience.

11. The Devil’s Bath

The latest from Austrian filmmakers Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala happens to be their most despairing yet, making a powerful show that history is horror sometimes. A grueling depiction of a harsh life in 18th-century Austria, the film follows a dreamer too fragile for this unforgiving world. The Devil’s Bath saturates itself so thoroughly in her misery and psychological distress that it’s difficult not to be affected by Agnes’ plight. It’s a gorgeously made film, shot on 35mm, with an impressive lead performance from Anja Plaschg. The Devil’s Bath isn’t horror in the conventional sense, but Agnes’ journey becomes so despairing that it careens straight into violent, grim horror territory with ease. It’s such an emotional gauntlet that it’s one that you won’t want to revisit anytime soon. 

10. Azrael

The latest from director E.L. Katz (Cheap Thrills) and writer Simon Barrett (The Guest, You’re Next) makes for a fascinating experiment in dialogue-free horror, with a text card establishing the post-Rapture setup behind this apocalyptic horror movie. It’s so devoid of dialogue that modern horror stalwart Samara Weaving can’t even rely on her trademark scream; her character had her voice box severed prior to the film’s events. All of which is to say that Azrael potentially makes for a tough sell on paper. Instead, Katz makes you forget almost entirely that Azrael is devoid of speaking parts. Its nonstop barrage of horror violence gets doled out over the course of 24 hours, making for a gory survival thriller that doesn’t have time to dwell on the story specifics. Weaving’s capable performance and the visceral siege horror ensure this experiment succeeds right up to its memorable final moments.

9. A Quiet Place: Day One

The prequel to 2018’s A Quiet Place merely uses the initial alien invasion that plunges the world into a silent apocalypse as a thrilling backdrop for a soulful, poignant portrait of human connection. A mundane day in New York City gets shattered by a sudden invasion that leaves the city destroyed with a devastating death toll, an easy genre allegory for 9/11, no doubt, but writer/director Michael Sarnoski is more interested in exploring the human triumphs that rise in the face of brutal adversity. Day One ensures the requisite genre thrills and creature feature chase sequences are aplenty, but it’s the tender, unlikely friendship forged between Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn’s characters, along with a scene-stealing cat, that elevate this prequel into something remarkable. It’s the type of deeply stirring storytelling that makes you want a hug and a slice of pizza. Most of all, following a woman determined to meet life and death on her terms fills you with hope.

8. Infested

Director Sébastien Vaniček delivered a shot of adrenaline with his feature debut, ensuring that spiders haven’t lost their touch when it comes to inducing paralyzing fear, even in those not prone to arachnophobia. The simple setup that sees a rare venomous spider loose in a ramshackle apartment building, free to breed and wreak lethal destruction, becomes anything but thanks to class commentary and a terrifying escalation of horror. Vaniček keeps his characters and their conflicts grounded in realism, letting him cut loose with the increasingly intense spider horror. It’s not just that Infested employs real spiders for many of the close, squirmy encounters with the eight-legged beasts, but the filmmaker wrings extreme tension even from the quiet moments. Infested isn’t afraid to kill its characters in excruciating ways, either, making it easy to see why Vaniček was immediately snatched up to helm an upcoming Evil Dead movie.

7. I Saw the TV Glow

A deeply personal examination of identity and dysphoria told with a singular vision. Few films match the striking imagery found within writer/director Jane Schoenbrun’s latest, genre or otherwise. I Saw the TV Glow captures the viscerally jarring, existential horror of ignoring all warnings until you no longer recognize yourself, framed around two outcasts who bond over a ’90s tv show. It’s that specificity and dreamlike vision that mines horror from a relatable touchstone of youth– a period where we often form our identities based on our pop culture obsessions and cling to them like lifeboats in tempestuous waters. It’s a somber, meditative allegory that emotionally devastates, even as its potent visuals cast a haunting spell. More than just an assured piece of arthouse horror surrealism, it’s a stunning and bittersweet cautionary tale to be true to yourself.

6. The First Omen

Richard Donner’s 1976 horror classic centered around the Antichrist spawned three sequels, a 2006 remake, and a direct sequel TV series to diminishing results. When a prequel to the original film was announced, it’s not surprising that it didn’t exactly set the internet on fire; The Omen laid out the details behind Damien Thorn’s birth well enough, after all. What sounded like a typical, uninspired cash grab to extend the life of a fairly dormant horror franchise transformed into a compelling surprise in the hands of director Arkasha Stevenson. Stevenson helms her feature debut with impressive confidence, delivering an exquisitely crafted piece of horror that lends a tactile quality and atmosphere with a piercing score from Mark Korven that also serves a narrative purpose. It’s a breathtaking film befitting of its period setting, anchored by star Nell Tiger Free’s audacious performance. The First Omen finds inventive ways to breathe new life into the franchise while operating within the confines of established IP lore, shifting its focus to bodily autonomy while pushing boundaries with bold subject matter and shocking horror imagery. 

5. Smile 2

As someone who found Smile a solid film bogged down by its familiar horror influences, Smile 2 caught me off guard. In true sequel fashion, the scale is expanded, and the scares are far more visceral and violent this round. But writer/director Parker Finn’s exponential growth between films is what really excites about this sequel; this filmmaker has only honed his scare-crafting chops to the sharpest of edges and is having a blast doing it. This is a filmmaker with mounting confidence, and Finn finds no shortage of ways to keep the lengthy runtime moving at a rapid clip without ever diminishing the oppressive, inescapable horror and tension it yields. It certainly helps that Naomi Scott delivers a career-defining performance, tackling so many layers of her character’s traumas with seemingly effortless ease.  It’s not just the sequel’s razor-sharp and inventive, gory scares that surpass its predecessor, but a profoundly complicated heroine shaping the edgier style of horror.

4. Exhuma

Exorcism horror, for the most part, remains beholden to tired tropes and outdated ideas on faith and religion that make it a tough sell these days. One surefire way to break from convention is by framing exorcisms through a different cultural lens. Writer/Director Jae-hyun Jang (Svaha: The Sixth Finger, The Priests) combines introspective cultural and historical themes with creepy, atmospheric horror told through a yin-and-yang style narrative structure. Exhuma uses a cursed grave to unleash supernatural terror and a potent folkloric examination of the dark history between Japan and Korea. The two distinct story halves highlight the stark contrast between cultures, modern society, and ancient customs without sacrificing the genre’s fun or scares in the process. It’s the type of horror movie that brings cultural depth and worldbuilding while featuring a behemoth samurai oni rampaging through a pig farm. This isn’t your typical exorcism horror movie; its gonzo physical manifestation of past historical trauma makes for one of the year’s biggest horror surprises.

3. Longlegs

It’s safe to say that few films captured the curiosity and attention of audiences this year quite like Oz Perkins’ latest, thanks to the enigmatic marketing behind it. The refusal to reveal much at all ahead of the film’s release also extends to Longlegs’ storytelling, which keeps things close to the vest as it centers on young FBI recruit Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) and her bid to uncover the identity of an elusive serial killer. Longlegs injects a true crime story with putrid Satanism and refuses to handhold, serving as a visceral rebuttal to society’s compulsive need to find logic in the most heinous of crimes. Nicolas Cage’s minimal screentime, combined with his shocking transformation as the eponymous killer, only fuels the film’s elusive, existentially horrifying quality. But it’s the way that evil is a constant, voyeuristic presence in Longlegs that unnerves most; a beastly Satan watches on from nearly every shadowed corner throughout. Yet, as foreboding and palpably evil as Longlegs is, it’s not without a sense of humor. It makes for Perkins’ most accessible horror film yet as well as his most downright unsettling. 

2. The Substance

There’s something remarkable about the way that writer/director Coralie Fargeat’s latest somehow surpasses her debut film Revenge in terms of gory carnage while racking up the accolades, garnering award nominations and a spot on the Oscars shortlist. Fargeat can barely contain her venom as she lambasts Hollywood’s unrealistic beauty standards that fester and, in turn, create vicious cycles of self-loathing. Yet it’s not without humor; there’s an almost whimsy to the insanity that plunges Demi Moore’s Elisabeth Sparkle into a destructive pattern of monstrous body horror in her attempts to stave off aging and forced retirement. The Substance exists in a heightened sense of reality that’s as hypnotic as off-putting, with a protracted finale that unleashes buckets of flesh and gore in Grand Guignol fashion, the precise type of gooey climax that would make Brian Yuzna proud. Fargeat helms with assured confidence, delivering a tactile visual feast for the senses and creating one of the year’s sharpest, most wickedly entertaining entries in horror. 

1. Nosferatu

There’s not a single facet of Nosferatu that doesn’t impress for the sheer artistry on display. Night scenes in Robert Eggers’ macabre masterpiece are re-envisioned as monochromatic nightmares, evocative of black and white gothic horror classics like F.W. Murnau’s seminal vampire tale. Craig Lathrop’s exquisite production design whisks audiences on a tactile, immersive journey filled with dread-inducing decrepit castles, a city torn asunder by plague, gypsy camps, and beyond. Robin Carolan’s triumphant score, combined with Damian Volpe’s unsettling sound design, ensures the twisted love triangle at the heart of this gothic horror movie repulses and delights in equal measure. Bill Skarsgård’s unrecognizable transformation as Count Orlok startles, but it’s Lily-Rose Depp’s mesmeric performance as Ellen, the outcast trapped on society’s margins and forced to become both victim and hero, that stuns. Productions on this scale are rare in horror, and Nosferatu is operatic and dramatic, bold and revolting, with a powerful final shot for the ages.

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If you’re looking to catch up on the freshest new horror or you’re simply seeking titles that may have quietly flown under the radar, this week’s streaming picks are dedicated to 2024 horror movies that have recently made their streaming debuts.

Whether you’re looking for intense new twists on familiar subgenres like true crime thrillers, taboo-shattering grim dark horror comedies, or theatrical summer blockbusters, these five 2024 horror releases showcase some of the year’s best highlights.

Here’s where you can stream them this week.

For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.

Alien: Romulus – Hulu

Fede Alvarez gives a thrilling horror twist on the myth of twin brothers Romulus and Remus in his franchise installment set between Alien and Aliens. A group of six youths eager to leave their soul-sucking mining settlement behind make a bid to escape by infiltrating a decommissioned Weyland-Yutani ship to steal resources. Naturally, this ship happens to have been a testing site for Xenomorphs, and the erstwhile thieves unwittingly trigger a terrifying new outbreak. Alien: Romulus doesn’t forge any new ground or shake up the franchise, but it’s so expertly crafted, nail-bitingly intense, and downright visceral that it’s an easy recommendation all the same. 

Blink Twice – MGM+

Directed by Zoë Kravitz (The Batman) and formerly titled Pussy Island, MGM’s Blink Twice issues some rather intense trigger warnings at the outset and for good reason. Kravitz’s feature debut begins normal enough, featuring a meet-cute between tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) and sweet cocktail waitress Frida (Naomi Ackie). A night of flirtation at a glitzy gala event leads to a formal invitation to Slater’s private island, where he’s assembled a cadre of friends and ladies for a weekend of fun and debauchery. But something is wrong with this place, and Frida finds herself quickly losing her grip on reality. Kravitz’s incisive debut delivers a contemporary rape/revenge shocker that doesn’t hold back on fury, violence, or psychological torment, though its ending has proven to be divisive.

The Coffee Table – Tubi

Horror fans looking to test their mettle should take note of director Caye Casas’s grim shocker, one so dark that it should likely come with a trigger warning. At the very least it revolves almost exclusively around smashing one of cinema’s biggest taboos with a mischievous grin. A jaw-dropping inciting event transforms the film into a relentless pressure cooker that never eases up for a minute. One that Casas intercuts with pitch-black humor that only heightens the macabre madness. The filmmaker mines horror from a freak tragedy to a degree that often leaves you torn between laughter and edge-of-your-seat suspense.

Exhuma – AMC+, Shudder

Exhuma uses a cursed grave to unleash supernatural terror and a potent folkloric examination of the dark history between Japan and Korea. The narrative structure highlights the stark contrast between cultures, modern society, and ancient customs without sacrificing the genre’s fun or scares in the process. Writer/Director Jae-hyun Jang (Svaha: The Sixth Finger, The Priests) combines introspective cultural and historical themes with creepy, gory, and atmospheric horror thrills. This twist on exorcism horror offers just about everything, including possession, ghost-induced scares, and a physical manifestation of past historical trauma in the most gonzo way. It’s one of the year’s biggest surprises in horror. 

The Woman of the Hour – Netflix

Anna Kendrick gives a new spin on true crime serial killer story in her feature directorial debut. A charming, kitschy ’70s set exploration of gender dynamics belies an unnerving, suspenseful stranger-than-fiction tale of serial killer and rapist Rodney Alcala and his bizarre appearance as a bachelor on TV game show “The Dating Game.”  It’s not horror in the traditional sense, but Kendrick wrings abject terror through nail-biting, suspenseful sequences and one bone-chilling performance by Daniel Zovatto as real-life killer Rodney Alcala. Depicting some of Alcala’s crimes out of order only adds to the suspense, removing a sense of safety. 

The post Five Recent 2024 Horror Movies to Stream This Week appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!

Sewer Slashers Figures from Toy Snobs

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles become iconic horror villains with Toy Snobs’ Sewer Slashers mashup figures. They’re $50 each or $190 for the set of four.

The line includes Raph Voorhees (with machete), Leatherface Leo (with chainsaw), Mikey Meyers (with knife), and Donny Krueger (with claw glove).

Each 5.5″ toy is packaged on a retro-inspired cardback. Pre-orders are open through October 4 and are expected to ship in Spring 2025.

Howling II: Your Sister Is a Werewolf 4K UHD from Vinegar Syndrome

Howling II: Your Sister Is a Werewolf transforms on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray on October 29 via Vinegar Syndrome. The 1985 werewolf sequel has been newly restored in 4K from the 35mm original camera negative with Dolby Vision HDR.

Philippe Mora (Communion) directs from a script by The Howling novel series author Gary Brandner and Robert Sarno. Christopher Lee, Annie McEnroe, Reb Brown, Marsha Hunt, and Sybil Danning star.

Special features include: new commentary by Mora and Goodner; commentary by Mora; commentary by composer Steve Parsons and editor Charles Bornstein; a new conversation with Mora and filmmaker Michael Mohan; interviews with Brown, Danning, actress Annie Pressman, special effects artist Steve Johnson, and composer Stephen Parsons; and more.

Halloween III Prints from Readful Things

Seasonal junk food has hit the shelves while perennial horror movies are re-entering the zeitgeist, so why not combine the two?

Readful Things imagines Halloween III’s iconic masks as a trio of vintage cereal mascots: Silver Shamrocks, Samhain Skulls, and Season of the Crunch. 11×14 matte prints are $26.99 each.

Beetlejuice Figure from NECA

A ton of Beetlejuice collectibles have been summoned in conjunction with the new sequel, but a strong contender for ghost with the most is NECA’s Bio-Exorcist Tour Guide.

Priced at $36.99, the 7″ scale ultimate action figure is due out in January.

Interchangeable face plates, six hands, hat, dead rat, Betelgeuse fliers, newspaper, and lantern are included. It’s packaged in a window box with opening flap.

Exhuma 4K UHD from Well Go USA

Exhuma will be released on 4K Ultra HD on October 8 via Well Go USA. The 2024 South Korean folk horror film is also known as Pamyo.

The highest-grossing South Korean film of the year — and sixth highest-grossing South Korean film of all time — is written and directed Jang Jae-hyun. Choi Min-sik, Kim Go-eun, Yoo Hae-jin, and Lee Do-hyun star.

Meagan Navarro’s review raves, “Anchored by four ‘ghostbusters’ of sorts, with charismatic actors behind them, the intricately woven Exhuma delivers one of the year’s biggest surprises in horror so far.”

No special features are included, but the disc features a new English dub alongside the original Korean audio with English subtitles.

For more merch madness, peruse the Killer Collectibles archives. You can also visit Broke Horror Fan.

The post 5 of This Week’s Coolest Horror Collectibles Including ‘Ninja Turtles’ x Horror Icons Mashup Toys appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

This summer’s only getting warmed up for horror releases, with some of the year’s most anticipated titles on the immediate horizon. MaXXXine and Longlegs are just around the corner, with Fede Alvarez’s Alien: Romulus soon to follow. Here’s hoping that means horror is only gaining momentum for the back half of 2024.

As a refresher and to ensure great movies don’t fall through the cracks, here are the ten best horror movies released in the first half of 2024.

Abigail

“Sammy, those are f*cking onions.” It’s the cast and their memorable characters that set this heist-turned-vampire movie apart, making for one highly entertaining horror-comedy with no shortage of comedic one-liners, character gags, and buckets of blood. Abigail just wants you to have a good time seeing its unlucky criminals in over their heads in increasingly deranged and violent ways. With an insane commitment to arterial spray, Abigail winds up another crowd-pleaser from Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. Come for the gore, but be prepared to fall head over heels for an ensemble filled with scene-stealers. It’s a blast.

What You Wish For

Writer/Director Nicholas Tomnay concocts an intense, darkly funny pressure cooker scenario for a chef in over his head. Nick Stahl stars as the weary hotel kitchen cook who finds himself thinking on his feet as he’s repeatedly forced into unthinkable scenarios. It’s a culinary thriller with a distinct horror bent, the reveal of which can likely be surmised, but I won’t spoil it here. Tomnay keeps the pressure applied at a steady clip, building the tension to occasion nerve-fraying results. Stahl’s understated performance lends well to Tomnay’s pitch-black humor and Hitchcockian approach, creating an enticing, elegant dinner party turned horrifically and comically awry in suspenseful ways.

The Devil’s Bath

The latest from Austrian filmmakers Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala happens to be their most despairing yet, mining period horror from history. It’s an affecting yet grueling depiction of life in 18th-century Austria, immersive in the way it creates profound, methodical empathy for a tender-hearted woman trapped by isolation. That the horror stems from grim reality and historical accounts leaves no room for levity or escapism; it’s two hours of escalating suffering, building toward a horrific finale that packs a potent, somber punch. The Devil’s Bath saturates itself so thoroughly in misery and psychological distress that it’s difficult not to be affected by Agnes’ plight. It’s a gorgeously made film, shot on 35mm, with an impressive lead performance from Anja Plaschg. But it’s such an emotional gauntlet that it’s one that you won’t want to revisit anytime soon. 

A Quiet Place: Day One

It’s difficult not to draw parallels to 9/11 in writer/director Michael Sarnoski’s soulful A Quiet Place: Day One. A mundane day in New York City gets shattered by a sudden invasion that leaves the city destroyed with a devastating death toll, but Sarnoski is more interested in exploring the human triumphs that rise in the face of brutal adversity. Sarnoski delivers plenty of creature feature intensity and breathless suspense, but it’s used more as a backdrop for a deeply affecting drama of human connection and compassion. Day One doesn’t bother to explain anything in the way of the alien invasion, and it doesn’t need to. What’s important is the small details and nuance of its characters, and Day One is rich on both fronts. It’s deeper, more meditative, and more effective than its predecessors, led by powerhouse performances from Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn.

Infested

Director Sébastien Vaniček has been set to helm the next Evil Dead movie, and it’s easy to see why with his feature debut. It’s not just that Infested employs real spiders for many of the skin-crawling horror moments that make it so effective, though that certainly is a factor. Or in the way the spiders’ venom inflicts a painful, grotesque demise. It’s in the constant escalation of the horror and the way Vaniček captures the arachnids on screen. It’s also in the lived-in world and its characters, earning easy emotional investment and rooting interest. That authenticity, the high octane energy, and the constant rise and fall of palpable tension as the spiders skitter about and wreak devastation are enough to leave viewers curling into the fetal position. 

Stopmotion

Art and storytelling collide in breathtaking yet revolting fashion in the feature directorial debut by BAFTA-nominated filmmaker/animator Robert Morgan. The filmmaker and stop-motion animator finds inventive and creative ways to mine visceral horror through the uncanny, unsettling nature of stop-motion animation and its painstaking process. The film’s deft blending of mediums is utterly captivating, including the way the filmmaker imbues his stop-motion creations with a tactile quality. It’s not just the animation that stuns while simultaneously inducing revulsion but the unnerving sound design. Open wounds and puppets alike often come with discomforting, squelching sounds and wet noises that ensure an immersive experience. An artist’s unraveling isn’t new, but Morgan’s approach is refreshing, stylish, and oh-so squelchy.

The Coffee Table

Horror fans looking to test their mettle should take note of director Caye Casas’s grim shocker, one so dark that it should likely come with a trigger warning. A jaw-dropping inciting event transforms the film into a relentless pressure cooker that never eases up for a minute. One that Casas intercuts with pitch-black humor that only heightens the macabre madness. The filmmaker mines horror from a freak tragedy to a degree that often leaves you torn between laughter and edge-of-your-seat suspense. But more impressive is the way that Casas fearlessly shatters at least one sacred cinematic taboo for a twisted laugh. It’s audacious in plot but even more impressive for the way it shreds your nerves with glee.

I Saw the TV Glow

Writer/Director Jane Schoenbrun delivers a singular vision of arthouse horror that entrances with its fevered dream style and insanely cool imagery. Armed with a bigger A24 budget allows the filmmaker to get even more personal while evolving their voice and visual style to an intoxicating degree. It not only creates a specificity for Schoenbrun’s deeply personal examination but a relatable touchstone of youth– a period where we often form our identities based on our pop culture obsessions and cling to them like lifeboats in tempestuous waters. I Saw the TV Glow offers a layered and authentic portrait of identity and dysphoria, wrapped in ’90s nostalgia and surreal imagery that embeds itself deep into your psyche. More than just an assured piece of arthouse horror surrealism, it’s a stunning and bittersweet reminder that you’re not alone, fictional friends or otherwise. 

Exhuma

Writer/Director Jae-hyun Jang (Svaha: The Sixth Finger, The Priests) combines introspective cultural and historical themes with creepy, gory, and atmospheric horror thrills in an exciting way, making it easy to see why it’s become a runaway box office hit in Asia. Anchored by four “ghostbusters“ of sorts, with charismatic actors behind them, Exhuma uses a cursed grave to unleash supernatural terror and a potent folkloric examination of the dark history between Japan and Korea. The narrative structure highlights the stark contrast between cultures, modern society, and ancient customs without sacrificing the genre’s fun or scares in the process. Jae-hyun Jang balances grim, sometimes bloody folkloric terror with levity and heart. Exhuma offers just about everything, including possession, ghost-induced scares, and a physical manifestation of past historical trauma in the most gonzo way. It’s one of the year’s biggest surprises in horror.

The First Omen

Director Arkasha Stevenson doesn’t just helm a prequel worthy of Richard Donner’s 1976 horror classic but establishes herself as a bold new voice in horror with this stunning feature debut. The subject matter is dark, but it’s handled with elegance and care without sacrificing the horror. It’s helped by chill-inducing imagery and smart horror influences, including Jacob’s Ladder and Possession. Stevenson helms with confidence, delivering an exquisitely crafted piece of horror that lends a tactile quality and atmosphere with a piercing score from Mark Korven that also serves a narrative purpose. The film’s strongest asset, of course, is star Nell Tiger Free, who fully commits to every stage of her character’s evolution, turning in a breathless physical performance that stuns on more than one occasion. 

The post The 10 Best Horror Movies Released in the First Half of 2024 appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Here’s all the new horror released June 10 – June 16, 2024!

For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.

First up, Gravitas Ventures released G.S. Foxwood’s horror film Wild Eyed and Wicked on VOD outlets this past Tuesday, June 11. The film blends elements of horror, familial drama, and fantasy to “create a unique, emotionally powerful, and terrifying experience.”

Molly Kunz (Widows, The Irrational), Michael X. Sommers (Sense8), Stefanie Estes (Soft & Quiet), and Colleen Camp (Clue) star in the indie horror film Wild Eyed and Wicked.

Wild Eyed and Wicked follows Lily Pierce (Kunz) in her attempt to strike back at the medieval creature that’s haunted her family for generations. She must reconnect with her estranged father, Gregory (Sommers), a disgraced history professor, and learn how to draw upon a time of steel and blade when armor-clad knights rode out and dueled monsters to the death.

A24 and Writer/Director Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw the TV Glow is one of this year’s most talked-about horror movies, and it’s now available to watch at home! A24’s nostalgic, coming-of-age, sci-fi horror film is available to digitally rent for $19.99 or purchase for $24.99.

In the film, “Owen is just trying to make it through life in the suburbs when his classmate introduces him to a mysterious TV show — a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own. In the pale glow of the television, Owen’s view of reality begins to crack.”

Justice Smith (Jurassic World Dominion) and Brigette Lundy-Paine (Bill & Ted Face the Music, Bombshell) lead the cast alongside Helena Howard (The Wilds), Danielle Deadwyler (The Harder They Fall), Amber Benson, Ian Foreman, Michael Maronna, Conner O’Malley, Emma Portner, and Danny Tamberelli.

Lindsey Jordan (Snail Mail), musician-director Fred Durst, Haley Dahl’s Sloppy Jane (featuring Phoebe Bridgers), and King Woman also appear in I Saw the TV Glow.

Meagan wrote in her Sundance review for BD, “I Saw the TV Glow offers a layered and authentic portrait of identity, wrapped in ’90s nostalgia and surreal imagery that embeds itself deep into your psyche.” Meagan continued, “Schoenbrun delivers a singular vision of arthouse horror that entrances for its fevered dream style and insanely cool imagery.”

The breakout Korean blockbuster Exhuma was released onto VOD outlets this past Tuesday, and beginning today (June 14), the film is now available to stream exclusively on Shudder.

Exhuma is directed by Jang Jae-Hyun (Svaha: The Sixth Finger) and stars popular Korean actors CHOI Min-Sik (Oldboy, I Saw the Devil), KIM Go-Eun (Hero, Little Women), YOO Hai-Jin (A Taxi Driver), and LEE Do-Hyun (Prison Playbook, Sweet Home).

In the film, “When a renowned shaman and her protégé are hired by a wealthy, enigmatic family, they begin investigating the cause of a disturbing supernatural illness that affects only the first-born children of each generation. With the help of a knowledgeable mortician and the country’s most revered geomancer, they soon trace the affliction’s origin to a long-hidden family grave located on sacred ground.

“Sensing an ominous aura surrounding the burial site, the team opts to exhume and relocate the ancestral remains immediately. But as something much darker emerges, they soon discover what befalls those who dare to mess with the wrong grave.”

A young girl is the first to hit puberty among her friends in the coming-of-age horror story Tiger Stripes, and the Malay-language body horror film opened in select theaters today.

If you can’t find it in theaters, it’s coming home to VOD on July 9.

Tiger Stripes is written and directed by Amanda Nell Eu, marking her directorial debut. The film’s unique approach to horror has been compared to Carrie and Ginger Snaps.

“The first amongst her friends to hit puberty, Zaffan, 12, discovers a terrifying secret about her body. Ostracised by her community, Zaffan fights back, learning that to be free she must embrace the body she feared, emerging as a proud, strong woman.”

Zafreen Zairizal, Deena Ezral, Piqa, Shaheizy Sam, Jun Lojong, Khairunazwan Rodzy, and Fatimah Abu Bakar star.

And finally, Indonesian filmmaker Joko Anwar (Satan’s Slaves, Impetigore), known internationally for stylish and gory horror, is back with the seven-episode supernatural anthology series “Nightmares and Daydreams,” which began streaming on Netflix today.

Netflix describes “Nightmares & Daydreams” as “a supernatural thriller series that shows there isn’t necessarily a rational explanation behind every occurrence.”

Here’s the full official synopsis: “A sci-fi supernatural series about ordinary people encountering strange phenomena that may be keys to the answer about the origin of our world and the imminent threat we will soon face. Characters and plots will intertwine like pieces of a puzzle. And the big picture will be awe-inspiring.”

The seven episode series presents a different story and a new set of actors in each installment, leading up to a big showdown in the finale. Ario Bayu, Lukman Sardi, Yoga Pratama, Fachri Albar, Marissa Anita, and Sita Nursanti star in “Nightmares & Daydreams.”

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Here’s all the new horror releasing June 3, 2024 – June 9, 2024!

For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.

The breakout Korean blockbuster Exhuma was released in theaters here in the United States back in March, and Well Go USA Entertainment brought it home to VOD this Tuesday.

Exhuma is directed by Jang Jae-Hyun (Svaha: The Sixth Finger) and stars popular Korean actors CHOI Min-Sik (Oldboy, I Saw the Devil), KIM Go-Eun (Hero, Little Women), YOO Hai-Jin (A Taxi Driver), and LEE Do-Hyun (Prison Playbook, Sweet Home).

In the film, “When a renowned shaman (KIM Go-Eun) and her protégé (Lee Do-hyun) are hired by a wealthy, enigmatic family, they begin investigating the cause of a disturbing supernatural illness that affects only the first-born children of each generation. With the help of a knowledgeable mortician (YOO Hai-jin) and the country’s most revered geomancer (CHOI Min-sik), they soon trace the affliction’s origin to a long-hidden family grave located on sacred ground.

“Sensing an ominous aura surrounding the burial site, the team opts to exhume and relocate the ancestral remains immediately. But as something much darker emerges, they soon discover what befalls those who dare to mess with the wrong grave.”

DeskPop Entertainment kicks off their summer slate with the North American VOD release of Insane Like Me?, which is now available on Amazon, Apple TV, and other outlets.

Director Chip Joslin’s Insane Like Me? is a supernatural thriller about a combat veteran who returns home after a tour of duty overseas. He becomes the lead suspect in his girlfriend’s disappearance and is subsequently wrongly convicted and incarcerated. Nine years later he is released from the mental asylum, he returns home to find the truth and settle the score.

The horror film is a Bankhead Productions feature from a script by Britt Bankhead. Bankhead stars and produces alongside Grace Patterson (Slotherhouse) as former lovers whose complicated past is nothing compared to what lies ahead when they reunite.

The supporting cast is rounded out by Golden Globe winner and Academy Award nominee Eric Roberts, Samantha Reddy, Jack Maxwell, Paul Kolker and Meg Hobgood.

Indie director Bruce Wemple (Monstrous, Dawn of the Beast) is back with DREAD’s latest horror movie The Hangman, which was also released onto VOD outlets on Tuesday.

In The Hangman, “During a camping trip from hell, a father battles a murderous cult and a bloodthirsty demon, known as The Hangman, to save his kidnapped son.”

Lindsey Dresbach, Richard Lounello, Jefferson Cox, Daniel Martin Berkey and Mar Cellus star.

Here’s the full synopsis: “To mend their troubled relationship, a middle-aged door-to-door salesman, Leon (LeJon Woods), takes his teenage son on a camping trip into deep rural Appalachia. Little do they know of the mountainous region’s sinister secrets. A local cult has summoned an evil demon born of hate and pain, known to them as The Hangman, and now the bodies have begun to pile up. Leon wakes up in the morning to discover that his son is missing.”

“Leon must face the murderous cult and the bloodthirsty monster that is The Hangman.”

The latest from French filmmaker Xavier Gens (Frontiers, Cold Skin), shark attack horror movie Under Paris has premiered over on the Netflix streaming service today, June 5.

Following in the grand tradition of Jaws, a celebration turns into a PR nightmare when a hungry shark comes to Paris. One shark. A whole lot of tasty humans. That’s how we like it.

“Set in Summer 2024, the film unfolds in Paris which is hosting the World Triathlon Championships on the Seine for the first time. Sophia, a brilliant scientist, learns from Mika, a young environmental activist, that a large shark is swimming deep in the river.

“To avoid a bloodbath at the heart of the city, they have no choice but to join forces with Adil, the Seine river police commander.”

Bérénice Bejo (The Artist) and Nassim Lyes (Overdose) star.

A job at a marijuana farm turns nightmarish in director Ariel Vida’s Trim Season, and Blue Harbor Entertainment is bringing the film to select theaters and VOD Friday, June 7.

Directed by award-winning filmmaker and production designer Ariel Vida, Trim Season stars Bethlehem Million (Sick, “And Just Like That…”) as Emma, an adrift, jobless, 20-something seeking purpose. Along with a group of young people from Los Angeles, she drives up the coast to make quick cash trimming marijuana on a secluded farm in Northern California.

“Cut off from the rest of the world, they soon realize that Mona (Jane Badler) – the seemingly amiable owner of the estate – is harboring secrets darker than any of them could imagine. It becomes a race against time for Emma and her friends to escape the dense woods with their lives.”

The cast also includes “Scream” and Hell Fest‘s Bex Taylor-Klaus, Starry Eyes, “Midnight Mass” and Doctor Sleep‘s Alex Essoe, Ally Ioannides (Synchronic), Cory Hart (“Fear the Walking Dead”), Ryan Donowho, Marc Senter and Juliette Kenn De Balinthazy.

Based on the novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist (Let the Right One In), NEON’s horror drama Handling the Undead is expanding into more theaters in select cities on Friday, June 7.

Handling the Undead is a drama with elements of horror about three families, a story about grief and loss, but also about hope and understanding of what we can’t comprehend or control.

In the film, “On a hot summer day in Oslo, the dead mysteriously awaken, and three families are thrown into chaos when their deceased loved ones come back to them.

“Who are they, and what do they want? A family is faced with the mother’s reawakening before they have even mourned her death after a car accident; an elderly woman gets the love of her life back the same day she has buried her; a grandfather rescues his grandchild from the gravesite in a desperate attempt to get his daughter out of her depression.”

Thea Hvistendahl (Adjø Montebello) directed the film, with script by John Ajvide Lindqvist in collaboration with Thea Hvistendahl. Renate Reinsve, Anders Danielsen Lie, Bjørn Sundquis, Bente Børsum, Bahar Pars, and Inesa Dauksta star.

From producer M. Night Shyamalan and director Ishana Night Shyamalan comes The Watchers, headed to theaters courtesy of New Line Cinema on Friday, June 7.

The film follows Mina, a 28-year-old artist, who gets stranded in an expansive, untouched forest in western Ireland. When Mina finds shelter, she unknowingly becomes trapped alongside three strangers who are watched and stalked by mysterious creatures each night.

The Watchers stars Dakota Fanning (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), Georgina Campbell (Barbarian), Oliver Finnegan (“Creeped Out”) and Olwen Fouere (The Northman).

The Watchers is based on the novel by A.M. Shine.

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Here’s all the new horror releasing March 22, 2024!

For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.

The hotly anticipated horror movie Late Night With the Devil has been earning rave reviews from critics and Stephen King alike, and it’s now playing exclusively in theaters.

Want to watch at home? The film is next coming to Shudder on April 19, 2024.

David Dastmalchian (Dune, The Suicide Squad) stars as the host of a late-night talk show that descends into a nightmare in the Ghostwatch and WNUF Halloween Special-inspired film.

David Dastmalchian stars as Jack Delroy, the charismatic host of “Night Owls,” and the film traces the ill-fated taping of a live Halloween special in 1977 plagued by a demonic presence.

The energetic and innovative feature hails from Australian writing-directing team Colin and Cameron Cairnes (100 Bloody Acres, Scare Campaign). 

The film premiered last year at SXSW. Meagan wrote in her review out of the fest, “Late Night with the Devil captures the chaotic energy of a late night show, embracing the irreverent comedy and stress of live television with a pastiche style. It’s a clever trojan horse for a surprising horror movie that goes full throttle on unhinged demonic mayhem.

In addition to seemingly every movie you ever rented on VHS growing up, Tubi also has a growing library of their own originals, and a new horror-comedy titled Slay is now streaming.

“After a booking mistake, four drag queens find themselves performing for a mostly unwelcoming crowd, but when vampires attack, the crowd looks to the queens to save the day.”

The film’s cast includes Trinity The Tuck as “Mama Sue Flay,” Heidi N Closet as “Robin Banks,” Crystal Methyd as “Bella Da Boys,” and Cara Melle as “Olive Wood.”

Jem Garrard wrote and directed Tubi’s Slay.

Sydney Sweeney (“The White Lotus”, “Euphoria”) stars in NEON’s new psychological horror film Immaculate, which comes to movie theaters nationwide beginning today.

The film reunites Sydney Sweeney with director Michael Mohan (The Voyeurs), who directed from a script by Andrew Lobel. Sweeney stars in Immaculate as Cecilia, a woman of devout faith who is offered a fulfilling new role at an illustrious Italian convent.

“Her warm welcome to the picture-perfect Italian countryside is soon interrupted as it becomes clearer to Cecilia that her new home harbors some dark and horrifying secrets.”

Immaculate also stars Simona Tabasco (“The White Lotus”), Alvaro Morte (“Money Heist”), Benedetta Porcaroli (“Baby”), and Dora Romano (The Hand of God).

The breakout Korean blockbuster Exhuma opened here in the United States in Los Angeles last week, and the film expands across the U.S. beginning today, March 22.

The film—which surpassed 6 million admissions during its first 11 days in Korean theaters—is distributed by Showbox in its home territory and Well Go USA in the United States.

Exhuma is directed by Jang Jae-Hyun (Svaha: The Sixth Finger) and stars popular Korean actors CHOI Min-Sik (Oldboy, I Saw the Devil), KIM Go-Eun (Hero, Little Women), YOO Hai-Jin (A Taxi Driver), and LEE Do-Hyun (Prison Playbook, Sweet Home).

In the film, “When a renowned shaman (KIM Go-Eun) and her protégé (Lee Do-hyun) are hired by a wealthy, enigmatic family, they begin investigating the cause of a disturbing supernatural illness that affects only the first-born children of each generation. With the help of a knowledgeable mortician (YOO Hai-jin) and the country’s most revered geomancer (CHOI Min-sik), they soon trace the affliction’s origin to a long-hidden family grave located on sacred ground.

“Sensing an ominous aura surrounding the burial site, the team opts to exhume and relocate the ancestral remains immediately. But as something much darker emerges, they soon discover what befalls those who dare to mess with the wrong grave.”

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire brings the franchise back to NYC, with legacy characters and new characters coming together to battle a brand new villain. It’s now playing in theaters.

In Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, the Spengler family returns to where it all started – the iconic New York City firehouse – to team up with the original Ghostbusters, who’ve developed a top-secret research lab to take busting ghosts to the next level.

But when the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force, Ghostbusters new and old must join forces to protect their home and save the world from a second Ice Age.

The cast includes Patton Oswalt, Kumail Nanjiani, James Acaster, and Emily Alyn Lind, alongside Bill Murray, Finn Wolfhard, Ernie Hudson, Mckenna Grace, Paul Rudd, Celeste O’Connor, Logan Kim, Annie Potts, Dan Aykroyd and Carrie Coon.

Jason Reitman, who directed Ghostbusters: Afterlife, is back to produce Frozen Empire.

And finally, the claustrophobic chamber piece You’ll Never Find Me, which marks the feature directorial debut by Indianna Bell and Josiah Allen, is now streaming on Shudder.

Jordan Cowan and Brendan Rock star in the intimate horror feature.

In the film, “An isolated man living in the back of a desolate caravan park is visited by a desperate young woman seeking shelter from a violent storm. As the savage storm worsens, these solitary souls begin to feel threatened- but who should really be afraid?”

The film was written by Indianna Bell and produced by Josiah Allen, Indianna Bell, Jordan Cowan, and Christine Williams. It was shot in Adelaide, South Australia.

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Exhuma hits the ground running with an introduction to Shaman Hwa-rim (Kim Go-eun) and her close protégé Bong-gil (Lee Do-hyun, “Sweet Home“), arriving on a flight to Los Angeles. They have been summoned by the ultra-rich Park Ji-yong (Kim Jae-cheol) for a well-paying gig helping him rid his infant son of a supernatural curse. Hwa-rim traces the curse back to South Korea, where they enlist colleague and geomancer Sang-deok (Choi Min-sik, I Saw the Devil, Oldboy) and mortician Young-geun (Yoo Hae-jin). The foursome’s investigation leads them to an unmarked grave on an isolated mountainside. Despite ill omens and reservations on Sang-deok’s part, Hwa-rim convinces the group to proceed with the job. Of course, excavating the grave unleashes an evil none could have predicted or are prepared to stop.

Jae-hyun Jang breaks the story into chapters, which is a helpful move considering just how ambitious this dense narrative becomes. Superstition, spirituality, and rituals kick off the strange chain of events. But the more revealed about the mysterious grave, and the more horror it unfurls, the more Jae-hyun Jang digs into his heady metaphor of historical horror and how the past has shaped and divided the present. It’s not homegrown horror here, but commentary on Korea’s residual trauma and tenuous relationship with Japan and reckoning with its ghosts.

The initial Korean family curse serves as the inciting event, but it’s also a trojan horse for a far more effective type of folk horror that generates no shortage of potent, innovative imagery. The type of imagery that instantly evokes an intoxicating blend of awe, repulsion, and intimidation. Supernatural horror has rarely been this cool or as wild; Exhuma features one of the coolest new horror movie monsters (of sorts) to come along in a while, but you’ll have to be patient getting there.

The wait is helped by a few supernatural freakouts and a palpable, relentless sense of dread. Most of all, it’s the complex and affable protagonists. Tenured talent Choi Min-sik serves as the deeply superstitious voice of reason. From the outset, Sang-deok senses something deeply amiss with the grave site, and his expertise and experience are invaluable to the team. Yet he’s not solely defined by his geomancy; he is a fully realized character that quickly endears to audiences. Yoo Hae-jin frequently brings the levity, and Lee Do-hyun serves as the beating heart, driving his allies forward in the increasingly precarious fight. However, the film belongs to the Kim Go-eun. Hwa-rim begins as a steely, confident and powerful Shaman, well connected to the supernatural realm and key in containing the evil. Once Hwa-rim realizes she faces forces beyond her expertise, fear shatters that confidence and sparks an engaging underdog arc that culminates in a thrilling third act.

The first act’s approach to folkloric horror and cleansing rituals calls to mind South Korean horror movies like The Wailing. But Jae-hyun Jang quickly shift gears, broadening the horror to also include possession, ghost induced scares, and a physical manifestation of past historical trauma in the most gonzo way. The type that will leave you cheering for “sweetfish and melon.” It’s occasionally violent and bloody, always atmospheric, and stunning in cinematography and composition. While its story is so dense that it threatens to run away from the filmmaker at moments, the extremely likable characters and a sense of horror fun ensure it never derails, right up to its thrilling finale.

Jae-hyun Jang combines introspective cultural and historical themes with creepy, gory, and atmospheric horror thrills in an exciting way. It’s fun horror with a lot on its mind. That’s a tricky thing to achieve, and the cast and crew of Exhuma make it look effortless.

Exhuma released in limited theaters on March 15 and is expanding across North American theaters on March 22.

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From leading international and indie film distributor Well Go USA Entertainment, Exhuma opens in Los Angeles March 15 and expands across U.S. theaters March 22.

The film—which surpassed 6 million admissions during its first 11 days in Korean theaters—is distributed by Showbox in its home territory.

Exhuma is directed by Jang Jae-Hyun (Svaha: The Sixth Finger) and stars popular Korean actors CHOI Min-Sik (Oldboy, I Saw the Devil), KIM Go-Eun (Hero, Little Women), YOO Hai-Jin (A Taxi Driver), and LEE Do-Hyun (Prison Playbook, Sweet Home).

In the film, “When a renowned shaman (KIM Go-Eun) and her protégé (Lee Do-hyun) are hired by a wealthy, enigmatic family, they begin investigating the cause of a disturbing supernatural illness that affects only the first-born children of each generation. With the help of a knowledgeable mortician (YOO Hai-jin) and the country’s most revered geomancer (CHOI Min-sik), they soon trace the affliction’s origin to a long-hidden family grave located on sacred ground.

“Sensing an ominous aura surrounding the burial site, the team opts to exhume and relocate the ancestral remains immediately. But as something much darker emerges, they soon discover what befalls those who dare to mess with the wrong grave.”

Exclusively watch the official trailer for Exhuma below.

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