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It was another bustling, not to mention fruitful, year for horror. And because the amount of new horror releases is staggering, especially when looking beyond the popular and commercial side, it is very understandable if a lot of titles flew under radars.
So, like previous years, the objective of this end-of-year list is to bring attention to just ten of those overlooked, underrated, and less-known newer horrors that can be considered hidden gems of 2024.
Dead Teenagers
Pictured: Jordan Myers and Chris Hahn in Dead Teenagers.
Quinn Armstrong, who gave us the dark comedy Survival Skills, is behind the Fresh Hell Presents trilogy. This set of self-contained horrors began with the conversion therapy haunter The Exorcism of Saint Patrick, then tackled neo-Nazis and werewolves in Wolves Against the World. The final installment, Dead Teenagers, sounds the most conventional of the batch; young friends are picked off by a mysterious killer. Soon enough, though, the plot takes a significant turn.
Indeed, Dead Teenagers offers more meta-horror, but before eyes start to roll, Armstrong breathes some badly needed new life into this particular genre space that hit max occupancy years ago. Does everything work here? No, not quite; the last act hits a snag or two. Even so, the ambition here is more successful than not.
#MissingCouple
Pictured: A shadowy entity watches someone sleeping in #MissingCouple.
Jacques Edeline and Oliver Mauldin‘s #MissingCouple starts off with Austin Jenkins and Janna Jenkins‘ characters giving up their “vanlife” to restore an old and isolated farmhouse in rural Mississippi. Immediately the found-footage movie then reveals the two have since disappeared, and a friend and fellow vlogger is now searching for them. His efforts are finally rewarded with terror as he also becomes stalked by a threatening presence on the farm.
As a marketing stunt, the people behind #MissingCouple tried to convince the internet that Austin and Janna, a real couple, had disappeared. Of course, most everyone is too cynical to believe that sort of ploy nowadays. Be that as it may, the movie has its tense moments and is even a tad cunning in how the story is framed.
Dead Whisper
Pictured: Samuel Dunning in Dead Whisper.
Your enjoyment of Conor Soucy‘s bleakly shot debut feature Dead Whisper will depend on how you feel about slow burns and abstract dread. This nightmarish tale of grief doesn’t yield easy thrills or answers, however, it does hit the spot for ambient unease and cerebral visuals.
A workable comparison for Dead Whisper is BBC’s A Ghost Story for Christmas. By that I mean this movie is more conceptual and gloomy than straightforward, but Soucy admirably commits to style, even if that dedication sometimes comes at the expense of coherency.
Die Alone
Pictured: Carrie-Anne Moss and Douglas Smith in Die Alone.
On the surface, Lowell Dean‘s Die Alone looks to be another rehash of recent post-apocalyptic horrors; here Carrie-Anne Moss fights off plant-based, human-zombie hybrids in the aftermath of a global catastrophe. However, there is more to her character than first let on, and much like A Quiet Place: Day One, this movie zooms in on the emotional element of survival rather than just the action.
When it seems like Die Alone is pinching too many tropes from its contemporaries, a startling turn in the story smooths everything out, including the rough edges.
Birder
Pictured: Michael Emery in Birder.
While Birder is billed as an erotic thriller, it has enough grisly parts to satisfy more permissive horror fans. Michael Emery provides Nate Dushku‘s feature debut a captivating lead performance; he plays the murderous culture-chameleon who infiltrates a close group of queer nudists.
The killer’s identity is known from the very start, so whodunit and slasher fans should readjust their expectations or simply look elsewhere. That being said, Dushku doesn’t take the killing aspect lightly, seeing as Emery’s character is as brutal as he is alluring. If you’re seeking a movie like Stranger by the Lake except with a higher body count, then keep an eye out for Birder.
Slay
Pictured: The cast of Slay.
This darling and scrappy Tubi Original, one directed by Jem Garrard, is a pleasure from start to finish. Combining drag culture with humor and vampires sounds chancy at first, but any wariness quickly fades once the fangs comes out. It’s a riot watching these queens duke it out with barflies-turned-bloodsuckers.
As per Bloody Disgusting’s beaming spotlight on Slay: “Real care has been taken in every aspect, from script to filming. The characters feel like real people, and the performances are honest, pulsating with immense heart.” High but warranted praise.
Abruptio
Pictured: The character Les Hackel in Abruptio.
Anyone with concerns about Abruptio turning out to be a plotless puppet comedy can rest easy, because Evan Marlowe‘s movie is no feature-long gimmick. The life-sized puppetry is both impressive and unsettling, but once past all that, there is an intriguing story about a man (voiced by James Marsters) who obeys a series of escalating demands, or else the bomb implanted in his neck will explode. That’s only the beginning, seeing as there is a larger force at work behind the curtain.
Abruptio is a must-see mix of horror, noir and science fiction. The artistry of this production, which has been in the works since 2015, is a sight to behold. And the talent is stacked as well; the voice cast includes Jordan Peele, Robert Englund, Sid Haig, Christopher McDonald and Hana Mae Lee. There’s really nothing like this movie in the horror genre right now.
Year 10
Pictured: Toby Goodger in Year 10.
Benjamin Goodger‘s Year 10 takes the be-silent-or-die approach of A Quiet Place and Azrael to the next logical step by having zero spoken dialogue. Absolutely none. In this new cinematic case of global catastrophe, the world has come to near stillness thanks to an unknown cause, and the survivors have turned to cannibalism after “the living ate the dead.” As if that’s not bad enough, there are also feral Irish wolfhounds running around in packs.
Year 10 stars the director’s brother, Toby Goodger, who normally would be working behind the camera. In this scenic and harrowing genre mashup, though, the lead — whose fallible character seeks medicine for his sick loved one and vengeance for his slain father — delivers an unassuming performance. Ultimately, the technical merits of the movie win out when the basic concept feels worn out.
All You Need Is Death
Pictured: Olwen Fouéré in All You Need is Death.
For something quite unlike anything else coming out in the current horror scene, Paul Duane‘s All You Need is Death is the kind of folk-horror movie that actually feels like it’s casting a spell on its viewers. Specific yet ambiguous, the Irish director’s feature debut is so hauntingly told and grimly shot that it’s almost begging you not to watch.
On top of a novel concept and the generally eldritch quality, All You Need Is Death also boasts a terrific cast; the characters engage with the story’s strangeness so believably here. All around, just a unique movie.
Lowlifes
Pictured: Amanda Fix in Lowlifes.
Earlier in the year, Tesh Guttikonda and Mitch Oliver‘s Lowlifes dropped on Tubi without any big hype or coverage, but over time, it has developed a sizable following. Maybe one that defies its hidden gem status? Nevertheless, the movie is deserving of its kudos. Good word of mouth has done wonders to raise this indie horror’s profile.
While it’s best to go into Lowlifes with a blank slate, just know this clever meeting of colorful characters, wit, and violence is truly one of the best horror surprises of 2024.