10 Best Horror Performances From 2024

2024 has been the year for incredible horror movies and even better horror performances. With films ranging from Nosferatu to Alien: Romulus, there couldn’t be more variety in offerings from this past year, making for what has been a standout chapter in the horror genre. Some films have even become contenders for the best horror films of all time, showing just how incredible the films and even TV shows released in 2024 really are.

It only seems that as time goes on, performances in horror films become more passionate and terrifying than they ever could have been before. The scares are bigger, the reactions are more realistic, and the actors participating in these projects seem incredibly dedicated to making the film as great as it can be. It’s exciting for the future of film to be so bright, ever more reason for viewers to look forward to the horror movies releasing in 2025.

10

David Jonsson In Alien: Romulus

As Andy

Close

The Alien franchise is one full of iconic performances, with those of Sigourney Weaver and Michael Fassbender especially standing out. However, the most recent installment in the franchise, Alien: Romulus, adds to this decades-long legacy of memorable films, especially through the performance of David Jonsson. Jonsson plays Andy, an android and adopted brother to the main character Rain Carradine (Cailee Spaeny).

Alien: Romulus

R

Alien: Romulus is the seventh film in the Alien franchise. The movie is directed by Fede Álvarez and will focus on a new young group of characters who come face to face with the terrifying Xenomorphs. Alien: Romulus is a stand-alone film and takes place in a time not yet explored in the Alien franchise.

Where to Watch

  • stream
  • rent
  • buy

Not available

Not available

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

August 16, 2024

Runtime

119 Minutes

Cast

Cailee Spaeny
, David Jonsson
, Archie Renaux
, Isabela Merced
, Spike Fearn
, Aileen Wu
, Rosie Ede
, Soma Simon
, Bence Okeke
, Viktor Orizu
, Robert Bobroczkyi
, Trevor Newlin
, Annemarie Griggs
, Daniel Betts

Director

Fede Alvarez

Despite not being the official protagonist of the film, Jonsson manages to steal every scene that he is present for in Alien: Romulus. His performance as an actor playing an android is convincing, bringing Andy to life in a way that makes the audience feel for him. This only makes it that much more painful in the instances when his programming is forcibly changed, but it also makes his triumphs that much more impactful.

9

Hunter Schafer In Cuckoo

As Gretchen

Close

Following a teenager named Gretchen who is grieving the death of her mother, Cuckoo is a thought-provoking horror film mired in grief. As if her state of mourning weren’t enough, Gretchen also finds herself caught in a dangerous situation involving a hooded woman and is so terrified by the event that she goes to who she believes to be a detective. It is then revealed that this man is not an operating detective, but a disgraced police officer.

Cuckoo

R

On a trip to the German Alps with her father and stepmother, Gretchen (Hunter Schafer from HBO’s “Euphoria”) discovers that the resort town where they’re staying hides sinister secrets, as she’s plagued by strange noises and frightening visions of a woman pursuing her. Soon, Gretchen finds herself pulled into a conspiracy involving bizarre experiments by the resort’s owner that echo back generations.

Where to Watch

  • stream
  • rent
  • buy

Not available

Not available

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

August 9, 2024

Runtime

102 Minutes

Cast

Hunter Schafer
, Dan Stevens
, Jessica Henwick
, Marton Csokas
, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey
, Greta Fernández
, Kalin Morrow
, Mila Lieu

Director

Tilman Singer

What follows is part monster movie and part family reconciliation, and Hunter Schafer’s performance as Gretchen throughout it all is absolutely perfect. Not only does she perfectly capture the sense of grief that comes with the death of a loved one, but Schafer also makes the horror feel much more tense with her reactions. This makes the horror feel real, as if she is actually in danger in each screen.

8

David Dastmalchian In Late Night With The Devil

As Jack Delroy

Close

Released in the U.S. in March 2024, Late Night with the Devil is a unique horror film that takes the found-footage genre and turns it upside down. Initially framed as a documentary, this film catalogs the fictional TV show Night Owls with Jack Delroy, a show similar to the real-world series Late Night with Jimmy Carson. It does so in the hopes of explaining what happened in 1977 when a child supposedly possessed by a demon appeared on the show.

Collage of David Dastmalchian as Jack Delroy and Laura Gordon as June Ross Mitchell from Late Night with the Devil

Related

Is Late Night With The Devil Based On A True Story?

The new possession horror movie Late Night With the Devil looks like it was ripped from a 1970s television broadcast, but is it based on a true story?

Posts

David Dastmalchian plays the host of this fictional show, the charismatic and ultimately terrifying Jack Delroy. He skillfully exemplifies the character and all his little eccentricities, finding the perfect moments to start pulling off the hypothetical mask that he wears throughout the film. It is a beautiful decline in character that only becomes more chilling as the movie goes on, showing the talent that Datmalchian has as an actor.

7

Sydney Sweeney In Immaculate

As Sister Cecilia

Close

Beginning in a quaint Italian convent, Immaculate stars actress Sydney Sweeney as a young Catholic nun known as Sister Cecilia. When she learns that she is pregnant despite being a virgin, she is treated as the second coming of the Virgin Mary by those in the convent. Sister Cecilia quickly realizes that things are not as they initially seem, and begins to unravel a horrific plot that finds its roots deep in the church.

Immaculate

Not Yet Rated

Immaculate is a 2024 horror film directed by Michael Mohan and stars Sydney Sweeney. When a devout woman named Cecilia is offered a position at a prestigious convent in Italy, she takes it with little hesitation. However, Cecilia’s world is turned upside down when she discovers the terrible secrets hidden within her new place of faith.

Where to Watch

  • stream
  • rent
  • buy

Not available

Not available

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

March 22, 2024

Runtime

89 minutes

Cast

Sydney Sweeney
, Álvaro Morte
, Benedetta Porcaroli
, Dora Romano
, Giorgio Colangeli
, Simona Tabasco

Director

Michael Mohan

Perhaps more than most of the horror movies and TV shows to release this year, Immaculate is a terrifying exercise in religious trauma reminiscent of classics such as Rosemary’s Baby. This is in large part due to Sweeney’s performance, which encapsulates the betrayal she feels at the hands of her faith in a way few can pull off. Her fear and strength are both shown equally in this film, making Sweeney’s performance and Sister Cecilia as a character both worth watching.

6

Mark Duplass In The Creep Tapes

As Peachfuzz

Close

Picking up where the original movies Creep and Creep 2 left off, The Creep Tapes is a found footage horror series depicting the exploits of a serial killer known as “Peachfuzz.” Each episode follows a different victim of the killer as they are slowly lured in, and tricked into recording their own deaths. This is done in a realistic fashion, and because it is filmed in the found footage style, The Creep Tapes ends up feeling eerily close to something that could actually happen.

The Creep Tapes

The Creep Tapes (2024): This psychological thriller follows a reclusive serial killer who hires videographers to document his life, only for his sinister intentions to unravel through bizarre and unsettling behavior. These videographers gradually realize the perilous nature of their assignment as they become ensnared in a deadly trap.

Release Date

November 15, 2024

Cast

Mark Duplass

Creator(s)

Mark Duplass
, Patrick Brice

Seasons

1

Mark Duplass is just as stunning in this series as he is in the original Creep films, reprising his role as the Peachfuzz killer in what is possibly his greatest performance yet. With each victim, he begins with a charismatic demeanor, before slowly unraveling the fact that he has brought his victims there to kill them. He does so with a smile, making his depiction of the character gleefully unsettling.

5

Willem Dafoe In Nosferatu

As Albin Eberhart Von Franz

Close

A late edition to 2024’s catalog of horror films, Nosferatu is a horror movie remake of the original 1922 film Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror. It revolves around a man who travels to Transylvania for work, only to encounter a terrifying vampire known at first as Count Orlok. However, Willem Dafoe plays neither of these characters, instead taking on the role of Prof. Albin Eberhart Von Franz, a character loosely based on Dracula‘s Abraham Van Helsing.

Nosferatu

R

Nosferatu is a remake of the 1922 silent film of the same name from director F. W. Murnau. Robert Eggers is crafting his own version of the story for the reboot as writer and director, with Bill Skarsgård stepping into the shoes of Count Orlok. Nosferatu tells the tale of a young woman who falls victim to a vampire utterly infatuated with her.

Release Date

December 25, 2024

Runtime

132 Minutes

Cast

Bill Skarsgard
, Lily-Rose Depp
, Nicholas Hoult
, Ralph Ineson
, Willem Dafoe
, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
, Emma Corrin
, Simon McBurney
, Paul Maynard
, Stacy Thunes

Director

Robert Eggers

Dafoe is once again at his best in this role, bringing his experience from playing characters such as Thomas Wake in The Lighthouse to the vampire hunter. He is decadent in his obsessions and terrifying in his own right, bringing another point of tension to this vampire film. His descent into madness is amazing to watch, and it is difficult to imagine anyone aside from Dafoe in the role.

4

Hugh Grant In Heretic

As Mr. Reed

Close

Heretic starts with a pair of Mormon missionaries setting out to convert others to their faith. This journey brings them to the house of a man named Mr. Reed, a man who seems to keep to himself, but invites the girls in regardless. It quickly becomes apparent that this man is not who he initially presents himself to be, as he traps the girls while claiming to have found the “one true faith.

Heretic

R

Two young women of faith are drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse after seeking refuge in the house of a mysterious and unsettling man. As they navigate a labyrinth of psychological and supernatural horrors, their beliefs and survival instincts are pushed to the limit.

Where to Watch

  • stream
  • rent
  • buy

Not available

Not available

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

November 8, 2024

Runtime

110 Minutes

Cast

Hugh Grant
, Sophie Thatcher
, Chloe East
, Topher Grace
, Elle Young

Director

Scott Beck
, Bryan Woods

Cast completely against type for this role, Hugh Grant excels in a way that many did not expect. Grant is typically known for his romantic leads, though in recent years it seems that he is branching out more and more. Grant is downright chilling in the role of Mr. Reed, so certain in his convictions and willing to do whatever he can to change the missionaries’ minds.

3

Demi Moore In The Substance

As Elisabeth Sparkle

Close

When actress Elisabeth Sparkle is fired from her job as the face of an aerobics TV show due to her age, she finds her life spiraling out of control. She is then the victim of a car accident, and while in the hospital, she is offered a miracle drug that will split her into two. One version of her will be the normal Elisabeth Sparkle, while the other will be a younger and idealized version of herself.

The Substance

R

Elisabeth Sparkle, a fading celebrity, turns to a mysterious drug that promises to restore her youth by creating a younger, more beautiful version of herself. But splitting time between her original and new body leads to horrifying consequences as her alternate self, Sue, begins to unravel her life in a disturbing body-horror descent.

Where to Watch

  • stream
  • rent
  • buy

Not available

Not available

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

September 20, 2024

Runtime

140 Minutes

Cast

Demi Moore
, Margaret Qualley
, Dennis Quaid
, Gore Abrams
, Hugo Diego Garcia
, Olivier Raynal
, Tiffany Hofstetter
, Tom Morton
, Jiselle Burkhalter
, Axel Baille
, Oscar Lesage
, Matthew Géczy
, Philip Schurer

Director

Coralie Fargeat

Throughout The Substance‘s runtime, Elisabeth is pushed to extremes by her hatred of herself and her body. Demi Moore portrays this self-hatred in an incredibly raw performance, one that makes viewers empathize with the character and truly understand how this sort of treatment affects actresses in the real world. This incredible performance means that Moore can certainly win as best actress in 2025’s Oscar Awards, showing just how moving her performance is.

2

Nicolas Cage In Longlegs

As Longlegs

Close

Nicolas Cage has performed in a long line of unique and disturbing films, but none more unsettling than 2024’s Longlegs. Taking place in the 1990s, Longlegs details the story of an FBI agent and her quest to track down a serial killer who bases his killings on the occult. Cage is the actor who plays this serial killer in a role that ends up being more mysterious than many of his iconic over-the-top performances.

Maika Monroe in Longlegs and Nicolas Cage's eyes behind her

Related

Where To Watch Longlegs: When & Where The 2024 Horror Will Arrive On Streaming

Nicolas Cage and Maika Monroe headline the 2024 horror movie, and there are options for where to watch Longlegs on streaming.

Posts

The Longlegs serial killer is a testament to just how far Cage has come in his career. He has proven in several instances that he can play roles against the eccentric type he is so normally cast as, with characters in films such as Mandy and Leaving Las Vegas showing just how wide his range really is. Longlegs can now stand as a testament to this as well, showing Cage in a performance that is both more subdued and more demented than any he has played before.

1

Assad Zaman In Interview With The Vampire

As Armand

Close

When the first season of Interview with the Vampire was released in 2022, there was little to no attention paid to Assad Zaman’s character, Armand. Instead, the focus was on the romance between the iconic pairing Louis de Pointe du Lac and Lestat de Lioncourt, characters well-characterized from past productions such as the original Interview with the Vampire movie as well as the Vampire Chronicles book series. However, the second season has put the spotlight on the character of Armand, and in turn on Zaman as well.

Interview with the Vampire

Based on Anne Rice’s novel series that began in 1976, Interview with the Vampire is a gothic horror fantasy series that explores the life of Louis de Pointe du Lac through an interview with a journalist. Told through flashbacks of Louis’ life during the interview, the series examines Louis’ relationship with the vampire that turned him, Lestat de Lioncourt, and a teenage girl named Claudia, whom he turns. The series is the first of Anne Rice’s Immortal Universe media franchise.

Where to Watch

  • stream
  • rent
  • buy

Not available

Not available

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

October 2, 2022

Cast

Jacob Anderson
, Sam Reid
, Eric Bogosian
, Bailey Bass

Seasons

2

Showrunner

Mark Johnson

Zaman’s performance is excellent, taking a character once played by the famed Antonio Banderas and making it his own. Not only does he perfectly capture the manipulative nature of Armand, but he also embodies the deep loneliness and tragic sadness that was only previously showcased in the novels. Zaman does all of this with a grace that shows Armand as both empathetic and uniquely terrifying, making his turn one of the best horror performances in recent years.