I’m a huge horror fan and a cinema obsessive, which means that every year I see a heck of a lot of scary movies in theaters. In 2024 (to date), I’ve seen 24 horror movies at my local multiplex and I have a very good idea of what new horror flicks you need to add to your Halloween week marathons.
Trick or Stream
Welcome! This article is part of Trick or Stream, a seasonal series in which members of the Tom’s Guide staff share what they’re planning to watch for Halloween 2024 and their takes on the horror genre, with the goal of helping you find great movies that you might want to stream during spooky season.
The last 10 months have included some of my favorite horror movies of the decades, but also some efforts that made me chuckle with embarrassment more often than leap out of my cinema seat. So, to ensure you only stream the very best new Halloween movies this year, I’m picking out my top five favorites.
One final note, “The Substance” would have been included but it’s only available in theaters (I’ve limited my picks to films that can currently be streamed), so if your local cinema is screening it this Halloween, trust me it’s worth braving October weather to see. Now, let’s dive into the best new horror movies of 2024.
‘Alien: Romulus’
Let’s start with a pick that I probably could have told you would make the cut right at the very start of the year. For transparency’s sake, “Alien” is my favorite film franchise of all time, so I have a pretty huge bias for any new entry in this series, but I’m far from alone in loving this latest encounter with the world’s most deadly creature. “Alien: Romulus” boasts the franchise’s best critical reception since 1986’s “Aliens,” and it deserves all those plaudits and more.
“Alien: Romulus” is a legacy sequel done right. Yes, its fan-service winks are a little egregious in places, but it plays out like a greatest-hits compilation of the franchise to date, and its new ideas are surprisingly impactful too. Plus, the leading performances from Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson are phenomenal, and director Fede Álvarez has such a tight grip on the tension that he manages to make the Xenomorph genuinely scary all over again.
Buy or rent “Alien: Romulus” on Amazon now
‘Late Night with the Devil’
I love movies that play with novel methods of presentation, so naturally “Late Night with the Devil,” which is primarily filmed to mimic the look of a late-night talk show, grabbed my attention from minute one. However, most remarkably, it’s not just the filmmaking craft that is on an expert level in this supernatural chiller, but also the performance from lead David Dastmalchian. The actor is electric and tackles some tricky material with remarkable ease.
This horror focuses on the 1977 Halloween episode of a fictional talk show called “Night Owls” hosted by Jack Delroy (Dastmalchian). The once-successful program is falling behind in the ratings, and in an effort to boost interest, Delroy plans an ambitious seasonal special that involves inviting a supposed possessed girl onto the set for a live demonstration. What follows is an episode taping full of terror as events spiral out of control, and Delroy’s dark past is exposed to the world.
Watch “Late Night with the Devil” on Hulu now
‘Longlegs’
Between the horror and thriller genres, you can decide for yourself which category “Longlegs” most comfortably fits into. I’ll just say it’s one of the year’s very best movies, and it had the audience in my opening weekend screening so transfixed that you could practically hear people holding their breath during the most intense sequences. Right from the skin-crawling opening, it’s clear that “Longlegs” isn’t playing around and as you are sucked further into its twisted web, things only get more oppressively tense and disturbing.
Maika Monroe (who is a bit of a horror favorite of mine having also starred in “It Follows” and “Watcher”) plays FBI Agent Lee Harker, who is tasked with a seemingly impossible job, track down a serial killer who doesn’t appear to be physically present at the scene of their crimes. The movie’s unnerving mood may be offputting to some viewers, but Nicolas Cage’s role as the eponymous Longlegs is reason enough to stick around and see this one through to the end.
Buy or rent “Longlegs” on Amazon now
‘I Saw the TV Glow’
If you’re looking for a traditional horror movie filled with jump scares and grised killers, “I Saw the TV Glow” won’t be for you. This moody horror drama shows a lot more restraint and is really all about the practically palpable ‘90s vibe. But don’t mistake this Jane Schoenbrun movie for being merely style over substance, while you have to work a little for the answers, dig into the truths hiding below the surface and you’ll find a character-driven narrative that packs a real punch.
Owen (Justice Smith) is an awkward teenager who bonds with his classmate Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine) when she introduces him to a surreal late-night TV show called “The Pink Opaque.” As Owen becomes more obsessed with the events depicted in the show, his grip on reality begins to loosen, and he’s sent spiraling when Maddy suddenly disappears. And if that wasn’t bad enough “The Pink Opaque” is then canceled on a dramatic cliffhanger leaving the isolated teen feeling completely unmoored.
Watch “I Saw the TV Glow” on Max now
‘Immaculate’
There’s a strange phenomenon in Hollywood known as “twin films”, which occurs when two movies with eerily similar plots are released in quick succession. This year, that happened with “Immaculate” and “The First Omen.” The latter was more successful both critically and commercially, but for me, “Immaculate” was the more devilishly enjoyable of the two, and not just because its ending is totally unhinged. It also convinced me that Sydney Sweeney has a promising future in the horror genre, and I hope she explores more roles of this nature very soon.
In “Immaculate”, Cecilia (Sweeney) is a young American woman who travels to Italy to take her vows and become a nun. Devoted to her faith following a near-death experience in her youth, Cecilia joins a historical convent in the stunning Italian countryside in good spirits. But her joy at being in such a holy setting is tested when strange occurrences begin to hint that not everything is right in this place of worship, and the convent’s dark secrets soon surface.
Watch “Immaculate” on Hulu now
