The Champions of Elevated Horror

Over the past several years, A24 has risen from obscurity and established itself as a consistent purveyor of critically acclaimed art horror films. Okay, I know, elevated horror gets a bad rap sometimes. These movies are too pretentious, people say. Hey, I love mindless slashers and b-movies as much as anybody, but elevated horror films also have their place. These films succeed as both art and entertainment. Here are my top ten best A24 horror movies.

Since 2022, I have ended each year by making a top ten list of my favorite horror movies. Five of the movies below have appeared on those lists, and almost all of them have previously been covered in some capacity on this site. I’ve included the relevant links below.

For anyone wondering, Hereditary would have been #11 on my list. With so many good movies, it’s tough to fit them all in a top ten.

10. The Lighthouse (2019)

A24 has been involved with lots of weird movies, but this might be the strangest of them all. Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson co-star as 1890s lighthouse keepers who are kept in extreme isolation due to a heavy storm. The men have a complex love/hate relationship with overt sexual overtones. There are recurring visions and fantasies about a beautiful naked mermaids and weird Lovecraftian tentacled monsters.

Robert Eggers directs this black and white tale of loneliness, delusion, and societal norms about masculinity. There’s a ton of symbolism here, and I’m not going to pretend to understand all of it, but Eggers certainly has a unique vision.

9. Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)

A dark comedy about a group of self indulgent Gen Z narcissists who become entangled in a deadly series of incidents while trapped together during a hurricane. Bodies Bodies Bodies keeps you guessing to the end. It concludes with one of the most unique twists in recent horror history.

Movie Review: Bodies Bodies Bodies

8. Heretic (2024)

Heretic‘s theological themes separate it from conventional abduction and torture horror movies. Hugh Grant is memorable in a villainous role. Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East are utterly convincing as young Mormon missionaries.

Movie Review: Heretic

7. Ex Machina (2014)

Artificial intelligence has become a huge topic in recent years. Is it truly possible for us to create a sentient conscious being? If we did, how would we be able to definitely prove that it can think like us?

A programmer named Caleb is invited to the luxurious estate of Nathan, his company’s CEO. He discovers that Nathan has created an advanced AI robot named Ava who resembles a beautiful young woman. He wants Caleb to test Ava to prove if she is genuinely sentient.

Caleb finds himself increasingly drawn to Ava. She warns him not to trust Nathan and claims that CEO has a hidden agenda. After learning about Nathan’s plans for her, Caleb resolves to help Ava escape.

Ex Machina is a dark sci-fi thriller that is even more relevant today than it was a decade ago. It is the directorial debut for Alex Garland, who wrote 28 Days Later.

6. The Witch (2015)

This folk horror classic was the acting debut for Anya Taylor-Joy and the directorial debut for Robert Eggers. Like many of the best A24 horror movies, The Witch is renowned for its period detail and creepy atmosphere. It would be great to see Eggers and Taylor-Joy reunite for another movie.

5. Midsommar (2019)

Florence Pugh makes her breakout role in this disturbing Ari Aster flick about a traumatized young woman who journeys with her friends to a Swedish festival, only to fall victim to a cult. Beautiful cinematography and shocking imagery abound in this unforgettable thriller.

4. I Saw the TV Glow (2024)

A haunting, brilliant mix of ’90s pop culture nostalgia, surreal imagery, and existential terror. The ultimate lesson I took away from this film: it’s better to live as your authentic self, regardless of societal expectations, because ultimately society doesn’t care about you anyway. Prediction: I Saw the TV Glow will someday be remembered as one of the signature movies of the 2020s.

Movie Review: I Saw the TV Glow

3. Pearl (2022)

It’s a common critique: female villains are rarely allowed to just be evil. They are always given some sort of motivation or justification for their actions, as opposed to male villains, who are often portrayed as pure psychopaths.

This is mostly true, but then, there’s Pearl. She’s not evil because of some trauma or past abuse. She’s just rotten to the core. Ti West and Mia Goth have crafted a villain for the ages. This is the best depiction of a female sociopath ever put to film.

2. Talk To Me (2023)

A group of teenagers discover a disembodied hand that works as a conduit between the living and the dead. Mia (Sophie Wilde) hopes to use the hand to communicate with her dead mom, who died of a drug overdose.

Talk to Me‘s humor, practical effects, and intelligent exploration of dark themes make it one of the top A24 horror movies. It’s also notable for being one of the few horror films with a Black woman as the protagonist.

1. X (2022)

X put Mia Goth on the map as a major star with her incredible dual performance as porn star Maxxine Minx and the evil serial killer Pearl. Set several decades after the events of Pearl, the titular villain is now an old lady, but she’s just as evil and wretched as ever.

Only her manipulation tactics have changed. With her beauty long since faded, the elderly Pearl now pretends to be feeble and senile. X is a rousing and unique grindhouse-style slasher extravaganza, which places it #1 on my list of top A24 horror movies.

Movie Review: X

Why Does A24 Release So Many Good Horror Movies?

A24 has a longstanding reputation for prizing originality and innovation. The company is a great match for directors with unique visionary styles, like Ari Aster, Robert Eggers, and Ti West. A24 isn’t afraid to take a chance on an unusual concept. The relatively low budgets of most of their films have helped them succeed commercially as well.

The company also seems to have a knack for spotting young emerging talent, especially with actresses. Mia Goth, Anya Taylor-Joy and Florence Pugh were unknowns when they were cast in A24 films. Now they’ve all achieved mainstream stardom. Sophie Wilde isn’t quite there yet, but she seems headed in that direction as well.

What does the future hold for A24? Well, they’re releasing the upcoming Jenna Ortega flick, Death of a Unicorn, in March. A sequel to Talk to Me is also planned. As long as A24 can keep bolstering its strong reputation, its safe to say that it will continue to have a dedicated fanbase.