The Best Neon Horror Movies Ranked
The Most Innovative Name in Elevated Horror?
Neon, an indie film distributor similar to A24 (I ranked my favorite A24 movies last week) has carved itself a niche in the horror genre by releasing quirky, innovative films. Many of their movies have developed cult followings. If there’s one thing that can be definitively said about Neon horror movies, it’s that they are a genuinely unique bunch.
Neon continues to find success in the horror genre. They’ve already released two films in 2025. I haven’t seen The Monkey yet, nor have I seen Presence, but here are my top five favorite Neon horror movies (so far).
5. Titane (2021)
I’ve seen a ton of weird horror movies, but few are as strange as Titane. How’s this for a plot? Alexia (Agathe Rousselle), a French female serial killer with a sexual fetish for automobiles, disguises herself as the missing son of Vincent (Vincent Lindone), a firefighter captain, in order to avoid capture by the authorities.
Alexia’s web of lies is imperiled when she discovers that she’s pregnant. Whose the father? A car, apparently. This would have made a great episode of that old Maury Povich talk show!
Where do they come up with this stuff? Titane gets lots of points for creativity, as well as for the effective, and surprising heartfelt, performances by the two leads. I thought there were pacing issues in the second half of the film. The first half rocks, but the second half feels like a totally different movie and drags on for too long.
4. Possessor (2020)
Possessor is an absolutely brutal and vicious film about Tasya (Andrea Riseborough), a professional hitwoman. This lady is even more crazy and evil than Alexia in Titane. Her typical m.o. is to possess the significant other of her target, and then use their body for the murder.
She then will turn the weapon on the possessed partner, making the deaths look like murder-suicides. Lately, Tasya has been having mental issues. She’s struggling to maintain control of the people she possesses.
This movie is as violent and coldblooded as it gets. A professional assassin who possesses people is an intriguing idea. Neon has a particularly innovative film library, as all the movies on this list show.
Possessor would have been even more effective if the characters were compelling. I found the film’s characterization to be quite bland, which keeps it from ranking higher among Neon horror movies.
3. Cuckoo (2024)
Cuckoo is aptly named. This movie is as nutty as a fruitcake! Hunter Schafer (Euphoria) stars as Gretchen, a teen girl mourning her mother’s death. She is now living with her father and half-sister in a remote German village.
Gretchen works part-time as a hotel clerk in a town filled with wacky weirdos. On the plus side, she gets to make out with a pretty hotel guest. After being chased and stalked by a crazed lady wearing a hood, Gretchen discovers a sinister and bizarre conspiracy.
This film reminds me of the works of the late David Lynch, particularly his series Twin Peaks, which is set in my home state of Washington. Cuckoo is set in the Alps, but, aesthetically, it’s pretty similar to the Pacific Northwest. Anyway, if you like Twin Peaks, you should check this out. I wasn’t expecting to be creeped out by this movie, but the lady in the hood is truly terrifying.
2. Longlegs (2024)
I’ve already written extensively about Longlegs, so I’ll keep this short. Neon’s biggest commercial success stars Maika Monroe as an FBI agent and Nicolas Cage as the titular villain. It’s eerie and offbeat, but Longlegs is easily the most mainstream movie on this list. None of the others could have grossed as much money because they’re simply too weird.
Longlegs has Silence of the Lambs vibes. Is it as good as Lambs? No, but it was one of my favorite films of ’24. For more thoughts, read my review linked below.
1. Mandy (2018)
Mandy is a batshit insane revenge fantasy starring an unhinged Nicolas Cage. Red (Cage), a lumberjack, lives deep inside a Pacific Northwest forest with his artist wife, Mandy (Andrea Riseborough). After his wife is brutally murdered by a cult, Cage becomes a one man wrecking ball as he takes a savage revenge.
The plot is straightforward, but the filmmaking is anything but. Director Panos Cosmatos goes wild with filters, making the film look like it’s taking place inside a drug-induced haze. This would usually annoy me, but somehow it works here. Sometimes, artists can get away with breaking conventional rules and norms.
This movie is influenced by the Friday the 13th franchise. Red’s fury, which is bolstered by visions of his dead wife, is probably similar to what a Friday movie would be like from Jason’s perspective (although Jason’s visions would be of his mom).
We’ve seen a little of this in Friday the 13th Part 2 and Freddy vs. Jason, but imagine an entire movie from Jason’s eyes, In A Violent Nature style! At one point, Red pops a guy’s eyeball, just like Jason in part 3! I think Mr. Voorhees would be proud of him.
For its eclectic style and callbacks to popular retro franchises, Mandy snatches the #1 spot on my list of Neon horror movies!
Can Neon rival A24 for horror success?
With the success of Longlegs, and now The Monkey, Neon is definitely making a name for itself with a larger, more mainstream films. Hopefully it can balance the uniqueness of its best movies with the desire to reach a larger audience.
Neon has a ways to go to catch up to A24, but, at the rate they’re releasing new horror content, they are on the right track. The company’s next film is the summer camp slasher Hell of A Summer, which will be released on April 4th, 2025.
