Us horror fans everywhere were in for a treat in 2024, which has got to be one of the best years for horror in recent memory, and that's saying something. The past decade has seen the already popular genre explode and evolve into something massive, and, for the first time in a long time, it seems the genre has a real shot of scoring big in Awards Season despite decades of being overlooked. There are too many great horror films from 2024 to discuss at length here, with a few honorable mentions including Late Night with the Devil, V/H/S Beyond, Mr. Crocket, A Quiet Place: Day One, Speak No Evil, Abigail, Terrifier 3, Alien: Romulus, and more. In addition to being effective horror films in their own rights, all of those films have one other thing in common — magnificent performances.
Whether it beDavid Howard Thornton's now-legendary portrayal of Art the Clown in Terrifier 3or Lupita Nyong'o's grounded survivor in A Quiet Place: Day One, this was a golden year for acting in the horror sphere. In fact, there are some performances from this year that aren't just some of the best performances of 2024's horror offering, but this year's movie slate in general. These are performances that are so good that this Collider writer genuinely cannot decide which one is the best, and that's a pretty sensational position to be in.
Nicolas Cage Does What He Does Best in 'Longlegs'
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I don't care what movie he's in, Nicolas Cage always puts a smile on my face. The beloved acting icon has been enjoying a well-deserved comeback in recent years thanks to movies like Pig, Dream Scenario, and most relevant to today's discussion, Longlegs. This is far from Cage's first tango with horror, but his role as Osgood Perkins's titular antagonist is undoubtedly the most genuinely scary he's ever been.
A twisted combination of Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) and Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), Longlegs might initially appear like nothing more than a deranged Satan worshiper (albeit a very scary-looking one thanks to some transformative practical effects). In actuality, Longlegs is a true sadistic mastermind who has spent decades planning unspeakable acts of terror. We all love our villains to have a little bit of depth, and Longlegs certainly has that. However, he also has that mustache-twirling charisma that Nicolas Cage has mastered.
Naomi Scott Gives the Best Performance of Her Career in 'Smile 2'
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Despite only being in my mid-twenties, I really didn't think I could get jump-scared by horror movies anymore. Smile 2 quickly proved me wrong, as it has been quite a long time since a movie has made me jump out of my seat as much as this one has. Just like he did with the original Smile, filmmaker Parker Finn flawlessly proved the skeptics wrong by continuing what has now become one of the most exciting new mainstream horror franchises. That's not only because of the movie being effectively scary, but it also has a powerful story to boot.
Smile 2's story is carried by Naomi Scott, who gives what is undoubtedly the best performance of her career. Scott stars as Skye Riley, a world-renowned pop star who's staging a career comeback after recovering from a history of substance abuse and a deadly car crash. What makes the omnipresent villain of the Smile films so scary is how it feels like an entity that genuinely can't be defeated. That feeling of power is translated through the panicked humanity that Naomi Scott brings to Skye Riley, as it's impossible not to empathize with a character who cannot escape a lifetime of trauma.
Demi Moore Is a Tragic Fallen Star in 'The Substance'
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Speaking of career-best performances in horror movies about stardom, that's also seen in my personal favorite horror film of the year, The Substance. Everyone in Coralie Fargeat's grotesque body-horror masterpiece is sensational, with Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaidchewing the scenery (sometimes literally) as if their lives depended on it. The real star here though is Demi Moore's turn as Elisabeth Sparkle, who, despite being an entertainment industry icon well known for her incomparable beauty, effectively translates the unfair standards that women of all ages have to face in worlds like Hollywood.
From killer spiders to ballerina vampires, 2024 has been bursting with terrifying storytelling.
Despite having a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a beautiful LA apartment to live in, Elisabeth Sparkle is not content with her current life after being fired from her exercise show. Fargeat's brilliant decision to have Moore utilize as little dialogue as possible and instead have the vast majority of Sparkle's journey be told through facial expressions and emotions was a true stroke of genius. Even when the titular substance starts to do what mysterious horror miracle cures usually do, Demi Moore soars as a woman who just wants to feel young and beautiful again.
Hugh Grant Turns on the Charm in 'Heretic'
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Hugh Grant has shown a real knack for playing bad guys in his ongoing villain era, and his role as Mr. Reed in Scott Beck and Bryan Woods' Heretic is perhaps the best example yet. Obviously, the film is heavily charged with commentary on religion, but at the same time, it's a movie that's not really about religion at all. It's more so a story about the correlation between faith and power, and it's a point that Reed tries to make to two unsuspecting Mormon missionaries as if he were a charming college professor.
The standout scene of Heretic that showcases Grant's talents is during a lengthy monologue sequence midway through the film. I daren't give too much away for those who haven't yet seen Heretic and its winding twists and turns, but this is one of the best dialogue sequences of 2024. It's a sequence that somehow manages to incorporate the history of religion, three different versions of Monopoly, and Jar Jar Binks (Ahmed Best) from Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. If that doesn't accentuate how good Hugh Grant is in the movie, then I don't know what will
Lily-Rose Depp Steals the Sunlight in 'Nosferatu'
Last but certainly not least, we have what was my most anticipated horror film of 2024 — Nosferatu by Robert Eggers. It was a movie I had great hope for as well as some concerns. I was very much looking forward to seeing Bill Skarsgård take over yet another horror icon after nailing Pennywise in It, but I was a bit worried about Lily-Rose Depp in the lead role thanks to a certain problematic show called The Idol. To my great surprise, my expectations were completely reversed.
To be honest, I found Skarsgård's Count Orlok to be the movie's weakest element, especially comparing the iteration to past versions of Orlok and Dracula. Lily-Rose Depp completely steals the show in the film, as her performance as the embattled Ellen Hutter is one for the record books. Depp brings a remarkable physicality to the part that makes the role her own through and through, and it's her portrayal of Ellen that turns a good adaptation into one that's worth revisiting over and over again.
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