I couldn’t possibly finish out a year of watching horror films without sharing a few of my favorites. I started out this year with some preconceived judgments of the genre as a whole. None were bad or critical. Rather, I’d fallen into some rather baseless opinions about elements like stylization, sub-genre, or year that led to a limiting understanding of which movies were worth watching. My quest for horror literacy has helped me pursue films I would have otherwise passed by. What I’ve learned is that a good horror movie doesn’t need jump scares, answers, or even quality production. If the creator truly understands what story they want to tell, how they want to tell it, and why horror is the genre for the job, I’ve found a lot of the other details don’t really matter.
My top watches movies this year left me thinking about horror as storytelling and horror as entertainment. They don’t have any ties to the year other than their convergence with my film binge (and bless you if you think I’m decisive enough to put them in any particular order).
birth/rebirth – Let me tell you. I came for Carla from Scrubs (Judy Reyes), but I stayed for an incredibly upsetting take on a modern Frankenstein story. Anne Rice and Bryan Fuller eat your heart out! If you’re looking for an ethically-questionable, hate-fueled same sex coparenting story in which one of the parents has a god complex and the other says “I can fix them” while simultaneously becoming even more of a monster… you are going to love this movie. Did I mention it has Carla from Scrubs!?
I Saw The TV Glow – If you’ve read my post on We’re All Going to The World’s Fair, then you know I love the way Jane Schoenbrun uses nostalgia as an allegory for trans experiences. I Saw The TV Glow is no different. It’s basically a love letter to the creator’s ability to find gender euphoria through escapism. Even more so, it’s an illustration of how letting go of the things that make you love yourself can eat away at you over time until you no longer recognize the selves of your past or your present. This movie left me with some questions and some unfulfilled wants, but that doesn’t dampen my love for it or my opinion that its story is incredibly important. I still might have a post in the ol’ brain box about the viral TikTok trend this movie inspired. Stay tuned.
The Exorcist III: Legion – I hate exorcism stories. I hate The Exorcist and I hate Ed and Lorraine Warren and I hate all the noise about the Christian God saving “sinful” neurodivergents from the “demons” of epilepsy and externalizing trauma responses. And my hatred for exorcism stories is exactly why I love The Exorcist III. It’s not an exorcism story! Sure, they throw in a little demon battle at the end to make the production company happy, but in reality this is a crime procedural starring George C. Scott and Brad Dourif, and that’s all you need to know. Really! Just go watch it, forget about Reagan and Ellen Burstyn and all your faves from the first movie. DEFINITELY forget the second movie. Just watch, free from the burdens of expectation. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Christine – Ok, I admit it, I have a thing for chaotic power-tripping twinks in turtlenecks. But Keith Gordon as this movie’s protagonist is not my only reason to watch. Christine is funny, fantastical, and full of amazing practical effects. I mean, a beaten-up car repairs itself in front of our eyes with very few cuts. The viewing experience is nothing short of fantastical. Christine is an underrated intersection of the talents of Stephen King and John Carpenter. It’s a “revenge of the nerd” story with a dark sense of humor and an eye for dramatic lighting, safe enough to watch on a cozy night alone and fun enough for a night with friends.
House – If you only have it within you to watch one of these 10 recommendations and you have not seen House, I regret to inform you the other nine don’t mean much. Just watch House. I’m not even going to tell you anything about it. Just. Go. Watch. House. There is no amount of attempting to explain this movie to you that will sufficiently sell what it is bringing. The last thing I’ll say, in case it is the point that makes it across, GO WATCH HOUSE.
Saint Maud – A conservative hospice nurse with a secret starts working for dance legend and bi icon Amanda Kohl. It’s hard to tell if her fascination with her patient is a budding same sex crush or a zealous conviction to save her before she passes. Either way, Maud is invested in Amanda’s companionship one way or another, and when Amanda shows how little regard she has for Maud, shit starts to get weird. Saint Maud is a sickly satisfying homoerotic romp through religious trauma, self-restraint, and pure delusion. This one comes with a big trigger warning for self harm – watch safely.
Noroi: The Curse – I don’t know if you’ve picked up based on my last two reviews, but I love a found footage film. Noroi comes to us with the benefit of already having been “produced” by the protagonist, an investigative reporter doing a documentary on paranormal activity in Japan. We’re watching what he presented to his publisher before his mysterious disappearance. This movie will leave you with some creeps and icks, but it will make sure you have a little fun on the way. This is the kind of film where the guy in the tinfoil hat is right, and no one else sees it except the viewer. It had me screaming “KAGUTABAAAAA” and tying all my electrical cords in knots.
Bodies Bodies Bodies – What could go wrong in the middle of a hurricane? This movie is hilarious and riveting while also serving a scathing critique of the volatile and hypocritical friendships born of party culture. The characters are all so self-involved and paranoid that all they can do is fling accusations once people start dying. Come for Charli XCX and the queer representation, stay for literally every word that comes out of Rachel Sennott’s mouth. That girl is a comedic genius.
Society – I sense a disheartening lack of splatter film within this list, but I think if one movie can remedy that shortcoming singlehandedly, it’s Brian Yuzna’s Society. If you like Re-Animator, Dead Alive, or The Thing, then this is the gloopy gloppy sex clown nightmare you’ve been looking for. This movie takes feeling othered and outcast to its goriest, most taboo conclusion while still maintaining a sinisterly fun and lighthearted tone. There’s an overt message of class solidarity beneath all of Society‘s lubed up, orgiastic luxury, but it’s going to make sure you get your laughs first.
Talk To Me – This movie lives in the same house as Bodies Bodies Bodies, but they are not related. While somewhere in Florida Pete Davidson is battling it out with Lee Pace in his parents’ mansion, somewhere in Australia a group of kids are settling in a basement with their drinks, gathering around a mummified hand, and filming one another getting temporarily possessed by the spirits of the dead. Talk To Me examines adolescent grief, substance abuse, and the harms of social media through the allegory of this mysterious artifact. When the band of teens make contact with the protagonist’s recently-deceased mother, she makes a reckless mistake that puts relationships, reputations, and even lives at risk. Make sure you look up the triggers if you feel you may need it; this movie addresses some heavy concepts and it pulls no punches.
There you have it! I’d love to know your favorite watches from the past year. What should I watch next?
And above all, dear reader, I hope you have a Happy New Year! Let’s ring in 2025 with curiosity and empathy, and in the meantime there’s always a new horror movie to watch. I know what I’ll be doing tonight!!
The Horrors Persist 
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