The 24 greatest A24 horror movies

Based on the web series (and internet lore that inspired it) by 20-year-old Kane Parsons, Backrooms is a creepy and atmospheric horror that plays with liminal spaces. When the owner of a furniture shop finds a secret door, it leads him to an endless labyrinth of distorted rooms and corridors. Parsons also directed the feature, making him A24’s youngest-ever director. Due to the buzz around Backrooms, it has also gone on to become A24’s highest-grossing film ever. 

Talk to Me is another A24 horror film from YouTube creators, this time brothers Michael and Danny Philippou. The story follows a group of teenagers who find an embalmed hand that can conjure spirits. What starts out as thrilling fun quickly turns dark and sinister. Before Backrooms came along, this independent Aussie flick was A24’s biggest horror to date, announcing the brothers as exciting new voices in the horror genre. 

One of the most defining horror movies of the 2010s is Ari Aster’s feature-length directorial debut, Hereditary . This deeply grim film follows the Graham family, who are grief-stricken by the death of their matriarch. Soon after, disturbing secrets about their ancestry are revealed. Toni Collette gives a frighteningly fantastic performance as mother Annie, balancing both the horror elements and familial drama themes. Hereditary launched Aster’s career into the horror stratosphere. 

Heretic sees Hugh Grant play against type, ditching his charming leading man status for a psychotic religious fanatic. It follows two young missionaries who visit the house of Mr. Reed (Grant), where they become trapped and drawn into a cat-and-mouse fight for survival. Grant is utterly chilling as the twisted antagonist, yet still somehow retains his charisma, making him even more terrifying. Heretic is a horror film with substance, exploring many religious themes. 

Ari Aster’s highly anticipated follow-up to Hereditary managed to be even more disturbing than its predecessor. Midsommar follows a young American couple who travel to Sweden for the midsummer festival. Though things seem peaceful and idyllic at first, they soon realize they are at the hands of a cult with violent ritualistic practices. Despite the majority of the movie taking place in bright and sunny daylight, Midsommar is anything but bright and sunny. 

The Philippou brothers went to even darker places for their follow-up to Talk to Me in Bring Her Back. When siblings Piper and Andy move into their new foster mother Laura’s home, unsettling events start to occur. Exploring themes of grief in a totally gut-wrenching way, Bring Her Back is full of dread and contains visceral gore that will certainly leave an impact. There’s nothing feel-good about this movie, which completely immerses you in its bleakness.

Yorgos Lanthimos is now one of Hollywood’s most acclaimed directors thanks to films like The Favourite, Poor Things and Bugonia . However, before his many collaborations with Emma Stone, he directed the psychological horror film The Killing of a Sacred Deer . Colin Farrell plays Stephen, a surgeon who takes a boy named Martin under his wing, leading to sinister consequences for his family. It also stars Nicole Kidman, and Barry Keoghan is one of his first notable roles. 

X is the first installment in Ti West’s slasher film trilogy starring Mia Goth. The story follows a filmmaking crew who are filming an adult movie at a rural farm. When the elderly owners catch what they are doing, they try to hunt them down and kill them. Full of brutal kills and grimy atmosphere, X makes for an effective and stylish homage to classic ‘70s and ‘80s slasher flicks. Mia Goth also successfully cements herself as a modern-day final girl. 

Pearl is a prequel starring Mia Goth in the titular role, in which she plays one of her dual characters from X. Pearl lives on an isolated farm and dreams of being a star, which drives her to madness and extreme lengths in order to get what she wants. Goth’s performance here is even more impressive than in X, portraying Pearl as both a deranged madwoman and an object of pity. There are a slew of memorable moments, including the hilarious yet unsettling “I’m a star!” scene.

MaXXXine is the third film in the X trilogy, which is a direct sequel to the first movie and sees Goth back as Maxine. Set in 1980s Hollywood, Maxine is now an aspiring actress who finally gets her big break. However, a serial killer called the Night Stalker is hunting down starlets, making it difficult for Maxine to leave her bloody past behind. While most agree that MaXXXine is the weakest of the trilogy, it still dazzles with its retro setting and slasher energy. 

Green Room takes the punk rock scene and puts a deranged spin on it. The film sees a punk rock band fighting for their lives against Neo-nazi skinheads after witnessing a murder at a club. Green Room isn’t a typical horror movie, but falls more into the splatter horror subgenre with its brutally extreme gore, while also working as an effective thriller. The cast itself is vastly impressive too, featuring Patrick Stewart, Callum Turner, Imogen Poots, and the late Anton Yelchin.

Saint Maud is definitely one of A24’s lesser-known horror movies, but it is just as impressive as the other top billers. Maud, a devout nurse with a sinful past, becomes obsessed with trying to save her dying patient’s soul. The film explores how faith can drive people to madness, using elements of both body and psychological horror. Deeply unsettling, Saint Maud features a bold performance from Morfydd Clark and leaves an impact with a runtime of less than ninety minutes. 

Jonathan Glazer is a director who can do it all. Crime-thriller Sexy Beast, Holocaust drama The Zone of Interest, and sci-fi horror Under the Skin . Scarlett Johansson stars as a mysterious woman who drives through the streets of Scotland and seduces lonely men, who are unaware of her true extraterrestrial identity. The title is fitting, because this film does really get under the skin with its haunting imagery and atmosphere. Johansson also delivers one of her best performances.  

Lamb definitely falls into the weirder side of A24’s horror slate, as a lot of their titles usually do. Set in rural Iceland, the film follows a childless couple who discover a strange newborn on their farm. They try to raise the child as their own, but its unnatural existence creates consequences. As the title suggests, the child is quite literally part lamb and part human. However, Lamb is hauntingly atmospheric, and even quite heartbreaking at points. 

From director Trey Edward Shults, It Comes at Night is a slow-burn chiller with an apocalyptic setting. A man lives securely in his home with his wife and son, protected from an outside threat. However, when another family arrives seeking refuge, tensions arise. Set primarily in one location, It Comes at Night delivers an effective sense of claustrophobia and isolation. The monster or threat is rarely seen, but its presence is difficult to ignore. 

The Witch (or stylistically spelled as The VVitch with two Vs) is the directorial debut from Robert Eggers, who has gone on to make films like The Northman and Nosferatu. Set in 1630s New England, the folk horror movie follows a devout Puritan family who encounter the evil forces of witchcraft. A masterclass in dread and atmosphere, The Witch also introduced audiences to now megastar Anya-Taylor Joy. It is a slow-burn that leaves a lingering effect. 

This Gen Z-coded horror-comedy is a riot from start to finish. The plot follows a group of youths who go to a remote mansion to party when a hurricane traps them there. They start to play a party game, which soon turns bloody as the bodies start showing up. This fresh take on the whodunnit delivers plenty of satire and gore, with very unlikeable characters who are a lot of fun to watch. Social media also plays a huge part in how the horror unfolds throughout Bodies Bodies Bodies.

Robert Eggers followed up The Witch with The Lighthouse in 2019, which couldn’t be more different to its predecessor. Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe play two lighthouse keepers who try to remain sane as they experience hallucinations while positioned on a remote island. Shot entirely in black and white, The Lighthouse boasts artistic visuals with genuinely unnerving moments, anchored by two powerhouse performances from Dafoe and Pattinson. 

Before Jessie Buckley won the Best Actress Oscar for her stunning performance in Hamnet, she starred in Alex Garland’s surrealist horror film Men. She plays Harper, a woman who travels to the countryside alone after the death of her ex-husband. There, she is stalked and tormented by strange men in the surrounding town and forest. Men is unflinching and graphic to the maximum, so while its narrative might be out of reach for some, its horror elements do not hold back. 

I Saw the TV Glow is a psychological horror from director Jane Schoenbrun. It follows teenager Owen, who is introduced to a mysterious supernatural TV show by a classmate. When Owen becomes obsessed with the show, the line between reality and fiction is blurred, and the show itself becomes real. I Saw the TV Glow is a deeply thematic film that explores LGBTQI+ themes in a unique and unsettling manner, while still managing to pack an emotional punch. 

Not a lot of people have heard of A24’s The Hole in the Ground, so it is definitely worth highlighting. This is a supernatural film directed by Lee Cronin, who also went on to direct Evil Dead Rise and 2026’s version of The Mummy. The story follows a single mother whose son disappears into the woods one night. When he returns, she starts to believe that he isn’t really her son, due to his increasingly disturbing behaviour. This one definitely makes great use of the creepy kid trope.

From cult filmmaker Kevin Smith, Tusk is a grossly absurd horror-comedy starring Justin Long. Long plays an arrogant podcaster who travels to Canada to interview a recluse with a strange affinity for walruses. Soon, he learns that the recluse plans to surgically alter him into a walrus. Smith is best known for his low-budget comedies, so this is a massive detour, despite retaining some dark comedy elements to enhance its bizarre premise. 

Ari Aster’s third collaboration with A24, Beau Is Afraid, couldn’t be more different in tone to Hereditary and Midsommar . Joaquin Phoenix plays Beau, a paranoid man who embarks on an odyssey to attend his mother’s funeral, which turns into a surreal nightmare. Some might not classify this as a horror, but it is the dread and unease in every frame that surely categorizes it as one. Highly psychological and mind-bending, Beau Is Afraid is as ambitious as filmmaking gets.

Marketed as “the scariest movie you’ll ever hear”, Undertone is a different kind of horror that relies mostly on sound to frighten its audience. The story follows the host of a paranormal podcast, who is sent mysterious and unsettling recordings. As she tries to decipher their meaning, she starts to lose her mind. As its marketing might suggest, Undertone boasts immersive sound design that will make wearing headphones a lot scarier than usual.