Every A24 Horror Movie Ranked From Worst To Best

The independent production company A24 has developed a reputation for releasing a wide variety of widely acclaimed films, but A24 horror movies remain a highlight for the company. It’s unlikely that any company can claim to have had a bigger impact on the horror genre in the past decade than A24. After putting its name on the map in the 2010s, A24 went on to release several different movies each year, but it remains mostly known for its contributions to the horror genre.

A24 releases include some of the most talked-about horror movies of the past decade, such as Hereditary, Midsommar, and The Lighthouse. A24 horror movies have revolutionized the horror genre in the post-2010 years, bringing a new era to horror and introducing social and cultural themes that are highly relevant to modern society. When it comes to A24 horror movies, they specialize in both smart and high-brow films as well as bizarre stories that most production companies would never touch.

31

False Positive (2021)

Directed By John Lee

It’s rare to see A24 horror movies called flat, but one of its most widely derided outings came in the form of 2021’s False Positive. The movie is by no means bad or unwatchable — it’s just not up to the usual standard for A24’s horror. Released directly on Hulu, False Positive at first seems like it might be a modern riff on Rosemary’s Baby. While elements of that are certainly present, the real truth behind Lucy’s (co-writer and star Ilana Glazer) engineered pregnancy is arguably even more disturbing.

Glazer does well in her role, as does Justin Theroux as her husband, and Pierce Brosnan as the malevolent fertility doctor. Unlike most of A24’s horror offerings, though, False Positive feels much more derivative of past genre entries, and its story isn’t brought to a fully satisfying conclusion. Its Rotten Tomatoes rating is a low 47%. While still interesting, it falls short of the rest of the A24 horror genre offerings.

30

Tusk (2014)

Directed By Kevin Smith

Written and directed by renowned filmmaker Kevin Smith, Tusk follows an American comedy podcaster as he travels to Canada for an interview. He quickly becomes the victim of a mad scientist desperately trying to recreate his walrus friend by mutilating people and stuffing them into a walrus suit made of human skin. Kevin Smith’s mind-boggling offering to the horror genre has such a mismatched tone that the comedy and horror aspects could be from two different films.

The movie almost could have worked well as a serious horror movie or even a compelling episode of a show like Criminal Minds with Cronenberg-like body horror. What resulted was something very polarizing, although Tusk did receive some decent reviews, with critics praising its atmosphere and visuals. It just took many Kevin Smith fans by surprise, thanks to the bizarre take on the genre.

29

Slice (2018)

Directed By Austin Vesely

A horror comedy set in a small town where humans and supernatural beasts like ghosts, witches, and werewolves live together in semi-harmony, the A24 horror movie Slice follows a series of murders that take place at the local pizza shop as their delivery drivers are killed off one by one. When it is discovered that the pizza shop was built on a mass grave in a town that is home to 40,000 ghosts, the employees learn the previous tenants were also victims of murders and set out to solve the crimes.

The blend of comedy and horror in Slice is expertly established, delivering a silly and thoroughly enjoyable experience as Zazie Beets and Chance the Rapper try to track down the killer and bring them to justice. Reviews were average to low, with the positive reviews saying it was “schlock,” but still highly original, which goes a long way in horror movies of this type.

28

The Blackcoat’s Daughter (2015)

Directed By Osgood Perkins

A girls’ boarding school closing down during winter break sees two young women left behind while another girl leaves the hospital on her way back to the same boarding school in The Blackcoat’s Daughter. The film is a complicated one, splitting between the three main characters (Rose, Joan, and Kat), and nothing is as it seems until the final shocking twist of the movie when one of them turns out not to be who they claimed they are.

This supernatural psychological horror film is certainly an underrated pick from A24, but the twist leads to a confusing ending that kept the movie’s critical acceptance to remain average. The positive reviews called the movie slow-building and atmospheric, while negative reviews said it relied mostly on its twist ending. However, critics who liked the movie also point out how the twists were set up, rewarding rewatching the film to see the puzzle coming together.

27

Life After Beth (2014)

Directed By Jeff Baena

A horror romantic comedy, Life After Beth usurps classic zombie lore when a young man whose girlfriend has just passed away discovers that his deceased lover has come back from the dead, with no memory of her death. Unfortunately, though she seems just fine at first, she soon begins to undergo a terrifying transformation. While Life After Beth has its campy, comedic moments, a lesser film dealing with the same story material might have veered too far into the ridiculous.

This A24 horror movie is essentially a ghoulish twist on 500 Days of Summer, which, surprisingly, works quite well. While Life After Beth did not receive the best reviews, it remains a cult classic and something very different in the zombie horror genre. The cast was a big reason for the movie’s success, especially Aubrey Plaza’s performance as Beth and both Molly Shannon and John C. Reilly’s turns as her hapless parents trying to hide and protect their daughter from the outside world.

26

The Hole In The Ground (2019)

Directed By Lee Cronin

The Hole in the Ground follows a young mother, Sarah, and her son, Chris, as they move to a new town. But, when Chris goes missing in the forest one night, he returns only to start acting strangely, leading Sarah to believe he isn’t her son at all. This suspenseful Irish horror film has some great set pieces in the underground cave and serves as one of the few decent horror films about an actual mythical changeling.

Lee Cronin, who went on to direct the critically acclaimed Evil Dead Rise as his first major studio film after this A24 release, showed his promise with this film.

However, some have criticized The Hole in the Ground as a bit bland and one-note, especially compared to some of A24’s other horror movies. Despite this, it has a very high 83% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising its originality. Lee Cronin, who went on to direct the critically acclaimed Evil Dead Rise as his first major studio film after this A24 release, showed his promise with this film. The film remains mostly underrated and unseen by cinephiles, but it is a promising start for the filmmaker.

25

Enemy (2014)

Directed By Denis Villeneuve

The first of A24’s horror movies, Enemy is a surrealist thriller directed by Denis Villeneuve. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Adam Bell and Anthony Claire. The film follows a schlubby history teacher, Adam Bell, as he discovers a minor actor who looks exactly like him. An adaptation of Jose Saramago’s award-winning novella The Double, Enemy is an exercise in audience manipulation, and some feel it is one of the more underrated movies of the 2010s.

The movie evokes a palpable sense of anxiety and keeps the audience guessing. That said, the ending falls flat, making Enemy a confusing cinematic experience overall. Still, fans who have gotten to know Villeneuve, thanks to movies like Dune and Blade Runner 2049, should check this out. It is evidence that big things would come one day for the director, and it is also proof that A24 helped discover some of today’s most innovative and brilliant filmmakers, offering a glimpse into the genesis of their careers.

24

Beau Is Afraid (2023)

Directed By Ari Aster

Ari Aster made his name with A24 horror movies, as he directed two of the best of all time with Hereditary and Midsommar. However, some felt there was a step down with his 2023 release, Beau Is Afraid. The movie stars Joaquin Phoenix as a middle-aged man with anxiety issues who is supposed to take a flight to see his mother but is scared to leave his apartment. When he finally sets out for the trip, everything that could go wrong does, and he ends up abducted by a couple who won’t let him leave.

The movie is an abstract look at Beau’s mental struggles and a meditation on how self-doubt, fear, and anxiety can almost drown a person if he goes untreated. However, the movie received mixed and very polarizing reviews, with many people dismissing the themes and claiming Aster made a self-indulgent and overstuffed film. Phoenix picked up a Golden Globe nomination for his performance.

23

Men (2022)

Directed By Alex Garland

The A24 horror movie Men follows the young widow Harper (Jessie Buckley), who decides to take a trip to the English countryside. However, upon her arrival, it seems like someone — or something — is stalking her. Filmmaker Alex Garland (Ex Machina) helmed the movie, and it opened to middling reviews, but there were many positives about Men. The cast wove an intriguing story, and its voyeuristic tone crescendoed into a frenzy leading up to the climactic finale.

That said, Men left too much of the film ambiguous, and it was so symbolic that casual audience members had a difficult time deciphering its meaning. Despite this, it won Best Effects at the British Independent Film Awards and both Jessie Buckley and Rory Kinnear earned nominations at the Critics Choice Super Awards. This was a case where it wasn’t Garland’s magnum opus, but it did give the filmmaker a chance to do something subversive and innovative, thanks to the brain trust at A24.

22

Lamb (2021)

Directed By Valdimar Jóhannsson

Released in 2021, Icelandic horror film Lamb is one of A24’s weirder efforts. Noomi Rapace and Hilmir Snær Guðnason star as a farm couple who begin raising a bizarre sheep/human hybrid creature they call Ada, after one of their sheep gives birth to her. As one might expect, this odd arrangement quickly devolves into mania, leading to the eventual reveal of just what exactly fathered Ada.

While considered a bit too strange for its own good, Lamb features a great lead performance from Rapace and has deservedly earned widespread acclaim. Iceland submitted for consideration to the Academy Awards, but it was not chosen as a finalist for the award. The only big problem with the film is that many critics and audience members found the subject matter a little too abstract and obscure, but the people who enjoyed Lamb admire it for those same reasons.

21

Y2K (2024)

Directed By Kyle Mooney

In 2024, director Kyle Mooney set out to create an homage to the entire absurd panic that swept the world in 1999 with the movie Y2K. The film is based on the entire belief that computer systems would crash when the year 2000 arrived thanks to many operating systems not being set up to understand the difference between 1900 and 2000. People believed it would shut down computers, planes would fall from the sky, hospitals would go black, killing patients, and the world would descend into chaos.

Out of these fears, Mooney created a horror-comedy where the end did come, but in a different way. Computers and electronics became sentient and started killing humans, almost like the cult classic Maximum Overdrive. With some familiar faces, including Alicia Silverstone, Rachel Zegler, and Fred Durst, the film is a comedic look at an apocalyptic scenario. However, it was still one of A24’s mid-range films, according to critics, although it was certified fresh at Rotten Tomatoes.

20

Death Of A Unicorn (2025)

Directed by Alex Scharfman

Focusing on a father and daughter who accidentally hit and kill a unicorn, only to then be hunted down by its mate, Death of a Unicorn is a delightful, often hilarious horror comedy that isn’t afraid to get weird with its premise. In fact, that is what makes the movie so much fun to watch. Perhaps the biggest issue with Death of a Unicorn is that it doesn’t know when to turn the energy down a bit, content with remaining witty and often gory throughout its runtime, and not really preoccupied with much else, making it feel a bit shallow.

Death of a Unicorn is a worthwhile addition to the A24 horror canon.

Still, Death of a Unicorn plays to its strengths: a unique, wickedly fun premise, and a stellar cast of characters. Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega work incredibly well together as father and daughter, while Richard E. Grant, Téa Leoni, and Anthony Carrigan are all really strong as well. Will Poulter is the true standout of Death of a Unicorn, though, with his character going through various phases as the tension picks up, going through a range of emotions in the process. Death of a Unicorn is a worthwhile addition to the A24 horror canon.

19

Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)

Directed By Halina Reijn

Bodies Bodies Bodies sees an ensemble cast in their early 20s planning a hurricane party at a remote mansion. However, just as the party gets going, people start getting picked off one by one. Bodies Bodies Bodies did fairly well in terms of reviews, as the current Rotten Tomatoes score sits at 85% for critics and 69% for audiences. The horror/comedy has an incredible young cast, and its wit is razor-sharp.

However, some critics didn’t feel the same. The lack of clues throughout made the whodunit particularly tricky to follow, and the sluggish setup didn’t do Bodies Bodies Bodies any favors. With that said, it was a popular movie for many fans and gained an even bigger audience when it hit streaming, with praise going to its cast, including a surprisingly entertaining Pete Davidson. The film attempted to satirize the upper class, but it didn’t always hit on those criticisms and was mostly praised for its slasher aspects.

18

Climax (2018)

Directed By Gaspar Noe

Gaspar Noe’s unique cinematic drama experience, Climax, features innovative filmmaking techniques, professional dancers with no acting experience, and a surreal, dreamlike quality that makes the whole movie feel unlike anything viewers have seen before. The story follows a dance troupe throwing a post-rehearsal party only to discover that someone has spiked their punch with LSD. What follows is a chaotic, horrifying mess of people trying to cope as they all descend into a highly agitated mental state.

The resulting film is unique, especially among A24 horror movies, but it’s truly an exceptional horror experience highlighting the terrors of real life. Climax won the Art Cinema Award at Cannes and was honored at several European film awards ceremonies. While the cast received praise and the director’s style was recognized, the movie’s over-reliance on violence was often the main critique against its status among other A24 films.

17

Into The Forest (2016)

Directed By Patricia Rozema

Following two sisters living in a remote home in the woods, Into the Forest explores the themes of family, survival, and making the most out of what you have. Into the Forest takes place in the near future, starring Elliot Page and Evan Rachel Wood as two young adult sisters, and Callum Keith Rennie as their father, who has moved them into the wilderness in a home he’s built by hand.

The movie is a beautiful, heartbreaking, and atmospheric look at family and survival, and drives home A24’s signature style — nicely crafted, slow-burn horror.

But, when a massive, continent-wide power outage leads to a region-wide technological collapse, the siblings have to overcome and survive on their own with only each other. The movie is a beautiful, heartbreaking, and atmospheric look at family and survival, and drives home A24’s signature style — nicely crafted, slow-burn horror. As an early A24 film release, it has since become mostly forgotten, although critics praised Page and Wood for their performances.

16

The Monster (2016)

Directed By Bryan Bertino

The Monster centers on a mother and daughter stranded on a remote forested road when their car breaks down during a journey to go visit the daughter’s father. However, as the pair waits for a tow truck and ambulance, they begin to realize that they’re not alone out there in the woods as a large black dog-like creature begins to hunt them.

The poignant and heartbreaking depiction of the abusive yet codependent relationship between the mother and daughter is echoed by the monster as they have to overcome their difficulties to survive the night. The movie received critical praise, sitting at 80% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics pointed to its setup and performances as highlights of the very scary story, praising the atmosphere and the two-actor performance from Zoe Kazan and Ella Ballentine, who had to carry the entire film on their shoulders.

15

It Comes At Night (2017)

Directed By Trey Edward Shults

It Comes at Night is a post-apocalyptic horror movie about a family living in a remote forest home while a highly contagious disease ravages the earth. However, when the family’s patriarch discovers a man breaking into their house one night in search of water, the two families end up joining forces to survive, only to discover that the real horror comes from within.

The movie is filmed beautifully and has some great, nightmarish sequences as well as a timely message. Critics praised the movie, pointing out its bare-bones story and ability to create scares based on what isn’t shown on the screen. Young star Kelvin Harrison Jr. also picked up a nomination for Breakthrough Actor at the Gotham Independent Film Awards. It Comes at Night became one of A24’s most popular films thanks to its life on Netflix, where many people rediscovered it.

14

X (2022)

Directed By Ti West

One of the most successful A24 horror movies is the Ti West film X. A new spin on a classic slasher format, X follows a group of people trying to make a porn movie in rural Texas during the ’70s. After finding a farmhouse owned by an elderly couple, the group starts getting killed off one by one. X featured a remarkably strong cast, with familiar faces like Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, and Brittany Snow in the ensemble effort.

X has a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

X‘s only problem is that it’s perhaps too on the nose. Despite opening to positive reviews, some critics found X to be hampered rather than helped by its self-awareness of the slasher genre, and unfortunately, some of the tropes satirized a little too well. However, critics praised Goth, who pulled double-duty with two roles, and it picked up a sequel just months later. Mia Goth went on to make two more movies in the franchise, Pearl and MaXXXine, proving her performance here was just a harbinger of things to come.

13

Talk To Me (2022)

Directed By Danny And Michael Philippou

A24’s 2022 horror movie Talk to Me took the demonic possession, slasher movie genre and turned it on its head. This was slightly surprising since the directors, Australian brothers Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou, were mostly known as YouTube shock content creators before making this movie. What resulted was a film that was scary, creative, and one of the best horror movies of 2023. The movie focuses on a severed arm that teens believe will allow them to talk to the dead if they grasp its hand.

The problem is that this is true and if someone holds it too long, the dead has the chance to connect to the host and take control of them. When youngsters who use it at a party start ending up dead, it is clear one of them has brought the dead to this side. What makes the movie even more impressive is the Talk to Me ending, which sets up a possible sequel.

12

In Fabric (2018)

Directed By Peter Strickland

In Fabric is an extraordinary A24 horror movie — a comedy ghost story by Peter Strickland (Berberian Sound Studio, Duke of Burgundy) that follows the journey of a cursed dress as it travels from person to person. It can be described as a sort of giallo remake of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, featuring synth music, surreal imagery, and bright, giallo-esque colors.

While much of In Fabric is horror, it does smartly interject some comedy to play up the idea of the haunted dress, and the whole movie works together beautifully. The movie has a high 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was named one of the best movies of 2019 by Sight & Sound. Critics praised the film, saying it delivered a dry wit in surprising ways and had a warped and twisted sense of humor that was unlike anything in the horror genre at that time.