The chilling winds of October have come around once again, which for many means a month-long marathon of their favorite scary movies. Everyone has their annual Halloween picks, whether it’s an old school slasher along the lines of Friday the 13th or A Nightmare on Elm Street, more lighthearted fare like Beetlejuice or Hocus Pocus, or a modern classic like Insidious or The Conjuring. 

But every year also offers a score of brand new horror movies for fans to consume, and 2024 has been another fine example of just how well the genre is currently thriving. From the latest entries in franchises like A Quiet Place and The Omen to fresh takes on zombies and demons, we’ve put together a list of the best new horror films to come out so far this year - and it’s quite a strong collection. For this particular collection, we’ve omitted movies that may still be playing in theaters, so while The Substance or Speak No Evil or Alien: Romulus may have made this list, we’ve stuck to movies that are already available to stream at home.

Check out our favorites of the year and let us know yours!

‘I Saw the TV Glow’ (Currently streaming on Max)

Director Jane Schoenbrun delivered an exceptionally haunting take on loneliness in the digital age with their debut, We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, but their second feature film, this year’s I Saw the TV Glow, solidifies them as a truly essential cinematic voice. Two troubled teenagers, Owen (Justice Smith) and Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine), are brought together and bond over their favorite television show, but as the two grow older, their realities and even their very identities begin to warp. As a chilling, melancholic metaphor for transness and gender dysphoria, and as an impactful story in its own right, I Saw the TV Glow is a masterpiece. Horror is all about eliciting extreme emotion out of its audience, but very few are imbued with the kind of tragic yearning that Schoenbrun’s film possesses. The kind of movie that can change, and possibly even save, lives. All while still being scary! Don’t miss out on this, it’ll be talked about for decades to come. 

‘Handling the Undead’ (Currently streaming on Hulu)

After a huge boom in zombie-related media following the smash hit of The Walking Dead, things reached the point where the undead monster began to get stale, and every zombie story started feeling exactly the same. Handling the Undead, the debut feature from Norwegian filmmaker Thea Hvistendahl, rectifies this problem by approaching the subject in a unique and powerful way. The film follows three families suffering from recent losses - a mother (Renate Reinsve) mourning her young son, an elderly woman (Bente Børsum) missing her lover, and a father (Anders Danielsen Lie) left without his wife. Their grief is turned upside down when the dead suddenly return, and we bear witness to their individual reactions to this unholy miracle. Hvistendahl’s film isn’t for everyone, certainly not for those expecting the usual kind of zombie action. Instead, it goes for a slow cinema style that puts the focus on the characters and their individual struggles with sorrow, playing out almost like a silent film. Backed by an evocative score from Peter Raeburn, Handling the Undead is a sad and quietly moving film that makes an old fear feel new and emotionally raw again.

‘Late Night with the Devil’ (Currently streaming on Shudder)

Led by an outstanding central performance from David Dastmalchian and bolstered by fun and impressive practical gore effects, Late Night with the Devil is a fast-paced and wildly amusing slice of possession horror. Set on Halloween night of 1977, the movie takes place at the live taping of television star Jack Delroy’s (Dastmalchian) talk show, where he’s invited several occult-themed guests in honor of the holiday. One of his guests is Lilly (Ingrid Torelli), a young girl who claims to be possessed by a demonic entity. Things start going wrong fairly quickly as Jack’s late-night program turns into a genuine house of horrors, and everyone is put into extraordinary danger. Writing and directing duo Colin and Cameron Cairnes deliver one of those good times where everyone onscreen is having an extraordinarily bad time.

‘The First Omen’ (Currently streaming on Hulu)

This legacy prequel to the 1976 classic The Omen very much stands on its own merit, thankfully being far more interested in crafting its own unique sense of terror than relying on the scares of the past. Directed by Arkasha Stevenson, the story follows a nun-in-training named Margaret (Nell Tiger Free), who moves to Rome from America and uncovers an insidious plot at the center of her new convent. Undoubtedly the scariest of the entire franchise and anchored by a downright incredible performance from its star, The First Omen is an astounding horror achievement that feels both genuinely terrifying and provocative. Call it blasphemous, but Stevenson’s prequel just might surpass the original.

‘Stopmotion’ (Currently streaming on Shudder)

Directed by British filmmaker and animator Robert Morgan, Stopmotion lives up to its name by being a genuine hybrid of gorgeous stop motion animation and live-action, and the results are both terrifying and hypnotic. The film stars Aisling Franciosi as a talented stop motion animator who, after the sudden passing of her famous mother (Stella Gonet), becomes obsessed with completing her latest film. An immediately stylish and creepy concept gives Stopmotion an easy edge, but it’s the film’s jaw-droppingly insane third act that makes it all worth it.

‘A Quiet Place: Day One’ (Currently streaming on Paramount+)

There are a lot of firsts when it comes to A Quiet Place: Day One. It’s the first of the franchise to not be directed by John Krasinki, the first to not feature the Abbott family, and the first prequel and spin-off for the unique horror series. It’s also the best out of all of them. Director Michael Sarnoski (Pig) tells a compelling story about two strangers (Lupita Nyong’o & Joseph Quinn) forced to rely on each other as the apocalypse arrives in New York City, and it’s the movie’s forlorn emotional core that really sells it. Yes, there’s plenty of monster mayhem and destruction to enjoy, but the true power of Day One comes from its affecting tale of companionship in the face of world-ending disaster.

‘Oddity’ (Currently streaming on Shudder)

Carolyn Bracken stars in this puzzle box mystery as a blind psychic named Darcy, a woman determined to uncover the truth about the murder of her twin sister. Irish filmmaker Damian McCarthy (Caveat) creates a thriller that permeates a truly foreboding atmosphere of dread and tension, almost reinventing the time-honored tradition of the jump scare thanks to some masterful execution. It’s expertly tight filmmaking that leaves you holding your breath without realizing it, showcasing McCarthy’s talent for crafting an unnerving and petrifying atmosphere. It’s also refreshingly original, all set in a single spooky location, and features a uniquely captivating protagonist with Darcy. One of the best indie features of the year.

‘The Devil’s Bath’ (Currently streaming on Shudder)

Austrian filmmaking duo Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala are no strangers to the horror genre, having broken through internationally with both Goodnight Mommy and The Lodge. Their latest, The Devil’s Bath, is their most punishingly bleak work yet. Based on criminal trial records from the 1700s and the book Suicide by Proxy in Early Modern Germany: Crime, Sin and Salvation by Kathy Stuart, the film tells the harrowing tale of a woman named Agnes (Anja Plaschg) who falls into despair as she struggles to adjust to married life. Evil thoughts take hold and ancient beliefs do far more harm than good in this dark exploration of depression in 18th century Austria. Take heed, there’s no light at the end of the tunnel for this all-too-real psychological horror.

‘Longlegs’ (Available to rent or buy digitally, coming soon to Hulu)

The directorial efforts Oz Perkins boast some gorgeous macabre visuals and exceptionally effective atmospheres, often leaving viewers to mull over the films’ lingering imagery long after the credits have finished rolling. His latest feature, Longlegs, is no exception in that regard. Set in the grainy home video haze of the 1990s, Modern Scream Queen Maika Monroe stars as FBI agent Lee Harker on the hunt for a Satanic serial killer played with unsettling effectiveness by Nicolas Cage. Longlegs has the rare ability to linger in your mind thanks to its chilling direction and performances, and despite its heavy content, it will likely be a movie that fans will want to revisit and uncover more from. There’s a genuinely evil energy about it - the kind of scary movie that’ll have you sleeping with the lights on for a good while.

‘Infested’ (Currently streaming on Shudder)

The ultimate nightmare fuel for any and all arachnophobes, Infested comes from the twisted mind of French filmmaker Sébastien Vaniček and features a French banlieue being overrun by an infestation of venomous spiders. Both a wickedly fun creature feature and a vicious social commentary on class and race in the city of Paris, Infested skitters by at a rapid and unrelenting pace that can make even the toughest of viewers develop a fear of the eight-legged freaks. Increasingly claustrophobic and with a solid enough investment in its ill-fated gang of characters, Infested manages to stand out from the very crowded subgenre it’s playing in.