What are the best and most anticipated horror movies coming out in 2023, 2024, and beyond? There’s no shortage of scary films over the next few years, as we see the return of terrifying series such as A Quiet Place and Alien, along with new work from directors including Jordan Peele and M. Night Shyamalan. Here are our picks for the horror flicks that should be on your radar.
Thanksgiving (November 17, 2023)
Put down your turkey leg and hold the cranberry sauce, as Eli Roth (Cabin Fever, Hostel) is serving nothing but ultra-violence this Thanksgiving season. Based on a mock trailer featured in the director’s 2007 double-feature Grindhouse, Thanksgiving sees a violent Black Friday riot leading to the arrival of a Pilgrim-themed serial killer known only as “John Carver.” Our killer has the imaginative idea to transform his victims into a Thanksgiving carving board, and judging by the trailer, his methods for achieving his curious goal are as inventive as they are sadistic.
Night Swim (January 5, 2024)
Peeing in the pool is the least of the Waller family’s worries in Night Swim, as a supernatural presence haunts their backyard swimming pool. Wyatt Russell (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) stars as a father who convinces his wife that said pool is a worthwhile investment, only for it to open up a whole world of terror. Let’s see if this one has the same negative impact on pools as Jaws had on the ocean.
A Quiet Place: Day One (March 8, 2024)
A Quiet Place is heading to the definitely-not-quiet New York City in A Quiet Place: Day One, a prequel spin-off that shows the monstrous Death Angels’ first day in the Big Apple. New York is no stranger to being ransacked by movie monsters — every beast from Godzilla to the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man has had a turn — but that doesn’t make us any less excited to see how A Quiet Place’s creatures and their super-sensitive hearing fare. With Lupita N’ong’o (Us, Wakanda Forever) and Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things) starring, the cast is stellar, too.
Imaginary (March 8, 2024)
Imaginary looks to transform a seemingly harmless stuffed bear into the next terrifying horror villain. The film sees Jessica (Jurassic World Dominion’s Dewanda Wise) return to her childhood home and watch as her stepdaughter grows attached to her old toy bear, Chauncey. However, Chauncey turns out to be a little more sentient than previously believed, and this imaginary friend seems to be very real — and very dangerous.
The Watchers (June 7, 2024)
M. Night Shyamalan’s daughter Ishana Shyamalan makes her directorial debut with The Watchers, a supernatural horror based on the acclaimed A. M. Shine book of the same name. Dakota Fanning stars as Mina, an artist trapped in a western Ireland forest with three strangers, who each must seek safety in a concrete bunker away from the mysterious creatures that stalk them each night. We’ll have to wait until June 2024 to see if the horror gene runs in the Shyamalan family.
Trap (August 2, 2024)
Ishana isn’t the only Shyamalan to release a film in 2024. M. Night returns with Trap, marking the start of the director’s agreement with Warner Bros. Picture Group. Little is known about the movie so far aside from Shyamalan calling it “very unusual and very new” compared to his recent output. Josh Hartnett’s set to star in an as-yet-unknown role.
Alien: Romulus (August 16, 2024)
Alien: Romulus is a standalone entry in the sci-fi horror franchise, left in the capable hands of Don’t Breathe and the Evil Dead 2013 reimagining’s director Fede Álvarez. We don’t know much about the spin-off yet, except for it starring a young cast headed by Priscilla’s Cailee Spaeny facing off against the Xenomorphs. Alien lore has become a little impenetrable now, so we’re excited to see the series potentially return to good ol’ fashioned sci-fi scares.
Beetlejuice 2 (September 6, 2024)
Looks like someone’s said Betelgeuse’s name three times again, as Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder return for Beetlejuice 2. Tim Burton returns to direct the horror-comedy, and expect a bunch of new Beetlejuice fans to join the fold thanks to the introduction of Wednesday star Jenna Ortega, who joins the cast as Winona Ryder’s character Lydia’s daughter.
Terrifier 3 (October 25, 2024)
Terrifier 3 is set to be one of 2024’s most unorthodox Christmas movies, as Art the Clown embarks on a murderous killing spree on Christmas Eve. Damien Leone’s slashing series is known for blending blood ‘n’ guts with a dark comedy thanks to its goofy but deadly antagonist, and that looks to remain the case in this sequel.
Untitled Jordan Peele movie (December 25, 2024)
Get Out, Us, and Nope director Jordan Peele looks to continue his winning streak of inventive horror movies, though we basically know nothing about his next project save for its Christmas Day 2024 release date. We can’t wait to see what he has up his sleeve.
