2024 is finally coming to a close! Those still standing are making our end-of-year lists and remembering the good times from this dumpster fire. While we love comparing lists and picking up a few more recs on the way out, we could not help but wonder what the top 10 horror movies of the year were. Sure, the box office numbers are one way to indicate that. Or seeing what trended on various streamers might give us an idea. However, there is only one place to go if you want to know what cinephiles think of cinema. The app known as Letterboxd is where people stop being nice and get real about their films. So, we checked the app to see what got people so excited that they logged, rated, and reviewed it while leaving the theater.
The MOST and LEAST Popular Horror Films of 2024
We ran to the app to get some answers. Through some math sorcery, they provided us with the most popular and least popular horror titles of 2024. According to Letterboxd, 4725 horror movies were thrown at us this year. This number includes short films that may have only played in festivals, most of which are at the bottom by default. So, keep in mind that this is literally a popularity contest that was voted on by the Letterboxd community. Enough of the preamble, though. Let’s see the most popular and least popular horror movies of the year already!
The 10 Most Popular Horror Films of 2024 According to Letterboxd
10. Heretic
Where You Can Watch: VOD
Two missionaries are forced to play a deadly game designed to test their faith. It seems people found Hugh Grant’s creepy and confrontational Mr. Reed effective. Not only did Letterboxd users give Heretic favorable reviews, but the actor also landed a Golden Globes nomination. Chloe East (The Fabelmans) and Sophie Thatcher (Yellowjackets) play the two missionaries who knock on the wrong door and meet Grant’s sketchy character. It is a tense treat all around.
Read our review here.
9. Blink Twice
Where You Can Watch: MGM+
A billionaire invites a cocktail waitress to his private island. Anyone who read the synopsis knew the gist of the problem. However, it is how filmmaker Zoë Kravitz tells this story that makes it unforgettable. This psychological thriller was easily one of the best of the year, and I am happy the Letterboxd community understands that. This stacked cast is led by Naomi Ackie and Channing Tatum, who both knock it out of the park. The title should have remained Pussy Island, and I will die on that hill.
8. Immaculate
Where You Can Watch: Hulu
A nun’s warm welcome into an Italian convent soon devolves into something sinister. It appears that Letterboxd folks are faithful to the first nun film of the year. In a surprising turn of events, the Sydney Sweeney convent movie is the only one to break into the top 10 of the year (at the time of writing this). I guess the film buffs thought the vibes were too immaculate to ignore.
7. Smile 2
Where You Can Watch: MGM+ and Paramount+
A pop star begins experiencing terrifying and unexplainable events while preparing for a world tour. The internet made it known that they were in love with Naomi Scott’s performance. So, it is unsurprising that Parker Finn’s sequel is currently one of Letterboxd’s 10 most popular horror movies of 2024. If anything, it might get another boost now that it is available for more movie buffs to stream from home.
Read our review here.
6. I Saw The TV Glow
Where You Can Watch: Max
Two teens bond over a mysterious late-night TV show. Jane Schoenbrun’s sophomore feature struck a chord with many people this year. The film also made plenty of people cry. In a time where people are being wildly cruel to Queer people and ridiculing trans creators on every app under the sun, it is nice to see this film being embraced enough to land in the top 10.
5. A Quiet Place: Day One
Where You Can Watch: MGM+ and Paramount+
A woman is trapped in New York during an alien invasion. I love that this movie is ranked so high because it is my favorite installment in this franchise. Michael Sarnoski found that balance of humanity and terror that has eluded the other Quiet Place films. It also does not hurt that he threw Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, and an adorable cat and let them do what they do best, which is to make their audiences cry.
Read our review here.
4. MaXXXine
Where You Can Watch: Max
Maxine Minx is finally getting her big break in 1980s Hollywood. However, a mysterious serial killer is threatening to reveal her past. No matter where you land on this franchise, you were probably curious about how Ti West would end this trilogy. So, many of us saw it and had lots of thoughts. However, that did not stop it from claiming the life it deserves on this Letterboxd list.
Read our review here.
3. Alien: Romulus
Where You Can Watch: Hulu
A group of space colonists stumble upon the most terrifying creature in the universe. The Fede Alvarez stans were fed well this year. It is also hard not to leave a positive Letterbox rating after seeing what David Jonsson did with the character he was given. However we feel about this movie, it is easily one of the best sequels in this storied franchise, which might be part of why fans could not get enough of it.
Read our review here.
2. Longlegs
Where You Can Watch: VOD
An FBI agent pursues a serial killer with occult connections to put an end to an ongoing killing spree. This Oz Perkins chiller imprinted on many horror fans and became a pop culture moment this year. So, it makes sense that Letterboxd users logged into the app to show some support. More importantly, if we do not let Nicolas Cage in, he will come back as many times as he liiikes!
Read our review here.
1. The Substance
Where You Can Watch: Mubi
A celebrity takes a black-market drug that creates a younger version of herself. However, the drug’s side effects lead to unexpected and monstrous outcomes. This is another horror movie representing the genre at the Golden Globes this year. Coralie Fargeat’s buzzy body horror film remains the talk of the town. So, the Demi Moore-fronted project unsurprisingly claimed the top spot among Letterboxd users.
The 10 Least Popular Horror Films of 2024 According to Letterboxd
The bottom films are movies most of us have never heard of. They are on the lowest rung because literally no one on the app has rated or reviewed them, as many of us cannot find these titles. This is a fun conundrum because now we have more 2024 titles to keep an eye out for. We also have to wonder which will find cult followings, wreck our already solidified top 10 lists, or become some of our favorite finds.
(Editors note: Horror Press is dedicated to uplifting creators. Some of these films were really hard to find! If you are directly attached to any of the projects below please contact us so we can add some media to your movie here, or possibly review it!)
10. Mosto
The synopsis on the IMDB page reads, “Their wine is turning into blood. Will they be able to break the family curse?” I love wine, I love bloody movies, so count me in when we can actually watch it.
9. ZomBierZ
There is not a lot about this short film on the internet. However, I think it is safe to say it is a Zombie movie from Germany, so I am leaning in.
8. Muse
An artist tries to capture the beauty of a young woman who was recently injured and now uses a wheelchair. This poster goes hard, and the tagline “Obsession is the darkest art form”, goes even harder. This seems like something we can all get behind whenever it becomes available.
7. The Lady of Dershley Street 2: Clicks in the Darkness
The movie finds Sam Archibald in the Demon Realm as his brother, Wyatt Archibald, is released from a psychiatric facility to rescue him. This sounds exciting, so I am ready to tap in. I hope Letterboxd users are also on the lookout for this one.
6. Blood Delivery
This 12-minute Brazilian short is one of the many films at the bottom of the list without a synopsis. I bet if it did have one, it would be wild because there is no way something called Blood Delivery is not pure chaos.
5. El Regreso
Aside from knowing the English translation of the title is The Return, this short is a complete mystery. However, it is an Argentinian film directed by Florencia Belén Montaldo, and I am intrigued.
4. Larrica Tesis
This 5-minute short is about a stressed person tormented by a demon while trying to conclude his thesis. As a writer, this sounds like nightmare fuel, and I would like to see it.
3. Affirmation
This seven-minute short is about a father disrupting a church service because he believes his daughter is to blame for all the evil in the world. I imagine when we get access to Affirmation it will be a banger.
2. The Bet
The Letterboxd synopsis reads, “A seemingly harmless bet digresses rapidly.” The app also tells us this is a four-minute short directed by Alex Woolley.
1. Poodle’s Chainsaw Murders
This 25-minute short does not have a trailer or synopsis either. However, the title paints some pretty solid visuals backed up by the photos on the IMDB page.
I cannot help but notice that the 10 least popular movies on the app are difficult to find shorts, and most are international films. This would explain why no one has rated them on the app. So, I assume things will change once Letterboxd users discover them.
There we have it! The Letterboxd top 10 most popular and least popular movies of 2024.