2024 is shaping up to be an excellent year for horror movies fans. With the recent drop of the A Quiet Place: Day One trailer and the confirmation of sequels like Smile 2, Terrifier 3, and Saw XI, there’s no shortage of spine-chilling entertainment coming in 2024. But while the big names grab headlines, it’s often the lesser-known and unexpected releases that truly leave an impact. Last year, while everyone was hyped for The Exorcist: Believer, The Nun II, and Insidious: The Red Door, it was the surprise hits like When Evil Lurks and Talk to Me, which came out of nowhere and stole the show.
So, in this article, we’re going to be discussing some lesser-known horror movies that are slated for release in 2024. These are films that may have slipped under your radar, overshadowed by the more expensive marketing campaigns of the upcoming high-profile releases. But trust us, they’re definitely worth keeping an eye out for.
1. Late Night With the Devil
If you’re a fan of found footage horror, you won’t want to miss Late Night With the Devil. Set in the 70s and inspired by a true story, the film follows talk show host Jack Delroy, played by the super-talented David Dastmalchian, who’s down on his luck and desperate for a ratings win. In a bid to spice up his Halloween episode, Delroy invites a parapsychologist and an allegedly possessed young girl to his show. Throughout the broadcast, Delroy continues to play to the crowd, hamming it up and exploiting their fears for the cameras. However, as the night goes on, he begins to suspect that something may be going truly horribly wrong.
Late Night with the Devil made its world premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW) on March 10, 2023, and has since garnered widespread acclaim. With a perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and praise from Stephen King, the King of Horror himself, who tweeted his admiration for the film, it’s clear why this movie is #1 on this list. You can watch it on the big screen when it comes to theaters on March 22, 2024, or catch it on streaming when it releases on Shudder on April 19, 2024.
Watch Late Night With the Devil Trailer on YouTube
2. Longlegs
Showing off his talent for playing unsettling and creepy characters in Pig and Dream Scenario, Nicolas Cage has been on a career revitalization journey, and he’s poised to continue his streak in Longlegs, where he takes on the role of a deranged serial killer. While not much else is known about the film, NEON has been teasing audiences with a series of cryptic short clips throughout January. These teasers, filled with strange symbols, disturbing religious imagery, and creepy songs, have sparked a lot of online speculation about their meaning and connection to the film’s plot.
NEON also dropped a full teaser trailer on February 2, 2024, and if it’s anything to go by, Longlegs is shaping up to be an atmospheric, slow-burn serial killer mystery with cultish undertones. The 2024 horror movie has True Detective Season 1 vibes but with a heavier focus on the horror elements. Longlegs will be released in theatres on July 12, 2024.
Watch Longlegs Trailer on YouTube
3. You’ll Never Find Me
You’ll Never Find Me is an indie horror film that follows Patrick, an isolated man who lives in a caravan park. The story kicks off when he is visited by a young woman seeking shelter during a storm. As the night unfolds and the storm rages on, they begin to feel threatened, but it’s unclear who or what is dangerous. It’s a perfectly crafted slow burn that you know is building toward a horrific boil, but it remains suspensefully unclear whose hand is on the burner. If you’ve seen Barbarian, imagine the tension-filled first act of that film stretched into its own self-contained story, and you’ve got You’ll Never Find Me.
The film premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Festival, where it garnered massive critical acclaim. It even holds a perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes! You’ll Never Find Me won’t get a theatrical release, but you can watch it on Shudder on March 22, 2024.
Watch You’ll Never Find Me Trailer on YouTube
4. The Watchers
The Watchers, adapted from the novel by A. M. Shine, marks the directorial debut of Ishana Shyamalan, daughter of renowned filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan. Dakota Fanning will lead the film as Mina, a young artist who gets stranded in a remote forest in Ireland. She goes to seek refuge in a bunker, only to discover that she’s trapped there with three strangers, all bound by a terrifying truth: they are stalked and watched by unseen creatures every night.
The film is pitched as a claustrophobic chamber piece that will explore themes of isolation and survival. Imagine the dreary isolating feeling of The Shining, the tension and paranoia of The Thing, and the mystery of Signs all combined into one movie — that’s the premise of The Watchers. M. Night Shyamalan has established an excellent track record of unsettling and thought-provoking chamber pieces like Knock at the Cabin and Old, and we’re expecting the same from his daughter. While we don’t have a trailer yet, the anticipation for The Watchers is steadily mounting as we move closer to the film’s theatrical release date of June 7, 2024.
5. Trap
The upcoming horror movie, The Watchers, isn’t the only film coming in 2024 from the Shyamalan family. M. Night Shyamalan himself is also directing Trap, and anything with his name attached automatically makes it a highly anticipated project for the year. Though it’s a bit lower on the list due to the lack of information available, Trap has already piqued fans’ curiosities with its mysterious premise. The synopsis released so far suggests that the story revolves around a father-child duo attending a concert, where their lives become entangled in the unfolding events. Will it be a hostage situation? A terrorist attack? Or something even more sinister? With Shyamalan at the helm, the possibilities are endless.
The only confirmed cast for the movie includes Josh Hartnett and Saleka Shyamalan, M. Night’s oldest daughter, who will be making her acting debut in Trap playing the singer at the concert. M. Night has also revealed that his newest release will be very unusual and different from his recent filmography, which is exciting. Trap will be released in theaters on August 2, 2024. If the horror genre is generally more up your alley, check out why turning cartoon icons into horror movie villains is a great idea.