Plot: Passionate about exotic animals, Kaleb brings a venomous spider home, but it accidentally slips away. Soon, residents of the apartment building are battling an army of deadly, rapidly reproducing spiders.

Horror Subgenre(s): Survival Horror, Animals Attack Films

KBZ’s Take: We really wanted to add Oddity (2024) here but couldn’t put it above Infested. Like Sting (2024), Infested is a creature feature about a poisonous spider let loose in a housing complex. But whereas Sting is more comedic, Infested is downright creepy and terrifying.

If you’re an arachnophobe, it’s probably best that you don’t watch this film. For everyone else, it’s one of the best recent and scariest films you can watch on Halloween.

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: A woman starts to question her own faith when she uncovers a terrifying conspiracy to bring about the birth of evil incarnate in Rome.

Horror Subgenre(s): Films About The Devil, Demons & Hell

KBZ’s Take: We had a minor debate on whether Immaculate (2024) or The First Omen should be included in our Top 25. Both films are religious horror with themes of the Antichrist but The First Omen won out due to its ominous atmosphere and ties to The Omen film franchise.

If you haven’t seen The Omen (1976) yet, you can still start with this film as it is a prequel. And for an especially creepy Halloween marathon, you can watch all the Omen films in succession – The First Omen, The Omen, Damien: Omen II (1978) and Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981).

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: A group of would-be criminals kidnaps the 12-year-old daughter of a powerful underworld figure. Holding her for ransom in an isolated mansion, their plan starts to unravel when they discover their young captive is actually a bloodthirsty vampire.

Horror Subgenre(s): Horror Comedies, Survival Horror, Films About Vampires, Splatter & Gore Films 

KBZ’s Take: Abigail has been one of the top horror films we have continually recommended to others throughout 2024. It’s a rare film that balances its humor with some very scary (and gory) sequences. And make no mistake about it, this is a gore-filled film in the vein of Peter Jackson’s horror classic, Dead Alive (1992).

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: A pre-wedding reunion descends into a psychological nightmare for a group of college friends when a surprise guest arrives with a mysterious suitcase that starts to tear the group apart.

Horror Subgenre(s): Horror Comedies, Psychological & Medical Horror

KBZ’s Take: It’s What’s Inside is much more of a psychological thriller film with horror elements than a straight up psychological horror film. However, it’s one of the most unique films we’ve seen this year with it’s brilliant take on the Body Swap film subgenre and the ramifications of inhabiting another person’s body and identity.

We would recommend this film for people that don’t want a heavy-handed Slasher or Body Horror film for Halloween but rather a cerebral thriller with as many laughs as twists and turns.

Where to Stream / Buy: Netflix

Plot: Years after the apocalypse, a devout cult of mute zealots hunts down Azrael, a young woman who escaped her own imprisonment.

Horror Subgenre(s): Folk Horror, Survival Horror

KBZ’s Take: Azrael was a surprise film for us as it was one of the last films we reviewed but immediately made its way into our Top 10. This is a film with little to no dialogue as it explores a post-apocalyptic world set after The Rapture.

The film is savage, bloody and continually alternates between action-packed sequences and suspense-filled revelations. It’s not a film for the faint of heart but it’s one of the best recent survival horror films for Halloween.

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: In 1977 a live television broadcast goes horribly wrong, unleashing evil into the nation’s living rooms.

Horror Subgenre(s): Horror Films About Exorcism & Possession, Found Footage Horror Films 

KBZ’s Take: Late Night with the Devil is one of those rare horror films where people either love it or hate it based on their age group. If you’re of an older generation and grew up watching late night television, many of the segment setups will seem familiar and that’s where the horror elements in the film have a much stronger impact. It’s a film that captures the sense of dread that 1970’s horror excelled at.

However, we can also see how younger viewers might not find the film scary at all. It’s not fast-paced and filled with jump scares that recent generations are accustomed to.

Our take – it’s one of the best horror films of 2024.

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: A teenager stops off to see his dealer to test a new drug before heading off for a night of partying. On the way home, he picks up an injured woman and the night takes a surreal turn.

Horror Subgenre(s): Survival Horror, Films About Zombies

KBZ’s Take: MadS is another film we recently watched that immediately vaulted its way into our Top 5. There’s not much we can discuss about the film without ruining it, but we will say it’s a film shot entirely in one take (that’s unbelievable after you’ve seen it) andf has a raw energy that we haven’t seen in a Zombie-themed film since 28 Days Later (2002).

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: Nothing is what it seems when a twisted one-night stand spirals into a serial killer’s vicious murder spree.

Horror Subgenre(s): Films About Serial Killers, Survival Horror

KBZ’s Take: Strange Darling is an underrated horror film that’s one of the best of 2024. It’s a film where the less you know of the film going in, the better your experience will be.

All we can say is that the film emulates the time-shifts utilized by Quentin Tarantino in Pulp Fiction (1994) to tell a story that’s not entirely what you think it is from the start.

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: Elisabeth Sparkle, renowned for an aerobics show, faces a devastating blow on her 50th birthday as her boss fires her. Amid her distress, a laboratory offers her a substance which promises to transform her into an enhanced version of herself.

Horror Subgenre(s): Body Horror, Psychological & Medical Horror, Splatter & Gore Films

KBZ’s Take: If you’ve been on social media the last month, you’ve likely seen almost daily postings about The Substance and how it’s the scariest film of the year and one of the best Body Horror films of all time. After finally seeing the film, we can say the hype is real – this is one terrifying film.

It’s not a film for people with weak stomachs as the film has some extreme Body Horror sequences and it is very bloody and gory. But it’s also a film where the physical horror enhances the psychological horror as the story progresses. It’s ultimately a satire on society and aging that hits home more effectively due to its extremely dark take on the obsession with physical beauty.

Director Coralie Fargeat’s previous film, Revenge (2017), was also a hard-hitting take on the objectification of women (and was #2 on our list of The Top Films About Revenge You Haven’t Seen). But with The Substance, Fargeat has mastered the interconnectivity between psychological and physical horror not seen since the classic Body Horror films from the Cronenbergs.

Where to Stream / Buy: Mubi (available 10/31)

Plot: Space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life-form in the universe while scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station.

Horror Subgenre(s): Body Horror, Films About Monsters, Survival Horror

KBZ’s Take: There was little doubt that Alien: Romulus was going to be our #1 selection here (though The Substance was close to overtaking it). While some critics of the film say it’s just a ‘greatest hits’ of the entire Alien franchise, we don’t see that as a bad thing. It utilizes many of the themes of previous Alien films and pays homage to them while also charting its own course with a revitalization of the franchise which has already spawned a rumored sequel.

And despite what the critics might say, this is the second scariest film of the entire franchise. No Alien film will likely top the claustrophobic survival scares of the original Alien (1979) but Romulus comes close. It has more face huggers, xenomorphs and one of the most exciting and suspense-filled sequences of the franchise involving xenomorph acid blood and gravity.

There are likely few people reading this list who haven’t seen Alien: Romulus yet, but for those who haven’t, there’s no better Halloween horror trifecta than Alien, Alien: Romulus and Aliens (1986).

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon