2024 delivered a number of captivating horror performances. Here is a list of the best 10.
Horror is often discarded in the awards circuit, leaving little room to applaud performers in the genre. Horror is so vast in creativity that it allows actors to let loose while still tapping into the emotional complexity of fear. From seasoned veterans, to underestimated talent, the past twelve months have delivered innumerable fierce performances; these are 10 of the best horror performances from 2024 that left an indelible impression.
10. Josh Hartnett in Trap
Josh Hartnett thrills as Cooper, a doting dad taking his teenage daughter (Ariel Donoghue) to see her favourite pop star in concert. However, the concert is a ploy to trap Cooper, a notorious serial killer. With Trap, Hartnett’s dual performance outweighs the ridiculousness of this pulpy narrative, excelling as the slippery killer teetering on the edge of obsession, and also as a man who deeply loves his family.
9. Dan Stevens in Abigail
In this heist-gone-wrong, a group of criminals kidnap the 12-year-old daughter of a powerful business mogul, holding her for ransom and unaware that she’s actually a bloodthirsty vampire. Dan Stevens is a chameleonic performer, often adopting an accent or wardrobe staple for a role, and Abigail is no exception; here, he sports large specs and a Jerseyan tongue to play slimy former detective Frank. Stevens is able to seamlessly navigate Frank’s shifting dynamics of power and moral ambiguity. With every sneer and lip-smacking line delivery, he makes one of the film’s most magnetic and memorable elements.
8. James McAvoy in Speak No Evil
As recognised in Split (2016), James McAvoy is skilled at playing deeply vile characters. Here, he stomps in the boots of jacked-up countryman Paddy. Speak No Evil follows an American couple who spend time at Paddy and his family’s idyllic country estate, but something unsettling lies beneath their hospitable exterior. McAvoy’s performance is one of quiet, insidious tension, drawing you in as he switches from warm and sociable to menacing with ease. There’s a ticking time bomb behind his laser-blue eyes, you don’t know when or what will cause Paddy to snap.
7. Naomi Ackie in Blink Twice
Frida (Naomi Ackie) is a cocktail waitress who encounters controversial tech figure Slater King (Channing Tatum) and is invited to his private island. Blink Twice constantly moves from the nonsensical to the violently serious, but Ackie’s body language and twisted smile makes Frida feel lived in the reality of the circumstances. Frida is the audience character: she’s both an in control cool-girl and the frightened someone you want to see claw their way out. Ackie nails the film’s emotional gear shift.
6. Maika Monroe in Longlegs
Longlegs is dread-dripping horror excellence, anchored by Maika Monroe’s stoic special agent Lee Harker, who discovers a personal connection to the case she’s been assigned to involving a serial killer. Harker has a core of iron, delivering to-the-point dialogue and icy stares. Monroe’s stilted performance manages to capture a multitude of emotions, and as the story unfurls, begins to make sense and further elevate the narrative.
5. Nell Tiger Free in The First Omen
Nell Tiger Free’s spellbinding performance as Margaret, the novitiate discovering her connection to an ancient, sinister prophecy, is what drives The First Omen. Free unapologetically pours herself into the role which is especially evident during a physically demanding birthing scene that parodies Isabelle Adjani’s performance in Possession (1981). Free’s dance-like contortion leaves you slithering in your seat. The First Omen should launch Free into stardom, bringing both emotional and psychological complexity to a role that demands nothing less than full, immersive commitment.
4. Kyler Gallner in Strange Darling and Smile 2
Appearing in films like Jennifer’s Body (2009) and Scream (2022), Kyle Gallner has become underground royalty within the genre. Strange Darling introduces Gallner as the Demon, a suspected serial killer who dalliances with Willa Fitzgerald’s protagonist. In a film so abrasive, Gallner’s natural talent shines, making subtle choices using his deep growl and hardened frown to navigate between moments of vulnerability and simmering rage.
Gallner also impresses with his limited screen time as Joel in Smile 2. The film opens six days after the first where Joel is left vulnerable to the smile entity. Panning to him sitting in a car, we know from Gallner’s sunken eyelids alone that Joel has endured hell between films.
3. Hugh Grant in Heretic
Heretic centres on two missionaries who become ensnared in a callous game of cat-and-mouse when they meet Mr Reed (Hugh Grant). Grant delivers an unsettling and unexpected performance that marks a striking departure from his usual charm-heavy roles. Mr Reed endlessly manipulates these young women with his verbal acrobatics, balancing moments of vulnerability with chilling coldness. Grant deviously uses what we know and expect from him against us.
2. Demi Moore in The Substance
Demi Moore portrays washed-up Hollywood starlet Elisabeth Sparkle, who searches for validation in the spotlight when she is offered a substance which promises to transform her into an enhanced version of herself. The Substance is an absurdist spectacle, but Moore’s raw and fearless commitment to what the story demands grounds the viewer. Moore holds everything behind gritted teeth before traversing through several stages of humour and horror.
1. Naomi Scott in Smile 2
Much like the first film, Smile 2 deals with trauma in a maximalist sense, this time following pop sensation Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) as she begins experiencing increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events. Scott is a force on the rise, portraying a range of difficult and ugly emotions in Smile 2. Her forced smile carries so much torment as Skye is constantly teetering on the edge of madness. There’s a realistic terror behind her eyes, almost as if she’s unaware she’s the centre of a horror film. Scott anchors the film with such power, leaving an ingrained impression long after the credits roll. Not to mention, Scott delivers the most blood-curdling sob in the film.
