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The modern era of horror filmmaking has absolutely shifted away from the more basic slashers and jump-scare-centric paranormal films, with a larger focus on insightful messaging and layered symbolism completely dominating the culture of horror. Arguably at the forefront of this style of elevated horror is A24, the indie distribution company that has been specializing in arthouse filmmaking ever since its debut in 2012. However, it’s their breakthroughs in the horror genre that have made massive waves and turned them into the icon they are known as today.
With so many great horror movies released under their banner, not every horror film is going to have the same amount of impact and sustained legacy on their brand as a whole. However, not every horror film needs to be a major cultural phenomenon when the best of the best made such massive waves as these 6 films. The horror offerings under A24 simply wouldn’t be the same without these 6 films, which definitively stand out as the most important horror films that they’ve ever released.
6
‘Talk to Me’ (2023)
At one point holding the record for A24’s highest-grossing horror movie, Talk to Me did an exceptional job of reintroducing the ability of A24 horror films to not just land well with critics, but with audiences as well. Its distinct mixture of raw, uncomfortable sequences combined with the wild party culture of social media-era youth made Talk to Me one of the most intricate and distinct paranormal films of all time. It’s an absolutely terrifying film that isn’t afraid to delve into some deeply disturbing sequences both in terms of its ruthless visuals and the psychological torment of its premise.
After making waves as the must-see horror movie of summer 2023, the film helped establish the strength of A24 films as genuine box-office threats soaring off of their word of mouth. This would largely prove to be the strategy for future summertime horror releases from the studio, including MaXXXine and the Philippou brothers’ follow-up film, Bring Her Back. Still, the overwhelming acclaim and visceral shock that the film had on audiences continued to maintain its reputation as a horror giant better than any other film in 2023.
5
‘I Saw the TV Glow’ (2024)
Image via A24
One of the most important elements that has led to the thriving success and appreciation for A24 as a brand is not just the high quality of the films that they release, but their insistence on working with the rising stars of the independent scene and giving them the resources and control to bring their vision to life. These are exactly the circumstances that allowed for Jane Schoenbrun‘s I Saw the TV Glow to thrive, a psychological horror film built around the existential dread of repressing your true identity, a clear allegory for the transgender experience.
While the film wasn’t a runaway box-office hit like the other films on this list, I Saw the TV Glow was arguably something even more important for A24 as a brand: a statement that their horror films were willing to branch off into territory and topics that the larger studios would never tackle. It’s a stamp of authenticity that Schoenbrun was able to bring their wild, abstract work of horror art to life under the A24 banner. Even today, the film is still celebrated as one of the highest-rated horror films that they’ve ever released.
4
‘Pearl’ (2022)
One specific tenet of the horror genre that has resulted in its continued success over the years is the mass sequelization of its most successful properties, as just about every major horror success is bombarded with sequels and follow-ups. However, this classic aspect of the medium isn’t largely shared by A24’s distinct indie offerings, with one of the only exceptions being Ti West‘s Pearl, a prequel to his previous A24 horror film X that released 5 months later.
Pearl’s very existence was already a special case, as the script was conceived while working on the original film and the COVID-19 pandemic motivated West and Mia Goth to film this prequel immediately after X. The result was a prequel that massively fleshed out the character and emotion of the previous film while standing tall on its own as a powerful coming-of-age horror film. With a triumphant horror performance from Goth at its center, Pearl proved the potential and success of A24 horror films not simply being standalone experiences but able to have follow-ups, spinoffs, and prequels.
3
‘The Witch’ (2016)
A lot of credit is inherently going to be given to the first true horror success that A24 saw as a distribution studio, and while not technically their first horror release, The Witch set the standards that most A24 horror films and elevated horror films in general would follow. This debut feature film from now-legendary horror filmmaker Robert Eggers is still massively associated with the prestige and allure of A24’s brand and impact on horror, thanks greatly to its inventive approach to supernatural horror.
Many of the tenets and conventions that people often associate with the strengths and trends of A24 horror were massively popularized in The Witch, with an emphasis on atmosphere over direct scares and real psychological and symbolic depth in its storytelling. It certainly helps that The Witch has continued to be massively celebrated as one of the best horror films of the 2010s in the wake of its release, as well as launching the career of its breakout star, Anya Taylor-Joy.
2
‘Backrooms’ (2026)
Image via A24 / courtesy Everett Collection
On the one hand, it’s hard to get a full grasp of just how important and influential Backrooms will be in the grand scheme of A24 horror, considering that it only just released this past May. At the same time, the overwhelming success of Backrooms simply cannot be ignored, being the type of box-office juggernaut that has eclipsed every other A24 release, horror or otherwise. The sleeper hit film rose through the rankings to be A24’s highest grossing film by over double the gross of the previous highest-grossing film.
This massive success can be attributed to numerous reasons, from the insistence and dedication of sticking to the artistic vision of a rising young filmmaker to building off of the name-brand recognition of a piece of internet horror that has been popular for years now. What cannot be denied is that Backrooms and its monumental level of success will assuredly influence how A24 operates and funds horror movies in the future. What this will specifically entail is still unknown, but at the very least, it means a sequel is in development.
1
‘Hereditary’ (2018)
If this list were to be looked back on 8 years from now, it’s certainly possible that the influence and stature of Backrooms will elevate it to the top spot of the list. Until that day, however, the clear choice for A24’s most important and influential horror film is Hereditary, a film that has been a shining face of horror mastery over the past decade and the clearest example of A24’s greatest strengths as an independent distributor. If the “elevated horror” concepts were established and initially popularized with The Witch, Ari Aster‘s multi-layered approach in Hereditary canonized the concepts of “elevated horror” into the cultural zeitgeist and made them synonymous with A24 as a brand.
No other horror film that A24 has released has had overwhelming financial success, as it was once A24’s highest-grossing film, as well as the staying power to still be considered one of the major highlights of A24’s filmography, horror or otherwise. Its success sent shockwaves through the industry and set a new standard for A24 horror that would be closely followed in the immediate future leading into the 2020s. The film was so fundamental to the continued success of A24 as an ambassador of horror that it’s impossible to imagine what A24 would have done without its success.
