2024 gave us female-fronted horror films that pushed every boundary

Horror movies have long centered their stories around female characters – think about it The exorcistthe demon-possessed mother-daughter duo, Halloween‘s fierce babysitter, o Black Christmas” certain sorority sisters. But in 2024 we have a particularly notable culture of women placed in terrifying situations, including a new sci-fi badass in Alien: Romulusa kind-hearted con artist who fights with a vampire dancer Abigailand trap Mormon missionaries in Heretic.

But there were a few standouts among this year’s class of fearless, fearless, fearless females — performances we admired that brought to life a unique variety of characters. Here are the most notable female characters we met in the horror movies of 2024.

Lee Harker, Longlegs

We think we have a handle on young FBI agent Lee Harker from the start: quiet but brilliant in the vein of The silence of the lambs” Clarice Starling, but with an unusually developed intuition that makes her well suited to pursue unpredictable criminals. However, as Osgood Perkins Longlegs digging into its twisted crime narrative, we realize that Lee is in her own vein entirely—and she’s related to the film’s titular maniac in ways that surprise even her. Maika Monroe’s deeply reserved performance (the ideal contrast to co-star Nicolas Cage’s over-the-top turn) proves that an actor doesn’t need a lot of dialogue to create a full and expressive character.

Elisabeth Sparkle and Sue, The Substance

Demi Moore has been a symbol of Hollywood glamor for decades; at age 62, she channels that real-life status perfectly in her no-nonsense portrayal of Elisabeth Sparkle in Coralie Fargeat. The Substancea movie that happens to have vanity as a major theme. Fired from her TV show because the old white men in charge think she’s too old to be sexy, Elisabeth immerses herself in weird science to create a younger version of herself – Margaret Qualley as “Sue” – with complications that result in some of the most eye-catching. -popping body horror forever graces the screen.

Because Elisabeth and Sue are the same person, the battle between them puts a macabre, yet darkly funny spin on the idea that your biggest enemy is always yourself. When they come together as the mutated”Monstro Elisasue,” is equal parts repulsive and empowering—not a combination you find every day, and a surprisingly satisfying one at that.

Skye Riley, Smile 2

She’s an international pop superstar – beautiful, talented, rich and loved by her millions of fans – but Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) is in hell. First it is more of a personal hell; a year after a car accident killed her boyfriend and left her seriously injured, she is still dealing with addiction issues and mental and physical scars. But after an impulse decision to take some black market painkillers, he finds himself face to face with the demonic curse horror fans encountered in Parker Finn’s first. Smile movie

From there, Skye’s downward spiral reveals a much worse level of hell, as her reality becomes completely warped by the creeping, mockingly cheerful invasion of her sanity. On paper, Skye is a difficult character to root for, but Scott’s performance makes her a character who is believable in her desire to right all the wrongs she’s caused, but feels increasingly helpless as the pressure mounts. (both the show and supernatural) begins to accumulate. .

Margaret, The first wish

Someone had to give birth to Damien, the baby from The Omen– and while that 1976 horror classic suggested it was the product of a jackal and Satan, in The first wish we meet his real birth mother, an aspiring nun who unwittingly gets drawn into an occult conspiracy. Arkasha Stevenson’s prequel justifies its existence by being an artistically dynamic film with a twist-packed script (and real scares!); the heart of the film, however, is Nell Tiger Free’s Margaret, a genuinely good human being whose life takes a dark apocalyptic turn.

Honorable Mention in the Realm “Antichrist Horror Pregnancy” for 2024 – although given current events, you can certainly expect more pregnancy horror themes in future films –goes to another show in a different horror prequel. Natalie Erika James’ Rosemary’s baby– inspired Apartment 7A did not receive as much acclaim as The first wishbut Julia Garner held her own as Terry, a character you meet briefly Rosemary’s baby which has a fascinating history of its own.

Maxine Minx, MaXXXine

She survived the massacre of Texas pornography in X of 2022, and with the ambition of her killer, Pearl (whose vintage dreams of celebrity are explored, quite vividly, in 2022). Pearl), Maxine Minx finally breaks out in Hollywood. As we find it in MaXXXineshe’s looking for mainstream success beyond her X-rated fame—and nothing, not even a serial killer who might be the Night Stalker, a creepy private detective, current LAPD detectives, and an ominous specter from her blood-stained past, he has to go put on the road.

Mia Goth, who plays both Pearl and Maxine in the Ti West trilogy, brings here a more mature but still ruthless interpretation of Maxine, and the silver character’s journey from the mid-1980s leads her to famous backlots (Maxine in u Psycho The house is one of the most unforgettable cinematic mash-ups of 2024) and dingy back rooms, and it explores the price of fame from a lurid perspective that’s never funny.

Halley, V/H/S/Beyond

Kate Siegel’s contribution to the latter V/H/S An anthology film, “Stowaway”, introduces us to Halley (Alanah Pearce), a woman whose labor history is perfectly clear with only a few parts, and whose current ambition is to make a documentary about the ‘UFO, preferably with its own close encounter. . When her moment miraculously arrives one lonely night in the Mojave Desert, we’re excited for her—she’s been through something messy, she’s involved, but her strange obsession has finally found its reward.

Those emotions turn to pure terror, however, when “Stowaway” lives up to its title and Halley sneaks aboard an alien ship … only to find the wonders she discovers snowball into a nightmare of horror. body that gives. The Substance‘s Monstro Elisasue some seriously scary competition. It is an amazing arc, made even more impressive by the fact that it is compacted in the space of a short film.

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