Atomic Fangirl

“When I strangled him…”
‘As one does with the French…’

Story: When a group of French soldiers in Serbia, circa 1841, find that they’re hungry, a horse is delivered…but modern day frackers in that area had wished they’d left that horse alone. Or at least not found the lone survivor of that day. Wait. Is there something…COMING OUT OF HIS BUTT???

Scares: More fun and freaky than spooky.
Splat Factor: People literally explode. So yeah, that’s a 10-4, good buddy.

Subgenre: Fiendishly Fun Monster Madness
Year Released: 2024
Remake, Sequel or OG (Original Ghoul)?: Original, but the “Who Goes There” vibes are strong.

Trick or Treat?: A mix of The Thing, Dreamcatcher, and Viral, this subversively silly body horror is from the same folks who gave us Hellbender. Like that film, John Adams and Toby Poser write, direct, and star. Hole is more comedic than the family dynamics horror/drama of Hellbender, and it’s a great new addition to the horror comedy genre.

“Hey, guess what? We. Are. Connected!”

Story: Dani and her psychiatrist hubby Ted are refurbishing an absolutely amazing home in the middle of nowheresville, County Cork, Ireland. But when Dani is the victim of a horrific murder at the house, her twin sister Darcy tries to figure out what happened. Did I mention Dani owns a shop called Cabinet of Curiosities? I’m sure that won’t come into play at all. Hey; what’s in that trunk hidden in the store’s back room?

Scares: Yes.
Splat Factor: The few times it’s onscreen? Yes.

Subgenre: Grim Ghostly Mysteries
Year Released: 2024
Remake, Sequel or OG (Original Ghoul)?: Breath-of-fresh-air Original

Trick or Treat?: I’d heard very good things about this film when The Overlook Film Festival picked it as one of it’s main presentations earlier this year. It’s worthy of all the hype. Oddity is definitely one of the best horror films of 2024, and after a year that’s brought us so much incredible goodness? That’s high praise indeed.

“We’re a fucking FAMILY!”

Story: Years into a “catastrophic ecological collapse”, the Athens Accords plot out worldwide population reductions each country must meet with a year. Can a group of self-absorbed siblings deal with these reductions when the reality of the situation comes to their door? Y’know, before dessert?

Scares: More uncomfortably comedic than spooky, though echos of real life issues can be chilling.
Splat Factor: Some well done stabs and other types of bloody mayhem.

Subgenre: Dark AF Dystopian Satire
Year Released: 2024
Remake, Sequel or OG (Original Ghoul)?: Original, though you’ll definitely see parallels to our current climate crisis.

Trick or Treat?: David Cronenberg is a horror legend, directing outrageous, incredible films like Videodrome, Rabid, and 1986’s The Fly. His son Brandon has recently crafted horrors Antiviral, Possessor, and Infinity Pool. Now daughter Caitlin Cronenberg has stepped up to the directorial plate with Humane, a darkly comedic look at what the world may come to if the human population takes too great a toll on our ever-dwindling natural resources. Humane has vibes that echo other recent satirical horror, like Ready or Not, and 2015’s The Invitation, but with one difference. This film purposefully hits very close to home. Y’know, if we continue to be dicks about our planet.

“Maybe we’re not alone, and maybe our company does not wish us well.”

Story: The search for life beyond our wee planet has been going on for quite some time. A documentarian looks at two tapes – “Proof 1” and “Proof 2” – to see if they hold any information that can prove there’s life out there.

Scares: Several solid moments, and lots of fun sci-fi/horror shenanigans
Splat Factor: Blood. Entrails. Faces ripped off. People torn apart or put back together-ish.

Subgenre: Popular Horror Anthology Series
Year Released: 2024
Remake, Sequel or OG (Original Ghoul)?: Part of the V/H/S series of films

Trick or Treat?: The V/H/S series has been a long, strange trip, and for the most part getting a new entry has been one of the many reasons October is so much fun. (We do not speak of V/H/S Viral. At all.) This time, the series focuses on aliens, with almost every story getting a touch of the E.T. treatment. And it just might be the best one yet, second only to last year’s ’85.

“I thought MY family was fucked up.”

Story: Three brothers did a thing awhile back. Their grief, guilt, and horror has haunted them ever since. So when prodigal son/brother Phillip comes back home? More than the third brother has come back to roost.

Scares: More gross than scary, though there’s a thick cloud of unease throughout.
Splat Factor:  absolutely sickening animal body horror (that turns into sickening human body horror) also, obviously, lots and LOTS of dead, brutalized animals. FYI, yada yada.

Subgenre: Family Trauma Body Horror
Year Released: 2024
Remake, Sequel or OG (Original Ghoul)?: Original

Trick or Treat?: An unremarkable title hides an effectively creepy chiller filled with familial regret, secets, and remarkably effective FX. Don’t sleep on this one; I haven’t heard much about it, but luckily stumbled upon it on Shudder. You should stumble too.