The independent production company A24 has developed a reputation for releasing a wide variety of widely acclaimed films, but A24 horror movies remain a highlight for the company. It’s unlikely that any company can claim to have had a bigger impact on the horror genre in the past decade than A24. After putting its name on the map in the 2010s, A24 went on to release several different movies each year, but it remains mostly known for its contributions to the horror genre.

A24 releases include some of the most talked-about horror movies of the past decade, such as Hereditary, Midsommar, and The Lighthouse. A24 horror movies have revolutionized the horror genre in the post-2010 years, bringing a new era to horror and introducing social and cultural themes that are highly relevant to modern society. When it comes to A24 horror movies, they specialize in both smart and high-brow films as well as bizarre stories that most production companies would never touch.

31 False Positive (2021)

Directed By John Lee

It's rare to see A24 horror movies called flat, but one of its most widely derided outings came in the form of 2021's False Positive. The movie is by no means bad or unwatchable — it's just not up to the usual standard for A24's horror. Released directly on Hulu, False Positive at first seems like it might be a modern riff on Rosemary's Baby. While elements of that are certainly present, the real truth behind Lucy's (co-writer and star Ilana Glazer) engineered pregnancy is arguably even more disturbing.

Glazer does well in her role, as does Justin Theroux as her husband, and Pierce Brosnan as the malevolent fertility doctor. Unlike most of A24's horror offerings, though, False Positive feels much more derivative of past genre entries, and its story isn't brought to a fully satisfying conclusion. Its Rotten Tomatoes rating is a low 47%. While still interesting, it falls short of the rest of the A24 horror genre offerings.

30 Tusk (2014)

Directed By Kevin Smith

Written and directed by renowned filmmaker Kevin Smith, Tusk follows an American comedy podcaster as he travels to Canada for an interview. He quickly becomes the victim of a mad scientist desperately trying to recreate his walrus friend by mutilating people and stuffing them into a walrus suit made of human skin. Kevin Smith’s mind-boggling offering to the horror genre has such a mismatched tone that the comedy and horror aspects could be from two different films.

The movie almost could have worked well as a serious horror movie or even a compelling episode of a show like Criminal Minds with Cronenberg-like body horror. What resulted was something very polarizing, although Tusk did receive some decent reviews, with critics praising its atmosphere and visuals. It just took many Kevin Smith fans by surprise, thanks to the bizarre take on the genre.

29 Slice (2018)

Directed By Austin Vesely

A horror comedy set in a small town where humans and supernatural beasts like ghosts, witches, and werewolves live together in semi-harmony, the A24 horror movie Slice follows a series of murders that take place at the local pizza shop as their delivery drivers are killed off one by one. When it is discovered that the pizza shop was built on a mass grave in a town that is home to 40,000 ghosts, the employees learn the previous tenants were also victims of murders and set out to solve the crimes.

The blend of comedy and horror in Slice is expertly established, delivering a silly and thoroughly enjoyable experience as Zazie Beets and Chance the Rapper try to track down the killer and bring them to justice. Reviews were average to low, with the positive reviews saying it was "schlock," but still highly original, which goes a long way in horror movies of this type.

28 The Blackcoat’s Daughter (2015)

Directed By Osgood Perkins

A girls' boarding school closing down during winter break sees two young women left behind while another girl leaves the hospital on her way back to the same boarding school in The Blackcoat’s Daughter. The film is a complicated one, splitting between the three main characters (Rose, Joan, and Kat), and nothing is as it seems until the final shocking twist of the movie when one of them turns out not to be who they claimed they are.

This supernatural psychological horror film is certainly an underrated pick from A24, but the twist leads to a confusing ending that kept the movie's critical acceptance to remain average. The positive reviews called the movie slow-building and atmospheric, while negative reviews said it relied mostly on its twist ending. However, critics who liked the movie also point out how the twists were set up, rewarding rewatching the film to see the puzzle coming together.

27 Life After Beth (2014)

Directed By Jeff Baena

A horror romantic comedy, Life After Beth usurps classic zombie lore when a young man whose girlfriend has just ed away discovers that his deceased lover has come back from the dead, with no memory of her death. Unfortunately, though she seems just fine at first, she soon begins to undergo a terrifying transformation. While Life After Beth has its campy, comedic moments, a lesser film dealing with the same story material might have veered too far into the ridiculous.

This A24 horror movie is essentially a ghoulish twist on 500 Days of Summer, which, surprisingly, works quite well. While Life After Beth did not receive the best reviews, it remains a cult classic and something very different in the zombie horror genre. The cast was a big reason for the movie's success, especially Aubrey Plaza's performance as Beth and both Molly Shannon and John C. Reilly's turns as her hapless parents trying to hide and protect their daughter from the outside world.

26 The Hole In The Ground (2019)

Directed By Lee Cronin

The Hole in the Ground follows a young mother, Sarah, and her son, Chris, as they move to a new town. But, when Chris goes missing in the forest one night, he returns only to start acting strangely, leading Sarah to believe he isn’t her son at all. This suspenseful Irish horror film has some great set pieces in the underground cave and serves as one of the few decent horror films about an actual mythical changeling.

Lee Cronin, who went on to direct the critically acclaimed Evil Dead Rise as his first major studio film after this A24 release, showed his promise with this film.

However, some have criticized The Hole in the Ground as a bit bland and one-note, especially compared to some of A24's other horror movies. Despite this, it has a very high 83% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising its originality. Lee Cronin, who went on to direct the critically acclaimed Evil Dead Rise as his first major studio film after this A24 release, showed his promise with this film. The film remains mostly underrated and unseen by cinephiles, but it is a promising start for the filmmaker.

25 Enemy (2014)

Directed By Denis Villeneuve

The first of A24’s horror movies, Enemy is a surrealist thriller directed by Denis Villeneuve. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Adam Bell and Anthony Claire. The film follows a schlubby history teacher, Adam Bell, as he discovers a minor actor who looks exactly like him. An adaptation of Jose Saramago’s award-winning novella The Double, Enemy is an exercise in audience manipulation, and some feel it is one of the more underrated movies of the 2010s.

The movie evokes a palpable sense of anxiety and keeps the audience guessing. That said, the ending falls flat, making Enemy a confusing cinematic experience overall. Still, fans who have gotten to know Villeneuve, thanks to movies like Dune and Blade Runner 2049, should check this out. It is evidence that big things would come one day for the director, and it is also proof that A24 helped discover some of today's most innovative and brilliant filmmakers, offering a glimpse into the genesis of their careers.

24 Beau Is Afraid (2023)

Directed By Ari Aster

Ari Aster made his name with A24 horror movies, as he directed two of the best of all time with Hereditary and Midsommar. However, some felt there was a step down with his 2023 release, Beau Is Afraid. The movie stars Joaquin Phoenix as a middle-aged man with anxiety issues who is supposed to take a flight to see his mother but is scared to leave his apartment. When he finally sets out for the trip, everything that could go wrong does, and he ends up abducted by a couple who won't let him leave.

The movie is an abstract look at Beau's mental struggles and a meditation on how self-doubt, fear, and anxiety can almost drown a person if he goes untreated. However, the movie received mixed and very polarizing reviews, with many people dismissing the themes and claiming Aster made a self-indulgent and overstuffed film. Phoenix picked up a Golden Globe nomination for his performance.

23 Men (2022)

Directed By Alex Garland

The A24 horror movie Men follows the young widow Harper (Jessie Buckley), who decides to take a trip to the English countryside. However, upon her arrival, it seems like someone — or something — is stalking her. Filmmaker Alex Garland (Ex Machina) helmed the movie, and it opened to middling reviews, but there were many positives about Men. The cast wove an intriguing story, and its voyeuristic tone crescendoed into a frenzy leading up to the climactic finale.

That said, Men left too much of the film ambiguous, and it was so symbolic that casual audience had a difficult time deciphering its meaning. Despite this, it won Best Effects at the British Independent Film Awards and both Jessie Buckley and Rory Kinnear earned nominations at the Critics Choice Super Awards. This was a case where it wasn't Garland's magnum opus, but it did give the filmmaker a chance to do something subversive and innovative, thanks to the brain trust at A24.

22 Lamb (2021)

Directed By Valdimar Jóhannsson

Released in 2021, Icelandic horror film Lamb is one of A24's weirder efforts. Noomi Rapace and Hilmir Snær Guðnason star as a farm couple who begin raising a bizarre sheep/human hybrid creature they call Ada, after one of their sheep gives birth to her. As one might expect, this odd arrangement quickly devolves into mania, leading to the eventual reveal of just what exactly fathered Ada.

While considered a bit too strange for its own good, Lamb features a great lead performance from Rapace and has deservedly earned widespread acclaim. Iceland submitted for consideration to the Academy Awards, but it was not chosen as a finalist for the award. The only big problem with the film is that many critics and audience found the subject matter a little too abstract and obscure, but the people who enjoyed Lamb ire it for those same reasons.