Prepare for sleepless nights as we dive into the most spine-chilling performances of the year! From seasoned veterans to rising stars, these actors have pushed the boundaries of horror, leaving audiences both terrified and mesmerized. Join us as we explore the standout roles that have redefined fear on the big screen in 2024.
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00:00Out of all the women in the world, why did he choose me?
00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the best performances found
00:09in this year's batch of horror films. We will not be including movies that blend horror and comedy,
00:15so Michael Keaton will not be found here, despite his assured performance in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
00:21Everybody says he's got my eyes. Personally, I don't see it.
00:26Number 10. Kayleigh Spaney – Alien Romulus
00:29You want to break into a Weyland-Yutani ship and steal highly regulated equipment
00:35before someone else does? You guys are insane.
00:39Do we have a new Sigourney Weaver on our hands? Expectations for Romulus were somewhat mixed
00:44given the franchise's rocky record, but it surpassed all hopes with great directing
00:49and strong performances. Leading the way was Kayleigh Spaney, playing orphaned minor and
00:54new alien heroine Rain Carradine. Like the legendary Ripley, she shows strong resolve
01:14and fierce determination in the throes of danger, but her fear and humanity are never buried.
01:19She's terrified but someone has to get the job done.
01:22Spaney performs a deft juggling act and gives the franchise a much-needed burst of energy.
01:28We hope to see more of Rain and Spaney in the future.
01:44Number 9. Justice Smith – I Saw the TV Glow
01:47All they found was her TV set burning in the backyard.
01:51Emma Stone is venturing into horror, with her company Fruit Tree producing the widely acclaimed
01:56I Saw the TV Glow. While it is a sumptuous visual feast, the real star here is Justice Smith,
02:02breaking from his roles in mainstream blockbusters to play the outcast teenager Owen.
02:17Smith has never been better, showing an intensity and rawness that helps personalize the movie's
02:30themes about loneliness and identity. He goes on an intense emotional journey throughout the
02:35course of the story, and Smith is capable of delivering all the different aspects of the
02:39character. He also shares incredible chemistry with Bridget Lundy Payne, rounding out and
02:44completing one of the year's best performances.
03:01Number 8. Lupita Nyong'o – A Quiet Place Day One
03:14It seems like everyone wants to get in on the A Quiet Place train, including prestige Oscar winners.
03:24Lupita Nyong'o brings her unbelievable talents to the franchise in the form of Sam,
03:29a terminally ill cancer patient living through the initial outbreak of the monster invasion.
03:33She brings a vulnerability to Sam that isn't often seen in horror films.
03:37She doesn't want to fight the monsters. She barely even registers their existence.
03:44Her battle is internal, the monsters an obstacle in finding peace and contentment with her situation.
03:56It's a brilliant twist on the traditional horror narrative,
03:59and Nyong'o leads the way with her strong, tender, and sympathetic performance.
04:03Number 7. David Dasmalchian – Late Night With The Devil
04:24Despite having a long and storied career, David Dasmalchian is largely known as a
04:29Oh, that guy character actor. Well, not anymore.
04:32His breakout lead performance comes via Late Night With The Devil, playing talk show host Jack Delroy.
04:38Jack battles a number of monsters throughout the course of the film,
04:42like demons, ghosts, and perhaps the worst monster of all, grief.
04:46Dasmalchian is masterful throughout, providing Jack the ultimate humanity
04:51we require to sympathize with him, while also playing one heck of a 70s talk show host.
04:56He's equal parts endearing, funny, and slimy, a perfect representation of the time.
05:12Number 6. James McAvoy – Speak No Evil
05:15We've seen the friendly killer thing a thousand times before,
05:27but few have done it as commendably as James McAvoy.
05:31He plays Patty, a homicidal father and husband who traps a vacationing family
05:36at his isolated country farmhouse. McAvoy is terrifying,
05:40attempting to conceal a deep evil with uneasy smiles and glinting eyes.
05:46Try as he might to be courteous and friendly, something is always a bit off with him.
05:59It's a tricky feat for an actor to accomplish, and McAvoy employs it with great skill.
06:04And when it comes time for the evil to be unleashed,
06:07buckle your seatbelts because he does not hold back.
06:10McAvoy is clearly having the time of his life playing this role,
06:14and the fun is contagious.
06:24Number 5. Nicolas Cage – Long Legs
06:40The titular villain is certainly a memorable character,
06:42and Nicolas Cage is perfectly cast.
06:45With his disturbing facial prosthetics and pale makeup, Cage is transformed into long legs,
06:50and does a commendable job creeping out the audience with a simple glimpse or a smile.
06:55Yes, I am done.
07:04But I won't only be in here.
07:08I'll be a little bit of everywhere.
07:12But Cage is magnificent even underneath the stellar makeup.
07:16He puts on a creepy sing-songy falsetto to inhabit a predator,
07:20and his behavior is equal parts hammy and horrific.
07:23It's the kind of balance that only Nicolas Cage can strike.
07:26The kind where we don't know if we should laugh or scream at the absurdity of it all.
07:42Number 4. Mia Goth – Maxine
07:53The X series made Mia Goth a horror icon,
08:01and she capped the trilogy in stylish fashion with Maxine.
08:04She returns to the role of Maxine Minx,
08:07who is now trying to make it in the glitzy glamour of 1980s Hollywood.
08:11Goth literally transforms into the role,
08:13her blonde hair and colorful clothes contrasting highly
08:16with her farmhouse aesthetic from the original film.
08:19She's pure 80s tawdryness, and we love to see it.
08:24Goth is once again a joy to watch,
08:27with her aura and charisma carrying much of the film.
08:30Even when the movie itself threatens to collapse
08:32under the weight of its own style and ambition,
08:35Goth keeps it afloat through sheer magnetism.
08:42Number 3. The X-Men – The X-Men 2
08:45The X-Men 2 is a classic of the X-Men franchise,
08:47and it's a classic of the X-Men franchise.
08:50Number 3. Lily-Rose Depp – Nosferatu
09:02Unrecognizable is the first word that comes to mind
09:04watching Bill Skarsgård as the grotesquely alluring Count Orlok.
09:08Yet Lily-Rose Depp's performance as Ellen Hutter
09:11is transformative in another way that caught us off guard.
09:14Depp has demonstrated in the past
09:16that she's willing to throw herself headfirst into a role.
09:19Nosferatu is a star-making showcase for the young actress,
09:22delivering an emotionally arresting portrayal.
09:25While Depp demonstrates her physicality as a performer,
09:28she also makes us feel the war raging inside Ellen.
09:32It's a battle of will, sanity, and passion
09:35as Ellen confronts Orlok the only way she knows how.
09:38This is a bewitching turn from Depp,
09:40who balances innocence and lust
09:42in ways few other working actresses can.
09:45I'm ready.
09:51Number 2. Hugh Grant – Heretic
10:03We gotta say, we didn't have
10:05Hugh Grant plays one of the creepiest villains of the year
10:07on our 2024 bingo card.
10:09Known for his cute and endearingly awkward characters,
10:13Grant plays against type for Heretic.
10:15And we want more of this pronto.
10:18He is the enigmatic Mr. Reed,
10:20a dangerous recluse who targets two Mormon missionaries.
10:23My own claim is that all 10,000 verifiable religions
10:26that exist in the world today
10:28are as artificial as the symbolic church
10:30you're currently standing in.
10:32It is farce.
10:34Playing against type is always a huge gamble,
10:36especially when it involves switching
10:38from adorable hero to threatening villain.
10:41But Grant pulls it off with ease.
10:43The gamble paid off,
10:45and we think his career just opened up
10:46to new and exciting possibilities.
10:49And even if he doesn't do this kind of thing again,
10:51at least we got the sinister and macabre Mr. Reed.
10:54I want to know what is going to happen to us before we choose.
10:58I don't even know how to begin to answer that question
11:01if it hasn't happened yet.
11:02Before we unveil our top pick,
11:04here are some honorable mentions.
11:06Carolyn Bracken – Oddity
11:08Bracken is enthralling as a creepy medium
11:10who is blind and has psychic powers.
11:13Do I look stupid?
11:17No.
11:18My sister and I were identical,
11:20so that must mean that she didn't look stupid either.
11:24I never said she did.
11:25You implied it.
11:26David Howard Thornton – Terrifier 3
11:29If he wasn't already,
11:30Art the Clown is now firmly a goat slasher.
11:33Hello, hello.
11:36Hi, hi.
11:37Come on over.
11:38Come on over.
11:38It's fine.
11:39Yeah.
11:42Hi, hi.
11:42Yes, yes.
11:44That's, that's me.
11:45That's me.
11:45Guilty as charged.
11:47Willa Fitzgerald – Strange Darling
11:49Fitzgerald gives a brave, bravura,
11:51and breakout performance as the lady.
11:54Are you a serial killer?
11:58I'm gonna need you to look me in the eyes
12:00and give me a serious answer.
12:07No.
12:08Channing Tatum – Blink Twice
12:10This Me Too thriller shows us a creepy side of Tatum
12:13we've never seen before.
12:14Are you leaving?
12:17Whenever you want.
12:19That's not an answer.
12:22Are you having a good time?
12:24Yes.
12:27Good.
12:28Naomi Scott – Smile 2
12:30Scott gives an excellent performance
12:32as she grapples with reality.
12:34Hi.
12:35What's your name?
12:42That's a pretty cool shirt you got.
12:44You want me to sign it?
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13:01Number 1.
13:02Demi Moore – The Substance
13:04I guess that's why you can say
13:05we have some sort of connection.
13:07Some sort of connection.
13:09You wouldn't exist without me.
13:12This movie came out of nowhere
13:14and rocked the world
13:14with its many different facets of horror.
13:17It's gory and grotesque and all sorts of fun,
13:19but it's also a deeply psychological glimpse
13:22into self-deprecation.
13:23Demi Moore plays Elizabeth Sparkle,
13:25an aging fitness celebrity
13:27who takes the substance
13:28and turns into the youthful Margaret Qualley.
13:31Yes.
13:32Hello.
13:35I'd like to order.
13:38While Qualley is terrific,
13:40this movie belongs to Moore,
13:41who imbues Elizabeth with a deep humanity.
13:44Her issues are universal
13:46and her behavior in battling those issues
13:48is uncomfortably real.
13:50Elizabeth's pain is palpable
13:52and Moore is sensational
13:53at capturing small nuances
13:55that trigger our sympathy.
13:56We've never wanted to give a character
13:58a bigger hug.
13:59Each time you feel a little more lonely,
14:05don't you think?
14:07I don't know what you're talking about.
14:11I'm fine.
14:13Everything's fine.
14:14Which performance was your personal favorite?
14:17Let us know in the comments below.
14:18Nicely done.
14:22Did you enjoy this video?
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