Our Summer Horror Preview 2024 is here! The 2024 slate of summer horror releases looks packed, which is excellent news, considering the year has gotten off to a sluggish start for the genre at the box office. Not only is the release schedule so stacked that it’s guaranteed to keep us distracted while we wait for Halloween, but this summer also brings some of the year’s most anticipated titles from MaXXXine to Alien: Romulus and Longlegs.
This guide covers the highlights of what’s already been announced, but as always, expect a handful of streaming, Digital, and VOD releases to pop up over the next few months as well.
Here are 24 horror movies you don’t want to miss in Summer 2024…
Under Paris – June 5 (Netflix)
French filmmaker Xavier Gens (Mayhem!, Frontier(s)) ensures this summer is stuffed to the gills with shark horror. This time, a shark swims into the Seine river during the World Triathlon Championships to wreak havoc. A shark in Paris?! We’re in.
Trim Season – June 7 (Theaters and VOD)
A job at a marijuana farm turns nightmarish in Trim Season, directed by award-winning filmmaker and production designer Ariel Vida. Bethlehem Million (Sick, “And Just Like That…”), Hell Fest‘s Bex Taylor-Klaus, Starry Eyes, “Midnight Mass” and Doctor Sleep‘s Alex Essoe, Ally Ioannides (Synchronic), Cory Hart (“Fear the Walking Dead”), Ryan Donowho, Marc Senter and Juliette Kenn De Balinthazy star.
The Watchers – June 7 (Theaters)
Director Ishana Night Shyamalan‘s feature debut stars Georgina Campbell (Barbarian) and Dakota Fanning, and adapts A.M. Shine‘s novel. The plot sees a woman trapped with three strangers, all stalked by mysterious creatures every night.
Tiger Stripes – June 14 (Theaters)
A young girl is the first to hit puberty among her friends in this coming-of-age horror story, and she’s alarmed by the horrifying physical changes to her body. The Malay-language body horror film was written and directed by Amanda Nell Eu, marking her directorial debut.
The Exorcism – June 21 (Theaters)
Russell Crowe stars as Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins) wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something demonic at play. Written by M.A. Fortin and director Joshua John Miller, the scribes behind The Final Girls.
Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person – June 21 (Limited Theaters)
A young vampire struggles with the moral dilemma surrounding her need for blood, but she may have found a solution in a young man with suicidal tendencies. The vampire comedy was co-written and directed by Ariane Louis-Seize.
The Devil’s Bath – June 28 (Shudder)
Austrian filmmakers Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala (The Lodge, Goodnight Mommy) are back with new period horror movie The Devil’s Bath. A newlywed woman finds herself feeling trapped and prone to thoughts of violence in 1750 Austria.
A Quiet Place: Day One – June 28 (Theaters)
The next installment in Paramount’s hit horror franchise, A Quiet Place: Day One takes place at the start of the invasion on the streets of New York City. Lupita Nyong’o (Us), Joseph Quinn (“Stranger Things”) and Alex Wolff (Hereditary) star.
Kill – July 4 (Theaters)
No, Kill isn’t a horror movie. But it’s so violent and bloody that this actioner should appeal to horror fans all the same. Writer/Director Nikhil Nagesh Bhat unleashes mayhem and carnage aboard a New Delhi-bound train when a gang of knife-wielding thieves led by the ruthless Fani (Raghav Juyal) begin to terrorize innocent passengers. Army commando Amrit (Lakshya) embarks on a death-defying kill spree to save the love of his life.
MaXXXine – July 5 (Theaters)
The third entry in Ti West’s slasher trilogy that began with X and continued with Pearl follows Maxine (Mia Goth), after the events of X, as the sole survivor who continues her journey towards fame, setting out to make it as an actress in 1980’s Los Angeles.
Longlegs – July 12 (Theaters)
Up next from writer/director Osgood Perkins (The Blackcoat’s Daughter, Gretel & Hansel) is the Nicolas Cage horror movie Longlegs, which sees the actor playing a serial killer. Maika Monroe also stars as the young FBI Agent on his trail.
Oddity – July 19 (Theaters)
Writer/director Damian Mc Carthy follows up the creepy Caveat with a supernatural tale of revenge, one that features a sinister mannequin and a blind medium. Gwilym Lee, Carolyn Bracken, Tadhg Murphy, Caroline Menton, Steve Wall, Jonathan French, and Joe Rooney star.
Starve Acre – July 26 (Theaters)
A folk horror movie set in 1970s rural England. Starring Matt Smith (His House, Morbius) and Morfydd Clark (Saint Maud) in the lead roles, Starve Acre is written and directed by Daniel Kokotajlo and based on the book by Andrew Michael Hurly.
Cuckoo – August 2 (Theaters)
Luz director Tilman Singer is back with another horror movie. Expect things to get weird when a teen relocates with her family to a strange resort in Germany. Cuckoo features a great cast that includes Dan Stevens (The Guest) and Jessica Henwick (Underwater) as well as Hunter Schafer (“Euphoria”), Marton Csókás (Freelance), Greta Fernández (Santo) and Jan Bluthardt (Luz).
Borderlands – August 9 (Theaters)
Unlikely heroes must battle alien monsters and dangerous bandits to find and protect a missing girl, who may hold the key to unimaginable power in Eli Roth’s video game adaptation. The ensemble cast includes Jack Black as Claptrap, Florian Munteanu as Krieg, Ariana Greenblatt as Tiny Tina, Jamie Lee Curtis as Tannis, Cate Blanchett as Lilith, Kevin Hart as Roland, and Gina Gershon as Moxxi.
Trap – August 9 (Theaters)
The latest from writer/director M. Night Shyamalan is a psychological thriller that sees a father and daughter attend a concert, only to discover it’s an elaborate trap to catch a serial killer. Josh Hartnett stars.
Alien: Romulus – August 16 (Theaters)
An original Alien feature set between the events of the first two films, directed by Fede Alvarez (Evil Dead, Don’t Breathe). Cailee Spaeny (The Craft: Legacy, Pacific Rim Uprising) leads the cast alongside Isabela Merced, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Spike Fearn and Aileen Wu. Ridley Scott produces.
Blink Twice – August 23 (Theaters)
Directed by Zoë Kravitz (The Batman), and formerly titled Pussy Island, Blink Twice features an impressive cast and what appears to be a twisted, mind-bending genre-bender. A dream vacation getaway on a private island descends into a nightmare as reality ceases to hold meaning. Naomi Ackie stars alongside Channing Tatum, with the film’s impressive ensemble cast of familiar faces also including Kyle MacLachlan, Adria Arjona, Alia Shawkat, Simon Rex, Haley Joel Osment, Christian Slater, and Geena Davis.
The Crow – August 23 (Theaters)
Photo credit: Larry Horricks for Lionsgate
From director Rupert Sanders (Snow White and the Huntsman, Ghost in the Shell), Bill Skarsgård (IT) is leading the cast of a brand new take on The Crow as Eric, with singer/actor FKA Twigs co-starring. Danny Huston (30 Days of Night) also stars, alongside Laura Birn (Foundation), Sami Bouajila (A Son), and Jordan Bolger (The Woman King).
Hell Hole – August 23 (Shudder)
The next film from The Adams Family (Hellbender, Where the Devil Roams) offers an indie rock-n-roll monster movie set at a far-away fracking site. Expect things to get weird and transgressive.
Strange Darling – August 23 (Theaters)
The second feature from talented writer-director JT Mollner stars Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner. As for plot, it’s set over one day in the twisted love life of a serial killer, creating a feature length cat-and-mouse game of twisted proportions.
The Front Room – September 6 (Theaters)
Pictured: Brandy in ‘I Still Know What You Did Last Summer’
Brandy Norwood (I Still Know What You Did Last Summer) makes her return to horror with A24 movie The Front Room, directed by Max and Sam Eggers, brothers of Robert Eggers (The Witch, The Northman). The adaptation of Susan Hill’s short story follows a young, newly pregnant couple forced to take in an ailing stepmother who has long been estranged from the family.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice – September 6 (Theaters)
The long-awaited sequel is nearly here, almost 40 years after the original classic arrived in theaters. A family tragedy brings three generations of the Deetz family home, where the Ghost with the Most is summoned, causing trouble in the realms of the living and the dead. Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Jenna Ortega, Catherine O’Hara, Justin Theroux, Willem Dafoe and Monica Belluci star.
Speak No Evil – September 13 (Theaters)
An American family is invited to spend the weekend at the idyllic country estate of a charming British family they befriended on vacation, but a holiday getaway quickly spirals into a harrowing nightmare. James Watkins (The Woman in Black, Eden Lake) directs, with Mackenzie Davis (Terminator: Dark Fate, Happiest Season) and James McAvoy (Split, Glass) starring in this American remake.