10 Best Horror Movie Performances Of 2024 So Far
Nicolas Cage's performance in Longlegs is the stuff of nightmares.
2024 has been another fantastic year for horror films. Whether it's provocative indie gems like In a Violent Nature and I Saw the TV Glow, or mainstream scares like The First Omen and A Quiet Place: Day One, there's been something to quench the appetite of every horror fan.
Throughout the year so far, there has been no shortage of genuinely creepy pictures delivering some of the most twisted moments of gore the genre has ever seen. And at the core of so many of these flicks, there have been some truly outstanding performances from amazing actors.
While horror performances often tend to come second to the amount of blood onscreen, 2024 has shown how crucial a role actors have in the genre. Whether it's giving as physical a performance as possible to make audiences scared of a character, or enabling viewers to empathise with the horrifying ordeal a protagonist is going through, the following stars put an incredible amount of work and dedication in.
While each of these films is excellent for an assortment of reasons, they wouldn't be as good if it weren't for some truly stellar performances.
10. Halle Berry - Never Let Go
From genre mastermind Alexandre Aja, psychological horror Never Let Go centres on a mother and her two sons living alone in a secluded woodland cabin. Believing that there's an invisible evil presence lurking outside, they must stay connected to their house with ropes to protect themselves from being infected by the presence.
However, when one of the boy's ropes breaks, the children begin to question what their mother has been telling them. And when the family's situation begins to worsen and the mother's behaviour grows more erratic, the boys find themselves in an increasingly dangerous situation.
A large part of Never Let Go's tension comes in not knowing how much of what the youngsters are told is true, with audiences being kept guessing throughout. Of course, at the heart of it all is Halle Berry's powerhouse performance as the children's mother. Known only as Momma, the Oscar-winning actor is a force to be reckoned with, perfectly striking the balance between a maternal figure caring for her children and someone struggling with mental illness.
Although Never Let Go doesn't quite stick the landing, Berry is reason enough to watch this taut thriller.