Stopmotion and 4 Other Best Horror Movies Released in Recent Years
From old demons returning in the deep forest to metaphysical nightmares.
In recent years, the horror genre has seen so many shocking new releases that even seasoned fans won't have time to shudder at all the dark revelations, ranging from atmospheric indie thrillers to large-scale remakes of classics.
1. Longlegs, 2024
The 1990s, foggy Oregon farms. Young FBI agent Lee Harker is assigned to a case involving a serial killer whose rituals resemble Satanic liturgy.
The clues form an absurd puzzle until Harker's own family secrets emerge and a man nicknamed Longlegs enters the picture.
Oz Perkins avoids cheap jump scares and captivates the viewer with an almost monochrome film, muted melodies by composer Zilgi, and the feeling that evil is always close.
2. Oddity, 2024
In an Irish village, Ted, the head doctor at a mental hospital, finds his wife, Dani, murdered. One of his patients is suspected, but is soon found dead.
A year later, Dani's blind twin sister, Darcy, who has psychic abilities, arrives at the house where the tragedy occurred with a creepy wooden doll. Darcy claims that she can help find the killer.
Oddity mixes classic old-school horror with detective intrigue. Instead of protracted metaphors, director Damian McCarthy relies on practical effects, sharp jump scares, and dark humor.
3. Stopmotion, 2023
After her overbearing animator mother suffers a stroke, Ella is left with an unfinished project and moves into an empty building to finish a dark Cyclops animation.
A mysterious neighbor girl moves into her makeshift studio and gradually turns the work into a nightmare]: the doll is made from corpse wax, the stalking monster is made from a fox carcass, and real people are soon used as well.
With memory lapses and bloody marks on her hands, Ella begins to doubt where her project ends and reality begins.
4. Late Night with the Devil, 2023
It's Halloween 1976, and the ratings for Jack Delroy's Nite Owls are in freefall. The fate of the show hinges on a live special.
The studio set was filled with strange guests, including a medium, a magician, and a parapsychologist named Dr. Ross-Mitchell and her quiet protégé, Lilly.
The program was intended to be a spectacular production, but it quickly spiraled out of control. The ritual turned into a real-life appearance of the devil, and every new frame brought viewers and participants closer to an uncontrollable nightmare.
5. Grafted, 2024
Wei, a brilliant outcast student, comes to New Zealand to continue the dangerous experiments of her late scientist father. An experimental substance should give her perfect skin and erase the birthmark that has caused her to be bullied her whole life.
Within the university's walls, bullying by her cousin Angela and a professor's theft of her ideas push the girl onto a path of sophisticated and bloody revenge.
Grafted is a gripping tale that transforms teenage bullying and the cult of appearance into an arthouse nightmare. Here, sterile corridors contrast with witchcraft-like interiors, and scenes of violence resemble popular TikTok videos.