Thirteen must-see horrors at SXSW 2024

Some might say 2023 was a slightly ‘off’ year for horror after the heights of 2022… but here’s SXSW with some good news! Judging by the strength of their just-announced lineup, 2024 will show the genre roaring back. This promises to be a bravura year for SXSW’s genre offerings, and its horror (and horror-adjacent) lineup looks particularly strong.

Below are some films to keep an eye on if you’re attending and looking to mine the festival’s horror vein. Most of these are in the festival’s excellent ‘Midnighters’ strand (programmed by Austin’s own Peter Hall), but some can be found elsewhere in the program. SXSW runs in Austin, Texas, from 8-16 March 2024, with tickets available here.

UPDATE: SXSW have now announced a further wave of genre titles! See here for our thoughts on that second wave…

Without further ado, let’s dig in…

Cuckoo (Germany)

Directed by Tilman Singer, Cuckoo is the much-anticipated follow-up to his breakout cult favourite Luz. We’re expecting this alpine psychological horror-thriller to feature plenty of disturbing twists and turns. Stars\ Hunter Schafer (Euphoria) and Dan Stevens (The Guest) offer a blend of emerging talent and established horror credentials. This is a film that’s had festival-watchers champing at the bit all year, waiting for it to emerge – the buzz is through the roof on this one!

Azrael (USA/Estonia)

Director E.L. Katz (Cheap Thrills) brings his expertise in blending dark humor with suspense in Azrael. This post-apocalyptic story starring Samara Weaving (Ready or Not) looks set to combine Katz’s knack for tension with Weaving’s proven horror capabilities. Azrael is set in a a dystopian world overrun by a cult, many years after an apocalypse brought civilization to its knees. When a young woman (Weaving) escapes her imprisonment, a group mute zealots set out to hunt her down. Azrael also stars British actor Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, who was so good in (among other things) his supporting role in Nia DaCosta’s Candyman requel. And last but not least, cinematography is from Mart Taniel, who lensed gorgeous Estonian folk horror November – so you know this is going to look sumptuous.

Family (USA/UK)

Benjamin Finkel’s Family is a supernatural dramas that focus on family and loss, that (depending on what direction they go in) might appeal to fans of The Babadook, Pan’s Labyrinth, or Hereditary. Johanna, a young girl dealing with a sick father and a mother distracted by his care, calls upon a supernatural entity to save him. But what she summons is far worse than the kindly healing force she was hoping for. The dependably awesome Ruth Wilson stars as the mother. And just look at this creepy hand…

Hood Witch (France)

Hood Witch, a visceral French Maroc film from director Saïd Belktibia about the aftermath of a tragic exorcism, takes some savage digs at social media and modern capitalism – as you might expect from a film produced by festival favourite Ladj Ly (lesMiserables). With Golshifteh Farahani (Paterson, About Elly) and Denis Levant (Holy Motors, Beau Travail) leading an excellent cast, Hood Witch combines escalating tension with sharp social commentary.

Hunting Daze (Canada)

In Annick Blanc’s Hunting Daze Nina, a young, tempestuous woman, is taken in by a group of hunters in a remote cabin. In the midst of this tough, yet endearing, male microsociety, she feels like she finally belongs – until a mysterious stranger’s arrival disrupts her newfound haven. This tale of of a young woman in a male-dominated group promises a blend of tense social dynamics, plot-driven suspense, and heart-pounding woodland chases. Rising star Nahéma Ricci adds a fresh face to the genre in the lead role. But who will prove to be this film’s most dangerous game?

It’s What’s Inside (USA)

The feature debut from writer-director Greg Jardin, It’s What’s Inside tells the tale of a pre-wedding party that descends into an existential nightmare when an estranged friend shows up with a mysterious suitcase. We can’t wait to see what it is! This sci-fi thriller looks set to resonate with fans of social horror and suspense akin to The Invitation or Coherence – and putting Brittany O’Grady (Black Christmas (2019), Sometimes I Think About Dying) in the lead role suggests this will be a provocative genre piece – with smarts.

Kryptic (Canada,/UK)

Kourtney Roy, known for her visually striking style, directs this psycho-thriller about a woman searching for a missing monster hunter – who discovers a few unexpected truths about the monster being pursued. Kryptic is the SXSW ‘Midnighter’ movie we know least about, but we’re hearing rumours it offers a mix of suspense, mystery, and horror. Chloe Pirrie (The Crown) will doubtless bring a compelling presence to the lead role. One for all the cryptozoologists out there.

The Moogai (Australia)

Developed from director Jon Bell’s own excellent short film, The Moogai is the story of a family terrorized by a child-stealing spirit who has an eye on their newborn. The original was one of the strongest horror shorts we’ve seen in recent years – we’re crossing our fingers the feature version lives up to it. The cast features Shari Sebbens and Meyne Wyatt as the parents, returning from the short, and adds (among other people) Bella Heathcote (The Neon Demon).

Oddity (Ireland)

Damian McCarthy, who previously directed Caveat, is known for his atmospheric and unsettling horror style. Oddity is the story of a blind medium investigating her sister’s death with the help of a wooden mannequin – that’s enough right there for us to expect a creepy-as-hell supernatural spectacle. All this talk of psychics and mannequins has us hoping for something like Don’t Look Now meets Magic – in any case we’re looking forward to its eerie and psychological horror elements. This might be the one that keep you up all night.

Things Will Be Different (USA)

Co-produced by genre favourites Moorhead and Benson (The Endless, Synchronic), and very much up their alley, Michael Felker’s Things Will Be Different tells the story of two brothers (Adam David Thompson, Riley Dandy) who take refuge in a farmhouse after a robbery. The multidimensional farmhouse proves almost too good a hiding place, however, as it shuffles them away to a different time where they must reckon with a mysterious malevolent force that will test their brotherly love to its limit.

Other genre works to watch out for

Sometimes it can be hard to draw the line between horor, horror-adjacent and non-horror genre work. We reserve thr right to change our opinions, but the films above look set to qualify as horrors, whereas these genre pieces maybe fall just outside that. I know we promised thirteen horrors, but these last three are perhaps more in the ‘horror-adjacent’ category. Are we right about that? Will you agree? Time will tell!

Birdeater (Australia)

In Jack Clark and Jim Weir’s Aussie thriller a bride-to-be is invited to her own fiance’s bachelor party – but when uncomfortable details about their relationship are exposed, the night takes a feral turn. Birdeater promises to remix genre tropes in new, ferocious ways, and is part of a very strong showing for Australian genre work in this year’s SXSW lineup.

Dead Mail (USA)

An ominous, bloody help note finds its way to the desk of a seasoned “dead letter” investigator at a 1980’s Midwestern post office, leading him down a violent, unforeseen path to a kidnapped keyboard engineer and his demented business associate in Dead Mail from writer-directors Kyle McConaghy and Joe DeBoer (BAB). SXSW programmer Peter Hall says Dead Mail is like having “someone else’s dream beamed into your brain” – a disturbing, trippy cult classic in the making?

Dickweed (USA)

In this alarming documentary from Jonathan Ignatius Green, two people get kidnapped, one man loses his dick, and no one gets any money. This heist-gone-horribly-wrong leads one Newport Beach detective on an international manhunt for the most twisted criminal he’s ever hunted.  “A doc that plays like a thriller” says SXSW programmer Peter Hall.

We’re hoping for great things from this line-up – and from the additional films promised to be announced in February. In the meantime, what do you think of this selection? Let us know below, or on our Twitter feed at @WhitlockAndPope.

SXSW runs in Austin, Texas, from 8-16 March 2024, with tickets available here.