2024 gave us female-fronted horror films that crossed all limits

Horror films have always centered their stories around female characters The exorcistThe demon-afflicted mother-daughter duo, HalloweenFierce babysitter, or Black Christmas“Sorority sisters are determined. But in 2024, we have a particularly notable group of women who are put in terrifying situations, including a new sci-fi character in Alien: RomulusA kind-hearted con man fights a vampire ballerina AbigailAnd the Mormon missionaries were trapped there Heretic.

But there were a few standouts among this year’s batch of scary, brave, and fearless females — performances that we admired and that brought to life a unique cast of characters. Here are the most prominent female characters we met in 2024 horror films.

Lee Harker, Long legs

We think we’ve got a handle on young FBI agent Lee Harker from the start: quiet yet brilliant in his vein Silence of the LambsClarice Starling, but with an extraordinarily developed intuition that makes her well suited to hunting down unpredictable criminals. However, as Osgood Perkins said Long legs As we delve deeper into the twisty crime novel, we realize that Lee is on quite her own path — and she’s connected to the film’s titular geek in ways that surprise even her. Maika Monroe’s very reserved performance (the perfect contrast to the breakout role played by star Nicolas Cage) proves that an actor doesn’t need a lot of dialogue to create a full, expressive character.

elizabeth Sparkle And Sue, Article

Demi Moore has been a symbol of Hollywood glamor for decades; At 62, she perfectly channels this real-life situation into her self-effacing portrayal of Elizabeth Sparkle in Coralie Farget. Articlethe movie that happens Vanity as a main theme. Elizabeth is kicked out of her TV gig because the white men in charge think she’s too old to be sexy, and indulges in weird science to create a younger version of herself – Margaret Qualley as “Sue” – with complications that will turn some people off. -Popping body horror to ever grace your screen.

Since Elizabeth and Sue are the same person, the battle between them puts a horrific but very funny twist on the idea that your greatest enemy is always yourself. When they come together as mutants.”Monstro Elisasue,” it’s equal parts disgusting and empowering—not a combination you come across every day, but a surprisingly satisfying one.

skye riley, Smile 2

She’s an international pop star, beautiful, talented, rich and beloved by millions of her fans, but Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) is in hell. First, it’s personal hell; A year after a car accident killed her boyfriend and left her critically injured, she still suffers from addiction problems and mental and physical scars. But after an impulsive decision to buy some painkillers on the black market, she comes face to face with the demonic curse that horror fans encountered in Parker Finn’s first film. He smiles film.

From there, Skye’s downward spiral reveals a far worse level of hell, where her reality becomes completely distorted by the creepy, exhilarating entity’s invasion of her sanity. On paper, Skye is a difficult character to pull off, but Scott’s performance makes her a believable character in her desire to right all the wrongs she’s caused – but feels increasingly powerless as the pressure (whether showy or supernatural) begins to pile up. .

Margaret, The first omen

Someone had to give birth to Damien, the child from Omen– And while the 1976 horror classic suggested he was the product of a jackal and the devil, V.I The first omen We meet his real mother, an ambitious nun who becomes unwittingly involved in a mysterious conspiracy. Arcasha Stevenson’s prequel justifies its existence by being an artistically dynamic film with a script full of developments (and actual scares!); However, the heart of the film is Nell Tiger Free’s Margaret, a genuinely good human being whose life takes a horrifyingly dark turn.

Honorable mention in the world of 2024’s “antichrist pregnancy horror” – despite current events, you can definitely expect more pregnancy horror themes in future films –He goes on to perform another performance in a different horror intro. Natalie Erica James Rosemary’s baby-Inspired Apartment 7A It didn’t get the same amount of acclaim The first omenbut Julia Garner takes her center stage as Terry, a character she meets briefly Rosemary’s baby Which has a fascinating backstory of its own.

maxine minx, Maxine

She survives the Texas porn massacre of 2022 Pearl), Maxine Minx finally makes her way to Hollywood. As we find it in Maxineshe’s seeking mainstream success beyond her X-rated fame – and nothing, not even a serial killer who might be the Night Stalker, a creepy private investigator, real LAPD detectives, or a sinister ghost from her blood-soaked past, will haunt her. . Get in the way.

Mia Goth, who plays Pearl and Maxine in the T-West trilogy, gives us a more mature but still tough character in Maxine here, and the character’s silver screen journey in the mid-1980s takes her to famous places (Maxine in mental patient House is one of 2024’s most memorable cinematic mashups and sleazy backrooms, exploring the price of fame from a disgusting perspective that’s never entertaining.

Haley, 5th/hour/second/later

Kate Siegel’s contribution to the latest V/hour/second Stowaway, an anthology film, introduces us to Haley (Alana Pearce), a woman whose troubled backstory is made abundantly clear with only a few asides, and whose current ambition is to make a documentary about UFOs — preferably through an encounter Close to her. . When her moment miraculously arrives one lonely night in the Mojave Desert, we’re thrilled for her—she’s been through some messy things, it’s implied, but her strange obsession has finally found its reward.

This excitement turns to intense horror, however, when Stowaway lives up to its title and Haley sneaks aboard a spaceship… only to find the wonders she discovers snowball into a body horror nightmare that gives… ArticleMonstro Elisasso is some seriously awesome competition. It’s a stunning arc, made even more impressive by the fact that it’s compressed into the space of a short film.

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