This year saw Inside Out 2 and Wolverine & Deadpool duke it out for the top spot, followed by Wicked, Moana 2, and Despicable Me 4 to round out the top 5. Otherwise, there were several other films that, while they didn’t crack into the top spots, still made a decent amount versus their expectations. The most notable of these was Terrifier 3 which made waves by burying Joker 2 during its second weekend and wildly outperforming its expectations overall.

2024 continued to be the mixed bag for Hollywood that we have seen the last few years but we also saw signs that audiences still turn out for quality movies. Hopefully things like Terrifier 3, The Substance, Oddity, Nosferatu, Longlegs, etc will start to give more momentum to appropriately sized budgets and projects that stay true to artists’ vision instead of blowing up budgets on safe mediocre things we have seen 100 times.

Overall, 2024 was a decent year for movies in the theater and definitely had a better “average” experience than other recent years where we saw huge flops and stretches of nothing interesting enough to invest in seeing at the theater.

Streaming delivered another good year of hidden gems, foreign oddities, and low budget chances taken on quality projects. Over on Letterboxd, we were able to look at the best reviewed movies from 2024 that didn’t make a splash at the box office. In this list, we have some great films like Oddity, I Saw the TV Glow, Anora, The Wild Robot, and VHS: Beyond.

For best theater experiences this year, it has to be Dune 2 in the Dolby Cinema. It is hard to beat the feeling of the seats and your entire existence rumbling as Paul Atreides climbs his way up to set the reigns on that sandworm. As for streaming/home experiences, Oddity was a great surprise that we were talking about for weeks afterwards.

Overall, our favorite movie of 2024 was The Substance. Unhinged from start to finish, it was amazing to see an over-the-top gore-filled arthouse character study while it was new and in the theater. Sure, the movie isn’t for everyone but it is great to see what will be a cult classic when it is new instead of finding it decades later.

So, as we look forward to 2025, we have another year that looks to be stacking up about the same. There are a few big sequels, several smaller things to get excited about, and plenty of questionable things getting a green light. Keeping an eye on Jurassic World, Avatar, and several smaller horror movies. Follow along here as we see how it unfolds. Happy New Year!

The Substance vs Terrifier 3. This year saw two movies shock audiences and get well-deserved mixed reviews. Which was better?

Stats

The Substance - Mubi - September 19, 2024 - Rated R

Terrifier 3 - Cineverse Corp. - September 19, 2024 - Rated R

The Good

The Substance

The Substance is a crazy, mind-bending rollercoaster through a lot. Mostly emotion as visual metaphor, the movie leaves little to the imagination and more than drives home its main point but does so in a way that feels fresh and exciting. All the manic energy, sleaze, craziness, and body horror of Showgirls, Black Swan, and Society tossed into a blender.

Terrifier 3

The little indy shockfest that could, Terrifier is back for a 3rd installment. Picking up 5 years after part 2, this one sees more lore, more gore, and more… Terrifier than we have seen before. With more budget at his command, Damien Leone is able to go even further with Art and give even more of the stomach-churning, soul-crushing, over-the-top depravity the series is known for.

The Bad

The Substance

There is a sarcastic streak and sensibility that runs through The Substance as it hammers you over the head with its main point. There is no escaping the intensity as the movie continually doubles down on being equal parts sleazy and brutal. Nearly everything in the movie is designed to be an offputting over-the-top version of itself. Some will find this intriguing, some will find it overbearing.

Terrifier 3

Terrifier 2 is too long, Terrifier 3 is shorter but still too long. The movie constantly toggles between bland melodrama and shocking gorefest so often it never finds a rhythm or a purpose and becomes a 2 hour slog to get through. 3 movies in, the parts that are designed to be shocking are shocking but are missing elements that would make this an enjoyable movie instead of an endurance test.

The Verdict

Seeing these movies so close to one another cried out for a comparison. On one hand, in The Substance, we have a film that is pushing your buttons with purpose. Instead of just talking through the emotions, it is using quality filmmaking to force you to experience them: the disgust, self-loathing, the jealousy, the fear of being exposed… it all comes out in a nightmare thrill ride that is as engaging as it is harrowing. On the other hand, we have Terrifier 3, which, as much as I hate to admit it, starts to feel like a kid kicking your chair just to make you squirm. Like The Substance, the discomfort is the intent but here there is no higher purpose. the reaction is the point. 3 movies in, Art needs a new trick. The clear winner to me is The Substance. It is definitely not for everyone but The Substance may be my favorite movie of the year.

• V/H/S Beyond - R - 10.04 - Often hit or miss but consistently entertaining, we’re ready for another installment. HAIL RAATMA!

• Terrifier 3 - R - 10.11 - Horror movies made to give horror movie fans that “pit of the stomach” feeling. Not recommended for humans, don’t blame us if you see it and it scars you for life.

• Megalopolis - R - 09.27 - We didn’t catch this in theaters but we gotta know how weird this is. 

• Smile 2 - R - 10.18 - The first Smile was surprisingly good and had a great third act, hoping this lives up to it.

• Nosferatu - R - 12.25 - Never too soon to get hype for an Eggers (Witch, Lighthouse) movie.