The Popcorn List Unveils The 6 Best 2024 Horror Movies Without Distribution
The Popcorn List is doing the Lord’s work as they dedicate themselves to highlighting and amplifying indie films that are still seeking distribution, even after successful festival runs. Founded in 2024, the platform wants to help these films find their wider audience. Now, they’ve launched their first genre-specific list and have announced the six films included on the inaugural list.
But how did they decide which titles to include? They reached out to 22 genre film programmers across the U.S. and received 10 recommendations. Of those 10 films, six opted into the list. (As a note about their process, the Popcorn List reaches out to every film to confirm eligibility, contact information, and permission for inclusion.) Festivals that participated include Anomaly, Boston Underground, Brooklyn Horror, Fantasia, Fantastic Fest, FilmQuest, Nightmares, Popcorn Frights, and Portland Horror.
Check out The Popcorn List: Genre Edition below!
THE BELDHAM (dir. Angela Gulner)
Struggling single mom Harper moves in with her own mother to renovate a fading suburban farmhouse. The two are joined by her mother’s new boyfriend and a mysterious live-in home aide, both who claim to be dedicated to Harper’s postpartum care.
“A film you truly can’t guess the ending of until it happens, this clever horror film is just as much about the mystery as it is about the horror that ultimately proves true horror is closer to home than we often admit. Strong performances, assured direction, and a solid story make for a film worth checking out. One of the better genre features of 2024, indie or studio.” – Jonathan Martin, Founder/Director, FilmQuest
ELECTROPHILIA (LOS IMPACTADOS) (dir. Lucía Puenzo)
Ada is struck by lightning, resulting in a physical and psychological reconfiguration. As she joins a group of lightning strike survivors, she finds out that the road to electrophilia will be a journey of no return…
“A subversive and beautiful work of personal genre storytelling that’s fresh, radical, and provocative with uncommon power, fronted by a transfixing performance by Mariana Di Girolamo. See it in a cinema if at all possible.” – Mitch Davis, Co-Director/Director of International Programming, Fantasia International Film Festival
OLD WOUNDS (dir. Steven Hugh Nelson)
An aspiring filmmaker documents a road trip with his girlfriend to meet her family. As he learns more about her past, they discover he’s not the only one filming them.
“Old Wounds is a very creative addition to the found footage sub-genre and offers a lot of heart.” – Marc Ferman, Co-Founder/Co-Director, Popcorn Frights Film Festival
SOUND OF LOVE (dir. Ayuta Yoshikawa)
Cleaning worker Moriya seeks solace from his isolated existence by listening to the ASMR streams of a mysterious online creator who goes by the name Akiha. Moriya’s fixation on Akiha’s videos threatens to destroy both his personal and professional lives, but he can’t stop himself from pursuing a deeper connection. He reaches out to Akiha and the two unexpectedly develop a relationship, first entirely online and soon IRL. But Moriya’s obsession only grows as their strange bond soon sends them down a dangerous path that just may consume them both.
“This wild, strange, and transfixing film took our programming team by complete surprise when it came through our submissions, and it was one we couldn’t stop talking about. The response from our first programmer to view it says it all: “This is a strange bird of a film, but it is also often beautiful, and could be the break-the-brain selection of the fest.” – Adam Lubitow, Programming Director/Co-founder, Anomaly Film Festival
STRANGE KINDNESS (dir. Joseph Mault)
Rose’s wayward brother returns home on the same morning their quiet neighborhood is roiled by a violent crime. Across town, their ailing aunt Chris lives in self-imposed isolation with no interest in receiving phone calls or mail. As a house-to-house manhunt is underway, Chris finds a bloodied gunman hiding in her living room. She calmly assures him, “I’m not going to scream.”
“Strange Kindness is a film about isolation, the shocking acts of violence that have come to punctuate our American dream, and what empathy might look like at its further limits. While the film’s content is political, its treatment of themes is far more mythological in nature. (We think this team is one to keep an eye on.) – Nicole Controversy, Director of Programming, Boston Underground Film Festival
WHAT HAPPENED TO DOROTHY BELL? (dir. Danny Villaneuva, Jr.)
After uncovering disturbing revelations from her early childhood involving her late grandmother, Dorothy Bell, Ozzie Gray sets out to video document her investigation into these past events. Desperate for answers, she attempts to communicate with Dorothy’s spirit but unwittingly awakens something malevolent.
“Anchored by a superb lead performance and featuring some truly horrific and indelible imagery, the film does a great job balancing scares with emotional resonance.” – Lisa Dreyer, Festival Director, Fantastic Fest
Additional film recommendations (optioned out of the official list):
- The Complex Forms, Directed by Fabio D’Orta, Italy, 2024 (Rec. Gwen Callahan, Portland Horror Film Festival)
- Dooba Dooba, Directed by Ehrland Hollingsworth, USA, 2024 (Rec. by Jason Tostevin, Nightmares Film Festival)
- The Last Sacrifice, Directed by Rupert Russell, UK, 2024 (Rec. The Programming Team, Brooklyn Horror Film Festival)
For more information about the films included on the list, go here.
Categorized:News
