Whenever a filmmaker breaks onto the scene with animpressive debut film, there is immense pressure to follow up their groundbreaking first movie with something equally good, if not better. Even if a director’s debut efforts isn’t a massive success straight out of the gate, there’s still a sense of wanting to go bigger for the second outing — bigger stories, bigger names in the cast, and bigger budgets. If the artists in question don’t deliver, they’re said to suffer a sophomore slump, which can be a devastating creative setback.
Fortunately, numerous directors’second movies live up to their first, and this is especially true in the horror genre. From some of the biggest names working today — including Jordan Peele, Ari Aster, and Coralie Fargeat — to lesser-known but equally talented filmmakers quietly making stellar movies, these sophomore films prove their directors are no one-hit wonders. Each film successfully avoids the sophomore slump by not only going bigger in terms of story and scope, but also in terms of the scares and psychologically disturbing ideas.
Jordan Peele’s feature directorial debutGet Outwas an immediate hit upon its release, receiving great reviews from critics and horror fans alike. It’s one of the rare horror movies to receive Oscar nominations, including for best picture, best director, and best original screenplay — the latter of which it won. The pressure was certainly on Peele to create something of the same caliber as his first outing, so he takes some big swings with his follow-up,Us, and each one is a hit.
Peele’s scope is much wider inUs, examining not only race in America, but this country’s class structure as well. The subterranean doppelgängers of the film, called the Tethered, represent the underprivileged of the United States, and their bloody uprising serves as a warning to the privileged of the country — continue prospering off the backs of others, and there will be a reckoning.This bleaker messaging and the film’s haunting ending meantUsdidn’t hit with the Oscars and was snubbed, but it was just as deserving of the accolades asGet Out.
Before Leigh Janiak struck it big with her trilogy of teen slasher films for Netflix, based on the works of R.L. Stine, the director made an effective psychological sci-fi horror film calledHoneymoon. The slow-burner earned Janiak praise for her ability to ratchet up tension and sustain an atmosphere of dread throughout. Janiak takes her talent for horror to the next level withFear Street: Part One - 1994, the highlight in the trilogy, and combines it with an often dark sense of humor.
Some viewers might be turned off at the notion ofhorror aimed at a teenage audience, but make no mistake,Fear Streetdoes not skimp on the inventive and increasingly gory kills that define the slasher film. Unlike many movies in the subgenre, however,Fear Streettakes its time letting the audience get to know its characters, making their deaths all the more devastating when they come. Janiak proves herself a highly talented storyteller, regardless of genre or the intended age of the audience.
After breaking into the horror genre with numerous short films, including a memorable entry in the anthology filmV/H/S, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett — known alongside their production partners as Radio Silence — made their feature-length debut withDevil’s Due. The film mostly came and went, despite being a well-crafted combination of found footage and religious horror.Devil’s Dueis an interesting first entry into the directors’ canon, however, because it lacks an overt sense of humor that characterizes Radio Silence’s other films.
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That would immediately change for Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett’s follow-up featureReady or Not, which is full of both thrills and darkly funny jokes.This emphasis on horror as well as comedy was the secret ingredient missing from the duo’s filmmaking recipe, and adding it to the mix forReady or Notmeant their second feature coalesces into a singular filmgoing experience better thanDevil’s Due. While the filmmakers proved they could hold interest in a feature setting with their debut, they truly found their voice inReady or Not, setting the tone for all their future works.
Damian Mc Carthy broke onto the horror scene in 2020 with his debut featureCaveat, an inventive take on the haunted house narrative. The film didn’t get a theatrical release, but it did land a spot on the horror movie streaming service Shudder, where it’s been quietly unnerving viewers ever since. Critics were mostly warm toCaveatas well, and anticipation was high as to what Mc Carthy would do next.
The director delivered and then some with his second film,Oddity, which centers around a large wooden statue that sits eerily at the dining table and possibly begins to move. An obvious nod to the Golem of Jewish folklore, the statue strikes a decidedly creepy figure, and it should be counted among the most effective objects-come-to-life in horror movies since the Zuni fetish doll fromTrilogy of Terror, the titular car fromChristine, or the cursed red dress fromIn Fabric.
Hereditary, Ari Aster’s first film, proved to be a tough act to follow for the director, given the incredibly strong material and its popularity among filmgoers. For his second outing,Midsommar, Aster goes bigger, bolder, and even stranger than its predecessor, to remarkable effect. Containing less jump scares and directly horrific imagery thanHereditary,Midsommaris a much more contemplative and psychologically unsettling filmbuilt around a crumbling, toxic relationship, all set against a perversely colorful, sun-drenched backdrop.
Aster himself calledMidsommar“The Wizard of Oz for perverts,” and the parallels between Dani and Dorothy’s journeys are immediately apparent, especially in comparison to the 1939 film adaptation. The narratives center on the absence of parents, as do so many fairy tales, with Dani’s tragic separation more in line with a Grimm story than Dorothy’s more innocent situation. Ultimately, both protagonists want to go home, but for Dani, there is no home to go back to, priming her to seek a new home and family with the Hårga.
Tilman Singer made an impressive directorial debut withLuz, a super low-budget, brilliantly executed film that subverts the tropes of the possession narrative in interesting ways. For his second feature,Cuckoo, Singer pays homage to the works of David Cronenberg, in particularThe Brood, with an absolutely bonkers plot delivered in a frenetic style. Featuring an incredible performance from Hunter Schafer as the film’s protagonist Gretchen,Cuckoois quietly one of thebest horror films of 2024.
Singer proves himself especially adept at sustaining weirdness throughout, a skill on full display withLuz, but with Cuckoo, it’s cranked to the max.Cuckoois wild and unpredictable in its narrative turns, relying on a more dreamlike logic to tell its story. At times, it even plays out like a cartoon, with Dan Stevens playing the over-the-top mad scientist and primary foe of Gretchen with a glee that echoes kid’s animated fare.Cuckoois altogether giddy in its execution, even in its most perverse moments, making it a truly unique viewing experience.
Coralie Fargeat made her debut in 2017 with the critically-acclaimed but criminally underseen filmRevenge, an especially potent feminist take on the rape revenge fantasy film. Fargeat subverts the tropes of this subgenre first and foremost by not lingering on the assault itself — the mere existence of the act in the film is enough to horrify without showing it in detail. The film does emphasize the fantasy elements of the aftermath, creating a thoroughly formidable heroine in the process.Revengeis truly an audacious debut, and a tough act to follow.
Fargeat ups the ante withThe Substance, creating a body horror satire that tackles society’s obsession with beauty and youth. With a career-high performance from Demi Moore and another impressive turn from Margaret Qualley, The Substance earned heaps of praise both for its stars and writer-director Fargeat. The film became another rare horror film to receive Oscar nominations, including for best picture, best director, and best actress for Moore.Fargeat more than proves herself a prominent voice in modern-day horror filmmaking, one who will no doubt continue to make subversive entries in the genre.
It’s certainly a badge of honor when a horror film can elicit visceral reactions from viewers, and that’s exactly what happened withRaw, the audacious directorial debut of Julia Ducournau.Filmgoers at a Toronto screening in 2016 passed out(viaThe Guardian) while watching the graphic cannibal-themed film, prompting the theater to call the paramedics. Beyond the intensity of the flesh-eating scenes, Ducournau crafts an endearing coming-of-age tale, one that won over numerous critics upon its release.
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There were no reports of viewers fainting during Ducournau’s second feature, the Palme d’Or-winningTitane, despite featuring one especially graphic scene early in the film, in which serial killer protagonist Alexia (Agathe Rousselle) has sex with a car.It’s the kind of unforgettably perverse imagery that will either engross or repel.For anyone too squeamish to continue, they’re missing out on one of the most inventive, psychologically potent body horror films since David Cronenberg’s magnificent works from the 1980s.
The Babadookmarked one of the most stellar directorial debuts in cinema history, regardless of genre. With the titular monster, Jennifer Kent created a figure as iconic as Frankenstein’s creature or Freddy Kruger, as well as an unintentional symbol of gay pride. The film is also, for better and worse, one of the first in the so-called trend of “elevated horror,” a contentious term in the horror community describing films that trade less in jump scares and more in psychological dread and unease, usually with some kind of social commentary woven into the narrative’s fabric.
While the film was well-reviewed,The Nightingalewas not the hitThe Babadookwas, no doubt because of its difficult-to-watch scenes and overall heavier tone.
Kent avoids the sophomore slump with her follow-upThe Nightingaleby nearly abandoning horror altogether, creating instead a revenge thriller based around the real-life horrors of sexual assault and colonization. While the film was well-reviewed,The Nightingalewas not the hitThe Babadookwas, no doubt because of its difficult-to-watch scenes and overall heavier tone. This is a shame, as The Nightingale is beautifully crafted, emotionally satisfying, andone of the most important viewing experiences a filmgoer can have.
A creator oflow-fi horror movies, Jane Schoenbrun proved with their first feature,We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, that filmmakers don’t need a lot of money to create effective and engaging cinema. With a coming-of-age story that unfolds largely on webcams and computer screens, Schoenbrun makes tremendous use of very little, showcasing their knack for economic narratives and psychological unease. The film did well critically, establishing Schoenbrun as a distinct voice in filmmaking.
These talents would be on full display again with Schoenbrun’s follow-upI Saw the TV Glow, which features a bigger budget and wider distribution thanks to A24, but it’s just as spiritually independent as its predecessor.I Saw the TV Glowwas met with great reviews upon its release, including from famed director Martin Scorsese, who called it “emotionally and psychologically powerful and very moving,” (viaAP) quite an astute assessment of Schoenbrun’s triumphant work.I Saw the TV Glowisn’t just one of the best horror films of 2024,it’s one of the best films of the year, period.
