Summary
Strange Darlinghas earned a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes. The upcoming release, which had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest in September 2023, was written and directed by JT Mollner and stars Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner in a twisted tale of a one-night stand that devolves into a serial killer’s bloody rampage. The ensemble cast of the movie also includes Giovanni Ribisi, Barbara Hershey, Ed Begley Jr., and Steven Michael Quezada. Recently on X, Stephen King’s glowingStrange Darlingreview called the serial killer thriller “a clever masterpiece.”
Now,Rotten Tomatoeshas aggregated an official score forStrange Darlingout of 18 different critics' reviews. While the score could fluctuate as more reviews are added, at the time of writing, critics seem to agree with King’s assessment, asthe new horror movie boasts a perfect 100% score. It is one of just four 2024 horror movies to have accomplished this record, joining the ranks ofT-Blockers,Double Blind, andSummoners, none of which have so far been Certified Fresh.
Strange Darling Continues A Banner Year For Original Horror
2024 Horror Has Seen Both Critical And Commercial Success
While the critical performance ofStrange Darlingplaces it at the top of the genre for the year, there are many original2024 horror moviesthat have performed outstandingly well throughout the year so far.This includes all but one of the Top 10 Certified Fresh horror titles on Rotten Tomatoes, which areLate Night with the Devil(97%),Oddity(96%),Infested(95%),In Flames(95%),New Life(93%),Stopmotion(91%),The Devil’s Bath(90%),A Quiet Place: Day One(86%),Longlegs(86%), andOut of Darkness(86%).
Every Horror Movie Releasing In 2024
2024 has already seen some great horror movies with more coming, including sequels like Smile 2 and new movies by A24 like Heretic. When are they out?
Original horror has also been performing well commerciallyin 2024, potentially because the release slate has seen many tentpole blockbusters moved to 2025 in the wake of the dual 2023 strikes, during which writers and actors took to the picket lines to fight for fair pay. At the time of writing, only three of 2024’s Top 10 horror movies are from pre-existing movie franchises, whereas the previous year’s best performers include six franchise titles and a video game adaptation. Below, see a breakdown of the 10 highest-grossing horror movies of 2023 compares to the current highest-grossing horror titles of 2024:
2023
2024
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
The Boogeyman
Immaculate
The 2024 chart does not take the entire year into account, as there are upcoming franchisereleases includingSmile 2,Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, andAlien: Romulusthat seem likely to land on the chart when they premiere. However, 2024 still seems destined to have a grand total of charting original horror titles that is much higher than 2023, in addition to more overlap between the highest-grossing titles and the best-reviewed. WhileStrange Darlingmay not prove to be a box office juggernaut, its critical performance proves it is part of this banner year for the genre nevertheless.
Strange Darling
Cast
A twisted one-night stand spirals into a deadly game of cat and mouse when a relentless predator chases an injured woman through the Oregon wilderness.
