Fall Preview: 2024 Horror Movies and Shows For Grownups

Apartment 7A, Paramount+

Julia Garner stars in this Rosemary’s Baby prequel, a psychological thriller about a dancer who accepts an elderly, eccentric couple’s offer to move into their stately old New York apartment building and soon finds herself selling her soul for a shot at fame. Dianne Wiest, 76, and Kevin McNally, 68, play the nosy, nefarious neighbors.

Note: Paramount+ provides a discount to AARP members and pays AARP a royalty for the use of its intellectual property.

Coming on Sept. 29

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, Season 2, AMC

Much like its endless parade of undead zombies who refuse to die, The Walking Dead franchise just keeps multiplying and adding new spin-offs. This one, which revolves around Daryl Dixon, the badass biker played by Norman Reedus, 55, kicks off its second season with the return of Daryl’s bestie — and fan favorite — Carol, played by Melissa McBride, 59.

Coming Oct. 3

Ebon Moss-Bachrach in "Hold Your Breath."

Searchlight Pictures

Hold Your Breath, Hulu

Sarah Paulson, 49, and The Bear’s Ebon Moss-Bachrach top-line Hulu’s moody environmental thriller set in Oklahoma in the 1930s, about a woman who’s convinced that a wave of deadly dust storms are out to get her and her family. Think of it as a cross between Twister and The Grapes of Wrath.

Coming on Oct. 4

V/H/S/Beyond, Shudder

The seventh installment in the V/H/S horror anthology franchise on the Shudder streaming service features six fresh new tales that should have you digging your fingernails into the armrest. Why? Well, the common thread this time around is a series of unsettling found-footage video cassettes. Hopefully, they’re more of the excellent Blair Witch 1 variety than the Blair Witch 2 one. This is a fantastic excuse to check out what Shudder offers.

Coming on Oct. 10

Teacup, Peacock

Inspired by Robert McCammon’s bestselling novel Stinger, Peacock’s latest series follows an unlikely group of people in Georgia who join forces to face a mysterious threat in order to survive. The streamer’s top-secret plot description is stingy on details, but the involvement of executive producer James Wan (of the Conjuring films) is reason for optimism. Yvonne Strahovski, Scott Speedman and Kathy Baker, 74, head up the cast.

Coming on Oct. 11

(Left to right) Makenzie Leigh, Lewis Pullman, Alfre Woodard, Jordan Preston Carter and John Benjamin Hickey in "Salem's Lot."

Justin Lubin

Salem’s Lot, Max

New Line, the studio behind the latest interpretation of Stephen King’s eerie 1975 vampire bestseller, is skipping theaters altogether and heading straight to the Max streaming service. The plot: An author (Top Gun: Maverick’s Lewis Pullman) returns to his hometown looking for inspiration for his next novel. He should be more careful what he wishes for.

Coming on Oct. 18

Smile 2, not yet rated

The original 2022 Smile was an unexpected sleeper hit. Now, in director Parker Finn’s sequel, Aladdin’s Naomi Scott plays the Lady Gaga–esque global pop superstar Skye Riley, who is about to embark on a world tour. That is, until she begins to be haunted by inexplicable events (not to mention the series’ trademark grin of death). Combined with the pressure cooker of fame, it makes Skye begin to spiral out of control, forced to face her dark past. Little Fires Everywhere’s Rosemarie DeWitt, 52, costars.

Hysteria!, Peacock

Remember when ’80s parents became obsessed with the dangers of heavy metal music? So does Peacock, whose latest series tells the story of a high school varsity quarterback who goes missing and a struggling rock band who embrace Satanism to become infamous. But when a rash of local disappearances, kidnappings and supernatural happenings hit, the taboo-embracing musicians instantly become prime suspects. Modern Family’s Julie Bowen, 54, and The Evil Dead’s Bruce Campbell, 66, star.

Coming Oct. 25

Don’t Move, Netflix

This dark thriller sounds like a more sinister riff on that Jason Statham movie, Crank. You know, the one where he has to keep his heart rate up and racing to stay alive. Produced by horror maestro Sam Raimi, 64, Don’t Move is a harrowing story about a killer who injects a female victim with a paralytic agent forcing her to flee, fight and hide before her body completely shuts down. American Horror Story’s Finn Wittrock and Yellowstone’s Kelsey Asbille star.

Coming on Nov. 15

Heretic, not yet rated

If you’ve been waiting for Hugh Grant, 63, to play a character who’s as unsettling as all get-out, your wait is finally over. In this horror flick from indie powerhouse A24, Yellowjackets’ Sophie Thatcher and The Fabelmans’ Chloe East play extremely religious Christian missionaries who go door-to-door to spread the good news, only to ring the doorbell of someone who is decidedly bad news (a mild-mannered Grant in nerdy serial-killer glasses). Trapped inside the house, the women have to think fast in a series of cat-and-mouse games to stay alive.