Nearly every cinematic genre is represented in the annual Black List, a round-up of scripts that have earned buzz in Hollywood but haven’t yet been snapped up for production. Several past entries have made the leap from the page to screen, and even to the stage at the Academy Awards—and it’s always fun to look through the contenders and imagine seeing their stories come to life.
Here are the 10 we would be most excited to see from the 2024 list (via Variety; you can check out the full list here), all hailing from the sci-fi, horror, and fantasy realms.
Bloody Mingo by Jonathan Easley
“Investigating the crime scene of a potential homicide in the Appalachian mountainside, a deputy encounters a strange mountain community that claims to be haunted by an evil witch that lives in the woods.”
The world needs more folk horror, and this sounds like a very eerie way to help meet that requirement.
The 13th Hour by Anna Klassen
“When a group of teenagers repair an old clock with a mysterious 13th numeral, they are granted an extra hour where their actions have no consequence.”
Something tells us there will be consequences, eventually, for the tinkering kids—their magical control of time notwithstanding.
American Monsters by Chris Grillot
“A senator and his estranged son must fight to survive when they’re stranded at a hunting ranch where mythical beasts from global folklore are genetically engineered as dangerous game.”
Get Kurt and Wyatt Russell on the phone, immediately!
AIDa by Alexis Jacknow
“A new mother finds the perfect nanny in AI, only to learn that a ‘perfect’ caregiver might be the most dangerous kind of all. This psychological thriller examines the disparity between human nature versus AI nurture and asks the question, could AI ever replace us as parents?”
We’ve seen AI be scary around kids before (M3GAN‘s sequel is coming soon!), but blending the idea with 21st century parenting fears sounds promising, in a deeply dystopian kind of way.
Turnaround by Elyse Hollander
“After beloved movie star Tom Adair is found dead, the outpouring of grief and sympathy quickly elevates his best friend Alec Donavan to movie star status. Now Alec must contend with his newfound fame and success—and the fact that he and his agent/girlfriend Karynn Pieper secretly murdered Tom and are haunted by his vengeful ghost.”
A murder mystery ghost comedy set among Hollywood’s A-list? We’d watch the hell out of that.
Howl by Madison Vanderberg
“All hell breaks loose when a famous—but notoriously troubled—actor announces on a talk show that in less than an hour, he’ll turn into a werewolf… all on live TV.”
Speaking of Hollywood-set tales, we can imagine an array of performers (top of the list: Nicolas Cage) devouring the scenery in a movie like this.
Mommy’s Home by James Morosini
“A young dad revives his 24-year-old cryogenically frozen mom, unleashing terror and forbidden tension that haunt his family and threaten to unravel his marriage.”
We love any tale that starts off with someone emerging from cryogenic sleep—because you just know all kinds of chaos will ensue: Encino Man, Demolition Man, whatever domestic nightmares and “forbidden tension” this guy’s mom has up her sleeve…
Mom? by Jack Bloom
“When a deadly virus infects mothers and turns them against their offspring, a father must do whatever it takes to protect his daughter from her mom.”
It’s a big year for villainous moms, apparently!
Camp David by Megan Amram & Joseph Carnegie
“In 1981, a young George W. Bush and his siblings are hunted by a masked killer while partying at Camp David.”
Yes. This is some revisionist history we need to eat popcorn with. Let’s make it happen, Hollywood!
It’s Not You, It’s Me by Shane Kennedy and Ant Simpson
“When Nick and Sophie break up just days before the lavish destination wedding of his best friend and her sister, they vow to keep it a secret until after the nuptials. But what should be a simple white lie becomes a living nightmare when a mystical encounter turns them into the one thing they hate most in the world: each other.”
There are a couple of body-swapping tales on this year’s Black List, but only one gives off “Anyone But You with a freaky genre twist” vibes.
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