WARNING – THERE MAY BE SPOILERS AHEAD
THE ITERATIONS SPEECH – Heretic
Chosen by Paul Klein
In horror film Heretic Hugh Grant plays the sinister Mr Reed who holds two Mormon missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) in his home to lecture, question and mentally torture them about faith, religion and the nature of constructs. Playing the Hollies classic The Air That I Breathe, Reed makes the point that the girls, despite not knowing the Hollies would have heard either Creep by Radiohead or Get Free by Lana Del Rey and that both of those songs are iterations of the same melody and rhythm, and by extension all religions are iterations of one another. The scene uses Grant's natural charm, and the darkly funny sight of him badly singing Creep to underline the inherent danger they are in. It's both tense and funny in equal measure showing that horror can be at it's strongest when it's wrong footing you, allowing the Grant-isms to underline the broiling threat. A threat maintained for the entire, excruciating runtime.
LONGLEGS' LETTER – Longlegs
Chosen by Freddie Deighton
The magic of the scene that introduces Act 2 of Longlegs is that nothing really happens, the atmosphere is so creepy that that's irrelevant. Special Agent Harker (Maika Monroe) is alone in her house and has had to interrupt a catch up with her mother on the phone due to a faint soul-stirring sound – then accompanied by an aggressive banging on the door. What follows is a series of anxiety-inducing shots of her desolate cabin and the dark, empty forest outside it. Perkins, composer Zilgi and cinematographer Andres Arochi do an immaculate job of creating tension and creepiness out of naught. Making Harker's cosy home into a haunted house with vacant shots of darkness and a harrowing score. All the build up, with Maika Monroe's brilliant scream queen shivers makes the subtle reveal of Longlegs (Nicolas Cage) sneaking into the house all the more shocking and terrifying.
“THE COPS ARE LISTENING” – Hit Man
Chosen by Jamie Garwood
FINAL SET – Challengers
Chosen by Mark Carnochan
Luca Guadagnino's Challengers – the bisexual event of the year! – follows the irresistible trio of tennis pros Tashi Duncan (Zendaya), Patrick Zweig (Josh O'Connor) and Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) as they each treat life like a game; flirting, fucking and manipulating their opponents to gain the upper hand. All in the name of seeing “some good fucking tennis.”
Come the movie's ending we see one final game – Zweig vs. Donaldson. As the two taunt and tease one another, we see tennis play out as a form of foreplay. Backed by a heart-pounding soundtrack from Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor, the final set delivers upon the film's promises thus far, providing us with the ultimate climax. Forget threesomes, scandalous affairs and that saucy churro scene, this ending is the sexiest moment of this year's hottest flick.
HUG FROM HATTIE – Nickel Boys
Chosen by Gavin Spoors
RaMell Ross' adaptation of novel The Nickel Boys highlights the power of Black friendship, activism, hope… and hugs. When grandmother Hattie (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) gives hardened survivor Turner (Brandon Wilson) a hug, audience tears come flowing for many reasons. The POV perspective lets Hattie hug us, and the fact this takes place shortly after the film's most harrowing scene means it's a welcome moment of comfort. And having the POV from Turner, a boy who doesn't have family and rejects the notion of love, puts us in his shoes of finally receiving care, if only for a moment. No other scene this year will make you cry this hard.
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE FIGHT THE DEADPOOL CORPS – Deadpool & Wolverine
Chosen by Aaron Gillingham
Deadpool and Wolverine delivered tonnes of satisfying moments for comic book fans this year. From the inclusion of fan favourite characters portrayed by their original actors to endless amounts of references you could spend days analysing. However, one of the film's highlight moments comes in the form of a simulated one-take fight between Deadpool, Wolverine and the entirety of the Deadpool Corps. Just when you think the film is winding down, it decides to throw one last set piece at the audience and it does so with all the humour, gore and attention to detail you'd expect from a Deadpool movie. There is a lot of rewatch value here, purely to capture every interaction and death, as it can be a lot to take in on first viewing. Plus, what wraps this scene perfectly in a bow is the fact it is all set to Madonna's iconic Like a Prayer.
MISTER SNUFFLE – Strange Darling
Chosen by Kat Hughes
Beautifully shot on 65mm, JT Mollner's Strange Darling is a twisted nonlinear cat and mouse story of The Lady (Willa Fitzgerald) and The Demon (Kyle Gallner). An early highlight of Strange Darling is Chapter One, ‘Mister Snuffle', which despite its numerical value, plays third due to the film's nonlinear construction. Previous chapters, three and four, focus on pursuit, but this one hones in on the early dynamic between Lady and Demon, providing some much needed context.
Bathed in the neon blue hue of a motel sign, the car-set sequence is dialogue driven, allowing Fitzgerald and Gallner to demonstrate their unquestionable talents. Their conversation is fascinating, exploring the gender politics of a casual liaison. At the same time, the scene is rich in unspoken words and incredible tension, both sexual and otherwise. After a frantic opening, this sequence slows things down, granting Strange Darling the opportunity to breathe whilst simultaneously seducing the viewer.
FURIOSA CONFRONTS DEMENTUS – Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Chosen by James Hanton
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is a nitro-fuelled thrill ride. So it might seem strange on paper to pick out one of the quietest moments in the film as its highlight. But it is the moment that cements Furiosa's complete journey from innocent child to hardened survivor, complete with the “remember me” line that features so memorably in Mad Max: Fury Road. A beaten, bruised Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) is finally confronted by Furiosa, unaware at first that she is the child he stole away all those years ago. It is an intense finale, marred with more than a hinge of tragedy as Furiosa realises killing Dementus will not undo all the pain she has endured to reach this point. “Do you have it in you to make it epic?” Dementus taunts. George Miller certainly does, capping off one of 2024's full-throttle highlights with an emotional and powerful crescendo to savour.
THE HEAD REVELATION – The Coffee Table
Chosen by Rebecca Sayce
After traumatising the festival circuit in 2023, pitch-black Spanish horror comedy The Coffee Table made its way to cinemas and streaming services this year. Directed by Caye Casas, the hair-raising flick follows Maria (Estefanía de los Santos) and Jesus (David Pareja), a married couple navigating parenthood after welcoming their first child, Cayetano. While renovating their apartment, Jesus picks a gaudy new coffee table – a choice which will become the worst of his life. The Coffee Table begins with one of the most heart-wrenching experiences any parent can go through – a terrible accident killing a child – and forces the audience to sit through Jesus' attempts at keeping this trauma from his wife, his brother Carlos (Josep Maria Riera), and Carlos' girlfriend Cristina (Claudia Riera). The surreal and bleak caper comedy culminates in a heart-pumping, anxiety-inducing scene in which their neighbour's dog discovers Cayetano's severed head, with chaos soon ensuing. Extreme close-ups and slowly building non-diegetic, cacophonous music reach a crescendo as Maria demands to be shown what the pooch has sniffed out.
Upon her realisation, each character's face is shown screaming – yet the only sound is jaunty guitar music that would be more at home in a Western film. The final, haunting shot shows a curtain billowing in the wind after Maria walks out onto the apartment's balcony. Yet, she is devastatingly nowhere to be seen, suggesting she has leapt to her death as Jesus had been planning for himself. The terrible sad imagery juxtaposed against somewhat upbeat music perfectly encapsulates The Coffee Table's entire vibe – ‘trauma, yet make the audience laugh and feel guilty about it'. It's an experience you won't forget in a hurry, no matter how hard you try.
TABLA INSTRUMENTED TRAINING – Monkey Man
Chosen by Rehana Nurmahi
While Dev Patel's directorial debut was hailed as an “Indian John Wick”, the Eastern influences were lovingly displayed throughout Monkey Man. No scene was this clearer than in the tabla training sequence.
The training montage is a key moment in any action movie, but here, it is nothing less than pivotal. Our protagonist has failed by every measure he has set himself, but his journey to heroism is redefined during his stay with a hijra community. As he begins to train, a tabla player (played by renowned Indian musician Zakir Hussain) helps set the rhythm, Patel punching along in time. It's a kinetic scene that is expertly shot, but what makes it memorable is its sheer unapologetically Indian nature – Patel leaning into his roots to enhance the tension. Also he directed a bunch of badass trans ladies to cheer as he took his shirt off – Iconic behaviour, really.
“WHA?” – Love Lies Bleeding
Chosen by Nick Bartlett
Rose Glass' pulpy Love Lies Bleeding is packed with unforgettable moments, from a frenzied Las Vegas bodybuilding show to its bold, audacious ending. Yet my favourite is a fleeting reaction from Lou (Kristen Stewart) that perfectly embodies the offbeat, blackly comic tone of the film.
The moment follows a shocking act of violence: Lou's lover, volatile bodybuilder Jackie (Katy O'Brien), shoots someone in front of her. When the gun is turned on Lou, Stewart lets out a wide-eyed, cartoonish “Wha..??” It's a reaction pulled directly from the Looney Tunes and is just perfect.
Stewart gives a beautifully observed performance, brimming with deadpan humour and subtle vocal inflections that never feel mannered. The absurdity of her response here cuts through the tension, making it both funny and oddly relatable – we've all experienced having a comically inappropriate response to something deadly serious. Brief as it is, this moment leaves a sharp, indelible impression, encapsulating the film's unique tonal balance.
THE FINALE – The Substance
Chosen by Sean Wilson
Director Coralie Fargeat concludes her lacerating takedown of the Hollywood beauty system with a climax that is both ridiculous and utterly sobering, a hard balancing act that she assuredly pulls off. As Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley are fused together amid the fleshy spectacle of Monstro Elisasue, the all-too-culpable New Year's Eve viewing audience gets a taste of its own medicine. Having feasted on the spectacle of half-naked dancers, their hypocrisy in rejecting and attacking Elisasue herself pierces the core of Tinseltown's appalling double-standards – albeit with a boob-vomiting eye socket, mutating heads and a severed arm that gushes fire-hose torrents of blood. Not since the heyday of Peter Jackson's Braindead has the outrageous eruption of gonzo gore been so cathartic.
VANYA RUNS AWAY – Anora
Chosen by Kesewaa Browne
Whether it's the lack of an intimacy coordinator or the titular character's background being argued about, Sean Baker's Anora continues to be the talk of the town. When Ani, a young sex worker, dances for the son of a Russian oligarch (Ivan/Vanya), a whirlwind romance soon ensues. They quickly move in together in his absent parent's lavish Brooklyn mansion. Soon after, a marriage is on the cards. However, Ani's bubble swiftly bursts when her new husband abandons her and runs away after hearing about his parent's anger of the pairs nuptials from their henchmen. Ani's fairytale ending turns into a nightmare, and it becomes apparent how little Vanya cares about her, despite how much high esteem she seems to hold him/his financially stability to.
THE FINAL SCENE – Dune Part II
Chosen by Jordan Connell
What Denis Villeneuve has done in the ending scene of Dune 2 speaks to his talent. Throughout the film, we root for Paul and House Atreides. By the end, the culmination of that support results in Paul beginning the Holy War. Chani, disgusted that the desert warriors' battle has moved off Dune and into space, sticks with her native planet. From Jessica's point of view, we see the great ships taking to the air, in all of their monstrosity. Something greater than anyone can control has begun. The movie ends with the question of who the heroes and villains really are?
CAR PARK SCENE – Woman of the Hour
Chosen by Erika Bean
Woman of the Hour spends a full hour preparing us for this scene, but fledgeling director Anna Kendrick didn't need to. We didn't need the multiple scenes telling us how dangerous Rodney (Daniel Zovatto) is or how vulnerable Sheryl (Kendrick) is. As he lurks in the shadows outside the stage door, we know. Two more
scenes drive this home, building tension before Sheryl finally realises. She tries to protect herself, fawning at him and giving him her phone number, but he knows the game is up and stalks her back to her car like a hungry predator. Composed with her walking at increasing speeds in the foreground, we are kept aware of Rodney in silhouette in the background, walking slower than her but just keeping pace. This scene and Sheryl's lucky escape are familiar to all women; he's dangerous, she's afraid, she wants to run but has to hold that illusion if she wants to survive.
FUNERAL SCENE – How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies
Chosen by Elodie Marriott
Empathetic and universal, Pat Boonnitipat's debut feature traces the generational divide between 79-year-old Mengju and her “good for nothing” grandson, M, who hopes to secure a healthy inheritance after discovering her cancer diagnosis. While M wonders where he sits in Mengju's family ranking, there's no doubt that the funeral sequence deserves top spot in HTMMBGD.
In this scene, it becomes clear why the Thai drama inspired a ‘before and after' trend on TikTok which documented the many tears shed by viewers throughout the 125-minute runtime. As the family travel to the burial plot, M knocks on the coffin while explaining the route to Mengju, guiding her safely to rest. This final act of love is the emotional crescendo to the evolution of their relationship and reveals the strength of their bond. It is as cathartic and devastating for the audience as it is for M.
