My 50 Favourite First Time Watches of 2024

2024 was the year I put a lot of time, effort, and hard work into working on myself and my mental health. I have never been very good a prioritising myself or known what me-time/self-care looks like for me. I have come to realise this year that it is watching films. Whether it be something silly and distracting or something gut wrenching and cathartic, film has become my safe space. In 2024 I managed to watch 365 films, including short films, repeats, and rewatches (because for example, I watched Secretary four times, Re-Animator four times and Bride of Re-animator five times). 

Throughout the year I have kept a list of my favourite first time watches (in a rough order, don't hold me to it even though I'm publishing it in a blog!) and seeing as the list was 50 films long, I would like very much to share the top 50 with you and recommend that you watch, at least one but preferably all of them. 

50. Roadworks | 1985 | Dir. Mona Hatoum

I was transfixed by Roadworks at the Women In Revolt exhibition at the Tate in February this year. 

49. Anthony | 2014 | Jonathan van Tulleken 

I was chewing up some short films for Christmas and was absolutely thrilled to find Tim Key as Santa. This was grim and melancholic, big thumbs up from me!

48. Frozen Blood Test | 2015 | Lee Hardcastle

It's the characters from Frozen doing the blood test scene from The Thing, what's not to love?

47. Bleach | 2023 | Daniel Daniel 

Bleach really caught me off guard and showed me exactly what short films are capable of. A total sucker punch. 

46. Things | 2012 | Lee Hardcastle 

This is only so low because I don't know how to equate short films and feature length, because all of the things I have watched this year this may have brought me the most joy in such a short space of time. The Thing but Pingu, WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE PEOPLE?

45. Mystic Pizza | 1988 | Donald Petrie 

It has come to my attention that I am a big Julia Roberts fan. I really enjoyed this, it felt so comforting like something I had watched or lived several times. Women are incredible. 

44. Black Christmas | 1974 | Bob Clark 

I'VE SAID IT BEFORE AND I'LL SAY IT AGAIN NO ONE IS SCARIER THAN A MAN. The heavy breathing in the first ten minutes of this film really freaked me out! Merry Christmas! 

43. Overboard | 1987 | Garry Marshall

It has taken, truly, an ungodly amount of willpower to stop myself from putting this so much higher on the list. I am absolutely smitten with both Kurt and Goldie. Goldie is hilarious, Kurt is gorgeous, this film is morally so bad, but it just oozes so much charm I can't not love it. 

42. Titane | 2021 | Julia Docournau 

Oh yeah, car pregnancy, let's go! Lot of body horror to be enjoyed in this one, if I remember a lot of stuff with black grease/tar-like substances that made me feel icky! 

41. The Terminator | 1984 | James Cameron

Yes, I did also watch the second one, and yes, I preferred this. I think if it's an action movie made in the 1980s, I will have a soft spot for it. 

40. Robocop | 1987 | Paul Verhoeven 

Speaking of which! I was not expecting to enjoy this to anywhere near the degree I did! So fun, a few moments of gore that kept me entertained and shitty old eighties stop-motion, loveeeee. 

39. Uncle Frank | 2020 | Alan Ball

This is a very me film. Always love when a character is called Beth, no one is ever called Beth. 

38. Love Lies Bleeding | 2024 | Rose Glass

I don't know if this is the correct take away, but I wanted so badly to be a body builder for like a week after this.

37. Day of the Dead | 1985 | George A. Romero 

*SPOILER* 

No thoughts, just the image of Bub shooting Rhodes playing over and over in my head, *chef's kiss*. 

36. Candyman | 1992 | Bernard Rose

THE BEES! IN THE MOUTH! WILD! Such an interesting film though, so many layers that probably went way above my head. 

35. Creep 2 | 2017 | Patrick Brice

I actually think Mark Duplass' Josef/Aaron is one of my favourite horror characters. He's so chaotic and camp. I love found footage films too. I think this one is definitely elevated by Sara matching his energy though, so fun. 

34. Invasion of the Body Snatchers | 1978 | Philip Kaufman 

Creepy!!! Made me realise I fancy Jeff Goldblum!!!. 

33. Inside Out 2 | 2024 | Kelsey Mann

I literally just watched this and I felt like throwing up afterwards the portrayal of anxiety was so accurate for me. I am anxiety, my brother is ennui, we make a great pair. 

32. Silent Night, Deadly Night | 1984 | Charles E. Sellier Jr. 

I think this has scored so highly mainly because I watched it in the cinema with two of my nearest and dearest and we were just all equally horrified as we were pissing ourselves laughing at all the same points so it was just an absolute riot of an evening. 

31. Breathless | 1983 | Jim McBride

Again, a LOT of willpower to not make this a top five film of the year. This the kind of movie where I just put my beliefs and morals aside and sit back and relax, kick, scream, and have a goofy, giddy time. Richard Gere is gorgeous. This is 100% my kind of film, it will be my comfort film throughout 2025, all of my friends will be subjected to watching it - prepare yourself. Final note, my mum made us rewind because she missed a certain shot of this film... 

30. Brokeback Mountain | 2005 | Ang Lee

Okay, writing this out I realise one of the things this film does best is not at all feel like it was made in 2005, what the hell??? Anyway, I'm crying, you're crying, we're all crying. 

29. Portrait of a Lady on Fire | 2019 | Celine Sciamma 

Billing the two titans of sad gay cinema next to one another! This pips it for me, just, but entirely due to the final shot - WOW. 

28. Return of the Living Dead | 1985 | Dan O'Bannon

Zombies? Punks? Gore? You know this was made for me. 

27. Kes | 1969 | Ken Loach 

Unoriginal though but, it might as well be a documentary. Heartbreaking, beautiful, funny, made more poignant watching with my dad who was born in 1970 and lived many of the experiences of Billy. The football scene is hilarious. They don't make them like this anymore. 

26. The Fly | 1986 | David Cronenberg 

I was really hungover when I watched this. I remember finding Jeff Goldblum momentarily beautiful. I remember not being as grossed out as the rest of you. I remember it making me feel desperately sad. Powerful little bit of horror. 

25. From Beyond | 1986 | Stuart Gordon

Honestly? This may be ranked a little high! But! I was in my Jeffrey Combs phase when I placed it and I did have a lot of fun watching it both times this year. Very slimy! 

24. Blue Valentine | 2010 | Derek Cianfrance

God this was so sad, so beautiful, but so sad. Why am I attracted to receding hairline, smoking Ryan Gosling?

23. Do The Right Thing | 1989 | Spike Lee

If this film doesn't feel claustrophobic, hot and sweat-inducing enough, I had just started taking medication a few days before watching it and experienced the worst hot flush of my life pretty much the entire run-time of the film. Spike Lee is incredible. 

22. The Worst Person in the World | 2021 | Joachim Trier 

My Letterboxd review of this was just "MOOD" - yikes!

21. Jurassic Park | 1993 | Steven Spielberg 

I WAS NOT EXPECTING TO ENJOY THIS SO MUCH, THIS IS A CERTIFIED BLAST.

20. Shiva Baby | 2020 | Emma Seligman 

For our wellbeing and safety this film could only be 78 minutes long. Emma Seligman gets it.

19. Past Lives | 2023 | Celine Song

This was the first time I have ever appreciated the romanticism of parallel universes and past lives, something I am usually very adverse to, no I will not elaborate. 

18. Sick of Myself | 2022 | Kristoffer Borgli

Ignore what anyone else tells you this is a COMEDY. I laughed OUT LOUD. 

17. The Watermelon Woman | 1996 | Cheryl Dunne 

Never seen a film like this before, loved it! 

16. Aftersun | 2022 | Charlotte Wells

My kryptonite is apparently an isolated Freddie Mercury vocal, who knew?

15. The Godfather Part II | 1974 | Francis Ford Coppola 

Absolutely disgusted with myself that I've let this happen. 

14. The Godfather | 1972 | Francis Ford Coppola 

Hate admitting people are right. 

13. The Florida Project | 2017 | Sean Baker 

LOVE. My! Kind! Of! Movie! Willem Dafoe's character is the bbbeeessstttt. 

12. Jaws | 1975 | Steven Spielberg 

How boring of me to have listed Spielberg, twice! Anyway, everyone always says the shark doesn't look real or scary, whoever started this rumour to lull me into a false sense of security we need to have a chat! 

11. The Evil Clergyman | 1988 | Charles Band

This is categorically insane that I've let myself rank this as high as I have, but what can I say I love horny cinema! "Your body is my religion" - with me, it is a simple as that to get you just outside the top ten. 

10. Bottoms | 2023 | Emma Seligman 

I think Bottoms is so good because it represents a real turning of the tide. I am so excited for more cinema to jab back at the masculinity that been normalised and dominates the cultural zeitgeist. LET'S GO HORNY ANGRY WOMEN! IT'S OUR TIME! 

9. Frances Ha | 2012 | Noah Baumbach 

I believe I watched this at a time that I was really struggling with my life changing and my friendships altering and this just really hit me in all the right spots. Greta Gerwig you will always be famous. 

8. How to Have Sex | 2023 | Molly Manning Walker 

KEEP! SHOWING! IT! IN! SCHOOLS!

7. Boyz n the Hood | 1991 | John Singleton 

There's a shot in this film that will stay with me forever. I was 23 when I watched this, John Singleton was 23 when he MADE this. Truly no words. 

6. All of Us Strangers | 2023 | Andrew Haigh 

I cried so hard when I watched this, in the cinema no less, I thought I was going to throw! up! I can not hear the Power of Love by Frankie Goes to Hollywood now without crying, thanks Andrew! 

5. The Substance | 2024 | Coralie Fargeat 

The cinematic event of the year! I had a BLAST watching this. I love gore and practical effects and body horror SO much, never did I think in the 21st century would a film do it SO GOOD. Restored my faith in horror. NEVER, let the cinema die. 

4. Braindead | 1992 | Peter Jackson

WHY PETER JACKSON MOVED ON TO MAKING 4 HOUR LONG TALES ABOUT HOBBITS AND NOT MORE RIDICULOUS GORE FESTS LIKE THIS I WILL NEVER KNOW??? This film is just so up my alley, I might as well live in it (I don't know what that means either, I just love this film!). I logged this back to back on Letterboxd so you know I was obsessed. The acting is bad, there is no plot, but the gore and the lines are *chef's kiss*! More lawnmowers in horror!!!

3. The Holdovers | 2023 | Alexander Payne 

Oh yeah, new favourite unconventional role model and problem child film unlocked, hello! This is so sad! and funny! and beautiful! Merry Christmas! Da'Vine Joy Randolph to be cast in everything, ever, from now on please!

2. Dawn of the Dead | 1978 | George A. Romero 

This takes second place because I watched this alone and at the top of this blog I explained that watching films had become my safe space. I also explored how I am starting to feel comfortable in my own skin and learning what I want, and therefore am able to comfortably spend time alone. I watched Dawn of the Dead alone, it was probably my favourite experience of watching a film alone this year, maybe just one of my fondest film watching experiences full stop. I was so invested in every detail. I cried, I laughed, I literally stood on my bed at one point I was goading a character on so hard. I think this is a masterpiece, I love that it's our childhood nightmare and biggest dream tied up into one simultaneous, warped event. I am so excited to rewatch it, but so scared it will not be that same experience and I know it won't, but I hope it's a different one that is beautiful and special in its own right. 

1. Lars and the Real Girl | 2007 | Craig Gillespie 

About half way through the film a tear formed in my eye and from that point onwards I just progressed to continuous, steady sobbing. When Lars goes out on to the porch and sees everything that has been left for him and Biannca? Consider my breath gone! I watched this for the first time alone, the second time I watched it with my family and we spoke about it for a while afterwards, what bits we related to or could see in our lives - that's the power of cinema! For me cinema is about humanity, about showcasing it in all of its different forms, from ugly to beautiful. My favourites are often at the most heightened ends of that spectrum, but usually ones that restore my faith in humanity pip the post. Lars and the Real Girl is a gorgeous showcase of the strength, kindness and courage humans are capable of. This Must be the Place.