If you ask any modern horror fan what their favorite horror film is, I would bet you that at least one film they say belongs to the studio A24. Films like Hereditary, Pearl and X, Talk to Me, Midsommar, and The Witch are all very popular modern horror films that were made by the studio. However, the studio isn’t only known for its horror; Lady Bird, The Florida Project, Eighth Grade, Everything Everywhere All At Once, The Whale, and Past Lives are all popular non-horror A24 films. The studio has a very diverse catalog featuring international stories, non-English films, LGBTQ stories, and many other commentaries on lesser-spoken-about but very important topics. So what makes this small, independent studio so special, and why have they been sweeping at the Oscars recently?

Founded in August 2012, A24 is an independent entertainment company that specializes in the distribution of movies and television productions. Compared to most other entertainment companies like Disney and Netflix, A24 has a very small catalog of productions, with only 151 films as of 2024. While the catalog is small, there is a very high level of diversity between each film. Every single A24 is different from the next. Even Pearl and X, two films apart from the same series, are almost stark contrasts to each other, with the only common thread being the director and the lead actress.

Compared to many other studios, A24 doesn’t impede the creativity of the creators. They don’t try to censor or change “controversial” or super gory parts of the film, even though it may make their potential audience smaller. They let the creatives do what they want with their films, which is a very different process compared to most other studios, especially Disney. Filmmaker David Lowery, who directed two A24 films, stated, “The great thing about A24 is that they’re always up for a challenge. They remain undaunted; they’ll take the most difficult, unsaleable aspect of your movie and turn it into its greatest asset.” Lowery is very accurate when it comes to his views on the company’s successful films. Odd, indie, and out-there films flourish when partnered with A24. Their most award-winning film, Everything Everywhere All at Once, is one of the strangest films I’ve ever seen, yet it swept the Oscars last year. The same can be said about Hereditary and Midsommar, two of the most popular modern elevated horror films. Both films are renowned for their gore. Everyone knows about the decapitation scene from Hereditary or the bear from Midsommar. These movies are graphic in every sense of the word, yet they are beloved and successful films.

There are a few differences in how A24 works compared to other, larger studios. For one, they seem to actually care about the visions of the creators. They don’t try to push their ideas in another direction to make more of a profit. Money is the second priority. They don’t release films to get rich; they do it to start conversations. They do it to help amazing small directors get their start. They do it for the directors, the actors, and everyone else involved. This was very apparent when A24 was the first and only studio to accept all of SAG-AFTRA’s terms during the writers/actors strike, meaning they were the only studio allowed to continue filming and production during the strikes. The studio is very careful when deciding what films they want to greenlight. They purposely find indie and underground films with a strong creative, unique, and specific story. They find films like no other. Their films push the boundaries of traditional Hollywood. Though the films fit into some kind of category or genre, they aren’t quite like the others.

Something that is very notable when it comes to A24 films is their camera work. Since the productions are very small, their filming is very different from their big-budget competitors. The filming style has been described as “raw.” It doesn’t seem as processed and edited as other studios’ films, since they aren’t. There isn’t really a budget for it. The highest-costing A24 film, Civil War, was only $50 million. For context, the average cost of a non-independent film is anywhere between $50 and $100 million, typically leaning towards the $100 million budget. People are attracted to films that are more “real.” Overediting and overproducing can cause an audience to feel less connected to a film. A24 avoids this problem altogether.

Overall, A24 is one of the best (if not THE best) studios for any creative to work with. It is so important for a creative to be able to release the film that they imagined without a big studio hovering over every part of the process. Partnering with a studio that puts the film over the possible monetary gain is something that every creative should aim for. Of course, there is a certain budget that someone has to be able to work with and around when it comes to A24 films, but for most directors and writers, this isn’t a huge problem. As long as they can work around the restrictions that come with a lower budget, an amazing film is almost guaranteed to be the end product.