The Top 10 Horror Movies of 2023

By Lindsay Traves | Film | December 22, 2023 |

By Lindsay Traves | Film | December 22, 2023 |

Who knew what horror would morph into after a few years of constant-…- this? I confess, I’d expected an upswing in zombie horror with pandemics and virus-spreading being top of mind. Some of us suspected that after years of scattered lockdowns and sealing ourselves away, we’d be inundated with more home invasion horror. And, for better or for worse, there was a smattering of those themes in movies like Sick and Evil Dead Rise. But what many of us might not have seen coming was the return of fun horror, new horror icons made of camp and throwback techniques. Though, 2023 wasn’t all kill-based-laughs; some horror went for the jugular, some kept it weird, and many pulled science-fiction back into the center. This year, like many before it, was filled with some horror titans such that I’d expect variance between lists, each needing to reconcile the double/sub-genres of each line item between horror comedies, sci-fi horror, and surrealist horrors. Wait, does that mean Beau is Afraid counts as a horror movie? Does it? Wait, if that’s the case I might need to edit this. Wikipedia called it a “surrealist tragicomedy horror film,” does that break the threshold?! Anyway, here’s ten more.

No One Will Save You

Brian Duffield’s (Spontaneous) mostly dialogue-less sci-fi thriller is the type of film that sneaks up on you multiple times throughout its run. The no-talking-but-never-quiet feature leaves Kaitlyn Dever’s character to wander through an invasion at her secluded home. It’s hard to know if Brynn (Dever) is alone or lonely as she lives her structured life solo in her large farmhouse. The young woman with no lifelines is left to fend for herself when she’s invaded by an extraterrestrial colony. No One Will Save You uses its lack of dialogue and Dever’s excellent scream to create a dynamic and physical telling of an industrious young woman deciding where she belongs. Without dialogue, the movie becomes a feat of visual storytelling, paying homage to alien-invasion greats. Using a simple premise, and a threaded mystery, the movie refuses to give up surprising you in favor of easy scares.

No One Will Save You is available on hulu

When Evil Lurks

Demián Rugna froze lots of our blood with 2017’s Terrified, every viewer able to quickly recall which visual is forever seared in their brains. His newest terror comes by way of a tale of brothers following the trail of a demon. Evil is contagious in this horrific collection of nightmare-inducing tableaus. It’s a somewhat freeing way to consume a film, watching dread unfold while being shielded from feeling, accepting out the gate that Runga will most certainly close on a bleak note.

When Evil Lurks is available on Shudder

M3GAN

2023 might not have been a year full of camp but this early January favorite certainly opened the door for it. As I said in my review, this one blended Terminator and Child’s Play and capitalized on that self-awareness for extra zaniness. M3GAN started the year off by ushering in the age of fun horror, reminding us that not all scary movies need to be grueling meditations on grief as monsters. It traded in bleak metaphors for musical gags and dance parties, clutching on to new fanbases with its tame approach to kills. It’s difficult to look at a genre and a world stuffed with Ghostface, Chucky, and Jason and imagine bringing something new into the villain canon but James Wan (along with co-writer Akela Cooper and director Gerard Johnstone), the man who also brought a modern slasher icon with Jigsaw (and Billy the Puppet), is back with another icon begging to be made into a toy that sits on your mantle and spooks your friends.

M3GAN is available on prime video

Knock at the Cabin

Let’s not pretend like this is an expected contender, but this early 2023 release comes to mind when reflecting on what a dud the year’s mainstream horror finale, Leave the World Behind is. M. Night is the king of thinly veiled tales of religious fears of the end of days blended with knowing gags that smell like comedy. Knock at the Cabin took a few liberties with the source material which many would suggest changes it from a spooky horror and into some apocalyptic bologna, but by blending stellar performances with a twist on single location horror, this film makes for a lovely day at the cinema. Plus, Dave Batista makes magic, showing off not just his acting depth but how impeccably cast someone can be such that a fantastical character is able to seemingly exist outside the pages of a book.

Knock at the Cabin is available on prime video

Talk to Me

A couple of YouTubers made a horror movie, and it scared a bunch of people senseless. Danny and Michael Philippo, better known as the fellas behind RackaRacka, dove right into horror conversations with their terrifying take on a dangerous party game. Mia (Sophie Wilde) is a bit lost, recovering from losing her mother and having distance with her father. At a party one night, she participates in a dangerous game of allowing a dark soul to borrow her body. After her best friend’s younger brother participates in the activity, it going on too long, he’s trapped in a trance, and the panicked and now haunted Mia struggles to rescue him while keeping the pieces of herself together. While the second half perhaps loses its thread in favor of some spooky scenes, the metaphor of a dangerous party challenge being done for the social media likes is massively compelling, especially when created by members of the affected generation.

Talk to Me is available to rent on most platforms

Attachment

This Danish darling is a different kind of spooky delight that plays with audiences’ limited knowledge of varying religious lore. Attachment is a love story about a Jewish woman who brings her well-meaning gentile girlfriend into her religious mother’s home. While it treads some of the same roadways as its haunted peers, by using Jewish mysticism through the eyes of a non-Jewish woman, it keeps the story fresh and mysterious for longer. Attachment is charming and sweet while always creating a sense of lingering fear of the unknown and the misunderstood and has a good time stuffing demons into the appropriate lead. Gabriel Bier Gislason’s feature debut is scary, sweet, spicy, and loveable, using a less familiar version of demonology to craft a beautiful scary movie.

Attachment is available on Shudder

Thanksgiving

If M3GAN opened the door for fun horror with original villains at the top of the year, Thanksgiving busted through that door at the bottom of it. Eli Roth’s latest, an adaptation of his faux-trailer from 2007’s Grindhouse, reflects on the slashers of yesteryear, bringing a new baddie to haunt our holiday nightmares. This self-aware throwback to the golden age of slashers tastes a lot more like a modern upgrade to boring holiday fare than reheated stale leftovers. This nod to Massholes has all the slasher hits like over-the-shoulder killer shots, a cold open followed by a “one year later” title card, a final girl and a whodunnit twist building up to a fiery finale. And, of course, there’s no shortage of Eli Roth’s signature gore (a fingernail even pops off). Using modern tech and an uncanny mask reminiscent of an Instagram filter, Roth brought slasher staples into a new decade that’s still settling on its horror tone. Roth’s movie filled the space between Halloween and Holiday Horror by making a movie for a pretty grim celebration that usually requires us to wield manual and electric carving knives at family functions.

Thanksgiving is in theaters and available to rent on most platforms

Infinity Pool

What a privilege to live in a world where a descendant of David Cronenberg makes his own version of weirdo nightmares. Brandon Cronenberg, a stellar creator in his own right who brought us Antiviral and Possessor, gave us 2023’s dreamiest bloodbath in Infinity Pool. His presupposition of philosophical concepts woven into horror is ever present in this science fiction horror show that examines the relationship rich white people have with “vacation hot spots,” just as much as it explores metaphysical concepts of the self. It looks at White Lotus and says, “what if that but a terrifying weirdo orgasm?” Mia Goth and Alexander Skarsgård are center stage, Goth giving us the most of her signature terrifying swagger, and Skarsgård getting to bounce between on-and-off type when made to be the victim dragged along for the ride. Infinity Pool is the fever dream you wish you had while recovering from all this year’s viruses.

Infinity Pool is available on hulu

Saw X

Jigsaw is back, baby! Forget about that pesky ninth installment, the green tinted torture porn giant has returned triumphant. The newest Saw installment goes immediately back to basics, letting a pontificating and self-assured Kramer punish those he deems unworthy in a bloody and grimy collection of morbid games, all using creepy hints and timeline gags for story. (Did you scream when Kramer made that phone call? Because I had to pause the movie to walk it off). There’s really no more to add than to nod thankfully at whomever decided to jam a story between the timeline of previous movies as a means of resurrecting Kramer and allowing us to see even more of his twisted games, forcing us all to update our comprehensive timelines. It certainly resonated, with Saw XI expected this coming spooky season. Does that make it the longest running theatrical horror franchise? I’ll check in with Jason.

Saw X is available to rent on most platforms

Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor

If we can accept Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning- Part 1 as a title in 2023, we can accept this extended name of the fourth installment in this horror franchise. I never committed to putting these films in any particular order, but it’s not a coincidence this one is where you’d expect to see the number one spot. The Hell House LLC movies are strangely comforting for reasons I’ll spare for another piece, but this newest addition to the canon came out swinging with even more terrifying moments and a commitment to playing around with lore. It’s the kind of movie that makes horror fans feel warm and cozy just a few hours before they wake up clutching their covers and blinking to assure themselves that there’s no clown standing in the corner of their dark room. For those unfamiliar, the Hell House LLC movies are found footage style, evolving from a collection of hadndheld recorded scenes into faux documentaries and infotainment shows. Blending the scares with cutaways to documentary style shots creates a unique vibe, and this one ups the ante by moving to a new and location, bringing along all of the signature ghosts. Creator, Stephen Cognetti, truly has something special with the little-franchise-that-could and I hope the post credits beat is more of a teaser than a throwaway.

Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor is available on Shudder