Not to sound generic, but it's been another great year for horror movies. We look back at decades of the past and pick out all the great films to come out of that era, as they are a piece of the grandiose picture that is the history of horror. It's going to be interesting to sit back and look at the overall tone and feel of the movies that came out in the genre during this time. We will know down the road at some point.
Spooky season is not fast approaching; to some, it's already here. After the Fourth of July fireworks end, there is a demographic of people who shift their attention to an abundance of horror films. Since we are all in the same boat now about our enjoyment of this time of year, let's take a look at a handful of the 2023 releases that we will all be enjoying for Halloween. Some of which are even coming out in October. Others have already had their reactions, but will warrant a rewatch.
23 The Pope's Exorcist
April's releases are hard. They don't want to go full summer blockbuster, and yet they don't want to feel contained. But for the ultimate fun ride of a horror film from this year, The Pope's Exorcist may be your bag. Starring Russell Crowe, who is at a strange time in his career. He's not going for the Oscar every year anymore, and that's okay. He's taking on fun roles that earn him a lot of fanfare. It's almost like he's following the same career trajectory as Nicolas Cage. The Pope's Exorcist is highly fictionalized in its delivery; however, it is based on the memoir of Crowe's character, Father Gabrielle Amorth. He was the chief exorcist for the Vatican and was believed to have performed over 100,000 exorcisms.
22 The Outwaters
A polarizing film, but worth checking out. The Outwaters had an initial release on festivals back in 2022 but gained a lot of traction from its buzz and then made its way into a limited release in early 2023. It's a new take on the found footage subgenre, about a group of campers out in the Mojave Desert whose trip goes south once they start hearing strange sounds and vibrations. For fans of The Blair Witch Project, The Outwaters feels like it's in the same vein. Some people found it terrifying; others didn't get it. Time will tell if it reaches the level of Blair Witch, but regardless, find this one on Tubi right now!
21 Sick
Peacock
Sick was one of the first major horror films released in 2023. The Blumhouse-produced film popped up on Peacock and was an immediate hit. It's been a few years since the initial fears of COVID and quarantine life went out into the world. Sick takes place during that time of cabin fever, and it is about two best friends who both have negative COVID test results and decide to take a trek out to a cabin for the weekend. But as usual, a masked killer shows up, and yes, he is definitely masked.
What feels like a surface-level slasher makes room for a thrilling third act. The script was written by Scream mastermind Kevin Williamson (who also produced) and completely nails some of the anxieties of the pandemic that we all can kind of look back on and laugh about.
20 Skinamarink
Undoubtedly, Skinamarink has left horror fans split down the middle. A movie that some just kind of didn't get. And others completely saw it as an allegory for what everything looks and feels like when you are drifting away into your death. Skinamakrink can be found on Shudder to stream. If you happen to watch it this October, be sure to watch it alone at midnight with no lights on if you want to get the full experience, and then decide if you liked it or not. Be advised, this isn't necessarily a straight-forward movie per se. A lot of people would put this movie in the avant-garde subgenre.
19 Infinity Pool
One of the first horror films to make headlines in 2023 was Infinity Pool. The Brandon Cronenberg-directed film is about a writer and his wife who are staying at a resort, but once they leave, they end up accidentally committing a crime. It is here that they learn about the punishment. They can either be executed, or if they have enough money, they can pay to watch someone who is believed to be them be executed instead.
A film that has an NC-17 rating floating around somewhere is now available to stream on Hulu. If you want to drop the spooky fall festive horror films for the night and bend your mind a little bit, then Infinity Pool is the perfect movie for that. It's also another testament to how much of a genre movie It-Girl Mia Goth is.
18 Huesera: The Bone Woman
Popping up on Shudder this year was Huesera: The Bone Woman. A mind-bending body horror film that comments on the fears and anxieties of motherhood. The Spanish-language film is about a woman who gives birth to her first child, only to become aware of a sinister force that could harm such a beautiful thing. The film creates an unsettling atmosphere from frame one and doesn't really let up in that sense. The film also has themes that some might find challenging and controversial, but isn't that what can make a memorable horror film at times?
17 Brooklyn 45
Taking place in primarily one location, Ted Geoghegan's Brooklyn 45 is a fun supernatural horror film that stars the likes of Anne Ramsay and genre legend Larry Fessenden. A film about five military veterans who gather at an old Brooklyn brownstone. A cocktail hour turns into a séance where literal ghosts of the past are conjured up for the characters to face. With the film taking place primarily in the house where this séance happens, you can tell that a lot of the budget was put into the amazing production design of it. You don't get period pieces like this on an indie level. It's a perfect October ghost story to watch on Shudder.
16 Suitable Flesh
Although not widely released yet, Suitable Flesh will be available in select theaters and VOD on October 27th. Directed by Joe Lynch, who can do no wrong in terms of genre filmmaking, and starring Heather Graham, Barbara Crampton, and Jonathon Schaech. What we know about it at the moment is based on the film's red band trailer. It is about a psychiatrist's obsession with one of her younger patients who have a multiple personality disorder. The film is Lovecraftian, which is a sub-genre of horror that many fans flock to. If Suitable Flesh is passing by a film festival near you in the next month, check it out before a wider audience sees it. It's gaining a lot of buzz.
15 Talk to Me
A24's newest horror sensation swept audiences this past summer. Talk to Me may still be in theaters, depending on where you are in the world. But just in case, be sure to track it down this Halloween season on streaming, potentially. Talk to Me takes the age-old horror trope of a group of friends trying to conjure up spirits, and they get hooked on doing it. A24 does a brilliant job at taking these horror plot points we've seen before and expanding them into their own sort of elevated horror universe. It's such a modern ghost story that ties into themes of grief and how to cope with loss.
14 The Blackening
If you kind of need a breather from the horror of it all, track down The Blackening. A movie that was released this past summer takes the stereotype of Black characters in horror and turns it on its head. Director Tim Story crafts a film about seven friends who all stay at a cabin one night and find themselves up against a killer who wants to pick them off one by one. The killer's game utilizes Black stereotypes in horror films, and it's up to his targets to utilize their knowledge of movies to outsmart him. A fun, hilarious scare fest with brilliant use of satire and social commentary.
13 Renfield
Nicolas Cage is playing Dracula; that's all that needs to be written. Okay, so there are more cool elements toRenfield we should break down as well. Released back in April, the movie is a fun new take on the legend of Dracula, but the focus is on his servant and aide, Renfield (Nicholas Hoult). He's caught in a toxic working environment with his eternal-living boss and wants to break free. And in doing so, there will be bloodshed. Renfield is another comedy for horror fans, loaded with contemporary humor and a lot of gore for a studio film.
12 The Boogeyman
It's time for your annual Stephen King adaptation to watch this fall. And if not The Boogeyman, there is still plenty to choose from with past movies in the world of King. The Boogeyman opened to mixed reviews, but there is a lot to love about it for a Halloween-season watch. It's atmospheric and dark, with genre-character actor David Dastmalchian in it. A film about the hauntings that can come from losing a loved one, it feels run-of-the-mill in comparison to other King adaptations as of late, but why wouldn't you want to watch a movie called The Boogeyman this Halloween?
11 The Nun II
Just this past month, The Nun II scared audiences. Although the original film in this Conjuring spin-off series received mixed reviews, it's clear that it was time to up the ante in terms of scares. The movie takes place in 1956 in France, where a priest is murdered, and an evil force is discovered. The trailer alone for The Nun II is enough to scare you and also make you want to buy a ticket to check it out. Most critics have said this has been the strongest addition to The Conjuring Universe, so go check it out before it leaves theaters.
10 Cobweb
If you're looking for a scary movie that captures the essence of autumn, be sure to hunt down Cobweb. A movie that got overlooked due to its release this summer on the same week as Barbie and Oppenheimer. Cobweb tells the story of a troubled little boy who begins to hear the voice of a girl in the walls of his bedroom. Soon, things begin to unravel as the boy's parents seem to be hiding a secret. Directed by Samuel Bodin and with a great cast that includes the talented Anthony Starr from Amazon's The Boys, Cobweb builds and builds to its big epic creature reveal, which keeps you glued to your screen.
9 Run Rabbit Run
Sarah Snook follows up her amazing performance on Succession with Netflix's Run Rabbit Run. A psychological thriller about a fertility doctor who notices strange behavior in her daughter. The film has deep-rooted themes of the afterlife and the estrangement of one's parents. Netflix is often criticized by horror fans in regard to the lack of genre movies on the streaming site. Run Rabbit Run was a worthy addition to a lackluster catalog that left critics slightly split on it. Still, check it out if you want to see something with a twisted ending.
8 Insidious: The Red Door
The newest installment in the beloved jump scare fest, Insidious, hit theaters this past summer. Insidious: The Red Door did incredibly at the box office. And is a must-see come October, as well as any of the other previous installments in the franchise. Directed by franchise star Patrick Wilson, The Red Door is a dark and ominous horror movie with a deep-rooted father-son story. Great horror is also great drama, and this one works well on both ends.
7 Totally Killer
Prepare for Blumhouse to own the month of October in theaters and streaming. Dropping on Amazon Prime on October 6th is the horror comedy Totally Killer. The concept feels like any fun slasher film you've ever seen mixed in with Back to the Future. When a teenage girl comes face-to-face with a masked killer who has returned to kill on Halloween night, she accidentally time-travels back to 1987 to team up with her teenage mother to stop the killer when he goes out on his initial killing spree. The movie has a very vibrant 1980s aesthetic, fused with a fun, elaborate storyline that only Blumhouse can pull off.
6 Pet Sematary: Bloodlines
Streaming on Paramount+ on October 6th is Pet Semetary: Bloodlines. What we do know about the movie as of right now is that it serves as a prequel to the original movie. Taking place in the 1960s in a town in Maine. The lead character, Jud Crandall, plans to leave his hometown one day but must confront a dark family secret that forever ties him to the town. Fans of most of the previous two original movies and the remake in 2019 will most likely flock to this come October 6th. It's a lucrative piece of IP to draw in the horror crowd to Paramount + for at the very least a free trial of the service.
5 M3GAN
It's been another big year for Blumhouse. They kicked 2023 off with their killer doll movie, M3GAN. A fun thrill ride about a woman named Gemma who takes on custody of her eight-year-old niece. With Gemma working in the tech world, she gives a sympathy gift to her niece: a prototype of a doll that moves and looks like a real person. The results of this gesture turn sinister. M3GAN received a PG-13 rating with its release, which led to a market surge of teenage girls going to see the movie during its theatrical run, thus pushing it to the forefront of one of the biggest releases of the month of January ever.
4 Five Night at Freddy's
On October 27th, Five Nights at Freddy's will hit the big screen and be available to stream on Peacock. The film is based on a cult classic video game that is very worthy of an adaptation. Starring Josh Hutcherson as a security guard who works the night shift at a Freddy Fazbear Pizzeria. On the first night of his job, he learns something unsettling about what happens there at night with the animatronic puppets of the restaurant. The film has been teased on Twitter for months by Jason Blum. And fans rejoiced when the trailer dropped. This one is sure going to be a real treat.
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