It's here.
Our top picks for best horror films of 2023.
This was a hard list to create. Between AJ and I, we've watched quite a bit of movies this year- many of them we didn't actually agree on.
But we did it.
Now, we did have a few honorable mentions and they are: It Lives Inside, Unseen, Sick, The Last Voyage of the Demeter, Chad Gets the Axe and Godzilla Minus One (Godzilla is not listed because it's not what we'd call horror but if it was, it would be our #2).
10. Skinamarink
Skinamarink is written and directed by Kyle Edward Ball and stars Lucas Paul, Dali Rose Tetreault, Jaime Hill, and Ross Paul. Two children wake up in the middle of the night to find their father is missing, and all the windows and doors in their home have vanished. However, after a while it becomes clear that something is watching over them.
This movie is extremely creepy and unsettling and has some very interesting storytelling. It's very simplistic and uses good sound design to drive the creep factor home. It's number 10 for us because it feels like too much work to watch.
9. Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor
Hell House LLC Origins is written and directed by Stephen Cognetti and stars Bridget Rose Perrotta, Destiny Leilani Brown, and James Liddell. In it, a group of cold case investigators stay at the Carmichael Manor. After four nights, the group was never heard from again. What is discovered on their footage is even more disturbing than anything found on the Hell House tapes.
This movie has really creepy scenes and a good building up of the overall story. While the connection to The Abaddon Hotel was a bit weak, it provided a clear opening to continue the story and hopefully we can get some more insight into the lore, maybe even a prequel story of the clowns and the cult. The downfall for this is that the main character sucked and was super annoying. There were some dumb decisions made. But ultimately, it was an overall good watch.
8. The Nun 2
The Nun 2 is directed by Michael Chaves and written by Ian Goldberg, Richard Naing, and Akela Cooper. It stars Taissa Farmiga, Storm Reid, Anna Popplewell, Katelyn Rose Downey and of course Bonnie Aarons. Set in1956 France, a priest is murdered and an evil is spreading. Sister Irene once again comes face-to-face with Valak, the demon nun.
The Nun 2 had an epic, anime-inspired ending (in the words of AJ 😂). The atmosphere is creepy and coupled with the sound design, it really gives us an all around eerie and unsettling story. What hinders it is the weak dialogue and the fact that Storm Reid is more of a sidekick or background character and isn't given all that much to do.
7. Huesera: The Bone Woman
Huesera: The Bone Woman is written and directed by Michelle Garza Cervera. It stars Natalia Solián, Alfonso Dosal, Mercedes Hernández and Mayra Batalla.
The synopsis is: Valeria's joy at becoming a first-time mother is quickly taken away when she's cursed by a sinister entity. As danger closes in, she's forced deeper into a chilling world of dark magic that threatens to consume her.
We loved the use of metaphors and allegories in this film. It really touches on more than one thing but primarily, we see things like anxiety, depression, and acceptance of oneself being the larger focus. The use of practical effects and gore were so well done. It came across very creepy and visually made a huge impact on us.
6. Evil Dead Rise
Evil Dead Rise is written and directed by Lee Cronin and stars Alyssa Sutherland, Lily Sullivan, Morgan Davies, Gabrielle Echols, and Nell Fisher.
In this twisted tale of two estranged sisters, whose reunion is cut short by the rise of flesh-possessing demons, they are thrust into a primal battle for survival as they face the most nightmarish version of family imaginable.
This was a fun ride. We really loved Cronin's creativity with this story. Taking what made Evil Dead so good, then adding his own flavor is what made this a stand out for us. There were some really great scenes that stood out to us and made this wa worthwhile watch.
5. Saw X
Saw X is directed by Kevin Greutert and written by Pete Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg. It stars Tobin Bell and Shawnee Smith. In Saw X, a sick and desperate John travels to Mexico for a risky and experimental medical procedure in hopes of a miracle cure for his cancer only to discover the entire operation is a scam to defraud the most vulnerable.
Saw X for us, was a great homage to the John Kramer character. The last Saw film didn't have John at all so it was good to see him as a part of this franchise again. We also loved the gritty and gnarly feeling from the earlier Saw movies along with with good traps and a great twist ending.
4. Talk to Me
Talk to Me is directed by YouTubers Danny and Michael Philippou and written by Danny Philippou, Bill Hinzman, and Daley Pearson. It stars Sophie Wilde, Alexandra Jensen, and Joe Bird. When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill, until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces.
Talk to Me is well written (one of us didn’t like the ending-side eye) and does a great job of staying true to teens. Horror movies usually focus on the scares and not so much on the dialogue. There are some really good performances especially from Joe Bird and Miranda Otto, but we also really liked the main character Sophie Wilde. Talk to Me is erie and unsettling and provides a creative twist on possession.
3. Scream VI
Scream VI is written by James Vanderbilt, Guy Busick, and Kevin Williamson and was directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. In this installment of the Scream franchise, the four survivors of the Ghostface murders leave Woodsboro behind for a fresh start in New York City. However, they soon find themselves in a fight for their lives when a new killer embarks on a bloody rampage.
This movie really surprised us. We aren't huge Scream fans but we absolutely enjoyed the wild ride that is this movie. The kills were unrelentless and bloody, the performances were good, and the overall plot was strong.
2. Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving was written by Jeff Rendell and directed by Eli Roth. It stars Nell Verlaque, Rick Hoffman, and Patrick Dempsey. After a Black Friday riot ends in tragedy, a mysterious Thanksgiving-inspired killer terrorizes Plymouth, Massachusetts - the birthplace of the infamous holiday.
Thanksgiving was super fun. We had a great time watching this movie. It has the early 2000's slasher vibes and it's just what we needed. There were some really gruesome kills and a good use of practical effects. The performances here were pretty decent but it's the story and action that really took this one over Scream for us.
1. When Evil Lurks
When Evil Lurks was written and directed by Demián Rugna and stars Ezequiel Rodríguez and Demián Salomón. This is an Argentinian film about the inhabitants of a quaint countryside town uncover chilling news: a demon is on the verge of being born in their midst. In a race against time, they attempt to flee before the malevolent force comes to life, but escaping may already be out of reach.
This takes our number one spot because it's the one movie that affected us the most. It was truly memorable and continues to sit with us long after we had watched it. We both admired the world building and lore with the “rotten” and “cleaners” and how the information wasn't spoon fed to us but we were able to watch the layers peel back over the course of the movie. The performances were excellent- we both were having conversations with the tv- that's how you know it's good. This movie is also very well shot and looks amazing. When Evil Lurks is one we will be discussing for awhile.
You can watch our full discussion on this list here: