It’s the end of the year, and 2024 is just around the corner. As we get ready to welcome the new year, we also look back at the best of the best of 2023 that not only entertained us to no end but left a mark in our minds and hearts and left us reeling for more. 2023 has been a great year for horror movies, and we have had some absolute bangers that have scared us to no end. While some have gone the traditional route and made us cover our eyes with their supernatural aspects, others have played with our minds and left us scarred by their psychological twists and turns.
But whatever route they took, these horror movies have definitely affected audiences in positive ways, and we can’t say enough good things about them! Check out the best horror movies of 2023 that will definitely win your hearts!
The Last Voyage of the Demeter
This supernatural horror film is a twist on the classic tale of Dracula and is a nail-biting watch from start to end. It captures the horrible, lonely and utter hopelessness of a crew on a ship with a vampire thirsting for blood impeccably. From the storyline to the characters, you would dread every turn anyone takes in this big lonely ship, unable to escape. Plus, the movie has excellent performances from everyone involved, along with great special effects.
The story takes place on the doomed ship Demeter and its unlucky crew, who, while travelling from Transylvania to London, come face to face with Dracula. It’s a fight for survival as the crew tries to ward him off and take themselves to safety, but defeating a vampire is no easy quest.
Husera: The Bone Woman
This Mexican-Peruvian supernatural body horror film was released at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2022 but received a wider release in 2023. This movie will be a treat for fans who want a more visceral and realistic portrayal of fear, especially surrounding pregnancy. The scares in this movie are all atmosphere with almost no jumpscares, which is always a great thing. The spine-chilling imagery and anxiety-inducing score are a testament that there are greater fears in life, and most have nothing to do with ghosts. An excellent discussion surrounding modern motherhood and women’s agency can also be had thanks to this movie.
The storyline follows Valeria, who is overjoyed when she gets pregnant with her first child. However, all that faces a speedbump when she is cursed by occult forces that threaten her very soul, and she has to jump headfirst into dark magic as she tries to protect herself and her baby.
El Conde
This Chilean black comedy horror film is a satire, one that also showcases a vampire but in a much different light. It showcases Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet as a 250-year-old vampire seeking death who faces the weight of the decisions he has taken throughout his existence on a remote farm.
This dark comedy satire is a tale of real-life horrors that have chilling consequences when it happens in reality. However, these topics end up becoming an overwhelmingly hilarious shtick in this horror film that is done extremely well and leaves an impact on you. Its social commentary is well done, and Jaime Vadell as The Count is just so hilarious that you can’t pause for even a minute of its runtime.
Godzilla Minus One
All of our favourite mythical creature is back and with an intriguing story that will probably be on everyone’s 2023 list. And that is for good reason because this isn’t just another creature feature that depends on widespread destruction to bring out horror and panic. The movie’s emotional human stories tie its various parts together, making watching Godzilla’s destruction and eventual demise all the more exhilarating. The screenplay and visual effects are excellent, and with great performances, Godzilla’s newest outing remains a much-loved return to form.
The story takes place in post-war Japan, wherein Godzilla’s reemergence becomes a harrowing ordeal for the Japanese as they try their best to fight against the creature with regenerative abilities and a heat ray!
Skinamarink
This experimental horror film is a play on all of our childhood fears and traumas as it taps into something extremely innate in human beings – the fear of the dark. The movie plays with light and dark, and the fact that one can see things when they are not there is an excellent showcase of the imagination as it paints the tale of two young children left alone at home. You constantly question whether or not something is there or if the children (and you) are conjuring things in their (and our) heads. It’s an interesting watch for sure, but it probably isn’t for everyone.
M3gan
The campy blend of horror and human in this sci-fi horror film is a delicious watch through and-through. It’s a movie that knows that it is absurd, but it never tries to be anything different, which is why it truly makes a lasting impact. It’s funny and scary in equal doses, which is rare for a film to achieve these days. If nothing, this is the one everyone went to in order to have an entertaining movie night with friends and family!
The story follows an AI doll who develops self-awareness as well as a killing wish against anyone who tries to harm her human companion.
Saw X
The 10th instalment in the franchise sees the return of John Kramer, who goes to Mexico in the hopes of trying out an experimental procedure in order to cure his terminal cancer. However, when he realises that the entire operation is a scam, he immediately decides to take revenge against those who gave him false hope and subjects those responsible to his trademark death traps.
This movie is a classic Saw film that actually gets away with the cop character and focuses on the excellent Tobin Bell as Kramer in his signature role. His chemistry with Shawnee Smith as Amanda is all sorts of nostalgic, and, add to that, the surprising human story to tie it all together, you have an entry which is a franchise-best, second only to the first movie. The traps are also great and very gory, but it’s Bell’s performance and the dialogues, surprisingly, that really drive the movie as a whole home.
Talk to Me
It is to no one’s surprise that this movie is on every horror movie list in 2023 – this supernatural horror film is a surprisingly human film that points towards various real-life social issues. But even without that, the movie’s supernatural aspects are truly chilling and well-done and its splendid performances can make anyone sit at the edge of their seats. The practical effects and that creepy embalmed hand, along with the emotional undertones of the film, really get along to make a wonderful watch.
The story follows a group of friends who realise that they can contact spirits if they hold a severed and embalmed hand. Of course, talking to spirits and not following rules are two sure-shot ways of getting possessed, and Mia and her friends learn that the very hard way.
When Evil Lurks
An international coproduction between Argentina and the United States, this supernatural psychological horror film is a gory and bloody look at the possession horror subgenre as it also showcases some underlying terrifying issues. The frights and the thematic concerns are both equally engaging, and there are times when the movie will make you want to take your skin off! Excellently performed by the cast and with a great atmosphere of pure doom, this horror movie is a must-watch for lovers of possession horror.
The movie follows two brothers and eventually an entire townsfolk who desperately try to escape and then stop a demon from being born. Unfortunately, getting rid of the devil is a pesky problem that will prove to be a much more difficult and bloody ordeal.
Influencer
Having received widespread release through the streaming platform Shudder, the film follows social media influencer Madison, whose uncomfortable solo trip to Thailand is suddenly saved by the mysterious CW, who seems to know a lot about the place. However, soon it becomes apparent that CW is up to no good, but not all things are as they appear.
Some might find this movie in this list a bit confusing, but there’s a fun and refreshing feel to this story that really entertained me. The movie showcases the horrors of influencer culture from the privacy perspective and how it’s so easy to stalk anyone anywhere these days. This smart horror film provides appropriate chills at appropriate times and doesn’t overstay its welcome. There are some great twists and turns that will take you for a spin, and that’s all that you can ask for in an entertaining horror film!
Swallowed
This independent body horror film is just all kinds of disturbing and sometimes disgusting. Post watching this movie, any curiosity you might have harboured surrounding recreational drugs will disappear with a poof and for good reason – the tension, anticipation, human emotions, and bittersweet ending will give you a visceral feeling and leave you feeling hopeless and heartbroken. It is an oddball mix of body horror and romance and although it is difficult to digest (!) sometimes, the movie is an effective watch.
It follows Ben and Dom, two gay men who end up at the mercy of a cruel drug peddler and some dangerous bugs when they agree to make some money by peddling drugs. Things, of course, do not go as planned, and they end up in a world of hurt.
Where the Devil Roams
The Adams Family tap into gothic Depression-era America and follows a family of circus performers who travel the world in a dying festival circuit. This low-budget indie movie is not mainstream fare. But for those who love to watch something atmospheric, chilling and with strong performances with a screenplay with something to say, this is for them. The story has something hellish in every turn for those who are patient and rewards its audience with something so enchanting and surreal that you can’t forget it once it is over.
Infinity Pool
This sci-fi horror movie is an insane ride from start to end and will require you to have an open mind. If you want something disturbing not of the Saw kind, then this Brandon Cronenberg entry is as visceral as it is engaging. The underlying storyline feels like it questions the very existence of our souls and what it means to be human. Are the rules and regulations and the consequences of our actions the only things that are holding us back from our true nature, which includes merciless slaughter? The film asks these questions in a gut-wrenching, sophisticated way, leaving you feeling a little empty by the end of it.
The movie follows a married couple, James and Em, who end up at a resort in a fictional seaside country. When he accidentally runs over a local one fine day, their vacation and lives end up turning upside down when they find out about the country’s dark culture, pushing him to do things he never thought he was capable of.
Renfield
Nicholas Cage movies don’t always end up on ‘Best of’ lists, but this action-comedy-horror film is a hoot to watch. Sure, sometimes the storyline gets a little tiresome, but Renfield and Dracula’s chemistry in this film is fun, the humour is infectious, and there’s a general air of entertainment with this one. For those who want a different sort of vampire story, this one is for you. The storyline follows Renfield, Dracula’s tortured assistant, who, after centuries of servitude, decides to find out whether there is a life outside of his narcissistic boss.
The Blackening
This black comedy slasher horror film takes the usual tropes of ‘Cabin in the Woods’ movies and turns them into something extremely entertaining and palatable. It’s an enjoyable film that doesn’t go too heavy-handed with the horror and, instead, brings out the satire like its life depends on it. Following a group of friends who go to a cabin and end up targeted by a masked killer, the movie is very self-aware and makes you laugh at its hilarious quips and general atmosphere. The camaraderie among the friends is also a very warm watch and serves as the heart of the movie.
Thanksgiving
Eli Roth’s slasher film is entertaining, gruesome and extremely bloody and reaffirms why fans love the subgenre so much! There are many moments in the movie that will leave your stomach in a frenzy as you watch the carnage on-screen, and with a cast that includes McDreamy himself, there’s not much to complain about! There’s also some great humour in the mix that makes this a thoroughly engaging watch.
The film follows a small town in Massachusetts where a mask-wearing killer starts attacking the survivors of a town tragedy a year after the events. As the list of victims grows, a group of friends must do anything necessary to save themselves and their loved ones before they are caught by the maniac.
Birth/Rebirth
This movie is not for the fainthearted and takes a feministic approach to motherhood and the horrors that lie within it. It tackles several aspects of being a woman and the various nuances that lie within that term and is a maddening and oftentimes sickening watch that crawls under your skin. Marin Ireland and Judy Reyes do a fantastic job as two very different forms of mothers and sell their characters with impressive portrayals. There are several undertones in the movie that are better discovered by watching, but be warned, this might leave some thoroughly disturbed!
The story follows a morgue technician and a maternity nurse who get together under aggravating circumstances after one reanimates the other’s dead daughter. What follows next blurs the lines of science and a mother’s love and questions how far a mother will go to take care of her child.
Which of these movies is your favourite? Let us know in the comments below!
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