The Best Horror Movies of 2023 So Far
Dread Central Staff
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2023 has already been a stellar year for the horror genre. From big franchise entries to surprising indie features, we’ve seen horror succeed no matter the budget level. Queer horror is flourishing, liminal spaces are invading our nightmares, and a dancing doll with her finger on the pulse of social media dances slashed her way into our collective hearts.
With so many releases in the first six months of the year, we decided to look back at the seemingly neverending list and share our favorites to make sure you haven’t missed anything!
Daughter
Corey Deshon’s Daughter was released with little fanfare and it deserves way more attention. Starring Casper Van Dien, Ian Alexander, Vivien Ngô, and Elyse Dinh, this is a chilling take on the cult film. Van Dien plays Father, who captures Ngo’s character and brings him into his “family” made up of Mother (Dinh) and Brother (Ian Alexander). It’s a chilling slow-burn, shot on beautiful 16mm, which gives the film a hazy, liminal feel that only makes the situation feel all the more bizarre.
Van Dien turns a terrifying performance as a quiet cult leader whose rage is simmering just below the surface. As Deshon’s story unfolds, he reveals a chilling look at toxic masculinity, intergenerational trauma, and trying to break these destructive cycles. — Mary Beth McAndrews
Evil Dead Rise
It was probably a foregone conclusion that Evil Dead Rise was going to end up being a top contender for the best mainstream horror film of the year. Director Lee Cronin managed to take the Necronomicon out of the forest and into the city without losing the mad hatter energy and demonic mischief that made Raimi’s Evil Dead films such an indelible, signature franchise for the last 40 years. Without Bruce Campbell’s Ash front and center, Evil Dead will always be missing a core ingredient that helped separate the series from more generic possession fare. But the additions of Alyssa Sutherland as the maniacal matriarch and Lily Sullivan as a cool-headed antihero more than makeup for Campbell’s absence for the first time in the series.
There’s a deeper mythology that’s subtly worked into Evil Dead Rise, introducing new creatures contorting and writhing about in cramped apartments and dingy parking lots. There are a lot more pages to be explored in the Book of the Dead, and with the success of Evil Dead Rise, expect more Deadites to come crawling out of the woodwork. Now, if we could just get that Jane Levy cameo! — Drew Tinnin
From
The best horror hidden gem is finally getting a little bit of mainstream attention in its second season. I love to see it because it’s everything I kept wishing a certain famous author would give us, but he never will. Harold Perrineau and Elizabeth Saunders are the anchors of a powerhouse cast trapped in a town of mysteries, monsters, and mess. This is one of the scariest and most unpredictable shows on TV. It’s a giant Rubik’s cube with the highest of stakes. Because when a character messes up a side of this puzzle, other characters die. I discovered the show in December and immediately became a stan account. I have no idea where this season is going, but I know it is trying to give me a heart attack as it gets there. This show deserves your attention today! — Sharai Bohannon
Horror in the High Desert 2: Minerva
Dutch Marich’s Horror in the High Desert was the unsung gem of 2021. A cult found-footage favorite, talk of the film floated around the web as the best found-footage horror movie you’d never heard of. That turned out to be true. And what’s even cooler? Horror in the High Desert 2: Minerva is even better. Marich strikes the perfect balance between ambiguity and outright terror. His horror stems from the unknown, though it’s never so nebulous as to lose its efficacy. This is as unrelentingly frightening a horror movie as they come and practically mandatory watching for found-footage aficionados. — Chad Collins
Huesera: The Bone Woman
2023 is a huge year for queer horror and Michelle Garza Cervera’s feature film debut Huesera: The Bone Woman only proves that point further. Cervera tells the story of Valeria, a young woman who just got married and is trying to get pregnant with their first baby. But the more Valeria tries to force herself to fit into the box of heteronormativity, the more her own body rejects it, manifesting in creaking bones and arms bent at unnatural angles.
Huesera: The Bone Woman isn’t just pregnancy horror. This isn’t about devil children or monstrous wombs. This is about the destructive power of patriarchy and homophobia and how they force queer people to hide themselves until they shatter into a million pieces. Cervera uses pregnancy in a new way, a way not typically seen in the genre. Like Valeria’s bones, Cervera shatters genre expectations, wielding the camera like a massive hammer, forcing us to understand the nuances and complexities of queer identity. — Mary Beth McAndrews
Infinity Pool
Generally, an infinity pool ushers in visions of an exotic vacation full of Instagrammable moments and seductive sunsets. In Brandon Cronenberg’s world, it means something entirely different. The barriers between the wealthy and the poverty-stricken are ripped away when vacationers James (Alexander Skarsgard) and Em (Cleopatra Coleman) are convinced to venture beyond the walls of their swank hotel by a mysterious local named Gabi (Mia Goth). Outside the fictional destination spot of Li Tolqa, the city is filled with danger and intrigue, and James inadvertently becomes wrapped up in a horrible crime after running over a local man with his car. There is zero tolerance for violence of any kind, and James has the option of being executed or creating a lab-grown body double to stand in for his own murder.
Infinity Pool is Cronenberg’s twisted, nightmarish version of I Know What You Did Last Summer, and you may end up canceling your summer plans after the credits roll. Just stay home, and remember to never follow Mia Goth ANYWHERE. — Drew Tinnin
Knock at the Cabin
Knock at the Cabin released to some controversy. For fans of the book, the disappointment came at both M. Night Shyamalan’s reworked ending and, more broadly, Universal’s reluctance to credit source writer Paul G. Tremblay in the marketing materials. For others, Knock at the Cabin was accused of burying its gays, sacrificing queer characters at the expense of both-sides-ism. While I understand the criticism, I feel differently. Knock at the Cabin doesn’t offer easy answers. Yet, with Shyamalan at his best, a quartet of sensational performances, and some truly stellar twists, Knock at the Cabin is horror as a window. It highlights the wickedness in the world without opting for easy answers. It’s there to start a conversation, and from my perspective, that’s what the best horror does. I know one thing—I haven’t stopped thinking about it since February. — Chad Collins
The Last of Us
Those of us unfamiliar with the game showed up for zombies and more time with Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal. What we got was hit in the feelings every week and a reason to keep HBO between seasons of Succession. Ramsey and Pascal somehow surpassed even the expectations most of us had for them. The show also gave us so many of our favorite actors in guest-starring roles that left the internet wrecked week after week.
This horror drama made me buy a PS4 because I wanted more time in the world. I also needed to know if my two heroes were going to be okay before the season finale aired. I watch a ton of horror TV and love quite a lot of it, but The Last of Us is in a league of its own. If award shows functioned the way they should, this would be next year’s correct choice for most categories. — Sharai Bohannon
M3GAN
M3GAN is exactly the type of horror we needed to start 2023 off right. A massively fun experiment in harnessing both Blumhouse debauchery and Atomic Monster chaos, this tale of a killer robot doll is a treat for fans of practically any genre. I believe M3GAN is a great example of a studio leaning into something it didn’t know it had. After the trailer for the project went viral, Blumhouse and friends recut the film for a PG-13 rating, and in doing so, likely amped up its camp and humor. Usually, a recut like this neuters a horror film, but M3GAN seemed to transform into something even more powerful: a campy romp adored by a massive audience spanning genres.
Much of the success of M3GAN can be attributed to writer Akela Cooper who balances brutality and humor and effectively produced Chucky for the TikTok generation. There’s a true unadulterated star quality to M3GAN that is impossible to look away from, and I’m hopeful that the greenlit sequel M3GAN 2.0 will turn this character into a bonafide generational icon. Considering they’re under the same parental umbrella, maybe there’s a chance we will see her pitted against Chucky one of these days. A gay can dream, after all. — Josh Korngut
Missing
Will Merrick and Nick Johnson made their feature directorial debuts with Missing, a spiritual successor to 2018’s Searching, though given the sheer filmmaking prowess on display here, audiences would be forgiven for thinking they’d been in the game a long, long while. Storm Reid stars as June, a young girl whose mother goes missing while on vacation with a boyfriend in Colombia. June must use her computer wits to track her mother down, embroiling herself in a conspiracy much darker than she could have anticipated. Suspension of disbelief is a must, but rarely has the screen-life thriller been this assured and rousing. It’s certifiably unpredictable in the best way, enrapturing the audience with Gmail screens and Siri prompts. The quiet yet indomitable masterclass in tension is already topping the Netflix charts, a deserving honor for one of the year’s best. — Chad Collins
Organ Trail
Wow. Organ Trail really did surprise me. I was expecting the flick to be wall-to-wall camp. And while it gets a bit over-the-top on occasion, the film is far smarter and much more poignant than I expected going in. The protagonists are quite relatable and the villains are reprehensible in the most delightful way. The humor is dark and really clever. Moreover, the level of brutality is sure to satisfy even the most discerning of gore hounds. The film’s screenwriter loosely described the project as what might have happened if Quentin Tarantino directed Little House on the Prairie and I have to say that’s a pretty accurate summation. If you’re curious to see more of my thoughts, you can read our original review right here. — Tyler Doupé
The Outwaters
Robbie Banfitch’s feature film debut is a found footage descent into a cosmic horror nightmare. The premise is simple: four friends go out to the middle of the desert to film a music video. But, they happen to choose a part of the desert where some cosmic entity seems to reside. Banfitch leaves whatever is happening here purposefully vague, which makes the film all the more terrifying. If I were to distill it down to one sentence, The Outwaters is what happens after the usual found footage would end. Blood soaks the sand, booming sounds echo throughout the barren landscape, and Banfitch’s Robbie slowly unravels, both physically and mentally.
The Outwaters is a shining example of the power of indie horror filmmaking and what can be achieved on a shoestring budget. It might not be to everyone’s taste, but it sure was up the alley of several Dread Central staff. Some of the imagery Banfitch creates will be burned into my brain forever, and for that I am thankful. — Mary Beth McAndrews
Project Wolf Hunting
If you want two hours of fast-paced gore and a massive body count, Kim Hong-seon‘s Project Wolf Hunting is the perfect film for you. A mix between Con Air and a zombie movie, the plot follows a group of convicts being sent back to Korea via massive ship. But these aren’t just any convicts; they’re violent criminals with a taste for blood. So when they revolt against their guards, things gets gnarly. But, it doesn’t stop there. Not even in the slightest. There’s something else in the bowels of the boat, and it’s angry.
There isn’t much else to say about this blood-soaked piece of horror-action chaos. It simply needs to be experienced. It’s the perfect thing to put on after a long day at work and you just want to watch heads explode, bones snap, and bodies shatter from the sheer force of a punch. — Mary Beth McAndrews
Scream VI
The latest adventures of Ghostface managed to succeed on multiple tiers. Forgive me as I spiral into a Zelda metaphor for just a moment. Utilizing the various different physical levels of its NYC setting permitted Scream VI to evolve from Scream (2022), not so different than Tears of the Kingdom did from Breath of the Wild. It took the elements which recently served its predecessor so well and expanded the scope by literally taking the action to different, literal levels. From the dizzying heights of a brownstone fire escape to a glistening penthouse chase sequence, the latest entry in the Scream series is a jungle gym high-intensity action. I’m personally glad to see that this series continues to refuse to take itself too seriously and instead depends on fun, mean-spirited mayhem.
Another exciting evolution from the fifth entry into the sixth was the success of its “core four” ensemble. In 2022, these characters were beginning to find their footing, and in that process, there was a visible awkwardness. Not anymore. Now this group has grown up and there’s an exciting confidence that’s magnetic to behold. Sam (played by Melissa Barrera) exceeds expectations by settling into the archetype of the dark protagonist without cliche or heavy stepping. She’s a blast to witness from start to finish. — Josh Korngut
She Came from the Woods
She Came from the Woods is the best summer camp slasher to come along in a very long time. The flick works as a complete subversion of expectations. Though it starts out like another cynical attempt to cash in on the monumental success of the Friday the 13th franchise, She Came from the Woods plots its own course. Rather than retread well-worn territory, co-writer and director Erik Bloomquist takes the narrative in a series of unexpected directions. Additionally, this tale of a crazed camp nurse also features a dynamite cast of characters that give the audience cause to invest in their plight, rather than cheer for their imminent demise. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: She Came from the Woods is a better, smarter version of Friday the 13th. — Tyler Doupé
Sick
I was initially hesitant to watch Sick because it’s set during the lockdown phase of the pandemic and that was a dark time for so many of us. But in spite of that, I was pleasantly surprised by just how accurately the film captures the uncertainty of that trying time and how beautifully it speaks to the total loss of perspective so many of us experienced as a result of months of isolation. Additionally, the flick serves up some unexpected twists along the way and even packs some pretty astute social commentary within its runtime. One thing is for sure, legendary screenwriter Kevin Williamson has still got the Midas touch. And Sick is proof positive of just that. — Tyler Doupé
Skinamarink
Kyle Edward Ball’s feature film debut Skinamarink was a viral sensation, albeit for not the best reasons. The film leaked online after its festival debut at Fantasia in 2022 and horror TikTokers swarmed on it like a pack of starving animals. Thankfully, the premature leak didn’t affect the film from having an incredible theatrical run and grossing over $1 million at the box office. And there’s a good reason for that.
The atmosphere Ball crafts with Skinamarink is so deeply unnerving and familiar that it’ll transport you to the scariest nights of your young life, where you sat in the darkness, waiting for something to crawl out of the dark corners of your room. Light on plot and heavy on just rancid (meant positively here) vibes, Skinamarink is if someone made an experimental Silent Hill movie where time and space ceased to matter and all that’s left is blood-spattered legos and a child left to float into oblivion. — Mary Beth McAndrews
Sorry About the Demon
Director Emily Hagins has been making movies since the age of 12, with her first, remarkably accomplished zombie film Pathogen. In Sorry About the Demon, Hagins demonstrates that she knows how to combine the comic book sensibilities of a Kevin Smith movie, the saccharine addiction of a Hallmark movie, and the stereotypes and tropes of a haunted house thriller.
Jon Michael Simpson stars as Wil, a hopelessly ambitious twenty-something who keeps putting his energy into the wrong endeavors. He’s conned into renting a dilapidated Victorian after his girlfriend dumps him, leaving Wil to be jolted awake every night at 3:15 am by an equally zealous entity named Deomonous (naturally). Through it all, Wil must stand up to the spirit in order to find his true purpose in life. Ever since its premiere on Shudder early this year, the earnestness and sincerity found in Sorry About the Demon have stayed with me. As it stands now, it’s the gateway horror film of 2023 so far. — Drew Tinnin
Swallowed
The latest film from queer horror filmmaker Carter Smith is the nasty queer horror of my nightmares. Shot in an intimate 4:3 aspect ratio, Smith brings us into the world of two best friends, Benjamin (Cooper Koch) and Dom (Jose Colon), just before Benjamin moves to LA to be a porn star. In an attempt to give Benjamin some money before he leaves, Dom signs up to run drugs across the Canadian border. But they quickly realize said drugs aren’t anything they’ve seen before. They’re bugs, a special kind of bug that gets you high and paralyzes you.
What ensues is a terrifying journey into the bug drug underbelly featuring a deliciously campy turn by Mark Patton and perhaps one of the most tender relationships committed to celluloid. Swallowed oozes a dirty and tender intimacy that pushes gay representation in horror far past clean-cut side characters and one-dimensional trauma. — Mary Beth McAndrews
Did any of your favorites make the list? What did we miss? Let us know on Twitter @DreadCentral!
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