The 10 Scariest Horror Movies Of 2023
Horror is the oldest (and best) genre on the planet ... well, at least to this Looper writer!
When all that's left of Earth are Twinkies and cockroaches, I bet the last humans on the planet will be reciting scary stories in the dark — retelling cautionary tales of survival for inspiration and entertainment. Lately, horror sequels have become a bankable go-to for movie studios. The long-dormant "Saw" franchise lurched back to life this year, earning more than $100 million at the global box office. The "Scream" and "Insidious" franchises also released another entry and crossed over $100 million in ticket sales globally. But there were new additions as well, such as the Stephen King adaptation "The Boogeyman" and "M3GAN." (We all know you practiced the "M3GAN" dance at least once in the mirror!)
But what scared the pants off the world in 2023? That's a complicated question to answer. After all, people find fear in different things for a variety of reasons. But this list of chillers has managed to crack through the malaise to deliver some impressive scares, trenchant ideas, and inventive visuals and sounds. As a lifelong fan of the genre and entertainment writer, here are what I consider to be the cream of the crop in a delicious year of scares.
Evil Dead Rise
Director-writer Lee Cronin's "Evil Dead Rise" holds an interesting position in Sam Raimi's franchise: it's the second release that lacks anything more than a brief cameo from Bruce Campbell. Overall, the film's gore is explicit enough to make viewers wince, but restrained compared to Fede Alvarez's guts-to-the-wall remake or the sight of Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) eye-gouging a demon-possessed friend. Still, it's no shrinking lily — you'll see kids gulp broken glass and people lit ablaze. However, that's not where the film's scares come from exactly. What frightens the viewer? The film heavily relies on its sound design to add extra oomph to all the kills you don't see.
Audio effects are a vital secondary character in the "Evil Dead" franchise at large — think of the buzzing flies sound that accompanies all of Ash's adventures. "Evil Dead Rise" takes this to new heights by combining offscreen skitters, crunching sounds, and loud electronic fuzzing. Kudos to sound designer Peter Albrechtsen, who ratchets up the tension with every scene.
Thematically, there's something fresh, and even feminist, about this take. "Evil Dead Rise" perverts the notion of sisterhood and motherhood with its Deadite mom (Alyssa Sutherland), twisting the stomach and stabbing the heart while showcasing a Ripley-and-Newt-like bond between the movie's aunt and niece. Is it scary? Absolutely. But what makes this a refreshing must-see horror flick is how it subverts the idea of a selfless mother.
Knock at the Cabin
Without Dave Bautista, "Knock at the Cabin" wouldn't be quite as compelling as it is. But with him leading the charge as Leonard Brocht, the movie becomes a taut, nauseating thriller, all led by his iron-fist-in-a-silken-glove performance. The movie doesn't need a gallon of gore when the oppressive weight of a collapsing world rests upon its shoulders.
M. Night Shyamalan doesn't always have a deft touch when portraying the difference between the wicked and good (see: "Lady in the Water"), but "Knock at the Cabin" doesn't rely on using any stereotypically "bad" or "good" guys. Based on Paul G. Tremblay's novel "The Cabin at the End of the World," the movie's adaptation is given even-keeled soulfulness by co-writers Steve Desmond and Michael Sherman.
"Knock at the Cabin" pits Brocht's group (and their belief that the world will end soon) against a small family. Meanwhile, Eric (Jonathan Groff) and Andrew (Ben Aldridge) just want to salvage some portion of the world and keep their daughter safe. Here is a classic Shaymalanian clash: he asks what's more important, the future for all or an individual's wants and needs. This movie explores the horrible weight of a seemingly impossible choice, earning its bittersweet conclusion.
Infinity Pool
Fear not, world: when it comes to body horror, the all-encompassing dread of mortality, and identity issues, the Cronenberg clan continues to hold its own. "Infinity Pool" is Brandon Cronenberg at his most over-the-top, making this messy, imperfect exploration of how the rich scapegoat their way out of trouble incredibly compelling. In this case, "trouble" usually involves murder and other kinds of violent debauchery, and "scapegoating" is a code word for the bloody private execution of clones who stand trial for the sins of their progenitors. Cronenberg is, of course, the son of legendary director David Cronenberg; the Freudian weight held by the narrative is palpable.
Alexander Skarsgård does yeomen work as the flick's nervous, easily malleable lead. But it's a completely brave, blood-soaked performance from Mia Goth that helps drive the film toward greatness. Goth is impossible to look away from throughout "Infinity Pool"; she's energizing and wild-eyed, then chilly and seductive. She matches Cronenberg shock for shock and twist for twist. Audiences already knew that she could pull off this kind of acting thanks to "Pearl" and "X," but here, it reaches new heights of controlled madness. She's become a horror actress on par with Anya Taylor-Joy, confidently striding along the borders of the genre.
No One Will Save You
Isolation, invading aliens, and the weight of survivor's guilt all play a role in "No One Will Save You." Laden with creepy dread and thoroughly honest about what loneliness and rejection do to the human psyche, it also gives us aliens who want nothing more than to infect the human race with parasites. Call it the new school meeting the old school; it's cerebral but chilling and laced with a certain sense of karmic justice that makes it powerful. Bodies are snatched, but the people who suffer through this indignity seem to deserve it.
Director Brian Duffield pits a seamstress outcast against both a town that hates her and a spate of aliens who seem to want to kill her. Kaitlyn Dever anchors her standout, triumphant performance in what Brynn feels and knows and her determination to live. That automatically makes her sympathetic, and you will keep your fingers crossed for her the entire time. Duffield, meanwhile, mashes the new into the old, and for every mysterious flying saucer and tractor beam we see, this is, in the end, a story about justice and forgiveness.
Malum
Practical effects are like peas and carrots to the horror genre; while studios might glom onto CGI and even AI effects, masks and stage blood remain a dietary staple that the horror world absolutely cannot do without. Nowhere was the blunt impact power of practical effects work more evident than in "Malum," which takes its name from the cult leader (Chaney Morrow) whose infamy drives the piece.
This little indie pits a young cop named Jessica (Jessica Sula) against a decommissioned police station set to meet with a wrecking ball. Jessica is in search of the truth — she needs to ferret out the circumstances behind the mysterious death of her dad, Will (Eric Olson). He was involved in a raid on a cult compound and apparently snapped in the aftermath, killing several fellow officers in the station that Jessica's now guarding. Of course, the station has now become an object of fascination, especially for the cult's acolytes. The more time Jessica spends alone with herself, the higher the number of eerie coincidences and the deeper the secret connection between Will and the cult seems to run.
Call it "Evil Dead 2" in a police station if you must, but "Malum" stands tall by combining incredibly gory special effects with a genuinely tense and paranoid vision. The whole piece is directed with assurance by Anthony DiBlasi (who also co-wrote the script with Scott Poiley), and the leads' performances help anchor the story. Add some incredible. all-practical work from RussellFX, and you have a barn burner.
The Blackening
Horror comedies came roaring back to the box office in 2023 in a big, gooey, goopy wave: "Scream VI" proved that the franchise could survive without Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) on a nasty wit, and by putting its characters in genuinely stomach-curdling peril. "Slotherhouse," "Cocaine Bear," "Renfield," and "Totally Killer" also made big impressions on audiences who love mixing belly laughs with stark terror. Even "M3GAN" added a dollop of snark to the proceedings.
But the flick that arguably had the most fun in 2023 was "The Blackening," which mashed some truly fascinating kills with pointed commentary and a wicked sense of humor. Director Tim Story deconstructs the horror genre — and his characters' expectations — from the start of the film right through to its finish. Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins both possess deft penmanship that make the script sing. You think you know where the mystery at the movie's heart is going — only you definitely don't, and the humor and the mystery collide in a genuinely suspenseful piece of work. This is how to do horror comedy right — with characters we care about and genuine scares and thrills.
When Evil Lurks
Parenthood definitely became a major thematic concern in this year's block of A-list horror productions. It surfaces in "Evil Dead Rise," in the next item on the list, and here, in "When Evil Lurks." The Spanish-language thriller focuses on a small Argentinian farming community filled with people who would do anything to avoid becoming host vessels for unborn demons. To become "Rotten" is to lose control of oneself completely; you become a cannibal and swallow souls whole, all leading up to the birth of said demon baby. Do not ask how those demons are born; it's not pretty. Standing against the invasion is Pedro Yazurlo (Ezequiel Rodriguez), an ordinary man who may be the world's last hope for salvation.
"When Evil Lurks" is meaty and downbeat; it sees little distinction between the animals that first take on the infection and the small children who soon become the devil's minions. Rash behavior — a possessed goat getting shot, a child choking on a corpse's hair, and Pedro's impulsive actions — results in worsening conditions. Director Demián Rugna (who also wrote the script) cranks up the despair until you're digging your nails into your chair's arm.
Huesera: The Bone Woman
The horrors of motherhood — the way it changes how others perceive you, and all the anxiety that comes with it — haunt "Huesera: The Bone Woman." Valeria (Natalia Solián) was once an anti-authoritarian rebel; now she's a suburban housewife, pregnant for the first time. Her family is surprised: Valeria was never the maternal type, and indeed she seems to have no soft, gentle, stereotypical mothering instinct.
But having a child awakens her sense of depersonalization, of being seen through and spoken over, something she has numbed herself to over the past few years. It also seems to awaken horrifying changes in her body beyond the normal ones that occur with pregnancy. Add on some terrifying visions, and you have a woman throwing herself into a world of dark magic, looking for someone who can remove the hex placed on her by an evil spirit before the baby's born.
"Huesera: The Bone Woman" is honest about the dread involved in turning yourself over to what society expects of you. It's also not afraid to throw all of those childbirth and possession-related horror cliches straight into the trash. Writer-director Michelle Garza Cervera is more interested in explaining how the spirit of a hausfrau can possess a rebel — and how hard it can be to climb back in your own skin when it refuses to stop cracking and molting.
The Influencer
Some horror movies define or manage to capture the zeitgeists of their eras, for better or for worse. If the original "Dawn of the Dead" portends the mall craze that would obsess the then-upcoming 1980s and "Scream" captures the Blockbuster-loving too-cool-for-school kids of the post-grunge era, then "The Influencer" takes on texting and retweeting and doing brand deals on Instagram with all of the wry verve of an hbomberguy expose on YouTube.
It also doesn't neglect to make you feel every second of the tension bubbling underneath the surface as Madison (Emily Tennant) meets CW (Cassandra Naud) and allows herself to be pulled away from her Thailand vacation to a private island. Believing her boyfriend has left her, what has she to lose? A lot, since CW really wants the easy life of luxury to be her own. Madison is abandoned on a seemingly deserted island while CW assumes her life. But is Madison helpless?
This is an old-fashioned thriller that's somehow a throwback to the 1990s while paying tribute to the attitude of the 2020s. Tennant rips into her role and Naud is a horror star in the making. Kurtis David Harder continues to make the bright and beautiful look pretty ugly and remains a yeoman director for Shudder's brand of original films. Harder and co-writer Tesh Guttikonda raise the film above cliches and easy jokes to make it feel genuinely scary. Together, they beguile the audience faster than a Kardashian can hawk a box of tummy-flattening tea.
Talk to Me
"Talk To Me" is the scariest, most unsettling film I saw all year, and it may just be the scariest film to come out in the 2020s thus far. Brainy, heartbreaking, chilling, and filled with both hopelessness and love in equal amounts, it focuses on the central desire of nearly every person on the planet: longing.
Mia's wish is a heartbreaker — she just wants to talk to her late mother again. At a house party, she gets the opportunity when a severed hand and forearm, carefully preserved and covered all over with writing, is displayed. By lighting a candle and holding the hand, communion with a spirit may be established. Saying "I let you in" allows them to possess your form, a euphoric yet terrifying experience. But the connection must be severed in 90 seconds, or the possession might become complete. Mia (Sophie Wilde in a star-making performance) becomes addicted to the joy she feels whenever she connects to the spirit world. But failing to sever her connection with the underworld is about to have severe consequences for Mia, her family, and her friends.
Grappling with the pain of loss, the impermanence of life, and the uncertainty of the afterlife, "Talk to Me" is painful and cathartic. Mia learns how to sacrifice and give as she tries to have the courage to move on with her life. Directors and writers Danny and Michael Philippou present something profound and legitimately frightening to the world, and it stands among the very best that horror currently has to offer.
This is how Looper jumpscared this list
Looper's list of 2023's scariest horror movies was determined from critical analysis of Rotten Tomatoes ratings, audience reactions (accrued through IMDb rankings), and my personal opinion as a lifelong fan of the genre. I've been a horror fan since I was a teenager and am an "Evil Dead" buff going back several decades. Let's just say I know what I'm talking about when I delve into the meat, bones, and gristle of the genre.
Note that some of these films got off to a late 2022 start and thus were included in the roster. Any movie on this list which managed to get a proper cultural foothold in 2023 got a berth on this list. But if they gained momentum, say, around Halloween of 2022, I didn't include them. Yes, that's why "M3GAN " — which grabbed the public's attention in October of that year with the now-famous clip of the robotic doll dancing — didn't make the roster this year. Perhaps the sequel will get the nod next time.