This year, we’ve seen a lot of great movies released, those filled with psychological and physical scares. The staff of HorrorFuel.com have weighed in and picked their “Top 10 Horror Movies Of 2023,” revealing the best of the best.
Kelli Marchman McNeely
HorrorFuel.com Owner/Editor
Many great horror films have been released this year, so it was a serious task to narrow it down to ten. But I did, and here’s what I came up with.
10. The Last Voyage of the Demeter
The Last Voyage of the Demeter received mixed reviews, but I really enjoyed it. It’s got an exciting story and is a fresh take on the Dacula tale.
Directed by André Øvredal, the film tells the terrifying story of the merchant ship Demeter, which was chartered to carry private cargo—fifty unmarked wooden crates—from Carpathia to London, with the crew unaware of the horrors they contain.
You can watch it now on Apple TV, Prime Video, and DirectTV, or own it on Blu-ray. After you watch it, we recommend checking out our interviews with the film’s Production Designer, Edward Thomas, and its lead makeup artist, Göran Lundström.
The movie centers on prep student Eden Murphy (McKaley Miller). A week ago, Melissa Brown (Kalli Tehranae), a student at Torrington Prep, went missing. While the police search for her, her classmates are more preoccupied with their futures — none more than Eden Murphy. With the hope of receiving a letter of recommendation from the wealthy parents of resident alpha bro and valedictorian Barrett Schroder (Brice Anthony Heller), Eden hatches a plan. Unfortunately, Eden stumbles upon evidence on Schroder’s friend Gooch’s (Brice Anthony Heller) phone that links Schroder to Melissa Brown’s disappearance. The night spirals out of control as Schroder and his friends resort to increasingly desperate measures. Soon, the game of cat and mouse turns deadly as the teens do everything in their power to protect their bright futures as their bodies pile up.
Be sure to check out our interview with the film’s star, McKaley Miller, who discusses the film and more.
Evil Dead Rise is an action-packed, blood-drenched movie that most horror fans will love. Overall, it was entertaining and slightly stomach-churning, which isn’t a bad thing. It centers on a woman, her sister, and her nieces and nephew. When evil is unleashed, they must fight to survive an onslaught of deadites.
7. M3GAN
M3GAN is a marvel of artificial intelligence, a life-like doll programmed to be a child’s greatest companion and a parent’s greatest ally. Designed by brilliant toy company roboticist Gemma (Allison Williams, Get Out), M3GAN can listen, watch, and learn as she becomes a friend, teacher, playmate, and protector for the child she is bonded to. As Gemma faces pressure from her boss (Ronny Chieng, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) to deliver a finished version of M3GAN, she suddenly becomes the unprepared caretaker of her newly orphaned 8-year-old niece, Cady (Violet McGraw, The Haunting of Hill House). Gemma decides to pair the M3GAN prototype with Cady to resolve both problems—a decision that will have unimaginable consequences.”
Starring Kaitlyn Dever as Brynn, the film sees a young woman who is a shut-in, avoiding everyone because of a terrible mistake she made when she was young. One night, an intruder breaks in, but it is no human; it’s aliens! Watch as she fights to survive the onslaught of creatures that come for her. The only reason this movie didn’t rate higher is because of the ending, which is weird. Watch it now on Hulu.
5. Saw X
Saw X sees the return of John Kramer, aka Jigsaw, in one of the most chilling installments of the Saw franchise yet. The film explores the untold chapter of Jigsaw’s most personal game. Set between the events of SAW I and II, the film finds a sick and desperate John traveling to Mexico for a risky and experimental medical procedure in hopes of obtaining a miracle cure for his cancer – only to discover the entire operation is a scam to defraud the most vulnerable. Armed with a newfound purpose, John returns to his work, turning the tables on the con artists in his signature visceral way through a series of ingenious and terrifying traps.
“When brothers Pedro (Ezequiel Rodríguez) and Jimmy (Demián Salomón) discover that a demonic infection has been festering in a nearby farmhouse — its very proximity poisoning the local livestock — they attempt to evict the victim from their land. Failing to adhere to the proper rites of exorcism, their reckless actions inadvertently trigger an epidemic of possessions across their rural community. Now, they must outrun an encroaching evil as it corrupts and mutilates everyone it is exposed to and enlist the aid of a wizened “cleaner,” who holds the only tools that can stop this supernatural plague.
In Lord of Misrule, a Vicor, Rebecca, and her family have moved to a new town whose biggest celebration of the year is approaching. As the festival begins, the Vicor’s young daughter disappears, triggering Rebecca and her husband’s desperate search for the child, not knowing the horrible secrets the town hides.
The film is a fresh take on the cult subgenre that combines stunning visuals and a compelling story, which its director, William “Brent” Bell, discusses in our interview.
This fun flick Totally Killer follows Jamie (Kiernan Shipka), whose mom, Pam (Bowen), is terrorized by the resurgence of the Sweet Sixteen Killer—a masked maniac who slaughtered a group of teenage girls in the ’80s. With the help of her friend Amelia (Kelcey Mawema), she travels back in time to 1987 and teams up with the teen version of her mom (Holt) to try and stop the Killer.
The movie is equal parts horror and comedy that gives off 80s vibes. You don’t want to miss it. You can watch it now on Prime Video.
1. TalkTo Me
In the movie, which took box offices and the horror community by storm, friends discover how to conjure spirits with an embalmed hand. They become hooked on the new thrill, unleashing terrifying supernatural forces in the eye-popping, fright-filled movie streaming on Prime Video or get your copy on Blu-ray.
Joseph Perry
Film Festival Editor
10. Lord of Misrule
I had fun with director William Brent Bell’s Orphan: First Kill (2022), which entertained me greatly thanks to nutty performances and lots of willing suspending disbelief regarding its plot. With Irish folk horror Lord of Misrule, Bell takes matters in a darker, more serious, and decidedly eerie ambiance direction.
9. Brooklyn 45
Writer/director Ted Geoghegan’s super chamber piece Horror Brooklyn 45 addresses real-life horrors along with supernatural ones. Boasting a riveting story and a master class in acting from its ensemble cast that includes some favorites of genre-film fans, I highly recommend Brooklyn 45.
8. The Deep Dark
Lovecraftian horror films are arguably hotter than ever, and France checks in with The Deep Dark (Gueules Noires, 2023), which I found to be a highly entertaining and intriguing creature feature about a group of 1950s miners who discover a crypt from another time, unknowingly waking up a bloodthirsty monster. With a good supply of patented French nihilism and super gore effects, The Deep Dark is a must-see cinema for creature-feature buffs and Lovecraft aficionados.
7. Talk To Me
Talk to Me is an actual chiller. It uses teens doing stupid things involving the supernatural as its jumping-off point. It delivers an intelligent take on the subgenre, with plenty of surprises, well-earned emotional investment, and no small amount of eldritch atmosphere.
6. The Wait
Writer/director F. Javier Gutiérrez directs his folk horror feature superbly, investing the film with a dark sense of foreboding from the start, with the dirt-poor existence of a man and his family and the oppressive heat being palpable in this occult chiller.
5. When Evil Lurks
This Argentinian shocker is one of the best-possession films in recent memory.
4. The Seeding
Imagine a horror film that combines elements found in Hiroshi Teshigahara’s classic Woman in the Dunes (Japan, 1964) with your favorite evil/feral child horror movie; add in a good deal of weirdness and mystery, and you’re only partially on your way to what writer/director Barney Clay’s The Seeding (U.S., 2023) holds in store for you. This harrowing work has lingered with me for quite some time.
Writer/director Paul Duane’s Irish folk horror All You Need Is Death, about a young couple who surreptitiously collect rare, unrecorded folk songs to sell for a profit, is a terrific slow burner that fairly drips with dread as it takes viewers on a ride to wholly unexpected places. Lovers of weird fiction in cinema should find plenty at which to marvel.
You’ll Never Find Me, an unsettling slice of horror fare about two strangers who meet on a stormy night, is designed to keep viewers on edge from its opening moments, and it does so magnificently. Learn nothing more about it and put it high on your need-to-see list. I give it my highest recommendation.
1. Late Night with the Devil
“This scintillating shocker is a spot-on depiction of a 1970s late-night talk show that goes horrifically off the rails, and it is an absolute blast. Viewers who grew up with Johnny Carson and his talk show contemporaries, as well as younger viewers who are familiar with that era, will especially get a kick out of the accuracy on display. The film is a gas, but the climax takes things to a new level. The practical effects denouements look terrific, and my jaw dropped at them more than once.”
Joshua Scafidi
Writer/Reviewer
Seriously. Even Slotherhouse. (Which was way more fun, by the way. Look it up.) If I had to pick the most overrated, overhyped horror of the year, it would be Megan. Unoriginal. Boring. Pg13. I’m out.
9. When Evil Lurks
Brutal. Relentless. Bloody. My favorite foreign film of the year. If you haven’t yet, check this one out, but maybe not alone. It’s intense!
8. Cocaine Bear
Yes, you read that right. A big ol’ bear ingests a bunch of cocaine and goes on a murderous, wide-eyed rampage. Was that not as fun for everybody else as it was for me?
3. Smile
It’s creepy and well-paced, with room for a sequel. The gorilla marketing for this film alone gets it mentioned, and that opening scene was great! Please pass it on.
1. Evil Dead Rise
While the staff’s picks for the “Top 10 Horrors Movies of 2023” differ, one movie appears on everyone’s list: Talk To Me, and rightfully so; it is packed with scares and gnarly twists and turns. You can watch it now on Digital and Blu-ray.
What’s your favorite horror movie released this year? Did you find a new movie to watch on our list? Tell us in the comments.
For more of 2023’s best, check out our list of the “Top 10 Almost Horror Movies of 2023” and “The Top 10 Horror Shows.” Are you a gamer? If so, be sure to take a look at Daniel’s “Top 10 Games of 2023.”
