The best and worst horror movies of 2023

With a few days left in the year the time has come to compile and reveal which ones are the best horror movies and of 2023 and which ones are the worst. But, regardless of what this list says, horror fans had a good year with many original horror movies and the return of big franchises to enjoy. This year we saw the return of big franchises like Evil Dead with Evil Dead Rise and Saw with Saw X, the continuation of the Scream franchise with Scream 6, and original horror like M3GAN, Huesera: The Bone Woman, Infinity Pool, When Evil Lurks, and more.

As expected, some of them have been praised by the critics and rejected by the audience and others the total opposite. But at the end 2023 has brought horror movies that we will never forget. With a total watch of 112 horror films here’s my list of best and worst horror movies of 2023:

*Disclaimer: This list is based on my personal opinion and rankings that I gave throughout the year, not the general ranking or opinion given by critics or audience.

Top 10 Best Horror Movies of 2023

When Evil Lurks

In 2017, Argentine director Demián Rugna released what is considered one of the best Argentine horror films: Terrified (Aterrados). Now 6 years later Rugna has returned to not only haunt your nightmares but turn your stomach and leave your mouth open with When Evil Lurks (Cuando acecha la maldad). After hearing gunshots in the middle of the night, brothers Pedro and Jaime decide to go out to investigate, opening the door to an evil that will change their lives forever.

From the moment “the rotten” appears on the screen and is brought by the brothers to civilization, evil is unleashed in a spiral that sinks you into a heavy atmosphere of supernatural horror. Not even children, animals or a pregnant woman are exempt from the consistent grotesque violence throughout the film. The gore and special effects are exceptional and surprisingly realistic, work that was in charge by Elizabet Gora (Make-up Department) and Marcos Berta (Special Effects, Art Department). The plot adds to the feeling of realism by having characters who have no idea what to do and act like it. Instead of miraculously succeeding like many other protagonists in horror films, they suffer terrible consequences.

I have seen hundreds of horror movies in my life, and yet, I was unable to predict where the movie was going and its ending. If the film had already left you with an unpleasant feeling of discomfort, the final scene will only aggravate it. Now it’s only you and your thoughts as the credits roll on the screen.

Huesera: The Bone Woman

For Valeria, becoming a mother is her biggest goal and desire. But, not everything is color pink after receiving the big news that she’s in fact pregnant. Everything and everyone around her turns into a negative energy that forces Valeria to return to her past and dig up her real desires and identity. The exploration of motherhood is a well known subject in the horror genre since the release of Rosemary’s Baby back in 1968. After that we have seen it over and over with the same outcome but this time the director brings a whole new perspective and approach creating a powerful and haunting horror film.

Huesera (The Bone Woman) takes motherhood and combines it with Mexican myths, folklore and body horror. This added to the outstanding performance of Natalia Solián as Valeria and mesmerizing cinematography, turns Huesera into one of the best Mexican horror films ever made. The film relies heavily in symbolism, specifically spiders, Mexican religious beliefs and superstitions instead of just jumps scares creating a tense and heavy atmosphere. Natalia Solián carries the film and gives a convincing and memorable performance throughout the whole film without missing a bit. Her struggle to find her true self and happiness can be felt creating an emotional connection with the viewer.

The internal battle of Valeria and her family situations that are presented are relatable and real life experiences that any woman could have in her life. Huesera feels genuine, and its a raw representation of how the expectations of everyone around you can force you to a life that you don’t want but you’re convinced that is the right path in life.

Talk to Me

Talk to Me is not the typical teenagers supernatural horror film in the best way possible. Similar to Smile (2022) the film features effective and scary jump scares, something hard to achieve this days. With a cool concept the film will trap you with a brutal opening scene, that sets the tone for the rest of the film, never turning boring. The SFX makeup and practical effects are impressive and nasty, making it look and feel real. The cast delivers convincing performances, with Sophie Wilde giving the most outstanding one. This is indeed a great debut for Danny and Michael Philippou as directors. While there’s room for improvement they started with the right foot.

The only flaw that can be found is the lack of development. With a running time of 1 hour and 34 minutes the story ends leaving loose ends and details forgotten. While it could have been the director’s intention to leave the viewer with some questions, the film could have been longer in order to give some closure. As a result, the film looses by moments the tension buildup never reaching the full potential. Regardless of those little details, Talk to Me is a twisted and well executed story becoming one of the best horror movies of 2023.

Saw X

Opening with John Kramer being diagnosed with terminal cancer the first half of Saw X (2023) focuses on John‘s journey to acceptance of his disease and the chance of being cure. Once he realizes that it was a scam is when the action begins. Tobin Bell as John Kramer is exceptional, feeling like it hasn’t been years since the last time we saw him portraying this iconic character turning it into his best performance of the whole franchise. He’s able to bring the emotional, deeper, and human side of a villain that has an actual purpose for what he does and can’t be hated. That elements were the missing pieces of a franchise that has focused more on the blood than the soul.

Of all of his apprentices, the best choice was to bring Amanda Young back. She’s not only the first apprentice to ever been introduced in the franchise, but is the connection and the relationship that these characters haves what make them even better. Throughout the film, we see them talking about the inevitable: that he has only months to live and that she is the one that will continue his work. Since the film takes place between the first one and the second one, we know what is actually going to happen in the upcoming months. The pace is perfect with the right amount of time to truly connect with John’s story and then to enjoy what we came to see: the traps and gore. 

The trailer and marketing materials where misleading taking out of context the scenes in order to surprise the audience into which direction the film is moving through. The traps are exceptional, brutal and creative, but they also show the earlier stage of the group traps that will be later presented on the rest of the franchise. The score, composed by Charlie Clouser, never misses to give chills, and marks not only the ending, but when the plot twist will be revealed. The plot can turn predictable, but is creative and a smart enough to create an actual good film in a franchise has been in decadence for the last years.

The practical effects are exquisite, nasty, and graphic just the way that they are supposed to be. This is a horror film that didn’t disappoint and, is indeed not only one of the best of the franchise, but also one of the best off this year. It was highly anticipated, and it fulfilled the expectations of every single one of the fans that have been waiting for years. Saw X (2023) is the prove that you can do a horror film that is both emotional and gory.

Evil Dead Rise

Feeling like a love letter to the franchise soaked in blood Evil Dead Rise takes the best elements from the original trilogy and the 2013 remake to create another good entry in the franchise. Fun, groovy, intense, and gory are the best words to describe the fifth film in the franchise that continues the legacy the best way possible. Just like Scream VI (2023) did, Evil Dead Rise changes the usual setting taking us out from a cabin in the woods and trapping us in a apartment complex in the city until dawn.

The entire cast delivers a good performance, but Alyssa Sutherland as Ellie is the best one of all. Switching between a loving mother and the host of a demon, Sutherland’s performance will haunt you in your dreams. The marketing team did a good job hiding all the good parts of the film in the trailers making the watching experience even better. Unfortunately, not everything is perfect since the ending can turn predictable. But, taking that aside Evil Dead Rise is the return to the big screen that the franchise and fans deserved and i’m sure that is one of the best horror movies of 2023.

Scream VI

A year after the events of Scream (2022) the survivors find themselves in New York trying to move on and forget about Ghostface. Unfortunately for them, the masked killer has followed their steps and hides in the crowd waiting for the right moment to attack. None of the characters are safe as the film reminds us that legacy characters can be killed too.

Scream 6 has the best opening scene after Scream (1996) with Drew Barrymore. It’s brutal, gory, has a mid scene plot twist, and sets the tone for the rest of the film. The film continues the franchise consistency in black comedy and satirizes the slasher subgenre and the trend of film franchises. The return of Kirby Reed and Gale Weather’s first phone call with Ghostface will please fans since both have been awaited for a long time. Jenna Ortega delivers once again a remarkable performance and next to Melissa Barrera both are set as future scream queens.

Taking the story out of Woodsboro makes the film feel fresh and bringing it back to college resembles Scream 2 (1997). The writers took advantage of the new setting creating tense and creative chase scenes, as an example is the subway scene / Mindy attack and the convenient store both featured in the teasers and marketing material. We have the most brutal and dangerous Ghostface yet, with a socking reveal and plot twist. Fans will enjoy the latest installment in one of the best and most solid horror franchises in cinema history.

Thanksgiving

A year after a Black Friday sale at the RightMart superstore ended in tragedy, a killer stalks the residents of Plymouth, Massachusetts. One by one, those “responsible” for the riot are hunted down, forcing Jessica Wright, the daughter of the store owner, and her friends, who were present that night, to investigate and unmask this serial killer. Feeling like an homage to Scream (1996) and the slashers of the 2000s, Thanksgiving is a bloody and fun slasher that reuses the already well-known formula of this subgenre while still being entertaining.

Eli Roth is known for making highly bloody and grotesque films such as Cabin Fever (2002) and Hostel (2005). Even though Thanksgiving doesn’t reach the same level of gore, it’s still creative and impressive. The cast, lead by Patrick Dempsey and Nell Verlaque, it’s charismatic and relatable, keeping the audience interested and never leaving aside the fact that they are teenagers behaving like one. Dempsey‘s solid performance leaves the hope of seeing him again in this genre, especially due to the rumors of a possible return to the Scream franchise.

Like every slasher, this one follows a well-established formula that can make the plot predictable. But, that doesn’t take away from how entertaining and funny it is. Thanksgiving creates a good balance between slasher and satire, making it one of Roth’s best projects to date. At the end this film was worth the wait and after its ending similar to My Bloody Valentine (2009) we should be alert if a sequel could be on the way.

Influencer

Influencer brings to light how easy is to taker over someone’s else identity online. The film takes us along Madison’s not-so perfect vacations in Thailand showing how easy is to have a fake life and experiences online. The social commentary about influencer’s culture is present throughout the film showing the two sides of the same coin. In one side we have Madison, who’s influencer life covers her troubled relationship and unhappiness, and on the other side is CW, who craves what Madison has. This a common behavior now days, were we see successful influencers who lie about their life and others that in order to get there will do whatever is necessary no matter the cost.

As an actress Cassandra Naud as CW is able to bring the emotions required for the part. Its easy to fall into her lie at first and once she reveals herself it feels like a completely different person. Her true intentions are never clear, but they can be interpreted as her desire to feel less lonely and an easy life. Influencer works more as a triller with some horror elements and a small amount of blood but it still and enjoyable one. The gorgeous locations add to the cinematography making the film visually appealing as well. The plot twists and ending can turn predictable but it still an entertaining and tense triller.

M3GAN

While it has some story inconsistencies, and the acting may not be outstanding, M3GAN takes a step forward and bring us the best way to start 2023 horror movies speaking. This science fiction horror film is self aware of how ridiculous it can be, and that is camp, but it embrace it and let you know that they know. Killer dolls have been in movies for a long time and have turn into an easy way to scare an audience. This concept may not be new and even the concept of evil robots but M3GAN makes it feel like it.

The purpose of M3GAN is not to scare you but to make you fear how advance technology has turned. The possibilities of an artificial intelligence system like M3GAN is not that far from reality. While it has some jump scares along the way is not the main source for scaring. The last act can be the most ridiculous but is enjoyable and fun, closing the experience with an intense and laughable situation. The very last scene can be predicted, but still leaves you with questions waiting for an answer. A sequel is by far not in the books and it should stay like that, or it could take away some of the unique essence of the film.

No One Will Save You

Isolated in her childhood home, Brynn is about to experience an out of this world home invasion. Starring Kaitlyn Dever, No One Will Save You is a dialogueless home-invasion triller that turns into a emotional rollercoaster of self guilt and isolation. Opening with a brief of Brynn’s life and emotional situation the film quickly jumps to action. Waking up in the middle of the night and realizing that someone is inside your house is a terrifying experience. But, finding out that the unwanted guests aren’t human and with no one to help will turn into a life or death situation. With no dialogue, similar to Hush (2016) and A Quiet Place (2018), Dever delivers a chilling and convincing performance.

The constant silence opens the door to creativity well used by the director and writer Brian Duffield. As the film progresses it will keep you guessing what will happen next leaving little clues and many questions. The reveal doesn’t come until the end but is not a predictable outcome. From the beginning of the film is made clear that Brynn’s isolation was forced by the hatred and contempt that the town felt for her. While is later explained why, the fact that no one will try to help her only increases the tension. The only detail that takes away from the film is the alien’s design. Having the classic alien aspect – tall, slender, big head, and black eyes – they have an unrealistic look since they’re CGI. Even so, No One Will Save You is an enjoyable and unpredictable sci-fi horror thriller perfect for spooky season.

Top 5 Worst Horror Movies of 2023