Fast Links
2023 has seen the release of some pretty great movies, from Barbie to Oppenheimer, from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse to Tetris. But, it has been a stellar year for horror movies. Even though Halloween is right around the corner, some fantastic scary movies have already been released throughout the year, with even more on the way like Five Nights at Freddy’s. If you want to wet your beak this spooky season, here are the 10 best horror movies released in the first nine months of 2023, that you can watch right now.
M3GAN
A horror movie that you might have forgotten about, is M3GAN, which was released at the beginning of this year, on January 6, 2023. Directed by Gerad Johnstone, the movie follows an artificially intelligent doll named M3GAN (Amie Donald, Jenna Davis) that is given to a girl named Cady (Violet McGraw) after her parents are killed in a car accident.
Allison Williams stars as Gemma, the creator of M3GAN and Cady’s aunt who takes her in after the crash. While M3GAN initially acts as a sort of therapy doll for young Cady, it starts to get more territorial, harming anyone who gets in her way. Comedian Ronny Chieng also stars as David, Gemma’s boss. A sequel to the movie is in development and if you are interested, the film is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Scream VI
The sixth installment in the Scream franchise was released on March 10, 2023. Taking place after the events of Scream (2022), Scream VI follows Sam and Tara Carpenter, played by Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega respectively, as a new batch of Ghostface murders pop up in New York City. Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding also return as Mindy and Chad Meeks-Martin, as well as Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers.
Ethan Landry (Jack Champion), Anika Kayoko (Devyn Nekoda), Quinn Bailey (Liana Liberato), Wayne Bailey (Dermot Mulroney), and Danny Brackett (Josh Segarra) are all new characters who join the Scream universe in this entry. While Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (Ready or Not) directed this film, a seventh Scream movie by Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day) is in development. You can stream Scream VI on Paramount Plus.
The Pope’s Exorcist
If you like historical horror or Russell Crowe acting as the goofiest priest imaginable, you should check out The Pope’s Exorcist. Directed by Julius Avery (Overlord), the movie is based on the books of Father Gabriele Amorth, a Catholic priest and exorcist. Daniel Zovatto also stars as Father Esquibel, Alex Essoe plays Julia Vasquez, and Franco Nero plays the Pope.
Julia’s son Henry (Peter DeSouza-Feighoney) shows signs of possession so Father Amorth journeys to their newly acquired abbey in Spain, and accidentally uncovers a centuries-old demonic plot. The horror movie was released on April 14, 2023, and a sequel is in the works. You can stream it now, on Netflix.
Evil Dead Rise
The horror movie that might go down for having the best title card reveal of all time, Evil Dead Rise was directed by Lee Cronin, and it was released on April 21, 2023. The fifth entry in the Evil Dead franchise takes place in an apartment complex, but it is very much the Evil Dead you know and love. The film follows a Deadite outbreak after an earthquake uncovers part of the Necronomicon.
In Evil Dead Rise, Beth (Lily Sullivan) battles her sister Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland) after she becomes a Deadite while attempting to save Ellie’s children, Danny (Morgan Davies), Bridget (Gabrielle Echols), and Kassie (Nell Fisher). While it hasn’t been reported that an official sequel is in development, Ash actor Bruce Campbell has said that Sam and Ivan Raimi have been discussing producing more entries, “We’re going to try and do them more like every two or three years rather than every 10 years.” You can stream Evil Dead Rise on Max.
Beau Is Afraid
Directed by Ari Aster (Hereditary, Midsommar) Beau Is Afraid was released on April 21, 2023. It is a surrealist black comedy as much as it is a horror movie. Beau Wasserman is played by Joaquin Phoenix, and a younger version of him and his mother are played by Armen Nahapetian and Zoe Lister-Jones respectively. Amy Ryan, Nathan Lane, and Parker Posey also star.
The movie follows Beau attempting to get to his mother’s house before her funeral. We won’t say anything more about the film’s plot as it gets pretty weird, and you should go in surprised. Beau Is Afraid didn’t make much money at the box office, and it might be a bit of an acquired taste, but you should like it if you dig Aster’s brand of weird. You can rent or buy the film on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, or the Google Play Store.
The Boogeyman
Based on the short story of the same name by prolific horror writer Stephen King, The Boogeyman was directed by Rob Savage. Released on June 2, 2023, this horror movie follows two sisters after the death of their mother. The two sisters are Sadie and Sawyer Harper, played by Sophie Thatcher and Vivien Lyra Blair respectively.
Their father, Will (Chris Messina), is a therapist. After a new patient named Lester (David Dastmalchian) commits suicide in their house, they begin to see an entity known as “the Boogeyman”, that haunts them. It received a mixed response critically and from audiences, but it managed to do well at the box office. You can buy The Boogeyman on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, and the Google Play Store.
Talk to Me
Talk to Me was directed by Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou, and it is easily one of the best horror movies to be released this year, on July 28, 2023. An Australian film, it follows a teenager named Mia (Sophie Wilde), who after the death of her mother, holds a possessed hand that a mutual friend Hayley (Zoe Terakes), owns. She slowly becomes obsessed with seeing her mother, leading her to make all types of bad – obviously influenced by a demonic presence – decisions.
It might take home the award for the horror film with the best sound design this year, as you will flinch from some impactful bone-crunching. Talk to Me also stars Alexandra Jensen, Miranda Otto, Otis Dhanji, and Joe Bird. There is also a sequel in the works. You can buy the film on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, and the Google Play Store.
The Last Voyage of the Demeter
Who doesn’t love a good creature feature, especially when it features Dracula on a boat? The Last Voyage of the Demeter was released on August 11, 2023, and it was directed by André Øvredal (Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark). The film adapts part of Bram Stoker’s Dracula that examines Dracula’s trip from Transylvania to London on the ship named the Demeter. It stars Corey Hawkins, Aisling Franciosi, Liam Cunningham, David Dastmalchian, Woody Norman, Stefan Kapičić, and Javier Botet as the titular monster himself.
Rather than a more modern take on the Count, The Last Voyage of the Demeter takes more of an old-school approach to Dracula, for the better. With a focus on suspense rather than scares, it stays true to the original pitch of the movie, like Alien, but on a boat. You can read our review of the movie here and you buy the film on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, and the Google Play Store.
The Nun II
The latest entry in The Conjuring franchise, The Nun II was released on September 8, 2023. It is a direct sequel to the original The Nun and it was directed by Michael Chaves (The Curse of La Llorona, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It). Taissa Farmiga, Jonas Bloquet, and Bonnie Aarons all return as Sister Irene, Maurice, and Valak aka the Nun, respectively. Joining them are Storm Reid as Sister Debra and Anna Popplewell as Kate.
As a direct sequel to the original film, Sister Irene tracks down Valak across Europe, only to find out that she has possessed Maurice. Even though it’s quite similar to the first movie, it still has some great scares. The Nun II is still in theaters so you can go watch it now, and read our review here if you haven’t already.
Saw X
The tenth installment of the Saw franchise, Saw X was released on September 29, 2023. Directed by Kevin Greutert (Saw VI, Saw 3D), while it is the tenth entry, it takes place between the first and second Saw movies. Even though it takes place out of chronological order in the franchise’s timeline, the film is surprisingly linear. Tobin Bell returns as John Kramer aka Jigsaw, and Shawnee Smith returns as Amanda.
The film is a revenge story, as John is told about a possible cure for his cancer, only to find out that the people behind it are scamming cancer patients. The traps are just as gory as the other entries, with a deeply personal story focusing on John’s convictions. You can read our review of Saw X here, and you can still catch the movie in theaters now.