If you are a fan of horror, then check out this list of the Best and Scariest Horror Movies of 2023. This list will be updated frequently over the year.
Who doesn’t love a good scary movie? Nothing is better than heading to a theater when it’s pitch dark outside, knowing that you are about to spend the next two hours on the edge of your seat, worried about what might jump at you. Throughout the year, we will use Rotten Tomatoes to rank the best horror movies of 2023. We will update the list until the end of the year when we crown the no. 1 Horror movie of 2023.
If you map out the rest of the year, 2023 looks to be another excellent time for the horror genre. From the latest installment of Scream, Evil Dead Rise, Insidious, and Saw to The Boogeman and the sequel of The Exorcist (the No. 1 Horror movie of all time), I can’t wait to see what ends up at the top of this list.
Last Updated: October 26, 2023
Best and Scariest Horror Movies of 2023
15. Knock At The Cabin
The return of twisted horror genius M. Night Shyamalan hit theaters early in 2023 with mixed reviews. RSC critic M.N. Miller says Knock at the Cabin is an exceptionally made thriller with satisfying flaws to pick at and debate.
Official Premise: While vacationing, a girl and her parents are taken hostage by armed strangers who demand that the family choose to avert the apocalypse.
Cast: Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, Nikki Amuka-Bird
14. Skinamarink
The most controversial film of 2023 comes in the form of Skinamarink. While critics have it sitting at a 71% score, audiences aren’t as fond of the film, giving it only a 44% score. It seems to be one of those horror movies that you either love or hate.
Official Premise: Two children wake up in the middle of the night to find their father is missing, and all the windows and doors in their home have vanished.
Cast: Lucas Paul, Dali Rose Tetreault, Ross Paul, Jaime Hill
13. The Offering
Like Skinamarink, The Offering has caught the eye of critics with a 76% score, but audiences aren’t so high, with it sitting at 46%. Typically divides like this always make me want to see which side of the fence I fall on.
Official Premise: A family struggling with loss finds themselves at the mercy of an ancient demon trying to destroy them from the inside.
Cast: Nick Blood, Emily Wiseman, Allan Corduner, Paul Kaye.
12. Scream VI
If this list were based on the audience score, this would sit at the top with its 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It would also be at the top of my list, as Scream VI brought back the thrills and kills I loved about this franchise.
Official Premise: In the next installment, the survivors of the Ghostface killings leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter in New York City.
Cast: Jenna Ortega, Melissa Barrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding
11. Clock
Critic M.N. Miller said, “Clock is a terrific psychological horror film with layered themes of gender socialization and inherited trauma that’s quite visceral”
Official Premise: This film by writer/director Alexis Jacknow will follow a woman’s desperate attempt to fix her broken biological clock.
Cast: Dianna Agron, Melora Hardin, Jay Ali
10. The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster
If we did this based on the Audience score from Rotten Tomatoes, The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster would rank number 2 behind Scream VI. It’s shot up to the top of my watch list because I need to see if it’s worth the hype.
Official Premise: Vicaria is a brilliant teenager who believes death is a disease that can be cured. After the brutal murder of her brother, she embarks on a dangerous journey to bring him back to life.
Cast: Laya DeLeon Hayes, Denzel Whitaker, Chad L. Coleman
9. Evil Dead Rise
Evil Dead Rise comes ten years after the 2013 revision of the franchise Evil Dead. Fans and critics across the world have raved about the film, with it sitting at 84% with critics and 76% with audiences. The impressive audience is over 2500+ reviews that have the film that high.
Official Premise: A twisted tale of two estranged sisters whose reunion is cut short by the rise of flesh-possessing demons, thrusting them into a primal battle for survival as they face the most nightmarish version of family imaginable.
Cast: Lily Sullivan, Alyssa Sutherland, Morgan Davies, Jayden Daniels
8. Sick
Written by Kevin Williamson, the man who wrote the original Scream, came a brand new psychological horror film centered around the pandemic. The film garnered a massive 86% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with Williamson scaring up a new audience.
Official Premise: Due to the pandemic, Parker and her best friend decide to quarantine at the family lake house alone – or so they think.
Cast: Gideon Adlon, Dylan Sprayberry, Bethlehem Million, Jane Adams
7. Infinity Pool
From the twisted mind of Brandon Cronenberg, Infinity Pool broke onto the scene at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. The film was so twisted, scary, and weird that they had to edit it down from an NC-17 rating to be able to release it in theaters.
Official Premise: James and Em Foster enjoy an all-inclusive beach vacation on the fictional island of La Tolqa when a fatal accident exposes the resort’s perverse subculture of hedonistic tourism, reckless violence, and surreal horrors.
Cast: Alexander Skarsgård, Mia Goth, Cleopatra Coleman, Thomas Kretschmann
6. The Blackening
The Blackening is not only one of my favorite horror movies of the year but movies in general. Audiences and Critics have both enjoyed the film and are happy to see this film have the success it has.
Official Premise: Seven friends go away for the weekend, only to find themselves trapped in a cabin with a killer who has a vendetta. They must pit their street smarts and knowledge of horror movies against the murderer to stay alive.
Cast: Antoinette Robertson, Dewayne Perkins, Grace Byers, Jermaine Fowler
5. M3GAN
2023’s version of Chucky, M3GAN, danced onto the scene to kick off the year. The movie was so successful that it was greenlit for a sequel shortly after its huge box-office debut. It’s crazy to think that a doll can still conjure up the scares, but many people were afraid to check this out in theaters.
Official Premise: 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.
Cast: Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Ronny Chieng, Brian Jordan Alvarez
4. Brooklyn 45
Critics have raved over Brooklyn 45 with an incredible 90% Rotten Tomatoes score. However, the audiences are looking at the film differently, with a 50% score on the site.
Official Premise: Best friends since childhood, five military veterans gather to support their troubled host, and the metaphoric ghosts of their past become all too literal.
Cast: Anne Ramsay, Ron E. Rains, Jeremy Holm, Larry Fessenden
3. birth/rebirth
The critics have raved about birth/rebirth as it sits at 95% while audiences are slightly lower at 75%. I watched this movie and knew instantly that it would make this list. It’s one of the more scarier films of the year.
Official Premise: A morgue technician successfully reanimates the body of a little girl, but to keep her breathing, she will need to harvest biological materials from pregnant women. When the girl’s mother, a nurse, discovers her baby alive, they enter into a deal that forces them both down a dark path of no return.
Cast: Marin Ireland, Judy Reyes, Breeda Wool
2. Huesera: The Bone Woman
Huesera: The Bone Woman is currently the No. 1 Horror Movie of the year so far. What’s exciting about these lists is finding hidden gems that you (or I) might not know about that.
Official Premise: Valeria has long dreamed about becoming a mother. After learning she’s pregnant, she expects to feel happy, yet something’s off.
Cast: Natalie Solian, Alfonso Dosal, Mayra Batalla, Mercedes Hernandez
1. Talk To Me
While Huesera: The Bone Woman might have the better Critics score, the blend of 95% and 82% score for Talk To Me makes the film slide into the first spot. The film recently dropped on VOD, and I can’t recommend it enough. It’s easily one of the best horror movies of the 21st century.
Official Premise: When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces.
Cast: Air McCarthy, Hamish Phillips, Kit Erhart-Bruce
And that completes our best horror movies of 2023. What would you put on this list?
