The Best Horror Movies of 2023: Eric Li’s List

Another year in horror is in the books. 2023 produced a few films that will be remembered for generations to come. The big studios found a groove just in time to tripped up by a writer and actor strike. There was consistently good content provided this year, with thankfully few stinkers. Here is managing editor Eric Li’s thoughts on 2023.

I can say with confidence that three movies will go down as all-time great horror features. Godzilla Minus One, Talk to Me, and When Evil Lurks captured the attention of horror fandom, and are ready to be stamped as new classics. Once Late Night With the Devil gets its major streaming release, I expect that buzz to launch that film into the upper echelons as well. We will be having Podcast Episode 177 where the whole team talks about our favorites, so stay tuned for that wherever you get your podcast streaming from.

OK, let’s get right into it, shall we?

Eric’s Top 10 Films of 2023

1. Godzilla Minus One. Directed by Takashi Yamazaki
★★★★★ out of ★★★★★
Intensity🩸🩸 out of 🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸

Godzilla Minus One: Oh, my… Godzilla! Takahashi Yamazaki created a powerful, emotionally resonant, and visually spectacular film. More than any other film in this esteemed franchise run, Godzilla is a reflection of a country in catharsis. It is steeped in survivor’s guilt, post-traumatic shock disorder, family bonds, and the restoration of a nation’s belief in itself… by way of Kaiju. As a film-going experience, this will get your blood pumping.

True, the story is familiar, as this is yet another reboot of the franchise, and therefore has a huge kaiju-sized path to walk. But finally, after 33 previous attempts, Toho finally found the perfect elixir of character arcs, top notch acting, and stunning visuals. Godzilla as an elemental titan is impressive but not scary. When he befriends little kids, or battles other beasts threatening Japan, he’s hardly frightening. But, when the movie is about Godzilla as a metaphor for man’s follies with war and nuclear destruction, he is terrifying. (See Shin Godzilla as a good previous example.) Kaiju fans, rejoice! This is the holy grail for Godzilla films, the one you’ve been waiting for for your whole life.

2. Late Night With the Devil. Directed by Cameron and Colin Cairnes
★★★★★ out of ★★★★★
Intensity 🩸🩸🩸 out of 🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸

Late-night show host Jack Delroy (David Dastlmachian) is a former rising star in the business. His failure to catch up to Johnny Carson is resulting in a precipitous ratings drop. Desperate times call for desperate measures, so when the show discovers a psychologist who claims to have a possessed client, they decide to have an exorcism on stage in front of a live audience. Naturally, this goes terribly wrong, and the devil is THERE. Top-shelf writing and editing keep the pace escalating. Dread mounts with every bad decision and failure to stop when warning signals show, leading to a blood-soaked and panic-filled conclusion.

In a year that was very good to a friend of the podcast, Dastmalchian gets a chance to be at the top of the call sheet for what we expect to be a modern classic. The story is so compelling, and the authenticity of the ’70s period piece draws you in. It had an award-filled festival run, and both IFC and Shudder picked up this film for release in 2024. 

3. Talk To Me. Directed by Danny and Michael Philopou
★★★★★ out of ★★★★★
Intensity 🩸🩸🩸🩸 out of 🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸

Possession as Addiction is a heady concept that worked perfectly for Talk To Me. The key to this movie is that it features relatable and believable teenagers doing stupid teenage stuff. The teens aren’t idiots, but they fall prey to temptation and peer pressure, and the drug metaphor here is powerful. It is also the scariest movie that I have seen since Hereditary. The editing and writing are top shelf. Here’s hoping that Hollywood recognizes the talent that is Sophie Wilde, whose spotlight performance was critical for this movie’s success.

4. Evil Dead Rise. Directed by Lee Cronin
★★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
Intensity 🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸 out of 🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸

Evil Dead Rise is everything you would want a film in this franchise to be. It gets to the bloody action right from the start and does not let up once it gets rolling. This incredibly gory film reconstructs the fundamental Evil Dead script by making it a family-forward story, but it still walks a familiar path of carnage. Alyssa Sutherland shines as the possessed mother, whose beauty, when flipped, becomes grotesque and completely unsettling. Her long limbs, expressive eyes, and wide smile make her frightening when possessed. The violence and gore in this movie are no jokes. People with an aversion to violence against children get a big red flag trigger warning on this one.

5. Hundreds of Beavers. Directed by Mike Cheslik
★★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
Intensity🩸 out of 🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸

This film really shouldn’t work. Hundreds of Beavers is a silent black-and-white slapstick comedy featuring mascot costumed furries and resembles a side-scrolling video game. Surprisingly, it works stunningly well. It has the physical comic timing of Buster Keaton, the cut-out flat film depth and bodacious humor of South Park, the fur-lined absurdity of Deerskin, and most of all, the madcap silly violence and sad sack comedy of the Looney Tunes. The sum of the parts manages to formulate a wildly imaginative, unique story that almost certainly cannot be duplicated. Yes, it is a big stretch to call this a horror movie, but horror film festivals across the nation featured this as one of their prize features, so we’ll consider it one as well.

6. Cocaine Bear. Directed by Elizabeth Banks
★★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
Intensity🩸🩸🩸 out of 🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸

Do bears get high in the woods? Can a coked-up bear outrun an ambulance? Just how dangerous is a bear on stimulants? You know you wanted to know this, right? So, now you get to find out, in the madcap horror comedy Cocaine Bear! This is a grisly (not grizzly… the bear is a black bear) romp through the forest. Watch a bear amped up with narcotics for some wildly entertaining moments. Elizabeth Banks continues her transformation from being an in-front-of-the-camera star to directing behind the camera, and she hits the comedic and gory tone just right with Cocaine Bear.

7. When Evil Lurks. Directed by Demien Rugna
★★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
Intensity🩸🩸🩸🩸 out of 🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸

When Evil Lurks is perhaps the biggest out-of-nowhere surprise of the year, Argentinean Demien Rugna made a name for himself with American Audiences with the excellent Aterrados (Terrified) from 2017, stamping Patagonian horror as a horror film region to be aware of. When Evil Lurks comes out swinging early with the horrific discovery of a young man bloated beyond recognition by an unholy possession. The local farmers attempt to remove the evil vessel but are sloppy, creating a possession pandemic. This gory showcase is likely to be THE landmark South American movie that horror fans will regard against all others.

8. Cobweb. Directed by Samuel Bodin
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
Intensity🩸🩸🩸 out of 🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸

Cobweb is a dysfunctional family horror film with quite a few tricks up its sleeves. Initially giving off serious Babadook vibes, this film pulls off what The Boy wished it could have done. Lizzie Kaplan and Anthony Starr are “off” just enough to suggest menace, but the plot treats the fear like a relay race where the evil gets handed off from one set of villains to another. This under-the-radar film can be seen on Shudder.

9. Minore. Directed by Konstantinos Koutsoliotis
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
🩸🩸🩸 out of 🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸

In Minore, tentacled cosmic horrors besiege a seaside Greek town, and it’s up to the patrons of a local taverna to save the city. The directors refer to this as “My Big Fat Greek Monster Movie,” which captures that boozy spirit of fun and zaniness throughout. Minore punches well above its weight class. It features top-shelf cinematography, complimented with high-end visual FX and an excellent ensemble cast. It certainly helps that Koutoliotis was a lead special effects man for Guardians of the Galaxy and other big-budget studio spectaculars.

10. Suitable Flesh. Directed by Joe Lynch
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
🩸🩸🩸 out of 🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸

Cosmic Horror fans, rejoice! Suitable Flesh is a sexy and gory return to the fun Lovecraftian films of Stuart Gordon. This time, it is director Joe Lynch at the Helm. The film is bolstered by a terrific cast, with Heather Graham, Judah Lewis, and Barbara Crampton all having a blast playing multiple roles in this naughty and wicked body-swap romp. Suitable Flesh was the highlight centerpiece film of this year’s H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival.

Impressions From the Rest of the Field

Horror (and Monster) movies were at full strength in 2023. The demons of the Pandemic limitations are far in the background, and the dampening effect of the twin labor strikes from the writer’s guild and screen actor’s guild have yet to take effect. Surprisingly, the major studios outdid that indies a bit this year. The big releases didn’t have any outright bombs (perhaps except Exorcist: Believer, which I have not seen yet). Even tired franchises managed to find a second wind. The mid-tier releases from Universal, Warner Brothers, and Blumhouse all managed to pull their weight this year. The Nun2, Insidious The Red Door, Renfield, Last Voyage of the Demeter, and The Pope’s Exorcist all exceeded my expectations. 

Surprise Films of 2023

There were a few films that I didn’t hold out much hope for that I really enjoyed, much to my surprise. M3GAN proved to be a smarter and better-looking movie than I had expected. It is much more than a distaff Chucky. M3GAN taps into our new fears about A.I. and the role of technology in our future. I expected The Pope’s Exorcist to be a throwaway, but underestimate Russell Crowe at your own risk. I really enjoyed his performance as real exorcist Father Gilbert AMorth.

The Boogeyman was a streamlined telling of the classic monster-in-the-closet tale. It played it straight, and the dread buildup and scares were solidly executed. Sorry Charlie had my favorite performance by an actress this year as a call center rape survivor being stalked by her old attacker. Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Evil is a riotous horror comedy featuring monstrous puppets and a satanic cult. 

Needless to say, the “middle of the pack” of this year’s crop of films had much to offer. Check out the full list below for other films to check out.

Great Horror Adjacent Properties in 2023

Horror-adjacent properties were particularly compelling this year. Godzilla Minus One is a stretch as a horror film, though Godzilla is truly scary in this movie. You might not have more fun watching a movie than Hundreds of Beavers, which combines several thematic elements that create a sum that is a whole bowl full of violent comic theater. Is it horror? Not really, but it submitted itself to several prominent horror festivals, and it was the star attraction for several of them. Therefore, I am giving it the proper horror nod.

Another fine horror-adjacent film is Life of Mariko in Kabukicho, a mystery thriller with aliens, a serial killer, assassins, and a neighborhood bartender who is the life of Kabukicho, the vibrant and sleazy district in Tokyo. This film bristles with energy and several great small stories under one umbrella. Accused is a terrific British thriller about a Pakistani Brit wrongly accused of being a terrorist who has to fend off online stalkers and a home invasion. Frogman was probably the best shaky cam film I have seen since Creep.

My 2023 Hot Takes:

• I may not be ready for liminal horror. Skinamarink is probably the most divisive movie of the year. I respect it, but I don’t get it, and it made me sleepy.
• The Nun2 and Insidious 4: The Red Door were better than expected!
• Is Argentina the new country that will be a horror hotspot? When Evil Lurks struck a nerve!
• Should we be surprised that following Cocaine Bear, we got a mockbuster called Meth Gator?
• Infinity Pool was a great idea in search of likeable characters.
• Renfield and Last Voyage of the Demeter were good movies in search of good marketing and perhaps better titles with Dracula in them.
• Can we once again call M. Night Shyamalan a talented director? Has he been forgiven yet?
• It may be time to retire the V/H/S series: See below.
• Don’t try to do a direct sequel to Godzilla Minus One; that was lightning in a bottle. But Toho should recognize the power of good human characters. Feel free to reboot Mothra.
• Get Late Night with the Devil a theatrical release, even a limited one, please!
• Maybe David Gordon Greene isn’t cut out to do horror sequels after all.
• Behold the Dastmalchianassaince! David starred in FOUR horror movies in 2023: The Boston Strangler, The Boogeyman, and The Last Voyage of the Demeter. Plus, he was in this little film called Oppenheimer.
• Enjoy 2023. Expect 2024 to be light due to the dual actor and writing guild strikes of 2023.

The Worst of 2032:

The whole Scariest Teams will discuss at greater length what disappointed us this year in horror for Podcast Episode 178. This year, many of my least favorite films were penalized mainly for failing to engage my cinema senses early enough. There were more boring movies that had some merits to them than there were trashy but entertaining films.

Avoid Winnie the Pooh Blood and Honey at all costs. It is crass, boring, poorly executed, and insulting. Don’t encourage movies like this to be made. Pig Killer is another shameful film to put on the trash heap. That film had no redeeming qualities, was aggressively rapey, and featured the worst soundtrack in memory. Another film to outright avoid is Children of the Corn. It is a poorly written story, full of half-baked or fully underprepared corn-slop plot ideas. Mr. Organ is a dull documentary that showed up at many horror film festivals but proved pointless and devoid of anything scary.

VHS ’85 was the exception to the rule for this year as a franchise film that did not live up to expectations. It struggled to capture the creativity of its predecessors. It also marked a return to headache-inducing bad shaky cameras that had terrible film quality (intentionally). Bummer! Kids vs. Aliens had more F-bombs per minute than any other movie I saw this year. If that isn’t enough to scare you away, It grew tiresome with annoying kid characters and even worse teenage actors.

Two undersea thrillers from the extreme opposite end of the budget spectrum might qualify as so bad it’s good. The MEG2 is big and stupid, with nonsensical plot ideas and actors going through the motions. The CG is damned impressive, but the writing is predictable and mush brained. My recommendation: Watch Underwater instead. Gods of the Deep is the latest from Charlie Steeds and also involves an underwater expedition gone wrong. It looks and feels like it is working on a micro-budget. Bad dialogue and cheap sets make this a 1950s B-movie. My recommendation: Watch Steed’s superior film Freeze instead.

The Full List of 2023 Horror I saw from 2023:

1. Godzilla Minus One ★★★★★
2. Late Night With the Devil ★★★★★
3. Talk To Me ★★★★★
4. Evil Dead Rise ★★★★½
5. Hundreds of Beavers ★★★★
6. Cocaine Bear ★★★★
7. When Evil Lurks ★★★★
8. Cobweb ★★★★
9. Minore ★★★★
10. Suitable Flesh ★★★★
11. Knock at the Cabin ★★★★
12. Life of Mariko in Kabukicho ★★★★
13. Accused ★★★★
14. Frogman ★★★★
15. Renfield ★★★★
16. M3Gan ★★★★
17. The Last Voyage of the Demeter ★★★★
18. The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster ★★★★
19. The Boogeyman ★★★★
20. The Pope’s Exorcist ★★★★
21. It Lives Inside ★★★★
22. Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Evil ★★★★
23. Sorry Charlie ★★★★
24. Totally Killer ★★★★
25. Godless: the Eastfield Exorcism ★★★★
26. Brooklyn 45 ★★★★
27. Love Will Tear Us Apart  ★★★½
28. Thanksgiving ★★★½
29. A Haunting in Venice ★★★½
30. Black Mold ★★★ ½
31. No One Will Save You ★★★½
32. The Seeding ★★★½
33. Bunker ★★★½
34. Infinity Pool ★★★
35. Skinamarink ★★★
36. Ghosts of the Void ★★★
37. Wintertide ★★★
38. Insidious the Red Door ★★★
39. Quicksand ★★★
40. Satan Wants You ★★★
41. Smoking Causes Coughing ★★★
42. Chabak: A Night of Murder and Romance ★★★
43. The Blackening ★★★
44. The Wrath of Becky ★★★
45. The Nun2 ★★★
46. Blue Hour: The Disappearance of Nick Bandreith ★★★
47. The Haunted Mansion ★★1/2
48. The Haunting of the Queen Mary ★★1/2
49. Exorcist: Believer ★★1/2
50. A Creature Was Stirring ★★1/2
51. Violett ★★1/2
52. Spoonful of Sugar ★★1/2
53. The Lake ★★1/2
54. Puppet Killer ★★
55. Slotherhouse ★★
56. My Animal ★★
57. Five Nights at Freddy’s ★★
58. Invoking Yell ★★
59. Your Love is Mine ★★
60. Animalia ★★
61. The MEG2 ★★
62. Gods of the Deep ★★
63. Kids vs Aliens ★★
64. The Haunting of Julia Fields ★★
65. V/H/S 85 ★1/2
66. The Haunting of Alexis King ★1/2
67. Children of the Corn ★1/2
68. Mister Organ ★1/2
69. Pig Killer ★
70. Winnie the Pooh Blood and Honey ★