Best Original Horror Movies from 2023
2023 continues to show horror movies can reign in a climate of cinema that is always debated. We have seen the return of some of the biggest franchises in Scream VI, Saw X and The Exorcist the Believer. However, the original horror movies have made a massive impact, with one topping the Box Office for horror movies in 2023.
Today, I am going to look at the best original horror movies that were released in 2023 and give you a chance to catch up on anything you might have missed. Some of the movies here will be the biggest box office success, others made a big impact on streaming. While a few are the festival darlings from Frightfest 2023.
As always this is just a list, not a ranking.
Best Original Horror Movies from 2023
1 – Talk To Me
Danny Philippou & Michael Philippou’s Talk to Me to audiences by storm. It follows a group of school friends who decide to play the latest social media trend. Mia is one of the group who finds herself pushing the limits of the game and finding herself dealing with the dire consequences. In this disturbing and unsettling movie, we get a mix of the surprise horrors of ‘It Follows’ and the impending doom of ‘The Ring’. Talk to Me is ranking high on a lot of people’s best horror movie of the year list.
2 – Here for Blood
Daniel Turres’ Here for Blood follows a wrestler reluctantly helping his girlfriend by taking her babysitting job for the night. However, he ends up needing to fight back against a cult trying to get the children. Where Here for Blood shines is in the subverting expectations. Over the years, we generally see a female character needing to overcome the numbers to protect the children. However, here we get a buff wrestler who can easily fight back. It adds plenty of comedy to everything we see, as she looks to remain calm throughout the situation. Here For Blood is the best horror comedy of the year and Shawn Roberts shines in the leading role.
3 – No One Will Save You
Brian Duffield’s No One Will Save You follows a young woman who finds her home invaded by aliens. However, she can’t turn to her local town for help because of an incident in her family’s past. She must figure out how to save herself before it is too late. No One Will Save You uses the limited dialogue concept extremely well, using expressions to dictate what is going on. Kaitlyn Dever gives us one of the best solo performances of the year in the leading role too. No One Will Save You is sadly, one of the streaming darlings that has only gathered momentum through word of mouth.
4 – The Boogeyman
Rob Savage’s The Boogeyman is an adaptation of the short story by Stephen King. It follows a teenager grieving her mother’s death when the family gets plagued by a sadistic presence in their home. As the presence becomes more present, the teenager must defend her little sister against the creature in the night. Riddled with pure terror and using the basic concept of darkness to create horror in our minds.
5 – Haunted Ulster Live
Dominic O’Neill’s Haunted Ulster Live follows a television crew in the 1990s trying to conduct a paranormal experiment in a haunted house. They have connected to a family who is having unexpected events in their home and as the night unfolds, even more unexplainable events occur. Haunted Ulster Live channels Ghostwatch with how everything unfolds. It uses the production getting out of control to add humour to the genuine scares delivered throughout.
6 – Hostile Dimensions
Graham Hughes’ Hostile Dimensions follows two documentary filmmakers who discover a way to travel to alternative dimensions. However, their search takes them down a deadly path, as each dimension offers up a different threat. Hostile Dimensions challenges the unknown and has some of the great scares of the year. With a truly unique concept and shooting style that is going to leave you floored.
7 – Totally Killer
Nahnatchka Khan’s Totally Killer follows a teenage girl who gets sent back in time to the time a serial killer strikes. She gets a chance to learn who the killer is after the killer returned in her current life and kills her mother. Totally Killer grabs the magic of the 80s slasher with the humour of Back to the Future and Final Girls. If you are looking for a great entry-level horror of 2023, this is going to be the one to pick.
8 – Thorns
Douglas Schulze’s Thorns follows an ex-priest who is working for NASA and investigates a remote observatory that has gone silent. What he finds sees him dealing with a mix of demonic nightmares and unexplainable events. Thorns is a nightmare experience that uses excellent effects to create horror that could challenge any Hellraiser. Despite being made with a limited budget, it shocks, disturbs and excels in the ability to give us the unexpected.
9 – The Ghost Station
Yong-ki Jeong’s The Ghost Station follows a public service worker and their friend as they investigate a series of strange events at the Oksu Station. What follows is a series of grizzly events that lead to a series of disturbing events. The Ghost Station is a more traditional horror that uses the connection with the undead and ghosts to challenge the bigger events of the film.
10 – Thanksgiving
Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving is the full feature of his fake trailer in the Grindhouse movie. Thanksgiving follows a town dealing with the aftermath of a Black Friday sale that turns tragic. One year later a killer comes for the people involved in it. This is an old-school slasher movie that brings unique kills to the table. It has a moral story about consumption and keeps you guessing as to who the killer is.
11 – When Evil Lurks
Demian Rugna’s When Evil Lurks follows a remote village that gets infected by a demonic infection turning people into raged filled crazed people. Two brothers must figure out how to stop things, but along the way, they deal with a host of shocking events. When Evil Lurks has a series of shocking moments, that pushes the limits of what we expect. It fully shocks everyone involved becoming one of the most disturbing movies of 2023.
12 – The Pope’s Exorcist
Julius Avery’s The Pope’s Exorcist follows Father Gabriele Amorth as he investigates a possession at a monastery. It sees him challenge his father as he searches for answers, where he ends up learning a much more disturbing truth about the building’s history. The Pope’s Exorcist blew the other Exorcist movie out of the water this year. Russell Crowe brings a much-needed star power which he fully commits to. It becomes one of the most enjoyable horrors of the year.
13 – M3GAN
Gerard Johnstone’s M3GAN follows a toy creator who must take her niece in. To help her deal with the change, she uses the latest creation a life-like doll to become her friend. However, once the doll starts learning more, it shows a much darker side. In the latest Akela Cooper, James Wan collaboration, we get another great horror movie. It shines from the viral marketing campaign behind the M3GAN dance and started the year extremely highly.
14 – The Moor
Chris Cronin’s The Moor follows a woman returning to a childhood home to help the father of her murdered childhood friend. It sees them exploring the local moors which hold a much bigger secret. They are searching for the truth and it shows the disturbing presence the moors can present to anyone. The Moor uses this atmosphere to create an unnerving glimpse into the unknown. There is plenty of fear created and the moors haven’t been this scary since An American Werewolf in London.
15 – The Blackening
Tim Story’s The Blackening follows a group of friends on a weekend away who find themselves forced into a twisted game. It follows the friends as they look to survive the weekend and figure out why they have been targeted. Where The Blackening stands out is with the representation. It is one of the first slasher movies written and directed by a black team, who get to point out their misrepresentation in entertainment, not just slasher movies. There is a great layer of comedy that makes us feel like the Wayans brothers Scary Movie has been updated for the modern day. It feels like The Blackening is a movie that should be getting talked about for years to come.
16 – T Blockers
Alice Maio Mackay’s T Blockers follows a group of friends who find themselves targeted by a new threat. An ancient parasite has been targeting the bigots of the world, turning them into violent crimes against any minority in the city. This is young director Alice Maio Mackay’s third film and she is only just 18. It continues to show the promise shown and we can expect to see her as a major name in the horror industry for years to come.
17 – It Lives Inside
Bishal Dutta’s It Lives Inside follows an Indian-American teenager who discovers she has unwittingly released a demonic entity that feeds on loneliness. It challenges the concept of fitting in when you are different to everyone else around you. There are great scares and once again, we get another movie that highlights more representation in horror. It Lives Inside is a great debut film and shows we can bring another culture into the modern world for added scares.
18 – Skinamarink
Kyle Edward Ball’s Skinamarink is one of the most divisive horror movies of the year. It follows two children who wake up in the middle of the night to find their father missing. As they explore the dark home, they experience a series of uncomfortable interactions with things in the shadows. This is unsettling on many levels, using the basics of unknown and low-budget filmmaking to give us a movie that will stick with you.
19 – Pandemonium
Quarxx’s Pandemonium follows a man who is killed in a car crash trying to navigate the hell. As the journey unfolds, he experiences a series of shocking and disturbing events from others on the same journey. Pandemonium is a movie that leaves you completely shocked and disturbed as everything goes from nightmarish to horrendous in every story. Easily one of the most disturbing movies you will ever see and one that leaves you curled up in a ball with fear.
20 – Five Nights at Freddy’s
Emma Tammi’s Five Nights at Freddy’s is an adaption of the popular video game. It follows a troubled security officer at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. The animatronics have a mind of their own and hunt down anyone who get in their way. However, the security guard must fight his own past to save his sister from the blood hunger animatronics. Five Nights at Freddy’s is the highest grossing horror movie of the year and already ready to become the next year franchise. While some of the movie isn’t as strong as it could be. The animatronics are fantastic and seeing them come to life for the horror moments is a delight to see.
What are some of your Best Original Horror Movies from 2023?
