Chloe's Not Scared

Way back in 2020, I wondered how COVID was going to affect horror. Were we going to get a bunch of pandemic fiction? A bunch of horror on Zoom, like Host? I couldn’t have predicted what actually happened: we examine our relationship to death using a Frankenstein model and slasher comedies. 2023 was a little light on horror movies, but I still managed to see almost every horror movie released. Without further ado, here are my favorite horror movies of 2023!

10. Infinity Pool dir. Brandon Cronenberg

I loved Brandon Cronenberg’s Possessor so it’s no surprise that this also ended up on my list. I love masks and weird puppets too, so I’m glad to see Cronenberg continuing with this theme. Alexander Skarsgard plays a clueless rich author stuck in a nightmare at a private resort. And of course Mia Goth on top of a car, screaming, is everything to me. While the eat-the-rich trope is a bit overdone at this point, Infinity Pool is such a wild ride, I had to add it here.

9. The Angry Black Girl and her Monster dir. Bomani J. Story

This Shudder original took me by surprise! As a retelling of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the film follows Vicaria, a teenage scientist who believes that death is a disease that can be cured. She lost both her mother and brother to gun violence, and is losing her father to drug addiction. She steals the corpse of her brother and re-animates him, but something’s not quite right. This film is kind of like The Hate U Give but a horror. I really enjoyed it.

8. The Blackening dir. Tim Story

People are truly sleeping on these horror comedies! A group of Black friends are gathering at a cabin in the woods to celebrate Juneteenth. After finding a racist board game in the basement, the group becomes trapped in a battle with a masked killer. Highly recommended for fans of Saw and Cabin in the Woods. I laughed harder at this movie than any other movie I saw in the theaters this year.

7. ゴジラマイナスワン (Godzilla Minus One) dir. Takashi Yamazaki

Yes, it’s as good as everyone says it is. The movie begins in post-war Japan as Koichi Shikishima, a former kamikaze pilot, comes face to face with Godzilla. The pitch perfect historical fiction aspect positioned Godzilla fans to think about WWII, destruction, PTSD in a brand new light. Plus, we get some great special effects and Jaws-like boat sequences. Such a breath of fresh air to see CGI monsters in a non-Marvel movie setting too!

6. Cuando acecha la maldad (When Evil Lurks) dir. Demián Rugna

Fans of Ari Aster, listen up! This is the film to watch if you want that creepy psychological meditation of grief with jump scares of extreme violence. Pedro and Jaime discover a possessed man living with his mother on the edge of town. They attempt to move his body, but it seems that doing so has unleashed a curse. This film felt very much like The Last of Us– disgusting, violent, and extremely grim. It was almost too scary for me, but I can’t leave it off the list– Rugna is a great director (if this sounds too much for you, try his other movie Terrified).

5. birth/rebirth dir. Laura Moss

A morgue attendant Rose (Marin Ireland from my beloved The Empty Man) and a nurse Celie (Judy Reyes) come together after Celie’s daughter dies of meningitis. Rose has found a way to re-animate bodies, and does so with Celie’s daughter. I famously think that horror movies about women who only exist to be mothers are not for me, but director Laura Moss converts this trope into something I’ve never seen before. The two women live together, along with the child and a re-animated pig, working together, using their bodies to sustain life. Major content warning for medical trauma, especially gynecological medical trauma.

4. Enys Men dir. Mark Jenkin

I’m such a sucker for movies that are set in the 1970’s and/or films that are shot on 16mm. Enys Men fits the bill, as a Maya Deren-esque slow burn folk horror set on the Cornish coast. A biologist records her daily life near the sea, over and over again until her routine gets interrupted. Is there something supernatural at play, or is the loneliness and isolation just too much for her? This film is so beautiful and so haunting, ramping up the tension with every shot. It kind of reminded me of The Lighthouse, with a bit of a Children of the Stones folk horror twist. 

3. Late Night with the Devil dir. Cameron and Colin Cairnes

Look for this one on Shudder in the upcoming year! Jack Deroy is grieving his wife who just died of cancer, but his hit talk show “Night Owls” must go on. In this “lost” Halloween special, we find out why the show went off the air. I wouldn’t be surprised if this movie skyrockets David Dastmalchian into the horror hall of fame, and I love a movie that harkens back to the Ghostwatch/WNUF Halloween Special era of fake documentary television. It’s not a “proper” found footage movie, but the vibe is still fun and, at times, very scary. Plus, another 1970’s inspired film!

2. M3GAN dir. Gerard Johnstone

God, I love this movie. It might be one of my favorite movies of all time, honestly. M3GAN took what Malignant gave us and ran with it, making it a little less fun by being more self-aware. But the more I watch it, the more I enjoy it as a purely good time and a smart script by the talented Akeela Cooper. A toy designer gains custody of her niece after her sister dies in a car crash. She struggles to parent until she invents M3GAN, an extremely lifelike robotic child. What happens when M3GAN gains too much power? I truly think that we all need a bit of comedy with our horror, and M3GAN delivers. It’s not too scary for non-horror fans too!

1. Talk to Me dir. Danny and Michael Philippou

Talk to Me exceeded my expectations. By Australian filmmakers the Philippou brothers (another set of Australian brothers on this list?), Talk to Me is like Hereditary but with a touch of humor. A group of teenagers pass around a mummified hand and hold seance parties where they talk to the dead. It’s an addicting and terrifying activity, and without precision, you may get possessed. The ending is also one of the best horror endings I’ve ever seen! This movie is not for the faint of heart, and I actually had to watch through my fingers a few times, but it’s great to put on with your horror-loving friends. But  if someone pulls out a disembodied hand and claims to speak to the dead, just say no, ok?

Honorable mentions: Cobweb, Skinamarink

What is your favorite 2023 horror movie?