5 Horror Movies I Can’t Wait To See In 2023
2022 was an incredible year for cinema. It looks like 2023 will have plenty of gems for us to get excited about, too. This year has started off strong, what with the surprising power of Kyle Edward Ball’s microbudget horror phenomenon Skinamarink and Brandon Cronenberg’s deliciously nauseating Infinity Pool. There is plenty more to come, though, and I’m excited to catch all of it.
Here are five horror films that are on my radar this year.
5. THE OUTWATERS (d. Robbie Banfitch)
“The Outwaters is the rare found-footage movie that’s actually and profoundly cinematic, and Banfitch weaponizes your gratitude for this unexpected formalist bounty.”
Robbie Banfitch’s found-footage feature debut, The Outwaters, looks to be exactly what I want and need from horror. It follows four travelers who encounter “menacing phenomena” while camping in the Mojave Desert.
The response to this film has been nothing short of fascinating. I hope to catch it in theaters, but should a showing not materialize here in El Paso, I’ll be sure to check it out on Screambox when it heads to streaming (and I recommend you do the same).
The Outwaters is opening in theaters on February 9th and will be streaming exclusively on Screambox afterward.
4. EVIL DEAD RISE (d. Lee Cronin)
The first two Evil Dead films are near and dear to my heart, both as incredible horror films and as proof that all it takes to make some incredible cinema is a vision, passion, and a dedicated group.
Evil Dead Rise appears to be an exciting and gory return for the franchise, which — aside from the TV show Ash vs Evil Dead — has been dormant since Fede Alvarez’s 2013 remake. For all intents and purposes though, this seems like a great return to form. Featuring a script co-written by Raimi, Evil Dead Rise is taking its spooky formula out of the woods, putting it in a city and featuring a new slate of characters.
Lee Cronin is a somewhat unknown quantity from the director’s chair. His prior film, The Hole in the Ground, was appropriately eerie, though. You can read my thoughts about that film here.
But the strongest sign for this film? It was initially going to be released directly to HBO Max without a theatrical release, but test audiences loved it so much that the studio decided otherwise.
Evil Dead Rise opens in theaters on April 21.
3. CONSECRATION (d. Christopher Smith)
Christopher Smith’s 2009 film Triangle is one of my favorites. It features a stunning twist that is both dread-inducing and pulse-pounding and it’s anchored by a slate of incredible performances. So, color me surprised when I found out he’s releasing a new film this year!
Consecration could not be further from the other stuff he’s directed, though. Set in Ireland, the film follows a woman investigating her priest brother’s apparent suicide — only to uncover disturbing truths.
Starring Jenna Malone (Donnie Darko, The Neon Demon) and Danny Huston (Wonder Woman, Children of Men), I am very excited to check this one out.
Consecration releases theatrically on March 11.
2. LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER (d. André Øvredal)
This film is still listed as being in post-production. However, the concept, the director, and the cast all have me hooked.
As its title would suggest, Last Voyage of the Demeter follows the titular Demeter — the Russian schooner in Bram Stoker’s Dracula that carried private cargo from Carpathia to London. As you can imagine, all Hell breaks loose on the boat, and when it arrives in London it does not do so with the crew intact.
Directing this is André Øvredal, one of the most exciting horror directors working today (also known for The Autopsy of Jane Doe, Trollhunter, and Scary Stories To Tell In the Dark) and he’s working with an incredible cast — David Dastmalchian (Dune, Blade Runner 2049), Aisling Franciosi (The Nightingale), Liam Cunningham (Game of Thrones), and Corey Hawkins (Straight Outta Compton, BlackKklansman), among others.
I’m very excited to see what Øvredal does with this film.
Last Voyage of the Demeter is expected to release on August 11, 2023.
1. SCREAM VI (d. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett)
I mean, come on. Is this that shocking?
I was lukewarm about last year’s Scream reboot. As I mentioned in my review of it, it too often felt like it was imitating Wes Craven’s masterpiece rather than creating a unique story and vision. However, here it looks like the team is shaking things up, bringing Ghostface out of Woodsboro and into the Big Apple.
Returning are some familiar faces — Jenna Ortega, Melissa Barrera, Courtney Cox, Mason Gooding, and Jasmin Savoy-Brown. Plus, Hayden Panettiere will be reprising her role as Kirby Reed from Scream 4, and a ton of new faces are joining the fray — Samara Weaving (Ready or Not, The Babysitter), Josh Segarra (Arrow, Overboard), Liana Liberato (If I Stay, Stuck In Love), and Henry Czerny (perhaps best known as Kittredge in the original Mission: Impossible), just to name a few.
Neve Cambell, who portrayed Sidney Prescott throughout the franchise's prior five films, has stated she is not returning for this installment.
Scream VI releases in theaters on March 10.
