Tis the season for the Blood Brothers Top Lists of the Year!
Although I felt as if 2023 wasn’t nearly as strong a year
for horror films as some of the previous ones, overall, that doesn’t mean we
didn’t have some fantastic gems throughout the year. Here is my Top 20 Horror
Films of 2023 for your reading pleasure.
As always, this list is hardly as complete as I would like it to be, and it’s utterly
subjective as these are my 20 favorite horror films of the year. If there’s a
great horror film I’ve missed, please don’t hesitate to comment on the article
or social media post to share your lists or favorites of the year.
20. Falling Stars [dir. Richard Karpala, Gabriel
Bienczycki]
Although this indie cosmic horror drama has yet to get a
wider release, this was one of the highlights of the Telluride Horror Show this
year. Its subtle world-building, where falling stars represent witches coming
to Earth to take people for their yearly harvest, is not nearly as daunting as
one would assume. It’s smartly woven into its plotting and characters to deepen
their familial connections and expectations. It’s very much a slow burn, but
Falling Stars is one that definitely will find its indie audience once released
for its strong characters and slowly unraveling narrative.
19. Where the Devil Roams [dir. Toby Poser, John Adams,
Zelda Adams]
We’ve been huge fans of the Addams Family here at Blood
Brothers since The Deeper You Dig arrived on the scene, and their latest
adventure into genre filmmaking might be their best. It’s definitely taking
some big swings with its artistic angles, including its visual style that
continually degrades as the film goes on, but its tale of carnival performers
on the road makes Rob Zombie’s penchant for that life feel like it’s sorely
lacking any real substance. It’s character drive despite its big thematic approaches
and Zelda Addams continues to grow as a powerhouse performer.
18. Satanic Hispanics [dir. Eduardo Sánchez, Mike Mendez,
Alejandro Brugués, Demián Rugna, Gigi Saul Guerrero]
Is there anything better than a horror anthology with a
strong gimmick and distinctive voices powering its various segments? Nope. And
Satanic Hispanics is just that. As with all anthologies, the mileage will vary
for each viewer towards the various segments, but Satanic Hispanics manages to
get tons of variation into the mix with various amounts of humor, horror, and
heart throughout. Got ta give it to Demian Rugna and Gigi Saul Guerrero for delivering the two best ones that hit really hard in two very
different ways.
17. Evil Dead Rise [dir. Lee Cronin]
Sure, Evil Dead Rise might just be a bastardized combination
of Demons and Demons 2 (two films that felt like Evil Dead knockoffs in their
own right, albeit really fuckin’ good ones), but dammit if it doesn’t work.
It’s further proof that the Evil Dead franchise can resurrect as many times as
the Deadites and Lee Cronin is finding that balance of “new” and “old” to
deliver a stellar entry into a stellar series. Bonus points for an incredible
performance Alyssa Sutherland as a mom gone dead in this one. She truly gets to
strut a powerful physical performance here while the film delivers on all of
the Evil Dead style and gore.
16. Run Rabbit Run [dir. Daina Reid]
Perhaps my first real “hot” choice on the list, Run Rabbit
Run came with a lot of bad word of mouth in circles around me, particularly
that it was ‘unoriginal’ and ‘boring.’ Well, say what you will, but this
slow-burn, character-driven psychological haunter had me immediately and kept
me invested. Nothing is original, so it’s all about execution, and Run Rabbit
Run is all about the subtle frustrations of a past that never lets a person go.
Sarah Snook continues to be a low-key nuclear reactor of an actress, and she
gets to go through the entire rainbow of emotions here as she tries to figure
out if her dead sister possesses her young daughter. Don’t sleep on this
one.
15. La Abuela [dir. Paco Plaza]
Paco Plaza is back, baby. Well, to be honest, he never
really went anywhere. He’s been pretty consistent in delivering plenty of
interesting films, but his latest - where a young woman has to deal with her
slightly unnerving and possibly devious grandmother moving in with her - is
something of a classic horror film with lots of personality and style to boot.
The entire “old people are gross” aspect can sometimes be tiring, but Plaza
handles it with just enough humanity and a tight knack for tension that La Abuela
ended up being one of the year's surprise successes.
14. Brooklyn 45 [dir. Ted Geoghegan]
Told like a stage play with its single setting and
established ensemble of characters - including one iconic Larry Fessenden who
anchored the film's entire tone immediately with his presence and performance -
Brooklyn 45 was the little horror engine that could. It’s both intimate and
ambitious, as it takes a relatively small idea and expands it with a slew of
fascinating characters and their dynamics as they face off against the sins of
their pasts, the sins towards one another, and the sins that come boiling to
the surface. The horror of Brooklyn 45 isn’t necessary in its supernatural
bend, which is effectively used in a minimal manner, but the horror of people
who call themselves friends and heroes. Although I’ve been a huge fan of
Geoghegan since We’re Still Here, Brooklyn 45 might be his best and most
effective slice of filmmaking.
13. Huesera: The Bone Woman [dir. Michelle Garza Cervera]
Folk horror gets a crunching addition with Huesera. Although
the idea that psychological horror and body horror go hand-in-hand is hardly
new, the ghostly folk horror of the cultural and social commentaries buried in
this one make the combination irresistible. Huesera is ultimately a hollowing
and harrowing experience and its themes and ending will leave viewers feeling
all kinds of emotions. It’s a film that excites me to see what director
Michelle Garza Cervera has up her sleeve next.
12. It Lives Inside [dir. Bishal Dutta]
Despite some fantastic marketing, It Lives Inside was a film
that sadly felt like it was undervalued in 2023. Coming in the wake of Rob
Savage’s The Boogeyman (a decent film in its own right elevated by his
direction), it felt like It Lives Inside was unfairly maligned as repetitive
and disappointing when its villainous demon came to light. My argument? Hell
no. It Lives Inside is a fascinating cultural stew focusing on the dichotomy of
identity for a young Indian-American girl who needs to live with one foot in
two worlds. Those worlds collide when a demonic force is unleashed, and the
film has to nimbly bounce between classic mainstream horror beats and more
artistic, societal, and character themes. Color me smitten, but It Lives Inside
does play with the audience's expectations in fun ways. I’m curious if this one
gets re-evaluated rather quickly in the near future as a missed classic.
11. The Coffee Table [dir. Caye Casas]
Absolutely, positively, and undeniably, The Coffee Table is
the feel bad movie of the year. Unfortunately, at this time, it’s not available
for the mass public, but let me tell you - put this one on your list to look
out for. It’s a film that so viciously writhes in its own horror that it is
hard to watch. The vagueness of its premise is as haunting as the horrors that
occur to the family at its center. Go in knowing as little as possible, revel
in the deepest and blackest of its dark comedic streaks, and get emotionally
destroyed by The Coffee Table.
10. Dark Harvest [dir. David Slade]
Granted, my preference for horror tends to lean towards
slower-burn, character-driven films, but Dark Harvest had me immediately. It’s
a brutal combination of Pumpkinhead and The Purge with a fascinating time
period setting, and David Slade slathers the damn thing in as much Halloween
vibes as possible. It’s a film that will rub some folks the wrong way with how
it bounces between massive lore-building and more mainstream horror aspects,
but it has some of the best visuals of the year, and the sadness buried in its
story really resonated under its horror. Slade is back, and I hope he’s here to
stay.
09. Enys Men [dir. Mark Jenkin]
There are plenty of throwback horror films to the 70s era,
but rarely do films actually feel like they were made in the era and uncovered
in 2023. Enys Men is one of those. Mark Jenkin makes a low-budget psychological
horror film about isolation and insanity feel fresh, encapsalating the 70s
aesthetic and tone. If I didn’t know better, this could have easily been a film
included in some kind of lost 70s gems from Severin Films or Vinegar Syndrome.
And it’s truly a gem. Don’t ask me what happens in the damn thing because Enys
Men is all about the feeling and nightmarish descent into surrealism. Its stark
visuals, fantastic lead performance, and unnerving tonality is simply
effective. It’s an extremely slow burn, but boy, howdy, is it an
experience.
08. Seire [dir. Park Kang]
Oh, look, another nightmarish slow-burn horror film that
blurs the lines between reality and dream while delivering intense character
drama? In 2023? You don’t say. But this South Korean familial horror film
manages to make the cut. The film digs deep into character drama (and terror)
as a new father ignores his wife’s concerns about his newborn baby and possibly
brings back a ghost from his past when he goes to a funeral. It’s themes around
people dragging the ghosts of their past into their future is impactful, the
performances are stunning all the way around, and there is such a sense of
building dread to what WILL happen that it ends up being a fully unnerving
experience.
07. Late Night with the Devil [dir. Cameron Cairnes,
Colin Cairnes]
What sounds like a gimmick with Late Night with the Devil,
where footage of the final episode of a late-night talk show from the 70s
showcases what happened when horrific events unfold live on TV, is actually one
of the most potent character dramas of the year - horror or not. A stunningly
impressive lead performance from David Dastmalchian anchors the film, the
comedic punches work in conjunction with the building tension between
characters and the horror that starts to unravel on the set, and the style of
the entire film is so dynamic that it’s easy to be folded into its gimmick.
While the film might not quite make the top five, it’s definitely one that will
find its audience once it gets a wide release in the near future.
06. In My Mother’s Skin [dir. Kenneth Lim Dagatan]
I’m a sucker for a dark fairy tale vibe, and, geez Louise,
does In My Mother’s Skin bring that vibe home. What starts off as a fairly
classic horror setup, albeit with the fascinating setting of the Philippines
during World War II, where a husband from a family must leave his family of a
wife and two kids to handle some war business, quickly becomes a film that
would partner up very nicely with Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth. In My Mother’s
Skin quickly becomes a grim fairy tale of loss, broken promises, and monstrous
cannibalism as it unfolds. The film went to Sundance for good reason and was
unceremoniously dropped on Amazon Prime with little fanfare, so it might end up
being one of the best-forgotten films of the year. Also, as a bonus, the film
features one of the best child performances I’ve seen in a long time from the
young girl in the house. She comes in swinging in this film.
05. No One Will Save You [dir. Brian Duffield]
Although Hulu’s No One Will Save You suffered from some “too
much hype and gimmick” for some folks going into the film, it deserves all the
praise. A relatively dialogue-free experience, No One Will Save You is director
and writer Brian Duffield showcasing his strength as a visual storyteller
(after making his stamp as a writer for incredible films such as Underwater),
and it makes No One Will Save You one of the best cinematic experiences I had
all year. Its blend of home invasion horror with science fiction spectacle and
insanity drives the film to an incredible pace, but it might be the performance
of Kaitlyn Dever that ultimately sells the entire thing. My only complaint? I
wish Disney/Fox/Hulu would release this limited in theaters. I would love it see
it on the big screen.
04. Birth/Rebirth [dir. Laura Moss]
Frankenstein gets a modern and horrifying update in
Birth/Rebirth. When a mother loses her daughter suddenly, she uncovers that the
hospital mortician has taken her daughter’s body to see if she can cure the
ultimate disease - death. The dual chemistry between Judy Reyes and Marin
Ireland has the push and pull of some of the great cinematic duos here, and the
building horror of bent morals in the name of science and motherhood is
palpable. Motherhood horror is definitely a central theme of the last couple of
years, and Birth/Rebirth might be one of the best examples of it.
03. Influencer [dir. Kurtis David Harder]
The tagline of Influencer reads, “Be careful who you
follow,” and this strange modernization of the ideas in 1990s thrillers ends up
being one of the most thrilling horror films of the year. Blending elements of
Single White Female with a modern influencer angle, the film takes some wild
twists and turns as we follow a young woman on vacation who meets an influencer
at an almost empty resort. It’s the kind of thriller that rekindled my love of
the genre, and its tightly woven script, fantastic performances, and wild third
act make it one of the best of the year.
02. Skinamarink [dir. Kyle Edward Ball]
Love it or hate it, Skinamarink was one of the biggest
swings of 2023. I was fortunate enough to see the film in theaters, and in the
same way that Skinamarink’s narrative is indescribable, the tonality and manner
that this film hit me is relatively unexplainable. I sincerely white-knuckled
it through my showing because the film made my anxiety so bad just sitting in
the dark and waiting. It’s a film that is already well-noted for having a
diehard fanbase and a diehard contingent of haters, so you’ll probably be aware
of it when you read this list. It’s a film that hit on my primal fears so hard
that it was sitting at #1 on my list for most of the year until the next entry
came out.
01. When Evil Lurks [dir. Demián Rugna]
Demián Rugna did it again. He terrified audiences with his
haunted house pseudo-anthology, Terrified, and now he’s out to utterly hollow
out viewers with When Evil Lurks. The film is a sly combination of possession,
folk horror, and virus disaster film in a way that I’ve never seen before, with
some of the most horrifying sequences and visuals ever to be thrown onto the
screen. It’s truly a nihilistic and shock-filled experience worth the gander -
all while being such an impressively told story of family and the bonds that
grow and break between them. Not only is this the best horror film of 2023, it
might be the best horror film of the last 20 years.
Written by Matt Malpica Reifschneider
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