Editorials
Bloody Disgusting’s Top 10 Best Horror Movies of 2023
To say it’s been a strange, turbulent year might be a bit of an understatement. Historically, 2023 marks the year of the dual strikes by WGA and SAG-AFTRA, the first time in over 60 years that Hollywood writers and actors went on strike at the same time. While both fought for better working conditions and deservedly won, the work stoppage no doubt plays a large role in the theatrical slate both this year and at least into the next. Through it all, horror continues to thrive. Box office records were shattered and indie darlings and international gems continue to surprise audiences. Of course, it’s in the most turbulent times where horror thrives most; audiences turn to horror for catharsis or release from real world anxieties and fears.
That reflects in 2023’s horror offerings, which has given everything from unexpected lo-fi indie hits like Skinamarink and SCREAMBOX’s can’t-miss The Outwaters to larger-scaled period epics like The Last Voyage of the Demeter. Slashers continue to surge in popularity, as evidenced by the year’s best, but possession horror also demonstrates its mean streak through brutal gems like When Evil Lurks. Even gateway horror pulled audiences into crowded theaters, judging by the impressively popular Five Nights at Freddy’s. In other words, horror’s diversity continues to contribute to its success, while simultaneously making it difficult to narrow down the field to the best of the best.
Without further ado, here are the top ten best horror movies of 2023.
10. Suitable Flesh
This adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Thing on the Doorstep,” written by Dennis Paoli (Re-Animator, From Beyond, Dagon), and produced by Brian Yuzna and Barbara Crampton, seamlessly inserts itself into the late Stuart Gordon’s cinematic Lovecraft universe. Director Joe Lynch captures the humorous, oft-sexy tone of Gordon’s ‘80s/’90s Lovecraftian horror output while putting his own stamp on it. There’s painstaking attention to detail from the opening frame. It’s not just settings or characters that call back to the late Gordon’s memorable horror films, but aesthetics, tropes, and everything in between. But for all its ties to late ’80s and early ’90s horror, it’s the way Suitable Flesh flips the script on some outdated tropes that brings Gordon’s realm of horror firmly into the present. More importantly, Lynch assembled a talented cast for his raucous, sexy body-swap horror movie that impresses. Any horror movie that gives Heather Graham and Barbara Crampton so much scenery to chew in delightfully funny and violent ways is a win.
9. The Blackening
Directed by Tim Story and co-written by Tracy Oliver (Girls Trip, Harlem) and Dewayne Perkins (“The Amber Ruffin Show,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”), The Blackening skewers genre tropes to an infectiously entertaining degree. It follows a group of Black friends who reunite for a Juneteenth weekend getaway only to find themselves trapped in a remote cabin with a twisted killer. The slasher setup and skewering of tropes lay the foundation for a crowd-pleasing horror comedy. It’s not the kills or the horror that makes this so compelling, but the natural chemistry among the cast that instantly endears their characters to the audience. This cast makes the group dynamics feel authentic and with built-in history, and the humor soars as a result. The Blackening made for one of the best theatrical experiences of the year, too, if you were lucky to see it with a rowdy crowd.
8. Thanksgiving
After 16 years, Eli Roth finally expands his faux Grindhouse trailer into feature form. Instead of building his quintessential slasher around the grainy Grindhouse anesthetic, however, he brings the classic-style slasher into the modern world. That simplicity is refreshing in a current landscape of high concept slashers that constantly seek to stay ahead of savvy horror audiences. Roth, along with co-writer Jeff Rendell, instead seeks to make a meal of the revenge slasher format with a holiday twist through humor and memorable kills. Each death brings pain and bloodletting in delightfully mean-spirited, suspenseful ways. The gore effects heighten the creativity of the kills and the gleefulness of John Carver committing them. It results in a holiday horror effort that captures the lean, mean, and gory spirit of early aughts horror but set in the present. It’s a solid, entertaining reminder that sometimes simplicity is best.
7. Birth/Rebirth
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein inspired a streak of genre releases this year, but Birth/Rebirth packs the biggest emotional wallop of them all. Marin Ireland (The Dark and the Wicked) and Judy Reyes (Smile) deliver captivating performances in this dramatic tale by director Laura Moss about reanimating the dead. Moss’ feature leans more into drama, but the foreboding dread and compelling central performances ensure this bleak doozy maximizes its emotional impact. It’s the push and pull between the two leads that captivates, embodiments of science versus heart at odds over the ethics of reviving the dead. It’s far more complex than its simple setup suggests, made all the more thornier and engaging by its powerhouse leads.
6. Talk to Me
Talk to Me delivered one hell of a feature debut by twin filmmaking duo Danny and Michael Philippou, the creative minds behind YouTube channel RackaRacka. The title refers to the latest viral party craze, which sees teens gather around a volunteer who grabs a mysterious embalmed hand while uttering the phrase “talk to me.” But the energy and visceral violence quickly sets Talk to Me apart from standard teen horror. The filmmakers demonstrate a knack for stretching out the suspense as long as possible, only to release it through unexpected scares, gross-out gags, or visceral, wince-inducing violence. It’s not just the brutality that surprises but the filmmakers’ audacious visual interpretation of ghosts and the ghostly realm. The filmmakers create an exhilarating, chilling dichotomy between irreverent youth and the ghastly, surreal dead. The tonal shift from high energy horror into brooding melancholy may ultimately polarize, but it’s that bold confidence and daring outcome that makes it such a high mark for 2023.
5. Saw X
The franchise that began in 2004 hit a major milestone this year with its tenth installment, and what an unexpected rush. Director/Editor Kevin Greutert, working from Pete Goldfinger & Josh Stolberg’s screenplay, wields his enduring franchise experience like a lethal Jigsaw trap, ensnaring fans in a thrilling, triumphant sequel. Greutert, Goldfinger & Stolberg approach this tenth entry with a reverence for the franchise’s history while making it accessible for newcomers. Setting it so early in the timeline allows for fan favorites to return, with Tobin Bell and Shawnee Smith picking up as if they’d never left. There’s a comfortable sense of awareness and humor found in a sequel that utilizes its pared-back simplicity to showcase the characters and gore- strong emphasis on both. It’s not just the gruesome and inventive new traps that make Saw X so winsome, but the return of Kramer and Amanda, along with one of the most vile new villains to come along in a long while.
4. Infinity Pool
Writer/Director Brandon Cronenberg once again delivers mind-bending, warped horror in the resort-set Infinity Pool. Straightaway, Cronenberg instills an off-kilter, satirical vibe with his fictional setting, and that unravels into deranged madness thanks the fearless, committed performances by Alexander Skarsgård and Mia Goth. Together, the pair take their characters to places that never fail to leave your jaw on the floor- again and again. More than just a horror-tinged repeating cycle of violence and debauchery, Infinity Pool is funny. There’s a gleeful sense of humor on display that makes this insane voyage more accessible and complex. It’s unpredictable, compelling, audacious, and extremely violent in the best way.
3. No One Will Save You
Writer/Director Brian Duffield (Spontaneous, Love and Monsters) has an uncanny ability to deliver thrilling genre features with an affecting emotional center that often leave your heart on the floor. For his latest, an alienated woman, Brynn (Kaitlyn Dever), finds herself contending with highly intelligent, hostile aliens from another planet. What transpires is a breathless journey through self-forgiveness that gets transformed into a propulsive, nerve-fraying sci-fi twist on home invasion horror. There’s not an ounce of fat in this nearly 90-minute genre actioner. Duffield spends roughly eight minutes introducing Brynn and her place within this world before plummeting into a series of escalating chases, encounters, and terrifying reveals about the invaders. The sound design is impeccable, heightening the intensity to a nerve-fraying degree. Perhaps most impressive is that Brynn’s transformative arc gets relayed almost entirely without dialogue or tidy conclusions; Brynn is a complex character and so, too, is her fate.
2. Scream VI
Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, working from a script by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, build upon last year’s Scream most satisfyingly, perfecting the “requel” formula with a more intense sequel. Scream VI operates in conversation with Scream 2, thematically and beyond, shifting the slasher fun to the big city. The filmmakers up the ante, delivering inventive, edge-of-your-seat set pieces that showcase the urban setting and how savage Ghostface is this round. Scream VI demonstrates keen understanding of what makes a slasher so thrilling; highly suspenseful cat-and-mouse chases and fully-realized characters with rooting interest. This sequel nails both. The breathless set pieces leave you on the edge of your seat, and the Core Four make a triumphant transition from new class to seasoned survivors in infectious ways, led by a fierce Melissa Barrera. Who knows where this franchise goes from here, but Scream VI set the bar dauntingly high.
1. Godzilla Minus One
Toho’s latest entry in their enduring Godzilla franchise has cut through the noise of a crowded film cycle, moved beyond its devout fanbase, and, through director/writer Takashi Yamazaki, found a way to resonate with mainstream audiences. Every bit of the attention is deserved. Godzilla Minus One marries a WWII drama with an old-fashioned creature feature. The former deals with complex themes of honor and war as the film’s human characters struggle to pick up the pieces of their war torn city. The latter delivers unparalleled kaiju horror and spectacle. There’s no shortage of suspenseful chases or confrontations with a vast, seemingly indestructible threat. Moreover, Godzilla Minus One does what bombastic action horror movies of this ilk often don’t; it drives home the devastating reality that Godzilla‘s rampaging wreaks upon civilization. Here, the destruction is devastating to a palpable degree. Even at sea, far from land, Godzilla is a looming presence to be feared as Takashi Yamazaki borrows a page or three from Steven Spielberg’s Jaws. It’s a rare feature to effortlessly toe the line between crowd-pleaser and award-contender, in the most thrilling, cinematic way possible.
Soon after the New Hollywood generation took over the entertainment industry, they started having children. And more than any filmmakers that came before—they were terrified. Rosemary’s Baby (1968), The Exorcist (1973), The Omen (1976), Eraserhead (1977), The Brood (1979), The Shining (1980), Possession (1981), and many others all deal, at least in part, with the fears of becoming or being a parent. What if my child turns out to be a monster? is corrupted by some evil force? or turns out to be the fucking Antichrist? What if I screw them up somehow, or can’t help them, or even go insane and try to kill them? Horror has always been at its best when exploring relatable fears through extreme circumstances. A prime example of this is Larry Cohen’s 1974 monster-baby movie It’s Alive, which explores the not only the rollercoaster of emotions that any parent experiences when confronted with the difficulties of raising a child, but long-standing questions of who or what is at fault when something goes horribly wrong.
Cohen begins making his underlying points early in the film as Frank Davis (John P. Ryan) discusses the state of the world with a group of expectant fathers in a hospital waiting room. They discuss the “overabundance of lead” in foods and the environment, smog, and pesticides that only serve to produce roaches that are “bigger, stronger, and harder to kill.” Frank comments that this is “quite a world to bring a kid into.” This has long been a discussion point among people when trying to decide whether to have kids or not. I’ve had many conversations with friends who have said they feel it’s irresponsible to bring children into such a violent, broken, and dangerous world, and I certainly don’t begrudge them this. My wife and I did decide to have children but that doesn’t mean that it’s been easy.
Immediately following this scene comes It’s Alive’s most famous sequence in which Frank’s wife Lenore (Sharon Farrell) is the only person left alive in her delivery room, the doctors clawed and bitten to death by her mutant baby, which has escaped. “What does my baby look like!? What’s wrong with my baby!?” she screams as nurses wheel her frantically into a recovery room. The evening that had begun with such joy and excitement at the birth of their second child turned into a nightmare. This is tough for me to write, but on some level, I can relate to this whiplash of emotion. When my second child was born, they came about five weeks early. I’ll use the pronouns “they/them” for privacy reasons when referring to my kids. Our oldest was still very young and went to stay with my parents and we sped off to the hospital where my wife was taken into an operating room for an emergency c-section. I was able to carry our newborn into the NICU (natal intensive care unit) where I was assured that this was routine for all premature births. The nurses assured me there was nothing to worry about and the baby looked big and healthy. I headed to where my wife was taken to recover to grab a few winks assuming that everything was fine. Well, when I awoke, I headed back over to the NICU to find that my child was not where I left them. The nurse found me and told me that the baby’s lungs were underdeveloped, and they had to put them in a special room connected to oxygen tubes and wires to monitor their vitals.
It’s difficult to express the fear that overwhelmed me in those moments. Everything turned out okay, but it took a while and I’m convinced to this day that their anxiety struggles spring from these first weeks of life. As our children grew, we learned that two of the three were on the spectrum and that anxiety, depression, ADHD, and OCD were also playing a part in their lives. Parents, at least speaking for myself, can’t help but blame themselves for the struggles their children face. The “if only” questions creep in and easily overcome the voices that assure us that it really has nothing to do with us. In the film, Lenore says, “maybe it’s all the pills I’ve been taking that brought this on.” Frank muses aloud about how he used to think that Frankenstein was the monster, but when he got older realized he was the one that made the monster. The aptly named Frank is wondering if his baby’s mutation is his fault, if he created the monster that is terrorizing Los Angeles. I have made plenty of “if only” statements about myself over the years. “If only I hadn’t had to work so much, if only I had been around more when they were little.” Mothers may ask themselves, “did I have a drink, too much coffee, or a cigarette before I knew I was pregnant? Was I too stressed out during the pregnancy?” In other words, most parents can’t help but wonder if it’s all their fault.
At one point in the film, Frank goes to the elementary school where his baby has been sighted and is escorted through the halls by police. He overhears someone comment about “screwed up genes,” which brings about age-old questions of nature vs. nurture. Despite the voices around him from doctors and detectives that say, “we know this isn’t your fault,” Frank can’t help but think it is, and that the people who try to tell him it isn’t really think it’s his fault too. There is no doubt that there is a hereditary element to the kinds of mental illness struggles that my children and I deal with. But, and it’s a bit but, good parenting goes a long way in helping children deal with these struggles. Kids need to know they’re not alone, a good parent can provide that, perhaps especially parents that can relate to the same kinds of struggles. The question of nature vs. nurture will likely never be entirely answered but I think there’s more than a good chance that “both/and” is the case. Around the midpoint of the film, Frank agrees to disown the child and sign it over for medical experimentation if caught or killed. Lenore and the older son Chris (Daniel Holzman) seek to nurture and teach the baby, feeling that it is not a monster, but a member of the family.
It’s Alive takes these ideas to an even greater degree in the fact that the Davis Baby really is a monster, a mutant with claws and fangs that murders and eats people. The late ’60s and early ’70s also saw the rise in mass murderers and serial killers which heightened the nature vs. nurture debate. Obviously, these people were not literal monsters but human beings that came from human parents, but something had gone horribly wrong. Often the upbringing of these killers clearly led in part to their antisocial behavior, but this isn’t always the case. It’s Alive asks “what if a ‘monster’ comes from a good home?” In this case is it society, environmental factors, or is it the lead, smog, and pesticides? It is almost impossible to know, but the ending of the film underscores an uncomfortable truth—even monsters have parents.
As the film enters its third act, Frank joins the hunt for his child through the Los Angeles sewers and into the L.A. River. He is armed with a rifle and ready to kill on sight, having divorced himself from any relationship to the child. Then Frank finds his baby crying in the sewers and his fatherly instincts take over. With tears in his eyes, he speaks words of comfort and wraps his son in his coat. He holds him close, pats and rocks him, and whispers that everything is going to be okay. People often wonder how the parents of those who perform heinous acts can sit in court, shed tears, and defend them. I think it’s a complex issue. I’m sure that these parents know that their child has done something evil, but that doesn’t change the fact that they are still their baby. Your child is a piece of yourself formed into a whole new human being. Disowning them would be like cutting off a limb, no matter what they may have done. It doesn’t erase an evil act, far from it, but I can understand the pain of a parent in that situation. I think It’s Alive does an exceptional job placing its audience in that situation.
Despite the serious issues and ideas being examined in the film, It’s Alive is far from a dour affair. At heart, it is still a monster movie and filled with a sense of fun and a great deal of pitch-black humor. In one of its more memorable moments, a milkman is sucked into the rear compartment of his truck as red blood mingles with the white milk from smashed bottles leaking out the back of the truck and streaming down the street. Just after Frank agrees to join the hunt for his baby, the film cuts to the back of an ice cream truck with the words “STOP CHILDREN” emblazoned on it. It’s a movie filled with great kills, a mutant baby—created by make-up effects master Rick Baker early in his career, and plenty of action—and all in a PG rated movie! I’m telling you, the ’70s were wild. It just also happens to have some thoughtful ideas behind it as well.
Which was Larry Cohen’s specialty. Cohen made all kinds of movies, but his most enduring have been his horror films and all of them tackle the social issues and fears of the time they were made. God Told Me To (1976), Q: The Winged Serpent (1982), and The Stuff (1985) are all great examples of his socially aware, low-budget, exploitation filmmaking with a brain and It’s Alive certainly fits right in with that group. Cohen would go on to write and direct two sequels, It Lives Again (aka It’s Alive 2) in 1978 and It’s Alive III: Island of the Alive in 1987 and is credited as a co-writer on the 2008 remake. All these films explore the ideas of parental responsibility in light of the various concerns of the times they were made including abortion rights and AIDS.
Fifty years after It’s Alive was initially released, it has only become more relevant in the ensuing years. Fears surrounding parenthood have been with us since the beginning of time but as the years pass the reasons for these fears only seem to become more and more profound. In today’s world the conversation of the fathers in the waiting room could be expanded to hormones and genetic modifications in food, terrorism, climate change, school and other mass shootings, and other threats that were unknown or at least less of a concern fifty years ago. Perhaps the fearmongering conspiracy theories about chemtrails and vaccines would be mentioned as well, though in a more satirical fashion, as fears some expectant parents encounter while endlessly doomscrolling Facebook or Twitter. Speaking for myself, despite the struggles, the fears, and the sadness that sometimes comes with having children, it’s been worth it. The joys ultimately outweigh all of that, but I understand the terror too. Becoming a parent is no easy choice, nor should it be. But as I look back, I can say that I’m glad we made the choice we did.
I wonder if Frank and Lenore can say the same thing.
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