Halloween Horror 2023!
Halloween is upon us and for all you horror aficionados, this is the time when darkness, fear, and the supernatural take center stage. It’s the season of shrieks, jump-scares, and spine-tingling tales that send shivers down our spines. Yet again we have curated a list of only the very best Halloween horror movies for you. In the realm of cinema, each year delivers a new batch of horror films, each vying for a spot in the annals of horror history. Some films will haunt your dreams, while others may leave you questioning what lurks in the shadows. As the curtain falls on another year, we’re excited to present our annual roundup of the top 10 horror movie releases, carefully curated to send chills down your spine, make you question the reality around you, and perhaps even leave you with a sleepless night or two.
So, dim the lights, gather your courage, and prepare for a cinematic rollercoaster of terror, suspense, and the uncanny. Without further ado, let’s dive into the shadows and discover the horror gems that captivated audiences and critics in 2023. Here are the top 10 horror movies that left their mark on the genre this year. Viewer discretion is advised.
10. M3gan
A robotics engineer at a toy company builds a life-like doll that begins to take on a life of its own.
- Director: Gerard Johnstone
- Writers
- Akela Cooper
- James Wan
- Stars:
- Allison Williams
- Violet McGraw
- Ronny Chieng
- IMDB Link
My View:
M3gan is a pretty decent but tame horror flick. The story has a good flow to it, and the doll was creepy as hell. The visual effects are truly amazing. This was a decent movie, but they should have upped their game with the slasher/gore side of things. The Unrated version as a little more gore, but not much.
Trivia:
- Amie Donald performed all of M3GAN’s scenes that called for physical movement that the puppet could not do. She also performed all of her own stunt work.
- The song being played by Megan on the piano is “Toy Soldiers,” a 1988 hit for Martika.
- There is an Unrated version which restores various scenes which were cut for violence and bad language to secure a PG-13 rating.
09. Scream VI
In the next installment, the survivors of the Ghostface killings leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter in New York City.
- Directors:
- Matt Bettinelli-Olpin
- Tyler Gillett
- Writers:
- James Vanderbilt
- Guy Busick
- Kevin Williamson
- Stars:
- Courteney Cox
- Melissa Barrera
- Jenna Ortega
- IMDB Link
My View:
Oh God, not another Scream movie, well if that is what you’re thinking, so was I. This was far better than previous sequels of the franchise. This movie had a great intro scene to kick it off. It has plenty of slasheriffic fun throughout, and a great twist at the end. I see a lot of bad reviews for this movie which in my opinion are unwarranted. This was probably my favorite Scream since Scream III.
Trivia:
- Neve Campbell in 2022 stated she would not return to the franchise after receiving what she felt was an undervalued offer to play her role in the movie.
- We finally got the character Kirby back after being off the grid for so long. Kevin Williamson stated Kirby would have been back much sooner had the production team been able to locate Hayden Panettiere.
- Courtney Cox has now been in all 6 installments of the franchise.
08. Evil Dead Rise
A twisted tale of two estranged sisters whose reunion is cut short by the rise of flesh-possessing demons, thrusting them into a primal battle for survival as they face the most nightmarish version of family imaginable.
- Director: Lee Cronin
- Writer: Lee Cronin
- Stars:
- Mirabai Pease
- Richard Crouchley
- Anna-Maree Thomas
- IMDB Link
My View:
I totally didn’t expect to enjoy this movie as much as i did. This is a sequel to the original trilogy, and it has everything an Evil Dead movie should have. Tons of blood, gore, and scares. Ash was nowhere to be seen, but that didn’t bother me. This was a great revival to the original series.
Trivia:
- The Pizza place the get food from was called “Henriettas” This is a reference to Henrietta Knowby from the original films.
- I stated in “My View”, Ash was nowhere to be seen, but Bruce Campbell was hidden in the movie. Bruce Campbell was one of the priests speaking on the Vinyl recording.
- 6500ltrs of fake blood was used making this movie, in true Evil Dead fashion.
07. No One Will Save You
An exiled anxiety-ridden homebody must battle an alien who’s found its way into her home.
- Director: Brian Duffield
- Writer: Brian Duffield
- Stars:
- Kaitlyn Dever
- Elizabeth Kaluev
- Zack Duhame
- IMDB Link
My View:
This film was intense. A young girl finds an alien has broken into her home, and there is no one around to help her. She is constantly being chased throughout by these horrifying creatures. The movie had minimal dialogue as it was mostly the girl being hunted by aliens, but this just added to the scary atmosphere of the whole film. This movie is non-stop terrifying.
Trivia:
- Stephen King enjoyed this movie so much he took to twitter and posted: “NO ONE WILL SAVE YOU: Brilliant, daring, involving, scary. You have to go back over 60 years, to a TWILIGHT ZONE episode called The Invaders (1961) to find anything remotely like it. Truly unique.”
- The design of the aliens was based on real life sketches created by apparent alien abduction survivors from America in the 1950’s.
06. Saw X
A sick and desperate John travels to Mexico for a risky and experimental medical procedure in hopes of a miracle cure for his cancer only to discover the entire operation is a scam to defraud the most vulnerable.
- Director: Kevin Greutert
- Writers:
- Pete Goldfinger
- Josh Stolberg
- Stars:
- Tobin Bell
- Shawnee Smith
- Synnøve Macody Lund
- IMDB Link
My View:
“That game is over, the new game is about to begin”.
This was the best Saw movie in a long time. It has a really great storyline which some previous instalments lacked. It certainly wasn’t the typical torture porn of previous movies. The movie had me rooting for John and wanting the victims to be punished for what they had done. Great movie.
Trivia:
- This movie is set between Saw (2004) and Saw II (2005).
- When editing the “Eye Vacuum Trap” scene, the editor Steve Forner received a visit from the Los Angeles Police Department because his neighbors reported screaming coming from the office.
- This is the best-reviewed film in the series. At the time of writing this, it has a 79% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the second best-reviewed was Saw (2004), with 50%.
05. Insidious: Red Door
The Lamberts must go deeper into The Further than ever before to put their demons to rest once and for all.
- Director: Patrick Wilson
- Writers:
- Leigh Whannell
- Scott Teems
- Stars:
- Ty Simpkins
- Patrick Wilson
- Rose Byrne
- IMDB Link
My View:
Sometimes I feel like I’m the only one who thoroughly enjoys the Insidious franchise ha-ha. This movie gave us more twists to the story and plenty of great scares. From the very beginning, every Insidious movie has terrified me and this one didn’t disappoint either. I really hope the story continues with plenty more scares to come.
Trivia:
- In every scene you will find something red, this was subtle but deliberate.
- The cover song during the credit’s scene “Stay” originally by Shakespeare’s sister, features Patrick Wilson.
- The college featured in the film is named after Jane Pierce, she was a first lady (1853-1857). Jane Pierce was an occultist who performed seances in the white house to communicate with her dead son.
04. The Exorcist: Believer
When two girls disappear into the woods and return three days later with no memory of what happened to them, the father of one girl seeks out Chris MacNeil, who’s been forever altered by what happened to her daughter fifty years ago.
- Director: David Gordon Green
- Writers:
- Peter Sattler
- David Gordon Green
- Scott Teems
- Stars:
- Lafortune Joseph
- Leslie Odom Jr.
- Gastner Legerme
- IMDB Link
My View:
This movie surprised me. I was expecting another dreadful attempt like “The Exorcist: The Beginning”, but it was far from it. The Believer is the closest thing to the original movie so far. Chris Mcneil makes a welcomed return. The Young girls who become possessed were great for their roles. And I learn something new on the way! Jesus went to hell after being crucified… That was news to me.
Trivia:
- Linda Blair, who played “Regan” in the original 1973 classic, was on the set of this film as an advisor to the actresses portraying the possessed girls.
- At the beginning of the movie, we see a small, sculpted creature Angela’s room. This is the same creature Regan drew with wings in the original 1973 movie.
- Blumhouse spent $400 million to secure the rights to film this movie and had to guarantee a trilogy. Even if Believer is unsuccessful, two more sequels still have to be made.
03. The Boogeyman
Still reeling from the tragic death of their mother, a teenage girl and her younger sister find themselves plagued by a sadistic presence in their house and struggle to get their grieving father to pay attention before it’s too late.
- Director: Rob Savage
- Writers:
- Scott Beck
- Bryan Woods
- Mark Heyman
- Stars:
- Sophie Thatcher
- Chris Messina
- Vivien Lyra Blair
- IMDB Link
My View:
The Boogeyman is an adaption from the classic Stephen King short story of the same name. It taps into the primal fear of the unknown and the terrors that can linger in the dark corners of our childhood memories. This movie lives up to Kings original story. It’s a concise and unsettling movie that will terrify you and make you want to sleep with the light on.
Trivia:
- The Boogeyman is a film adaption from a short story Stephen King wrote back in 1973 for a magazine called “The Cavalier”.
- The first film adaptation of “The Boogeyman” was released in 1982 and was a part of the horror anthology film titled “Stephen King’s Night Shift Collection,” which also includes adaptations of other King stories.
02. Talk to me
When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill, until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces.
- Directors:
- Danny Philippou
- Michael Philippou
- Writers:
- Danny Philippou
- Bill Hinzman
- Daley Pearson
- Stars:
- Ari McCarthy
- Hamish Phillips
- Kit Erhart-Bruce
- IMDB Link
My View:
What can I say… Wow just wow. This film was totally original, I mean talking to the dead with a ceramic hand which looked scary as hell. This is low budget horror film that delivers so much more. The cast were great, the story was original, the dead were terrifying. This is one of the best horror films I’ve seen for a long time.
Trivia:
- Six hands were made for filming this movie in case of any breakages. The Director Danny Philippou kept one.
- Danny Philippou hopes to create a sequel to this movie if the first is well received.
- This was a debut theatrical movie for the brothers Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou.
01. The Nun II
1956 – France. A priest is murdered. An evil is spreading. The sequel to the worldwide smash hit follows Sister Irene as she once again comes face-to-face with Valak, the demon nun.
- Director: Michael Chaves
- Writers:
- Ian Goldberg
- Richard Naing
- Akela Cooper
- Stars:
- Taissa Farmiga
- Jonas Bloquet
- Storm Reid
- IMDB Link
My View:
This year the no.1 spot has to go to The Nun II because this movie scared the hell out of me. Nothing this year has come close to as terrifying as the Nun II. I love the Conjuring universe, and the spooky demonic nun is perfect for it. Yes, there are plenty of jump scares, but nothing has made me jump in fear like this movie did. The nun continues to haunt me to this day and I’m not in a rush to watch it again anytime soon. This Halloween, if you’re looking for something that will make you wet your pants, well look no further.
Trivia:
- The Nun II is the ninth installment in The Conjuring Universe franchise.
- It was actually shot at areal abandoned church in France.
Honorable Mentions:
While these movies didn’t make it into my top 10, they were all worthy contenders and deserve a mention:
Conclusion
As the credits roll on this year’s lineup, we encourage you to seek out these cinematic gems, turn down the lights, and immerse yourself in the haunting narratives that have defined the horror landscape in 2023. And remember, the best horror films are those that stay with you long after the screen goes dark, sparking conversations, nightmares, and perhaps even a renewed appreciation for the macabre.
So, gather your fellow thrill-seekers, grab some popcorn, and venture into the realm of horror where the supernatural and the psychological converge. From all of us at Meganano, we wish you a spine-tingling and fear-filled Halloween!
Happy Halloween Folk’s!
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