National Horror Movie Day: Best Horror Movies of 2023

CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – If you love to get scared, then National Horror Movie Day is just for you.

We are just eight days away from Halloween, which means that an abundance of horror movies are available for viewing in theatres and on streaming apps, according to the National Day Calander.

Horror movies have been around since about 1886 when Georges Melies, a French filmmaker, created a short film called “Le Manoir du Diable” or The Haunted Castle. The film was only three minutes long and included witches, demons, and special effects that created supernatural occurrences.

Horror films have been a huge part of movie culture with classic and influential works that continue to captivate audiences. The goal is to elicit strong emotional responses from the viewer, including fear and anxiety to shock and disgust.

There are three different horror movie genres, which are:

Fear and suspense horror movies aim to make the audience feel fear or anxiety. They often use suspenseful build-ups, jump scares, and eerie atmospheres.
Supernatural or paranormal horror films involve supernatural or paranormal phenomena like ghosts, demons, monsters, vampires, zombies, or otherworldly forces.
Psychological horror movies delve into the psychological aspects of fear by exploring themes like insanity, obsession, or the breakdown of the human psyche.

Celebrating National Horror Movie Day can be a fun and exciting experience for fans of the genre, but what are some of the best horror movies that came out this year? Rotten Tomatoes has ranked the best horror movies of 2023.

#1: Huesera: The Bone Woman

Valeria’s joy at becoming a first-time mother is quickly taken away when she’s cursed by a sinister entity. As danger closes in, she’s forced deeper into a chilling world of dark magic that threatens to consume her.

#2: Attachment

Attachment is a horror romance about Maja, a has-been actress in Denmark, who falls in love with Leah, a young, Jewish academic visiting from the UK. When Leah suffers a mysterious seizure, Maja fears their whirlwind romance might be cut short and decides to follow Leah back to her home in London. There, Maja meets her new downstairs neighbor: Leah’s mother, Chana. An overbearing, seemingly religious, and highly secretive woman, Chana seems resistant to all of Maja’s attempts to win her over. As Maja notices strange occurrences in the building, she begins to suspect that Chana’s secrets could be much darker than first anticipated

#3: 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.

#4: M3GAN

M3GAN is a marvel of artificial intelligence, a life-like doll programmed to be a child’s greatest companion and a parent’s greatest ally. Designed by brilliant toy company roboticist Gemma (Get Out’s Allison Williams), M3GAN can listen watch, and learn as she becomes a friend and teacher, playmate, and protector, for the child she is bonded to. When Gemma suddenly becomes the caretaker of her orphaned 8-year-old niece, Cady (Violet McGraw, The Haunting of Hill House), Gemma is unsure and unprepared to be a parent. Under intense pressure at work, Gemma decides to pair her M3GAN prototype with Cady in an attempt to resolve both problems–a decision that will have unimaginable consequences.

#5: Influencer

Tells the story of Madison, a popular social media influencer who is having a lonely and uneventful trip in Thailand despite what she tells her followers on Instagram. While reflecting on her boyfriend canceling the trip, she meets CW, a fearless and enigmatic traveler who offers to take her to some of the most Instagram-worthy locations. Together they share authentic meals and drinks with locals, discussing the differences between Madison’s online presence and CW’s lack of one. After showing Madison all of the amazing sights, things take a different turn when CW brings her to a surprise location, a deserted island that is completely off the grid.

#6: Brooklyn 45

Friday, December 27, 1945. Five military veterans gather in the ornate parlor of a Brooklyn brownstone. Best friends since childhood, they’ve reunited to support their troubled host — but when his invitation for cocktails turns into an impromptu séance, the metaphoric ghosts of their past become all too literal. Trapped in their host’s lounge, the Greatest Generation now finds themselves put to one final test… with their only route to freedom being more bloodshed.

#7: Totally Killer

Thirty-five years after the shocking murder of three teens, the infamous “Sweet Sixteen Killer” returns on Halloween night to claim a fourth victim. Seventeen-year-old Jamie ignores her overprotective mom’s warning and comes face-to-face with the masked maniac and, on the run for her life, accidentally time travels back to 1987, the year of the original killings. Forced to navigate the unfamiliar and outrageous culture of the 1980s, Jamie teams up with her teen mom to take down the killer once and for all, before she’s stuck in the past forever.

#8: The Blackening

The Blackening centers around 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. Forced to play by his rules, the friends soon realize this ain’t no motherfu**in’ game. Directed by Tim Story (Ride Along, Think Like A Man, Barbershop) and co-written by Tracy Oliver (Girls Trip, Harlem) and Dewayne Perkins (The Amber Ruffin Show, Brooklyn Nine-Nine), The Blackening skewers genre tropes and poses the sardonic question: if the entire cast of a horror movie is Black, who dies first?

#9: Sick

As the pandemic steadily brings the world to a halt, Parker and her best friend Miri decide to quarantine at the family lake house alone–or so they think.

#10: Infinity Pool

While staying at an isolated island resort, James (Alexander Skarsgård) and Em (Cleopatra Coleman) are enjoying a perfect vacation of pristine beaches, exceptional staff, and soaking up the sun. But guided by the seductive and mysterious Gabi (Mia Goth), they venture outside the resort grounds and find themselves in a culture filled with violence, hedonism, and untold horror. A tragic accident leaves them facing a zero-tolerance policy for crime: either you’ll be executed, or, if you’re rich enough to afford it, you can watch yourself die instead.

There are several horror movies that are currently out in theaters, according to Cinemark, such as:

The Exorcist: Believer– Sequel to the 1973 film about a 12-year-old girl who is possessed by a mysterious demonic entity, forcing her mother to seek the help of two priests to save her.
Saw X– John Kramer is back. The most chilling installment of the SAW franchise yet explores the untold chapter of Jigsaw’s most personal game. Set between the events of SAW I and II, 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. Armed with a newfound purpose, John returns to his work, turning the tables on the con artists in his signature visceral way through a series of ingenious and terrifying traps.
A Haunting in Venice– “A Haunting in Venice” is set in eerie, post-World War II Venice on All Hallows’ Eve and is a terrifying mystery featuring the return of the celebrated sleuth, Hercule Poirot. Now retired and living in self-imposed exile in the world’s most glamorous city, Poirot reluctantly attends a séance at a decaying, haunted palazzo. When one of the guests is murdered, the detective is thrust into a sinister world of shadows and secrets.
The Nun 2– New Line Cinema brings you the horror thriller “The Nun II,” the next chapter in the story of “The Nun,” the highest-grossing entry in the juggernaut $2 billion “The Conjuring” Universe. 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.