This year brought many projects that redefined horror movies, making 2022 a markedly successful year for the genre. A24 dominated with hits such as X and Pearl, both starring breakout "Scream Queen", Mia Goth. Fresh and Bones and All served up disturbing cannibalistic horror, with both films using the gory affinity as a metaphor for real life struggles such as maneuvering the world of dating and coming of age.
One would be remiss to not also acknowledge the release of Nope, yet another Jordan Peele masterpiece exemplifying his ingenious storytelling. Notably, the iconic Halloween franchise gave its final bow, amidst a season that saw the release of countless fresh projects such as Smile, Bodies Bodies Bodies, and The Invitation. These were just a few of the biggest releases of this year, but 2022 really provided a veritable menu of content for horror fans to feast their eyes upon. As the year draws to a close, here is what fans can look forward to in 2023.
10
Infinity Pool
Alexander Skarsgård, Cleopatra Coleman, and Mia Goth are slated to star in this twisted tale of a couple whose dream vacation turns into a nightmare. After being offered an all-inclusive beach stay, James and Em Foster find themselves on a strange island with unconventional subcultures. In the trailer we see James suddenly hitting a pedestrian in the night as he drives, after which the visuals descend into a frenzy of fear, sex, blood, and mind games. The film is set to premiere on January 27, 2023.
9
The Exorcist
Brace yourself for yet another Exorcist film, with the 2023 reboot promising to be even scarier than the Academy Award-winning original. The cast features Ellen Burstyn and Leslie Odom Jr. in this remake of the 1973 classic. With Burstyn reprising her role as Chris McNeil alongside a fresh cast and crew, critics hope for an epic revival that will draw in both old fans and new. The Exorcist will be released on October 13, 2023.
8
Knock at the Cabin
The trailer for Knock at the Cabin promises a tense psychological horror that will have you on the edge of your seat. A young family drives into the woods for a rustic cabin getaway… horror fans already know this won’t end well. Since characters in horror films can never enjoy nature without being subjected to terror, a deranged, but diverse crowd of strangers force their way into the cabin, ominously announcing that this family has been chosen to make a difficult choice in order to avoid the apocalypse. That is the extent to which the choice in question is elaborated upon in the trailer, but with M. Night Shyamalan as the director and mastermind, there is no doubt it will come with unbelievable plot twists. Knock at the Cabin premiers February 3, 2023.
7
Scream 6
Scream 6 finds the survivors of the latest Ghostface killings in Scream 5 fleeing their rural town to start fresh in New York City. Despite their hopes of putting their grisly past behind them, the group is haunted yet again by the emergence of a new Ghostface killer in the big city. The film features Ready or Not star Samara Weaving, Wednesday star Jenna Ortega, as well as Courtney Cox and Hayden Panettiere. Based on the smash-hit success of Wednesday, the new Scream 6 is bound to draw in massive audiences on account of fan loyalty alone.
6
Enys Men
The trailer for the 2023 release of Enys Men reveals little, which is exactly what makes it so unsettling. The trailer, filtered with a sort of retro and grainy look, shows disturbing imagery of vermin, chanting women dressed in Amish-like garb, breaking glass, blood, a man going mad, and ghostly figures in the night. The film appears to rely on disquieting scenery and slow-burning tension rather than epic action and jump scares. If the film lives up to its trailer, it could be one of the most thought-provoking horror releases of the year. Enys Men will hit theaters on January 13, 2023.
5
Salem’s Lot
A film adaptation of the 1979 television series, which itself was based on the novel by Stephen King, Salem’s Lot tells the story of a young author seeking inspiration in his hometown of Jerusalem's Lot. He wants to write about a house that has long haunted both him and the community, the now abandoned home of a serial killer. The author soon finds that the truth was worse than he could have imagined, with the home hosting a deadly vampire.
4
Cuckoo
Euphoria fans will be thrilled to know that in 2023, they will see fan-favorite Hunter Schafer lead in a horror film. Schafer will play Gretchen in 2023’s Cuckoo, a project as of yet thoroughly enshrouded in mystery. We do not know when exactly the movie will be released in the coming year, nor do we know what it will be about. Other cast members include Dan Stevens and Jessica Henwick.
3
M3GAN
It’s almost a rite of passage for every generation to have a horror movie that absolutely ruins dolls for them. With the titular character treading right through the uncanny valley, M3GAN seems that it will do just that. A little orphaned girl is given the animatronic doll as a companion. The doll serves her purpose, until she begins to defy commands and eventually starts to claim lives. The film will explore the dangers of increasingly intelligent AI, and the potential complications of humans and AI forming attachments. M3GAN is to be released January 6, 2023.
2
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey
In a continuation of the strange trend of turning cute little children’s stories into grisly characters and harbingers of doom, get ready for Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey. One of the top Google searches related to the film’s title is asking whether the project is a real thing, to which the answer is yes. Screenwriter and director Rhys Waterfields re-imagines the 100 Acre Wood as a sinister place, where Winnie and Piglet aren’t so innocent and friendly. The trailer doesn’t seem to indicate any performances of high caliber or quality plot points, but it certainly will be an entertaining experiment in unironically turning a pants-less anthropomorphic bear into a serial killer. Whether you genuinely believe in the project or just want to get a laugh, the film premieres on February 15, 2023.
1
Evil Dead Rise
Prepare to sleep with a nightlight, if you can at all. Desolate wooded cabins aren’t the only places primed for haunting– a flesh-eating demon can torment you even in your Los Angeles apartment! This is the premise of Evil Dead Rise, as two sisters find themselves facing off against this disembodied evil. The film is expected to be in theaters April 21, 2023.