Top 10 Anticipated Horror Movies of Fall 2023

Top 10 Anticipated Horror Movies of Fall 2023

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Anticipated Horror Movies of Fall 2023. For this list, we’re looking at the most notable scary movies the spooky season has in store for us. Keep in mind that release dates are not set in stone. Which of these looks the scariest to you? We anticipate your comment below.

#10: “It Lives Inside”

Release Date: September 22, 2023 [U.S.] The horror genre has done a tremendous job of introducing Western audiences to terrifying legends from other cultures, and “It Lives Inside” looks to continue that movement. This one centers on an American teenager named Sam, who seeks to distance herself from her Indian upbringing. But when she encounters a demon known as a Pishacha, she’ll have to look inwards in order to defeat it. “It Lives Inside” had its premiere at the South by Southwest film festival earlier in the year, drawing decent reviews from the critics who saw it. But we can definitely see its potential of being the sleeper hit of the season.

#9: “Totally Killer”

Release Date: October 6, 2023 [U.S.] Horror and time travel have made for strange bedfellows cinematically, but when you throw in a comedy angle, that’s where the recipe gets good. Kiernan Shipka stars as a girl whose mother is murdered by the Sweet Sixteen Killer on Halloween. She subsequently travels back in time to the ‘80s in an effort to thwart a younger version of the killer, but temporal complications look to keep Jamie in the past permanently. “Back to the Future” meets “Scream” sounds like a winning combination to us, especially since costar Liana Liberato had a memorable role in the latter franchise in March. But it’s star Kiernan Shipka who we’re most excited to see, she having already established her supernatural cred in “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.”

#8: “Dear David”

Release Date: October 13, 2023 [U.S.] We’ve definitely reached an interesting stage of metamodernism when movies are based on Twitter threads and produced by BuzzFeed, but, here we are. In 2017, BuzzFeed writer Adam Ellis began tweeting about his supposed dealings with a ghost child. The story went absolutely viral, with BuzzFeed Studios making plans the next year to turn it into a feature film. “Dear David” is that movie. The potential for this one is honestly all over the quality spectrum, but as far as the storytelling landscape is concerned, it’s definitely a novel one. Color us intrigued, just don’t ever ask us to call Twitter “X.”

#7: “A Haunting in Venice”

Release Date: September 15, 2023 [U.S.] While by no means masterpieces, Kenneth Branagh’s Hercule Poirot movies have largely been fun whodunits giving A-list stars an excuse to wear elaborate outfits and act deliciously suspicious. “A Haunting in Venice” will be no different, except it seems to be leaning far more into horror territory. Based on Agatha Christie’s “Hallowe’en Party” - which until now hasn’t received a feature film adaptation - this one sees Poirot attend a séance where there’s, you guessed it… a murder! We love seeing these movies if it means the murder mystery genre stays alive, to say nothing of the rotating casts. This time, Branagh will be joined by the likes of Tina Fey, Jamie Dornan and a Michelle Yeoh fresh off an Oscar win.

#6: “Pet Sematary: Bloodlines”

Release Date: October 6, 2023 [U.S.] Stephen King has often propped up “Pet Sematary” as the scariest novel he’s ever written. And while reactions to adaptations have been mixed, we’re always holding out hope for a banger. A prequel to the 2019 movie, this Paramount+ offering will take us back to 1969 as the younger version of Jud Crandall first deals with the evil emanating from the titular burying ground. Speaking of recognizable casts, this one features screen legends like Pam Grier and David Duchovny in supporting roles, to say nothing of Henry Thomas, who’s no stranger to King adaptations. Hopefully fourth time’s the charm with this IP, and hopefully it’s better than another four-quel titled “Bloodline” that comes to mind.

#5: “Thanksgiving”

Release Date: November 17, 2023 [U.S.] There aren’t a lot of great Thanksgiving movies, and even fewer within the horror genre. Well, except “ThanksKilling,” of course. But we have had the fake “Grindhouse” trailer to return to, and now, it’s finally a real movie. A play on holiday-themed slashers like “Halloween,” Eli Roth’s mock “Thanksgiving” trailer is still hilarious to this day. So fingers crossed the real deal lives up to that reputation. This one stars social media personality Addison Rae, so you gotta know Roth’s sardonic sense of humor is still intact. And while Patrick “McDreamy” Dempsey still hasn’t reprised his cop role in the “Scream” movies, he’ll be doing so here. Horror fans will be eating good come turkey day.

#4: “The Nun II”

Release Date: September 8, 2023 [U.S.] Once the biggest horror franchise of the 2010s, “The Conjuring” Universe has slowed down some in the 2020s. The first “Nun” movie, while financially successful, was something of a disappointment for critics and fans alike. But the title villain remains conceptually terrifying, leaving us hopeful for this one. Franchise mainstay Michael Chaves returns to the director’s chair, having previously helmed “The Curse of La Llorona” and “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.” Also back is Taissa Farmiga, whose character still apparently has no relation to Vera Farmiga’s Lorraine Warren. Also starring is up-and-comer Storm Reid, who had a solid thriller outing at the beginning of the year in “Missing.” Now, let’s all pray for a superior sequel, shall we?

#3: “Five Nights at Freddy’s”

Release Date: October 27, 2023 [U.S.] This is one gamers have been anticipating for nearly a decade, but the wait is finally over. Based on the terrifying video games of the same name, “Five Nights at Freddy’s” adapts the relatively simple story of a security guard overlooking a rundown family pizza joint. Only the kooky animatronic characters seem to have minds of their own. “FNaF” got beaten to the big-screen punch a couple years ago with Nicolas Cage’s conceptually similar “Willy’s Wonderland,” but will still think this offering will retain its crown. It’s being simultaneously released theatrically and on Peacock, meaning you can conceivably watch it in the same location Freddy Fazbear first scared the pants off of you all those years ago.

#2: “Saw X”

Release Date: September 29, 2023 [U.S.] While Tobin Bell has played Jigsaw in every “Saw” movie sans the last one, it’s largely been through the use of flashbacks, as the character has been canonically dead since “Saw III.” Seventeen years later, John Kramer is back in the flesh. Taking place between the first and second installments, “Saw X” sees John travel to Mexico City for a last-ditch cancer treatment. But when the procedure turns out to be a scam, the con artists will rue the day they ever met Jigsaw. It remains to be seen if the series will finally reestablish its footing, with the last two reboots largely unable to bring back the glory days. But we’ll still be celebrating the franchise milestone in all its gory goodness.

#1: “The Exorcist: Believer”

Release Date: October 13, 2023 [U.S.] The first “Exorcist” film is often hailed as the best horror movie of all time, yet its sequels have largely failed to live up to its legacy. But if one has the potential to do just that, it’s “Believer.” Fresh off revitalizing the “Halloween” franchise with a new trilogy of films, writer-director David Gordon Green looks to do the same to “The Exorcist,” delivering a sequel to the original fifty years later. Similarly, this is also reported to be the first of three films, and much like “Halloween” brought back Jamie Lee Curtis, this one sees the return of Ellen Burstyn as Chris MacNeil. Who knows? Maybe the old school is exactly what audiences need to shock them all over again.