Top 10 Most Anticipated Horror Movies of 2023

Release Date: September 8, 2023 [US]
James Wan is set to have a big 2023 on the producorial side of things. In addition to this entry and a couple others later on this list, he’ll also be bringing us “Insidious: Fear the Dark,” with franchise star Patrick Wilson stepping behind the camera to direct the fifth installment. But few movies get our skin crawling like those in “The Conjuring” Universe. Helmed by Michael Chaves, who previously handled the universe’s “Curse of La Llorona” and “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It,” “The Nun 2” sees modern horror icon Valak return to cause more mischief. Also returning is lead actor Taissa Farmiga, who continues to follow in her sister Vera’s footsteps in the universe at large.

Release Date: February 24, 2023 [US]
Camp horror is having quite the moment right now, and nothing says camping it up quite like a bear on drugs. Poor puns aside, “Cocaine Bear” looks to be taking its quasi-true story premise and running with it. Elizabeth Banks is behind the director’s chair on this one, with an all-star cast that includes Keri Russell, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Alden Ehrenreich, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, character actress Margo Martindale and Ray Liotta in one of his last film roles. While we’re not expecting Fellini with this one, this does look like gleeful fun all the same. Meanwhile, February will have no shortage of killer bears, as copyright law has gifted us the childhood-ruining “Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey.”

Release Date: February 3, 2023 [US]
M. Night Shyamalan has been on something of a roller coaster the last decade or so. Offerings like “The Visit” and “Split” gave glimpses at the filmmaker’s glory days, only for them to be followed up by more divisive movies like “Glass” and “Old.” Nevertheless, it feels like moviegoers are still waiting for Shyamalan to recapture some of that early-career magic, and “Knock at the Cabin” definitely has potential. You never really know with Shyamalan, but this one has a lot going for it, from an intriguing apocalyptic premise to a solid cast, including Jonathan Groff, Dave Bautista and a Rupert Grint who’s been away from mainstream movies for far too long. Shyamalan’s knocking, and we might just answer.

Release Date: April 7, 2023 [US]
Nicolas Cage may not actually be a vampire in real life - maybe - but he was definitely meant to play one. He played one in “Vampire’s Kiss,” - sorta - but now he’s playing the mother of all bloodsuckers himself: Dracula. This horror comedy update on the mythos stars Nicholas Hoult as the titular servant to the Count, long-looking to break free from his master’s thrall. Along the way, he’ll encounter characters played by the likes of Awkwafina and Ben Schwartz, proving that this reimagining will have quite the funny bone. Meanwhile, 2023 will also unpack another corner of “Dracula” lore, as “The Last Voyage of the Demeter” will show the perspective of the crew Dracula feasts on while sailing to England.

Release Date: August 11, 2023 [US]
While nostalgic viewing for some, 2003’s “The Haunted Mansion” isn’t nearly as good as the other movie based on a Disney park ride that came out that year. Impossible comparisons aside, the Mouse House looks to give the attraction a movie to really scream about twenty years later with this new adaptation. A more family-friendly version of the classic haunted house narrative, this one will see a single mom, played by Rosario Dawson, enlist a handful of kooky characters to exorcise their newly acquired mansion. The supporting cast alone has us psyched, from LaKeith Stanfield, to Owen Wilson, to Tiffany Haddish, Danny DeVito, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jared Leto, Winona Ryder, and Dan Levy, just to name a lot.

Release Date: October 27, 2023 [US]
Few horror franchises make it to ten installments without being relegated to the home market along the way. In the spirit of “Jason X” and “Fast X,” “Saw X” will celebrate the milestone in a big way, though unlike those franchises, this one probably won’t go to outer space. After the franchise pivoted in 2021 with “Spiral,” this one looks to be getting back to basics, and getting back its biggest star, Jigsaw. Tobin Bell returns to play the horror icon, despite the character being dead for some seventeen years now. Also returning is director Kevin Greutert, who helmed the sixth and seventh installments. Will “Saw X” be the one to finally reignite the series? Only time will tell.

Release Date: April 28, 2023 [US]
Will audiences be afraid of this surrealist comedy horror film? Maybe not, but it is coming from the director who gave us two of the most unnerving movies of the 2010s, Ari Aster. Originally titled “Disappointment Blvd,” this follow-up to Aster’s “Hereditary” and “Midsommar” stars Joaquin Phoenix, seemingly as multiple versions of a man named Beau, whose journey home takes a strange supernatural turn. Further solidifying the comedy angle of this one is a cast that includes the likes of Nathan Lane, Richard Kind, Patti LuPone, Amy Ryan and Parker Posey. “Beau Is Afraid” looks wild, and knowing Aster, it’ll definitely be memorable.

Release Date: March 10, 2023 [US]
After the success of 2022’s “Scream,” Paramount was quick to get the ball rolling on a sixth installment. While an unfortunate pay dispute means this’ll be the first one without Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott, there’s still plenty to get excited about. For one thing, the series will be leaving behind the sleepy town of Woodsboro and moving to the city that never sleeps: New York. Returning to the fold will be franchise mainstay Courteney Cox, the predecessor’s other surviving characters, and even “Scream 4” fan favorite, Hayden Panettiere’s Kirby Reed. New blood also includes faces like Tony Revolori and Samara Weaving, the latter of whom will be reuniting with her “Ready or Not” directors. Ghostface takes Manhattan? Sign us up!

Release Date: April 21, 2023 [US]
The fact that this is only the fifth “Evil Dead” film is a crime, but we’ll take what we can get after waiting a whole decade since the last one. Originally slated to come out on HBO Max, “Evil Dead Rise” was delayed slightly to prep for a full theatrical release, which can only be a good sign. Much like the new “Scream,” this “Evil Dead” will be trading the isolated cabin setting for a cramped LA apartment complex. Coupled with the change of scenery, the premise too has us intrigued, as it’ll follow a young woman who seeks to aid her possessed sister and save the latter’s kids. Let’s just hope we don’t have to wait another ten years for “Evil Dead 6.”

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

“Salem’s Lot,” Release Date: TBA
Pushed Out of 2022, This Stephen King Adaptation Still Has Us Pumped

“V/H/S/85,” Release Date: TBA
The Long-Running Found Footage Franchise Has Another Retro Offering for Shudder

“Infinity Pool,” Release Date: January 27, 2023 [US]
Director Brandon Cronenberg Looks to Be Building a Horror Legacy Rivaling His Father’s

“The Boogeyman,” Release Date: TBA
Another Stephen King Story That Hasn’t Yet Gotten the Film Treatment

Untitled “The Strangers” Sequel, Release Date: TBA
The First in a New Trilogy of Sequels

Release Date: October 13, 2023 [US]
Many people often forget that the groundbreaking original has a whole slew of sequels, with this being the sixth installment - or fifth, depending on who you ask. While the franchise has had more downs than ups, there’s reason to get excited for this one. For starters, it comes just in time to celebrate the fifty-year anniversary of the original. Second, it’s being helmed by David Gordon Green, who recently gave us the new trilogy of “Halloween” movies. While the last two of those had their issues, Green looks to apply much the same formula here, developing again a new trilogy to follow up the first. Here’s hoping he and returning star Ellen Burstyn have even better success.