Ahhhh, 2023 is over. Another great year ofhorrorhas ended. Horror hounds have had their fix countless times. Both on the big screen and with VOD releases that proved horror is more alive than ever. Experienced filmmakers returned to their director’s chair, but the industry also saw the rise of newcomers who added a fresh vision to an always-evolving genre. In 2023, we also celebrated thereturn of big franchiseswith different outcomes. It wasn’t the year for those, but as usual, the industry saw it as an important lesson for the future.
This analysis also allows us to reconsider some takes we had in 2023. In some cases, those movies weren’t as good as we thought, and in others, they were simply better. After rewatches, opinions can change for better or worse, but that’s exactly the beauty of the genre: we keep coming back to it, try after try, sequel after sequel, to recognize there’s no fandom more pure than this one. Horror fans will be there no matter what, waiting for the film that could become their favorite.
During this time of reconsideration, we came upon a list of films that are usually on those horrendous “worst of” lists that, fortunately, become more scarce as time passes. So, we decided togive them a rewatchand ask ourselves an important question: Are they as bad as reviews say? Some we would like to stay quiet about, but in the following, we will take a stand. These are the 10 horror films of 2023 that are better than their reviews claim.
10Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey
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InWinnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey, the famous children’s book character is given a major shift in tone and genre. Winnie-the-Pooh is no longer the adorable bear with an insatiable hunger for honey who spends his days with his buddies and Christopher Robin. In the horror variation of the character, born out of the IP entering the public domain, Christopher Robin has left for college, and Pooh and Piglet are a couple of bloodthirsty monsters looking for food and teenagers to kill.
An Experiment that Will Surely Be Repeated
Can a film only triumph because of its premise? Absolutely not. ButWinnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honeyisn’t the piece of trash many critics said it was. It’s just a horror film based on something you know that doesn’t even physically resemble what’s in your memory. The introduction is cool enough to draw the attention of horror fans, and while what follows isn’t an extremely good horror movie, it’s good enough to perform solidly in the independent film circle. The film was given a wide release, and expectations were just too high. But if this had been released on a much more minor scale, the results would have been better. However, it was successful enough to make producerscome up with a sequelthat will, of course, introduce other characters you’re familiar with.
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9It’s a Wonderful Knife
It’s a Wonderful Knife
InIt’s a Wonderful Knife, Winnie prevents a disaster. She saves the town of Angel Falls from the wrath of a masked killer. But contrary to what you would think, the town doesn’t actually appreciate what she did. After she makes a wish, things go haywire: she goes back in time to a dimension where she doesn’t exist. The problem is that when she tries to tell everyone who the killer is and how to stop him, no one listens to her.
One More Christmas Slasher to Put Under the Tree Every Year
The very sick variation on the 1946 classic by Frank Capra is a pretty solid slasher film that not many people believed in. Critics didn’t exactly pay a lot of attention to it, and the film went unnoticed beyond Christmas horror lists. However, the film by Tyler MacIntyre is a funny and gory take on a classic tale that features everything you would expect from a modern slasher. Jane Widdop gives one hell of a performance in the film that you will surely put on yourChristmas listfor your yearly binge, alongside others likeChristmas Bloody ChristmasandBlack Christmas.
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8Run Rabbit Run
Run Rabbit Run
Australian horror filmRun Rabbit Runtells the story of Sarah and Mia, mother and daughter who find themselves dealing with strange events when Mia turns seven, a rabbit appears on their front door, and the little girl begins behaving abnormally. Sarah, a doctor who believes in science more than anything, questions her own sanity when the bizarre occurrences lead them into exploring the past.
The Fluidity of Ghosts
Run Rabbit Run is a great horror film from 2023 withplenty of scaresto make the day for horror connoisseurs. Sarah Snook in the leading role elevates the film above genre standards, and while she stays within the boundaries of “hysterical female” tropes, the story helps by confirming one horrific detail that will change the whole perspective of the film (you will shriek in the ending). Yes, it’s a ghost film, but not just any ghost film. How this has a 37% score on Rotten Tomatoes is mind-blowing, given how good and effective it is.
Stream on Netflix
7Insidious: The Red Door
Insidious: The Red Door
Insidious: The Red Dooris the Patrick Wilson-directed return of theInsidiousfranchise that takes audiences back to the original storyline that was interrupted after Chapter 2. It tells the story of the Lamberts in present times, with the son Dalton and father Josh, both of the family members affected by the previous events, getting harassed once again by demons coming from that other dimension known as the Further.
A Solid Franchise Return
Full ofscaresand great practical effects,Insidious: The Red Doorwas considered a quick cash grab by most. In reality, it’s a decent sequel that will most likely appeal to fans of the franchise and perhaps not many more. However, the performances by Ty Simpkins and Patrick Wilson, Dalton and Josh, respectively, are good enough to make this one worthwhile. It was the most successful film in the entireInsidiousseries, and that has to mean something, even if critics seemed tired of the concept and called it a disappointing film.
Cobweb, a directorial debut by Samuel Bodin, tells the story of Peter, a young boy whose overprotective parents seem to hide too many secrets from him. Peter hears something through the walls, and his teacher realizes the child may be going through trauma. As expected, his parents have something to do with it, but it’s not exactly what you would expect. You won’t guess at all where this one goes in terms of conflict resolution.
Original Horror with One of the Year’s Best Twists
This nifty andunderseen horror filmwasn’t very prominent and had a limited release schedule. Given that it was original horror, didn’t have the help of being franchise-driven, and featured relatively known actors, we can’t complain. Critics derided its third act because it exposed something unnecessary, but it was only the film’s hardwired flow into its conclusion. Limiting that would have felt unnatural, to say the least. The best thing aboutCobwebis, without question, its cast. Lizzy Caplan, Antony Starr, Woody Norman, and Cleopatra Coleman star in the film, and each makes their own horror statement with a script that’s not perfect but calls for enough of their skills.
Stream on Hulu
5The Last Voyage of the Demeter
Last Voyage of the Demeter
The Last Voyage of the Demetertells the story of what happens to the crew of the merchant ship known as the Demeter when they attempt the journey to London after picking up some items in Transylvania. In case you’re not familiar with the original story, the ship is transporting the creature known as Count Vlad, who indulges in some human blood before getting to England. The film was one of 2023’s most notorious box-office bombs.
A Classic Side Plot in the Form of a Decent Creature Feature
While the story itself doesn’t have much substance, the film by André Øvredal is actually pretty effective by horror standards. It has somepretty spooky moments, and the practical effects are among the best of the year. Javier Botet’s performance as the creature is nothing but great. However, its source material just didn’t connect enough with audiences. Some critics were kind to it, but most felt it was a lackluster attempt to rescue a familiar IP. The film, which spent almost 20 years in the making, is not nearly as bad as everyone said it was. It’s actually a decent contribution to the Gothic universe, without any decent adaptations in recent years.
Rent on Prime Video
4The Nun II
The Nun II
Michael Chaves’The Nun IItakes us back to 1950s Europe, where Sister Irene is now working on a convent in Italy and often remembers what happened in Romania a few years back when she faced the demon known as Valak. Given her experience, a Cardinal sends her off to France, where she must investigate, alongside Sister Debra, a series of strange deaths. There they face the demon, which likes to possess innocent souls relying on their religious values.
Better than The Nun? You Betcha
After the huge success that wasThe Nun, it didn’t take long for New Line and Atomic Monster to capitalize on The Conjuring’s successful character with a sequel. However,The Nun IItook some time to be released (we have COVID-19 to blame for that). And while the first film was a generic jump scare fest, part two of the story seems to dig deeper in the premise and not the scare factor. The characters are already well-built, so the film doesn’t waste any time trying to justify them with lightweight backgrounds. Instead, we face an angrier, much more violent Valak that, curiously, doesn’t show up more than necessary. Excessive exposure of the creature was one of the flaws of the first entry. The film’s production design is impressive, and it provides a great backdrop forthe scariest moments.
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Renfieldtells the story of R. M. Renfield in modern times. Renfield is also known as the English lawyer who Count Vlad puts under his spell and condemns him to be an everlasting servant. However, in this modern comedy approach, the young servant is simply tired of Dracula’s demands. He just wants to emancipate. Hopefully, he will do just that in modern New Orleans. However, Dracula won’t let go that easily.
The Tribute He Always Deserved
Chris McKay’sRenfieldtakes the character of Bram Stoker’s classic Gothic novel and delivers a very strange and noteworthy film that fell under the radar for many. Starring Nicolas Cage as Dracula and Nicholas Hoult as the title character, the film complied with the rules of horror comedy, but it also raised the bets in the gore department. This is one extremely violent film that could perhapssave what’s left of Universal’s MonsterVerse. Yes, it’s really that good and hilarious, and while not many critics loved it, it stands out as an original twist on a character that always felt secondary and always deserved more.
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2Five Nights at Freddy’s
Five Nights at Freddy’s
Five Nights at Freddy’stells the story of Mike Schmidt, a mall security guard whose traumatic past is far too heavy and indirectly causes him to lose his job at the mall. However, to be the custodian of his sister, he’s forced to accept a gig that he doesn’t really like. Being the night guard at an abandoned family restaurant. Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza is an eerie place, and after just one night, he finds out that the animatronic creatures aren’t exactly lifeless in this place.
They Could Have Done Something Much, Much Worse
The movie adaptation of theFive Nights at Freddy’svideo game stayed in development hell for several years. Fortunately,the concept’s creator, Scott Cawthon, was adamant about approving a film that was worth adapting and not a generic adaptation of a killer animatronic movie. Similar endeavors likeWilly’s WonderlandandThe Banana Splits Moviehave proven that you need more than just creepy robots. The result is a bombastic adaptation that takes itself seriously when it has to and just delivers laughs when it’s the time for comic relief.Five Nights at Freddy’sisn’t the gory splatterfest that many think it is. It’s actually much more interesting character-wise, and this angle works for the best, considering it has pretty good performances by Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, and Matthew Lillard.
1Haunted Mansion
Haunted Mansion
Haunted Mansion, Disney’s second film adaptation of the Magic Kingdom theme park ride, tells the story of Gabbie, a widow who moves from New York City to New Orleans to open a bed and breakfast in an old manor. After a few strange events, she realizes there’s a plethora of ghosts hanging around the house. To get rid of them, Gabbie seeks the help of capable “specialists” who should have thought twice before trying to help her.
More Than Just a Ride
While it’s not the first time theDisney ride gets a movie makeover, the last one was an awkward blend of bad CGI and comedy. This version of the horror comedy raises the stakes and delivers a PG-13 horror ride suited for the entire family that steps on creepy territory more than a few times. The film wasn’t as well received by audiences or critics, who felt the story was inconsistent in its constant transition between horror and comedy. In retrospect, we can safely say it plays great in a Halloween binge, and it’s one of the respectable live-action films by Disney released in recent times.
Stream on Disney+
To keep celebrating the Winter season, here’s a video about the best Winter horror movies ever made:
