The 10 best horror movies of 2023 - RANKED

It was another brilliant year for both horror cinema releases and horror streaming releases.

There were plenty of scary movies that made substantial money at the box office, too. The highest-grossing horror movie of 2023 was Five Nights at Freddy's which made $292 million worldwide.

The Most Memorable Casino Scenes in Modern Cinema

Monday 31 August 2026, 14:17

How Casino Stories Continue to Influence Modern Crime Films

Monday 31 August 2026, 14:16

It didn't receive glowing reviews, though, so doesn't feature in our top 10.

Within our MovieMeter community, there are various horror movies that have received hugely positive responses. By subscribing to become a member of the MovieMeter community HERE, you can rate all of your favourite movies - and some of your least favourite ones.

According to our community, the best movie of 2023 is When Evil Lurks. Directed by Demián Rugna, the premise of the Argentine movie reads:

'The residents of a small rural town discover that a demon is about to be born among them. They desperately try to escape -- but it may be too late.'

It is the only non English-language movie on our list.

The best English-language horror of the year was Saw X. The 10th entry in the Saw franchise proved to be a huge success and many consider it to be the best movie in the series since the original.

Evil Dead Rise, Cobweb and Scream VI make up the top five.

Best horror movies of the year

1. When Evil Lurks

3.25 (170)

Cuando Acecha la Maldad (2023)

Brothers Pedro and Jimmy discover an epidemic of demonic possession in their community. The culprit may be in a nearby farm. When they find a possessed victim and try to help it, they do not follow the proper exorcism rituals. Due to their reckless action, many other people are also possessed by demons. Now the brothers must not only evade an encroaching evil, they must also enlist the help of the one person who can stop the supernatural plague.

Directed by: Demián Rugna
Stars: Ezequiel Rodríguez, Demián Salomón and Luis Ziembrowski

2. Saw X

3.17 (480)

Saw X (2023)

John Kramer moves from Saw to Mexico after the events. He hopes a risky medical operation can cure his cancer. Once there, he discovers that it concerns fraudulent practices. To teach the scammers a lesson, he makes traps for them.

Directed by: Kevin Greutert
Stars: Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith and Synnøve Macody Lund

3. Evil Dead Rise

3.15 (545)

Evil Dead Rise (2023)

Evil Dead Rise revolves around a young woman named Beth, who visits her single mother, sister Ellie and her family in a cramped Los Angeles apartment. When someone discovers the terrifying Necronomicon Ex-Mortis hidden somewhere deep within the building and allows a demonic entity to escape, they must fight together to protect their family from the undead Deadites.

Directed by: Lee Cronin
Stars: Alyssa Sutherland, Lily Sullivan and Gabrielle Echols

4. Cobweb

3.04 (264)

Cobweb (2023)

Eight-year-old Peter is plagued by a mysterious, constant tapping sound from inside his bedroom wall. A tap that his parents Carol and Mark insist is his imagination. As Peter's anxiety grows, he believes his parents are hiding a terrible and dangerous secret and questions their trust.

Directed by: Samuel Bodin
Stars: Woody Norman, Lizzy Caplan and Antony Starr

5. Scream VI

2.92 (509)

Scream VI (2023)

Sam, along with her three friends, Tara, Mindy and Chad, managed to survive Ghostface's attacks. They therefore decide to leave Woodsboro to make a whole new start. However, arriving in New York City, Ghostface appears again.

Directed by: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett
Stars: Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega and Jasmin Savoy Brown

6. The Last Voyage of the Demeter

2.99 (270)

The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023)

The Russian ketch Demeter is hired to transfer 24 anonymous wooden boxes from the Carpathians to London. During the journey, the crew members witness strange events taking place on the ship. Every night they are threatened by something horrible. When they arrive at their destination, the ship is abandoned.

Directed by: André Øvredal
Stars: David Dastmalchian, Aisling Franciosi and Liam Cunningham

7. Thanksgiving

2.94 (408)

Thanksgiving (2023)

The city of Plymouth in the US state of Massachusetts is the birthplace of Thanksgiving. The residents there get the fright of their lives when a riot ends in tragedy on Black Friday. Not long after, a mysterious Thanksgiving-inspired killer strikes. He has set his sights on the city's inhabitants and he is determined to kill as many of them as possible.

Directed by: Eli Roth
Stars: Patrick Dempsey, Addison Rae and Milo Manheim

8. Totally Killer

2.97 (222)

Totally Killer (2023)

On Halloween, teenager Jamie's mother is murdered. Jamie accidentally ends up in the year 1987, the year in which three teenagers are murdered. There she joins forces with the younger version of her mother to stop the killer. Jamie risks being stuck in the past.

Directed by: Nahnatchka Khan
Stars: Kiernan Shipka, Olivia Holt and Julie Bowen

9. Nefarious

2.99 (52)

Nefarious (2023)

On the day of his scheduled execution, convicted serial killer Nefarious is given a psychiatric evaluation. During the conversation, he claims to be a demon. Also, Nefarious seems to know that before their time is up, psychiatrist James Martin himself will commit three murders.

Directed by: Chuck Konzelman and Cary Solomon
Stars: Sean Patrick Flanery, Jordan Belfi and Tom Ohmer

10. No One Will Save You

2.88 (320)

No One Will Save You (2023)

Creative and talented young woman Brynn Adams is alienated from her community. Lonely but always hopeful, Brynn finds solace within the walls of the home she grew up in, until one night she is awakened by strange noises from unmistakably alien invaders. What follows is an action-packed showdown between Brynn and a group of aliens who threaten her future and force her to deal with her past.

Directed by: Brian Duffield
Stars: Kaitlyn Dever, Zack Duhame and Ginger Cressman