Daily Grindhouse | BEE DELORES’ 50 BEST HORROR FILMS OF 2023

Horror stays thriving. Don’t listen to folks who say horror is dead or has grown stagnant. You have to really dig deep if you want the good stuff. The genre reached new highs over the last twelve months; I’ve found true gems that I’ll be thinking about for the rest of my movie-watching days. Where we have films like SCREAM VI, TALK TO ME, and M3GAN taking over the box office, there are dozens of indie pictures that are just was worthy of gripping the conversation.

From SKINAMARINK and THE OUTWATERS creating ripples throughout the genre to other little-known features like GOOD BOY, MURDER, ANYONE?, and WHERE THE DEVIL ROAMS presenting sharp-toothed dissections of humanity, horror movies have arrested audiences with bold, ambitious, and striking storytelling. Go big, or go home, as they say.

If you’re looking for something new to watch, peruse Shudder, Screambox, and Tubi to start. You’re bound to find that special film that shakes you to your core. It’s like going into your favorite mom ‘n pop rental place. The options of your next fear-inducting experience stretch out in all directions – it can be daunting to pick out what to watch. But do what I do: pick something based on either the poster art or brief synopsis. I’ve found the best indies that way. I often don’t even watch a trailer. It’s the best way to live.

Anyway. As the year comes to a close, I can’t help but be reminded how much horror has saved my life this year. A everything seemed to collapse around me, I turned to horror as a salve to alleviate the stresses of adulthood. Movies like SUMMONING SYLVIA, LANDLOCKED, and THE PUPPETMAN proved to be vital to my healing. It was a way to escape from the world but also see myself in a new light. By exposing the raw nerve endings of what makes me human, I can then confront anything in my daily life without flinching. There’s power in horror you just don’t get in any other genre, and 2023 was a true banger of a year.

Below, I’ve ranked my 50 best horror films of 2023. As you’ll no doubt notice, I present my picks without comment. For the sake of transparency, my list was scheduled to publish on another outlet but has since been scrubbed from the internet. Thus, my blurbs have now vanished into the ether. As the year ends, I have no bandwidth left to write out my full thoughts. I suggest heading into these knowing as little as possible and simply enjoy the ride.

You can also find my list on Letterboxd.