M3GAN just hit theaters on January 6th and the horror-comedy is delivering chills and thrills to critics and audiences alike (batteries not included). It shares theaters with the less popular but equally enjoyable grindhouse feature Candy Land. (Does every premise/title have to be an attack on our childhood?)
The pair kicks off an exciting year of horror movies. 2022 was a mostly successful year for the genre, with movies like Barbarian, Hellbender, and Pearl leading the charge.
Will 2023 be even better? Here’s a list of movies to look out for.
There’s Something Wrong with the Children – January 17
This special “something” drops later this month. It’s directed by Roxanne Benjamin with a screenplay by T. J. Cimfel and David White. Benjamin directed 2019’s Body at Brighton Rock and produced the V/H/S anthology films.
Plot: Ben and Margaret take a family trip with their childhood friends Thomas and Ellie. The children vanish in the woods overnight and, upon their return, start to act strangely. Ben begins to suspect that something supernatural might be happening.
Personally, I wouldn’t suspect anything out of the ordinary. Children always act like they are possessed by a demon.
Knock at the Cabin – February 3
Like the end of most of his movies, M. Night Shyamalan’s career has had a lot of twists and turns. The inconsistent but sometimes-brilliant director returns in February with Knock at the Cabin. Knock is an apocalyptic psychological horror film directed and written by Shyamalan, with the original draft coming from Steve Desmond and Michael Sherman.
Plot: A family on vacation is taken hostage by four strangers who demand that they sacrifice themselves to prevent the end of the world.
Who doesn’t love Cabin-based horror movies like 2011’s Cabin in The Woods? Hopefully, this one is a knockout.
Cocaine Bear – February 24
You’ll barely believe this one as it’s one of the wildest productions in recent memory. Cocaine bear is inspired by the real-life events of a bear who ingested too much cocaine and died of an overdose. Yes, you read that correctly.
Plot: In the real-life events of 1985, a notorious cocaine smuggler died when he was carrying too much of the drug while parachuting. Some of his cocaine was found and ingested by a giant bear. Expect the movie to include a terrifying (and hilarious) rampaging bear.
Bear witness this February.
Scream VI – March 10
I recently ranked every Scream movie from worst to best. This March brings fans the latest installment. My worry that the franchise will run out of fresh ideas has been put on hold as the movie’s teaser looks positively thrilling. Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett with a screenplay by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick.
Plot: The survivors of Scream (2022) look to move on from the horrors of Woodsboro, only to be haunted by a new string of murders in New York City.
I dare you to see it. C’mon, don’t be craven.
Holy Shit! – March 21
Lukas Rinker‘s absurd black (and brown) comedy is skipping theaters and heading straight to the SCREAMBOX streaming platform.
Plot: An architect is stuck in a portable toilet located on a construction site that’s set to explode.
I’ve heard of explosive toilet encounters, but this is next-level.
Insidious 5 – July 7
Fans of the Insidious series will be happy to see Patrick Wilson return to star in the fifth installment of the series. But this time, he’s “taking over” the role of director like a demon possessing a child.
Plot: Josh Lambert (Wilson) drops his son (Ty Simpkins) off at college, only to find out that Dalton’s demons haven’t entirely vanished.
Insidious, in theaters this summer.
Haunted Mansion – August 11
Sure to be a more wholesome family affair than the other films on this list, the popular Disney attraction of the same name is once again being turned into a film. Directed by Justin Simien with a screenplay by Katie Dippold.
Plot: A single mom and her young son move into an oddly affordable mansion in New Orleans. They soon find out why the mansion was priced so low.
The original film performed poorly with the critics and had an underwhelming domestic box office, but its surprising international totals might be why the studio has decided to try again.
Saw X – October 27
Anyone who sees Saw knows that it has its ups and downs (sorry, couldn’t resist). The movies must still make enough money to justify their existence because the series enters double digits just in time for Halloween. Kevin Greutert directs.
Plot: Not much is known about the project other than fans will see the return of Jigsaw.
Saw X? I saw my ex once and it was frightening.
That’s just a sample of the tricks and treats that are coming our way in 2023. One honorable mention is Infinity Pool — which is on our list of sci-fi and fantasy movies to watch in 2023.
Until next time, good frights and goodnight.
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