It doesn’t have to be spooky season for those of us at MALESTROM HQ to get excited about a good horror movie. And after a bit of a slow start to the year it seems the coming months are going to leave fans of scary films seriously spoilt for choice. With the continuation of everyone’s favourite smart slasher series arriving in cinemas this week, in the shape of Scream VI, we thought it was a choice moment to pick out ten of the most spine tingling, dread filled flicks heading to screens big and small. Here are ten of the best new horror movies for 2023.
Scream VI (March 10th)
After the successful relaunch of the franchise last year, we’ve not had long to wait for a shiny new Ghostface to reappear, this time creating murderous mayhem around New York. Here four survivors from Woodsboro head to the Big Apple for a fresh start, but it doesn’t take long before they all find themselves in another epic fight for their lives. Wednesday’s Jenny Ortega stars alongside Scream original Courtney Cox.
Children of the Corn (out now)
Creepy killer kids is always a big box tick in the scare stakes and this re-telling of the Steven King story that became an 80s horror movie series, sees plenty more where the OG films left off. After being possessed by a spirit in a dying cornfield (it happens), 12-year-old Eden recruits some other devilish sprogs and leads them on a bloody rampage, taking out all adults who lie in their wake. Looks like the kids aren’t alright.
The Outwaters (out now)
Found footage films has become a bit of a played out trope in horror, but this unique take by director Robbie Banfitch manages to breathe some fresh life into the genre. The film sees four soles venture into the Mojave Desert to make a music video, led by a charismatic LA filmmaker. Not much happens at the start of their adventure, but one night descends into a nightmarish terror trip that’ll have you holding onto your seat. Find this one on SCREAMBOX.
Family Dinner (March 28th)
It might be advisable to not watch this upcoming Austrian horror movie with a full stomach. It follows overweight and insecure Simi, as she spends Easter weekend with her nutritionist Aunt Claudia. But rather than getting help on a path to a healthier life, she has to deal with her aunt’s creepy family and what starts innocuously enough, becomes full blown nastiness that may be too much for some eyes.
Evil Dead Rise (April 21st)
Another iconic horror franchise risen from the (evil) dead here. This instalment sees two estranged sisters, Beth and Ellie, who reunite and soon discover a a mysterious book deep in the bowels of Ellie’s L.A. apartment building. It might not surprise readers that this insidious book heralds flesh-possessing demons, forcing Beth into a battle of survival as she deals with the most nightmarish version of her brood imaginable. They do say you can’t choose your family! Watch the trailer HERE.
The Black Demon (April 28th)
We’re suckers for a good shark movie, and despite the current lack of trailer we have fairly high hopes for this upcoming creature feature. Based on the Mexican legend, the film stars Josh Lucas (The Forever Purge) as an oilman who finds himself and his family trapped on an offshore rig being terrorised by a giant black killer shark. The company producing the film have promised a “fresh and exciting take on the fabled deep-water predator”. Fingers crossed for this one.
The Boogeyman (June 2nd)
Having directed two of the best, and yet still fairly unknown horror movies of the last few years in Host and Dashcam, Rob Savage has now turned his sights to bigger and fingers crossed even better things. Based on the short Stephen King story of the same name, The Boogeyman follows high school student Sadie Harper and her little sister Sawyer as they try and come to terms with the recent death of their mother. But when an ominous presence enters their lives, they beg their grieving father to take heed before something terrible happens. Check out the trailer below.
The Exorcist (October 13th)
Perhaps the most infamous horror of all time gets the trilogy treatment here, beginning with a sequel to the 1973 classic. Details are thin on the ground for this one, but we do know Ellen Burstyn is set to reprise her role as Chris MacNeil, the mother of Regan, the girl possessed by a demon in the original. Ann Dowd (Hereditary) and Leslie Odom Jr. (Glass Onion) also star. With Odom Jr.’s character reaching out to Burstyn’s Chris for help with his own son, who it seems is being possessed. David Gordon Green, director of the recent Halloween trilogy, helms this one.
Talk to Me (2023, TBC)
This Australian supernatural horror film made waves at the Sundance Film Festival in January. Sophie Wilde stars as Mia, who looking for a distraction on the anniversary of the death of her mother, looks to try and conjure spirits. After holding a séance with her friends using a mysterious embalmed hand, the group become hooked on their new hobby, until terrifying forces from the other side turn their festivities into ghastly goings on.
The Strangers (2023, TBC)
Last but not least is another reboot of a rather scary series, this one planned to play out as a trilogy. The action follows Maya (Riverdale’s Madelaine Petsch) and her boyfriend as they travel across the country to start a new life in the Pacific Northwest. After getting stuck in Oregon due to car troubles, they’re forced to seek refuge in a secluded AirBnB. But throughout the night, they’re faced with unspeakable terrors forced upon them by a trio of nefarious masked strangers.
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