The last few years have been especially good for the horror genre--and 2023 was no exception. Fans of the spooky and weird were treated to everything imaginable, all across the spectrum of the genre. 2023 was also a big year for movie theater, crowd-pleaser horror: the movies that bring us all together and give us all a few scenes and reasons to drop our popcorn buckets in surprise, which included films such as Five Nights at Freddy's, Scream VI, Saw X, and the ridiculous but also very fun Cocaine Bear. 2023 wasn't just a good year for movie theater horror though, with plenty of films joining the genre, whose influence will be felt for years to come, including Brandon Cronenberg's Infinity Pool, rounding out the year into one of the best for the horror genre.

Below are the best horror films released in 2023 and where you can find them.

For more horror--and to convince those around you that you're actually being festive--here are the best holiday horror movies to watch while you're eating christmas cookies.

10. M3gan (January 6, 2023)

Megan is a classic slasher, much like John Carpenter's Halloween, but with a modern twist. Wrapped and wound tightly around the grip of technology and capitalism, M3gan follows Gemma, an exhausted inventor for a big-name toy company, as she finishes development on a brand-new, robotic doll that's meant to be a companion, friend, and a caregiver for kids.

This is all happening as her recently orphaned niece starts living with her after the tragic and sudden death of her parents, Gemma's sister, and brother-in-law, which is where the inspiration for 'M3GAN' came from: Gemma observing her niece's needs and seeing how hard it can be when you're young and feel like you're alone.

Megan follows in the footsteps of Chucky, with its own glossy-eyed titular character, but it manages to do so with Black Mirror-styled wrapping paper that has a lot to say about when we're not allowed to leave or untangle ourselves from work.

M3gan is available to stream on Amazon Prime.

9. Evil Dead Rise (April 21, 2023)

Evil Dead Rise takes audiences on another trip through Sam Raimi's Evil Dead universe but with some surprises that help subvert audience expectations, while also managing to inject a modern update into the long-running franchise.

There's still a spooky cabin and even a lake with a floating, evil, zombie monster, and everything else (chainsaws and gore galore!) fans have come to expect from an Evil Dead sequel, but with some big changes, including the cracked and haunted apartment building where much of the film takes place, as two sisters fight for their lives against the evil dead.

Evil Dead Rise is available to stream on HBO Max.

8. Skinamarink (January 13, 2023)

Depending on who you ask Skinamarink, is either horrifying or dreadfully boring, but this low-budget, fuzzy horror film's influence will be felt for years to come, much like The Blair Witch Project was in its own day.

Skinamarink is a chilling story about two young kids, ages four and six, as they're tormented by an unseen force--and it's only amplified by its partially obfuscated visuals and audio, which often introduce new questions and fears without ever letting up.

A relentlessly cold and lonely film about two kids suffering at night when no one else is around, Skinamarink is something everyone can imagine. Who doesn't remember being alone, late at night, when you hear a noise, but you know you're not supposed to be awake, with nothing to comfort you except the faint glow of a barely audible TV?

Skinamarink is available to stream on Shudder.

7. Scream 6 (March 10, 2023)

Scream 6 brings new life into Wes Craven's long-running slasher franchise with some sharp changes and cuts to the existing formula that will keep audiences guessing and wondering until the very end, while still featuring the action set pieces and high-stakes violence that audiences have come to expect.

As always with this series, the film features self-referential and meta writing, which is done in some clever ways, managing to elicit laughs just as much as it drives the plot and action forward. It's a mystery-soaked horror romp that fits snug and square between whodunit films, such as A Haunting in Venice, and the slasher genre.

Scream 6 is available to stream on Paramount+.

6. Clock (April 28, 2023)

Clock is ambitious and calculated, feeling much like an episode of Netflix's Black Mirror, as its tightly wound springs and pieces come undone in a world that really isn't that different from our own.

Clock is about a woman who is running out of time, or at least that's what everybody keeps telling her. Her father, her husband, and all her friends--even all the other women she knows--keep telling Ella that she wants to give birth to kids, even if she doesn't realize it.

Clock is about a lot but at its core, the overarching themes are ultimately about how our society and world prioritizes the need to fulfill your duty and purpose, even if you lose yourself in the process.

Clock is available to stream on Hulu.

5. Renfield (April 14, 2023)

Renfield is considered a box-office flop because it only made $26 million at the box office against the film's $65 million dollar budget, but it's destined to become a cult classic from the performances of Nicholas Hoult and Nicolas Cage alone, as Renfield and Dracula respectively, in this comedy-horror film about becoming who you are, against all odds.

Hoult masterfully portrays Renfield, Dracula's servant, familiar, and friend, who has been trapped in an abusive relationship with his vampire employer for about a hundred years, until he decides to try to break free after it all becomes too much. Cage brings one of his best performances, perfectly embodying this goofy but extremely sinister portrayal of Dracula.

Renfield is available to rent/purchase digitally on Amazon and other services.

4. Black Mirror, Part 6 (June 15, 2023)

Black Mirror has long been a reflection of the horrors and possibilities of human capabilities and the latest season may be one of the most chilling to date. The series' trademark existential dread and worrying realization are on full display across all five episodes of the sixth season, but three parts in particular are among the series' and year's best horror.

Joan is Awful stars Annie Murphy in a tense performance as she is forced to witness her entire life go up faster than flames, right in front of her eyes, and anyone else that simultaneously knows Joan and carries a subscription to this new, cutting-edge, streaming service app, which has been collecting content from people's lives to use in conjunction with powerful Artificial Intelligence technology to create a streaming TV series for anyone that wants to click on it. Sit down and watch, alongside Joan's husband, employees, parents, and more, as "Joan is Awful" ultimately cracks open Joan's life and secrets--and a future once considered implausible fiction.

Loch Henry is about two friends making a true crime-style documentary after one of them learns something about the other's past and the small town they're both filming in, named "Loch Henry," which opens up the doors for clever commentary on how our society uses people's pain and trauma for content--and how hard we resist healing and moving on.

Beyond the Sea is an intense drama starring Aaron Paul that takes place in an alternate history where a bad romance takes an otherworldly turn. Starring two astronauts in space who are able to visit home during off hours through the use of "artificial replica" bodies (which are located on and kept back on Earth), Beyond the Sea explores love and death, and even cracks open how men can choose to see themselves in the face of tragedy and pain.

Black Mirror is available to stream on Netflix.

3. The Boogeyman (June 2, 2023)

The Boogeyman was directed by Rob Savage, the creative mind behind the Zoom-video call horror flick, Host, and it's a ride of horrors that could only come from the mind of Stephen King.

The Boogeyman stars a father and his children being followed and hunted by grief, and something else, after the sudden death of the wife and mother of the family. The kids keep hearing noises and sometimes it sounds just like their mother, but maybe that was just a noise. After all, there's nothing under the bed.

The Boogeyman is a cinematic and moody adaptation of King's 1973 short story that will stick with you long after you've finished watching.

The Boogeyman is available to stream on Hulu.

2. Talk to Me (July 28, 2023)

Talk to Me is about a group of friends reaching out to the other side for all the wrong reasons, while everyone is drinking and having a good time, and letting spirits possess them for kicks. It starts off seeming innocent until it's clear there's a danger that is being played with, but not before it's too late.

Mia is 17 years old and she's struggling with the loss of her mother, who ended her own life with a drug overdose only a year ago. She didn't think she would ever hear her voice again, until someone else's mouth reaches out to her, and things go wrong during one of the group's possession parties.

Talk to Me has a lot to say about grief and trauma, much like Black Mirror's "Loch Henry," but it also manages to have some fairly interesting and in-depth commentary on performance versus living while participating in society and what it means to hold on and let go of things that hurt us.

Talk to Me is available to rent/purchase digitally on Amazon and other services.

1. Infinity Pool (February 14, 2023)

It's clear things are going to be weird in any story when Mia Goth or Alexander Skarsgård are starring, and Infinity Pool features the two of them at a resort in a remote seaside country that lets the rich tourists get away with anything they want, with no rules, as long as they're willing to die for it--again and again.

Infinity Pool follows a writer with only one published novel, and his extremely rich wife, on a vacation that will haunt both of them for as long as they decide to live, but it starts out so sunny and nice.

Infinity Pool offers up haunting performances that will linger with you long after the end-credits have rolled. Featuring biting commentary on derealization, what it means to live, and just how far someone can go if nothing is stopping them, Infinity Pool is absolutely one of the most essential horror films of 2023, and among the best films regarding the types of themes it explores.

As a trigger warning, Infinity Pool does feature a large amount of gore and unsettling situations, only narrowly receiving an R rating, which came after a few precise edits, so be aware if you are sensitive to such things. Then again, what would you expect from a film by writer/director Brandon Cronenberg (Possessor)?

Infinity Pool is available to stream on Hulu.