Top 10 Anticipated Horror Movies of Spring 2023
#10: “Family Dinner”
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Release Date: March 28, 2023 [US] For every major holiday, there seems to be a horror movie to go along with it. Easter seems a little more sparse than others, but that may be starting to change with “Family Dinner.” An unnerving film out of Austria, this one follows a teenage girl named Simi who visits her nutritionist aunt’s house over the Easter holiday in the hopes that she might get on track to lose weight. However, upon arriving, it becomes evident that there’s some very strange goings on, possibly stemming from the family’s strict diet. Debuting on the festival circuit in 2022, this one currently has 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. While its reported domestic release date seems less-than-official, we’ll be sure to dig into this one whenever it comes out.
#9: “Holy Shit!”
Release Date: March 21, 2023 [US] Another German-language offering with a nebulous release date, this one might also make you lose your appetite in a completely different way. This absurdist comedy-horror film sees a man named Frank trapped in a porta-potty at a construction site. To make matters worse, there’s a planned demolition imminent, with a series of explosives ticking down nearby. To make matters worse than worse, there are outside forces looking to ensure Frank doesn’t escape his stinky tomb. The “Buried” but with a porta-potty setup has us gleefully intrigued. It’s been reported that the film will release exclusively on the horror streaming service Screambox.
#8: “Unwelcome”
Release Date: March 10, 2023 [US] Based on the trailer for this one, “Unwelcome” is anything but. In this folk horror film, young couple Maya and Jamie leave London for a quiet, idyllic Irish farmhouse. Upon arriving however, they’re faced not only with a culture clash, but a clash against mythical creatures. They’re told to leave meat in the garden every night for the forest-dwelling Red Caps. But when they fail to do so, they learn that the small mischief-makers are anything but fictional. “Unwelcome” was directed by Jon Wright, who described it as “‘Gremlins’ meets ‘Straw Dogs.’” We’d be lying if we said that’s a crossover we ever imagined, but in actualization, it looks like a lot of fun.
#7: “Inside”
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Release Date: March 17, 2023 [US] Willem Dafoe has been having something of a career renaissance in the last few years, so the prospect of essentially a one-man show is too good to pass up. Here, Dafoe plays an art thief named Nemo, whose latest heist ends with him trapped inside a penthouse apartment. With the temperature rising and rescue nowhere in sight, Nemo must use all his cunning and ingenuity to find a way out. That is, if he doesn’t go mad first. This psychological thriller has all the makings of a cult classic, with Dafoe’s talents sure to captivate throughout the runtime. This is another single-setting feature that we can’t wait to get inside our eyeballs.
#6: “The Pope’s Exorcist”
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Release Date: April 7, 2023 [US] With a title like that, and it’s hard to see this one not making something of a splash upon release. “The Pope’s Exorcist” recounts the life of Father Gabriele Amorth, a real-life exorcist who was said to have performed tens of thousands exorcisms for the Diocese of Rome. The movie is based on one of Amorth’s memoirs that directly details his many exploits. The premise alone is fascinating enough, but the film also has talent both in front of and behind the camera. Russell Crowe is set to play Amorth himself, marking his first full-fledged horror movie. Meanwhile, Julius Avery directs, having given us the uber fun genre mashup “Overlord” in 2018.
#5: “65”
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Release Date: March 10, 2023 [US] This one may read more as a sci-fi / action movie, but many ingredients have us expecting quite the hair-raising experience. For one thing, this story about a space pilot who crash lands on Earth sixty-five million years ago comes from writer-directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, who previously penned the first “Quiet Place.” That gives us a lot of faith that the dinosaur action will be equally exciting and terrifying. Furthermore, Sam Raimi finds himself as one of the producers, whose history in horror speaks for itself. At the end of the day, though, it’s an always reliable Adam Driver that has us convinced this will be the “Jurassic World” movie we always wanted to see.
#4: “Renfield”
Release Date: April 14, 2023 [US] Nicolas Cage being a vampire is something that’s been joked about in pop culture for some time now. But not only is he playing a vampire in this outing, but he’ll be the granddaddy of them all: Count Dracula. This reinvention of Bram Stoker’s characters puts the spotlight on Dracula’s tortured servant Renfield, portrayed here by Nicholas Hoult. In a horror comedy twist, Renfield seeks to escape from his master’s control in modern-day New Orleans, leading to a host of hilarious superhuman shenanigans. With a supporting cast that includes Awkwafina, “Renfield” already seems like a total blast that looks to differentiate itself from all the other “Dracula” adaptations out there.
#3: “Beau Is Afraid”
Release Date: April 21, 2023 [US] With just two prior features under his belt, Ari Aster has already established himself as a director to watch, especially in the horror community. “Hereditary” and “Midsommar” are both unsettling slow burns that seamlessly get under our skin. But “Beau Is Afraid” seems to be very, very different. In what’s being described as a surrealist comedy horror, “Beau Is Afraid” stars Joaquin Phoenix as the titular character who embarks on a journey home following the death of his mother. However, things only seem to get weirder and weirder as Beau is pushed to the fringes of reality and psyche. We honestly can’t make heads or tails about this one, which is absolutely a good thing.
#2: “Scream VI”
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Release Date: March 10, 2023 [US] For a while, it was beginning to seem like the “Scream” franchise might’ve lived and died in the ‘90s, but the 2022 re-quel proved that there’s plenty of gas left in the tank with fresh-faced new characters leading the charge. And speaking of gas in the tank, “Scream VI” looks to be going full-throttle with its thrills and kills. Taking the action to New York City, this one finds the survivors of the last film once again stalked by Ghostface. But this killer looks to be more vicious and brutal than ever, putting the “scary” back in “scary movie.” Honestly, we at WatchMojo are some of the biggest “Scream” fans out there, and we cannot wait to see where this one goes.
#1: “Evil Dead Rise”
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Release Date: April 21, 2023 [US] With all respects to “Scream VI,” we’ve simply been waiting far too long for another “Evil Dead,” and this one looks to be scratching that itch in a big way. Coming out just over ten years after the last installment, this one is already treading new ground for the franchise. Not only does the familial element up the fear factor, but its Los Angeles setting should make for a whole other dynamic, trading the familiar cabin in the woods for an apartment complex. Fans of the 2013 version also have something to look forward to, as this one also seems to be going full-on horror with the IP. We honestly may not be able to sleep come April 21st.
