7 best horror movies of the past year

Read on for my favorite horror movies since 2023.

As a horror writer, I've spent countless nights exploring the shadows and delving into the depths of fear, both on the page and on screen. So, if you’re looking for good horror movies, ask one of us. Between me and the other horror writers I know, we’ve pretty much got the landscape covered on new horror releases. Frights are our passion. We’ve always got an ear to the ground when it comes to which movies are worth the watch.

Without further ado, let’s dive into my favorite horror movies from the past year or so. Watch them all, if you dare.

#7: The Sudbury Devil

Color me gobsmacked by this indie period piece about a demonic force terrorizing Puritans in old New England. It’s lovely to see what the talented group of creatives behind The Sudbury Devil accomplished on a limited budget. The plot is solid. The acting is stellar. The special effects are sparse but add to the horror in meaningful ways. The audio track is a bit shoddy, it’s often a struggle to understand the dialogue. Just turn on subtitles so you can follow along and then settle in for a slow burn that’s sexy, surprising and unsettling.

#6: Alien: Romulus

You go see an Alien film, you expect the hits: Acid blood sizzling whatever it touches. Facehuggers hugging faces. Baby aliens exploding out of chests. Alien: Romulus delivers all of these tropes, but in a new way. There are thousands of facehuggers in this one, and they chase prey like hungry dinosaurs. An x-ray machine reveals an infant monster gestating inside its human host. You get the picture. Yes, the story is familiar: a group of runaways are marooned on a spacecraft that’s infested with the deadliest species in the universe. But the film finds a way to make the story feel new. The ending sequence, in particular, is balls to the wall insane, with a dizzying nod to the Prometheus franchise. Alien: Romulus rocked. It’s my favorite Alien movie in years.

#5: In a Violent Nature

Ever sit around wondering what Friday the 13th may have looked like if imagined by an artsy fartsy filmmaker looking to make a splash in Hollywood? Relax, I gotchu fam. The plot is familiar: a disfigured ghoul stalks a group of youth during an otherwise idyllic weekend at the lake. Except now you see the killings from the killer’s POV. Most of the runtime follows the film’s protagonist, Jason, oops I mean Johnny, as he tromps through the forest in search of victims. Brace yourself for long, slow shots of leaves, trees and woods. But when the kills happen, they’re extraordinary. I’m still wincing thinking about Yoga Girl and Log-splitter Guy. Gawdamn.

#4: Late Night with the Devil

Though it’s set in the late 1970s, Late Night with the Devil is the perfect film for a modern audience addicted to reality shows. Admit it, we all love to watch human trainwrecks happening in real time. The film follows a talk show host who finds his popularity waning. In a last ditch effort to save his failing show, he makes a controversial choice to bring on a girl who claims to be possessed by the Devil. Naturally, bad shit happens. It’s thrilling to watch the talk show go awry in real time, with a creeping sense of dread that just builds and builds. The horror hits the roof in the film’s climax, with a double nightmare ending that’s like a true glimpse of Hell.

#3: The First Omen

The original The Omen from the 1970’s scared the beejeezus out of me when I was a kid. But hell, so did a few episodes of Scooby Doo. My point is, the threshold of what scares me has changed a lot over the years. That being said, The First Omen worked me over, but good. The plot follows an American nun sent to work at a Catholic orphanage in Rome who uncovers a sinister conspiracy to bring about the birth of the Antichrist, a spooky little scamp known as Damien. Like Alien: Romulus, this new rendition of the story manages to spin The Omen’s greatest scares in a new way. But it’s filled with original frights, too. Hands down, this is one of the best prequels I’ve seen. Even though it’s a little slow moving at first, there are quite a few jumpscares mixed with nightmarish visions: of possession, of self-immolation, of a demon baby being born from a human mother. This is nightmare inducing stuff here.

#2: When Evil Lurks

I can’t speak highly enough of this Argentinian horror film about a rural town terrorized by an ancient evil. Trust me, you’re not even ready for When Evil Lurks. First-time director Demián Rugna strikes gold with a horror film that’s fresh, smart and shocking. The terror here isn’t bound by American film conventions which typically spare children from going through anything too awful. The children in this film aren’t safe, leading to some devastating scenes that some may find too disturbing. There’s lots of gore in this one too, but the story is emotionally engaging.  The ending is a gut punch in the belly. A standout film you’ve got to see to believe.

#1: Talk to Me

What would happen if a group of friends found an embalmed hand that lets them commune with the dead? You guessed it. They’d become addicted to the experience and post videos about it on TikTok. You can almost see this situation happening in real life, which is why the film is so effective. The acting is great, too. You genuinely feel for the characters. Which makes it all the more awful when bad things start happening. Talk to Me is scary as hell, but it’s also a haunting exploration of grief and connection that leaves a mark long after the credits roll.