Last year, horror movie lovers were able to enjoy a truly delicious crop of feature films with proposals such as ‘Barbarian’, ‘X’, ‘Black Phone’, ‘Nope’, ‘Men’ or ‘El menú’; a string of titles that have set the bar tremendously high for a 2023 film year that has already given us a few joys.
Now that we’ve crossed off a few months on the calendar, it’s the perfect time to start collecting the best horror movies released from January 1 to date. A list for all palates in which, as always, we miss films that have already circulated on the international market, such as the fantastic ‘Huesera’ by Michelle Garza Cervera.
Go for it!
‘M3gan’
We start with what is probably the first viral phenomenon of the year in terms of the cinematographic scene and, more specifically, horror. Gerard Johnstone and Blumhouse’s ‘M3gan’ It was not only a blockbuster that hit TikTok with the dances of its protagonist; it also offered a cocktail of horror, science fiction and black comedy like coal in a little more than an hour and a half entertainment that, with its flaws, knew how to dazzle the respectable.
Criticism of ‘M3gan’
‘Knock at the door’
At this point in the film, it is not necessary to vindicate M. Night Shyamalan as a master of atmospheres, mastery of space and treatment of characters, but if necessary, all we have to do is take a look at his ‘They call the door’. An adaptation of the Paul Tremblay novel that flirts with the end of the world and the tropes of home invasion while it gets on our nerves with that dose of house brand moraline. A delight in form and substance.
Criticism of “There is a knock at the door”
‘Scream VI’
The premiere of the ‘Scream’ in 2022 caught a large part of the fandom off guard; and it is that the sequel —which, remember, is neither a reboot nor a sequel— of the saga created by Wes Craven knew how to play his cards very well, updating his universe in a formula that has continued with this ‘Scream VI’. A whodunnit dressed as a slasher who squeezes his urban setting in New York City and who manages to be unapologetically entertaining… but without too much fanfare.
Criticism of ‘Scream VI’
‘Infernal Possession: The Awakening’
Ten years after Fede Álvarez gave the ‘Infernal Possession’ saga a facelift with his fantastic 2013 remake, Lee Cronin has brought the Deadites back in an ‘Awakening’ that recovers the raw and wild tone and style of its predecessor in a show worthy of praise and kaffir like it alone. Loads of gore, a very successful urban setting and an incredible desire to joke around for a sequel that lives up to the franchise.
Review of ‘Infernal Possession: Awakening’
‘Terrifier 2’
I have to admit that ‘Terrifier 2’ is not my favorite. Its two and a half hours are tremendously excessive for the very little depth of the proposal, its characters are nothing special and its narrative fails to stand out; but if something makes her worthy of being part of this list it is an old-fashioned gore fest, worthy of the most remote shelves of the video store, which managed to revolutionize social networks. I wish it had been condensed into an hour and a half…
Criticism of ‘Terrifier 2’
‘Project Wolf Hunting’
May we never lack a good dose of Korean cinema. This year, for the moment, the Asian country has given us this outrage directed by Kim Hong-sun —hardened on the television scene—; a proposal focused mainly on the action thriller but with a supernatural twist that plunges it into the realm of terror. You just need a ship full of cannon fodder characters and a creature to articulate one of the biggest savageries that have recently passed through our cinemas.
Review of ‘Project Wolf Hunting’
‘Renfield’
Film genres are much more fluid than we’ve been led to believe, and another current example of this is the hilarious ‘Renfield’; a film that was sold as “the one with Nicolas Cage playing Dracula” and that has ended up being an entertainment with a B-series soul, but first-class, that combines action, horror and comedy with great intelligence. Fun without complexes, a lot of heart and an Awkwafina in her sauce. We cannot ask for more.
Criticism of ‘Renfield’
‘Beau is afraid’
If you think ‘Hereditary’ and ‘Midsommar’ aren’t horror movies, you’ll think ‘Beau’s Afraid’ isn’t either, but Ari Aster’s new film not only fits perfectly within the genre’s canons, it’s also one of the best recent exercises within its category. And it is that this excessive and delirious exploration of the mind of its protagonist is a portrait of anxiety disorders and toxic relationships that could only have come from the twisted mind of its head. Incredible and impossible in equal parts.
Criticism of ‘Beau is afraid’
‘The Pope’s Exorcist’
Fifty years after the premiere of ‘The Exorcist’, it seems that little —or nothing— remains to be contributed to the subgenre of demonic possessions. But between rehashes and formulas, sometimes such fresh and horny surprises are released as ‘The Exorcist of the Pope’; a revelry of camp spirit which starts as another exploitation of the William Friedkin classic to go awry until transforming its protagonist into a sort of Vatican Indiana Jones. Good series B.
Review of ‘The Exorcist of the Pope’
‘nocebo effect’
Sometimes it is not necessary for a film to be a masterpiece and a revolution to deserve to enter one of these rankings. The case of ‘Nocebo Effect’ illustrates this perfectly, since within its shortcomings and its clichés, Lorcan Finnegan, hand in hand with an Eva Green as fantastic as usual, has molded an amazing tale of folk spirit with filipino witchcraft, impossible revenges and a message of social background that would make Amancio Ortega’s hair stand on end. Very, very interesting.
Criticism of ‘Nocebo Effect’
‘The Hate Club’
To close this list —for now—, we return to the Blumhouse house with this debut by Beth Araújo that has been released directly on streaming and that has left me with an impressive bad body. An hour and a half thriller shot in sequence that forces us to follow a group of women from the American Alt-Right to portray the most disgusting face of the country of stars and stripes. 90 minutes in a constant crescendo that turns your guts and leaves you beaten enough to forgive its sensationalism and spot imperfections. Brutal and interesting point of view exercise.
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