Article contributed by Charlotte Phillips
In 2022, we were treated to some fabulously gruesome horror films, like Smile and Scream 5, throughout the year! However, if that still wasn’t enough to fill the horror movie void in your heart, don’t worry because this year promises to be an amazing one in the horror movie realm. From new franchise instalments we know and love, to a murderous cocaine bear, this year will be giving us plenty of bloodthirsty stories to keep our hearts pumping!
Scream 6
March
In this new instalment of the beloved Scream franchise, four past survivors of ghost face try to start afresh in New York City. This new landscape for the Scream franchise brings with it exciting new possibilities. The writers are removing the characters from our beloved sleepy town to the hustle and bustle of New York, with people everywhere and events always happening—surely nothing could go wrong, right? This is the first instalment of the franchise with Sidney Prescott and David Arquette absent and this film will follow the characters introduced in Scream 5 whilst introducing Samara Weaving to the Scream world, who is becoming a prominent scream queen.
Evil Dead Rise
April
In this fifth instalment of the Evil Dead franchise, the movie follows two estranged sisters Beth (Lily Sullivan) and Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland), a single mother of three, as they attempt to protect their family from demonic forces.
M3gan
January
M3gan is the story of an orphan girl named Cady (Violet McGraw), whose aunt Gemma (Allison Williams from Jordon Peele’s Get Out) creates a robot toy for her to fulfil the role of her best friend. And they all live happily ever after… until M3gan’s behaviour turns from loving to dangerous. One thing is clear from the film’s trailers, this is not Toy Story.
Knock at the Cabin
February
M. Night Shyamalan is back at it again with Knock at the Cabin. The movie follows two husbands (Jonathan Groff and Ben Eldridge) and their young daughter on their holiday in a cabin… in the woods… away from society. If that doesn’t scream trouble, the family are soon tied up and told by four armed strangers (Dave Bautista, Rupert Grint, Nikki Amuka-Bird and Abby Quinn) that they must make a decision. To prevent the apocalypse, one member of the family needs to be sacrificed. With so much on the line, it would be preposterous to throw in a twist… right Shyamalan?
Cocaine Bear
February
Based loosely on the story of the Cocaine Bear—a bear that overdosed on cocaine in 1985—this dark comedy, directed and produced by Elizabeth Banks, is a convincing portrayal on the dangers of drugs. Don’t do drugs kids or a bear might eat your stash and go on a murderous, psychotic rampage. A warning as common as stranger danger…
Insidious 5
July
Insidious 5 is based 10 years after the last instalment. Dalton (Ty Simpkins) is starting college, and his dad Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson, who also directs the film) is lovingly dropping his son off to what should be the best years of his life. However, soon their past comes back to haunt them.
Meg 2: The Trench
August
Five years after the release of the first movie, we are finally getting a sequel to Jason Statham’s Meg. Love it or hate it, nobody can doubt that this film will be incomparable to any other films hitting the cinema this year. Well, maybe Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, but we’ll look into that a bit later. Meg 2: The Trench is yet to have had its synopsis revealed, despite its upcoming release. All we can know for sure is there will be BIG sharks and often that is all a film really needs.
Saw 10
October
If you thought they were done making Saw films, you would be so wrong. Saw 10 will be hitting the cinemas this year, and despite the plot still being a secret, it has been announced by insiders that the film is based on fan requests from over the years. It has not yet been released whether Tobin Bell will be reprising his role as John Kramer, the psychotic serial killer with a God complex, all we can do is cross our fingers and hope no one comes along to cut them off.
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey
February
Winnie the Pooh, the beloved character of many childhoods, is now officially out of copyright and what better way to celebrate than by sitting down to watch him ditch his signature red top for blood. In this adaptation, Christopher Robin has abandoned his once beloved Pooh and Piglet, prompting them to go on a killer rampage, targeting their old friend and a group of women all staying in a cabin. You better stay out of the woods today, because today is the day the teddy bears have their… revenge.
The Exorcist
October
On Friday the 13th of October, probably the spookiest day of 2023, the new Exorcist film will be released. Again, the plot of this film is yet to be revealed, however we do know that this is the first instalment of a new Exorcist trilogy and it is a sequel to the 1973 film. The cast includes Hamilton and Glass Onion star Leslie Odom Jr, along with Ann Dowd and Ellen Burstyn, who is reprising her role as Chris MacNeil from the original 1973 film. With a promising cast and a daunting release date, this movie promises a terrifyingly wonderful experience.
Renfield
April
If you’re looking for a little more light-hearted, horror fun, look no further than the new Nicholas Cage Dracula film, Renfield. Yes, you read that right, a Nicholas Cage AND Dracula film. The film focuses on Renfield (Nicholas Hoult), Dracula’s (Nicholas Cage) depressed assistant who has become disillusioned with his job. Haven’t we all? It’s a universal experience that finding people for your master to kill and drink is a rough job. Awkwafina plays Rebecca Quincy, the love interest of the film, promising laughs, and brilliant reactions. This film promises to quench your thirst.
Overall this year is sparkling (not like a certain vampire) with the promise of blood, gore, and jump scares. Now the only decision to make is whether you can brave seeing these films in the dark, loud cinema or at home, in private. The choice is yours!
