2023 is set to be a stellar year for horror cinema judging by the arrival of Scream 6, Renfield, an Exorcist sequel, and numerous other promising 2023 horror movies that have already been announced — here are all the horror movies coming out soon. 2022 was a solid year for the horror genre. For every tonally awkward failure like Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2022, there has been a Scream 2022 or a Fresh to remind viewers that the genre is still thriving. 2023 looks to continue this upward trend for the genre, setting up the 2020s as a golden decade for audiences who enjoy a good scare.
2023’s list of horror movies coming out soon will also see the arrival of a pair of Dracula retellings in the form of Last Voyage of the Demeter and the Nicholas Cage horror movie Renfield. The ever-reliable Stephen King will receive another adaptation with the arrival of The Boogeyman, which sees Host helmer Rob Savage bringing a classic short story from King’s short story collection Night Shift to life. Here are the best and most noteworthy new horror movies releasing in 2023.
Scream 6—March 31, 2023
After the success of Scream 2022, one of the horror movies coming out soon is Scream 6 and it is perfectly poised to bring back Matthew Lillard’s Stu, with Hayden Panettiere’s Kirby confirmed to return. This is in the wake of finding out that Neve Campbell will not be returning, with Courteney Cox being the only Scream actor from the original movie. Scream 6 is fast approaching, hitting theaters on March 31st, 2023, and the entire cast of Scream 2022 is returning, save for David Arquette, Mikey Madison, and Jack Quaid. A trailer for Scream 6 has officially dropped, though it reveals very few details about the plot.
Renfield—April 14, 2023
Director Chris McKay proved an Alien movie set on Earth could work with 2021’s underrated sci-fi action extravaganza The Tomorrow War, and the subgenre-reviver is now set to salvage Universal’s Dark Universe with Renfield. Based on a story by Robert Kirkman and one of the horror movies coming out soon, Renfield will follow Nicholas Hoult’s titular lackey as he leaves his former employer Count Dracula because he has fallen for a traffic cop. Expect gore, a lot of offbeat humor, and plenty of hammy overacting, since this version of Dracula will be played by none other than Nicolas Cage.
Evil Dead Rise—April 21, 2023
Sam Raimi is back with the next installment to the cult classic horror franchise The Evil Dead, with the latest iteration being directed and written by Lee Cronin. Evil Dead Rise will star Alyssa Sutherland (Vikings), Lily Sullivan (Barkskins), and Nell Fisher (Northspur) in the headlining roles. It looks like the sequel Evil Dead Rise, one of the horror movies coming out soon, will take place in an intimate family setting. The plot follows a reunion of two estranged sisters, whose meeting is abruptly cut short by the arrival of The Evil Dead demons, which results in a harrowing battle for survival.
Salem’s Lot—April 21st, 2023
While the story of ‘Salem’s Lot has been shown on the screen twice, Gary Dauberman (writer of the Annabelle series and IT) will sit in the director’s chair for the latest iteration. Salem’s Lot, one of the horror movies coming out soon, follows a writer who goes to a small town only to find out that it’s being overrun by vampires. The upcoming 2023 horror movie has a well-rounded cast, with Pilou Asbæk (Ghost in the Shell) in the role of Richard Straker, Lewis Pullman (Top Gun: Maverick) as Ben Mears, Spencer Treat Clark (Glass) as Mike Ryerson, and Nicholas Crovetti (Big Little Lies) as Danny Glick.
The Boogeyman—June 2nd, 2023
Stephen King’s The Boogeyman is a terrifying exercise in restraint from the iconic horror author, with the entire short story taking place in a psychiatrist’s office as the narrator details his sordid history with the titular terror. One of the horror movies coming out soon, Rob Savage’s adaptation will endeavor to expand The Boogeyman’s chills to feature-length with a creepy tale of a psychologist’s daughters being haunted by an enigmatic figure after their father’s encounter with an unhinged patient, starring Chris Messina, Sophie Thatcher, and Vivien Lyra Blair. Expect slow-burn horror as Savage brings one of the last un-adapted stories from King’s legendary debut horror collection to life.
Insidious 5—July 7, 2023
The Conjuring actor, most famous for playing Ed Warren, Patrick Wilson will sit in the director’s chair for Insidious: Fear the Dark, one of the horror movies coming out soon. Rose Byrne will also be reprising her role as Renai Lambert, though it doesn’t look like Lin Shae’s Elise Ranier will be returning to the big screen. Everything known about Insidious 5 is that it’s set 10 years after the first movie, and follows the haunted family as Dalton Lambert (still played by Ty Simpkins) goes off to college. No doubt the movie will follow Dalton back into the netherworld as he continues to astral project in his sleep.
The Haunted Mansion—July 28th, 2023
2023’s The Haunted Mansion reboot seeks to fix Disney’s previous iteration’s mistakes and is one of the horror movies coming out soon. Arriving in July 2023, The Haunted Mansion will see Rosario Dawson’s harried single mom assemble a team of famous faces to exorcise the abode. Among her helpers will be a psychic played by comedy star Tiffany Hadish, Owen Wilson’s priest, Danny DeVito’s historian, and a tour guide played by LaKeith Stanfield. The cast is an impressive lineup, but the question of whether The Haunted Mansion can recapture the family-friendly humor/horror balance of 2021’s hit Ghostbusters: Afterlife remains to be seen.
The Nun 2—September 8, 2023
The next installment to the popular Conjurverse is none other than The Nun 2, one of the horror movies coming out soon. The eponymous sequel to The Nun, there are few story details surrounding the upcoming 2023 horror movie. That being said, there is a solid cast behind the film, with Taissa Farmiga (American Horror Story) returning as Sister Irene and Bonnie Aarons reprising her role as the terrifying titular nun. Anna Popplewell will be playing the character of Marcella, Katelyn Rose Downey is Sophie, and Storm Reid (Euphoria) has been cast in a main undisclosed role.
The Exorcist—October 13, 2023
As if rebooting one beloved horror cinema franchise wasn’t enough, Halloween 2018’s David Gordon Green is hoping lightning will strike twice with a sequel to 1973’s iconic The Exorcist, one of the horror movies coming out soon. It will be tough for any sequel to recreate the impact that William Friedkin’s terrifying original horror has upon its initial release. However, if anyone can make an Exorcist sequel/reboot work, it’s Green and the Halloween 2018 team. October 2023 will see this Blumhouse production arrive in theatres with a cast that includes Leslie Odom Jr. as a man who is seeking help for a possessed child and original Exorcist star, Ellen Burstyn.
Saw 10—October 27, 2023
James Wan is at it again, with Saw receiving its next sequel: Saw 10, one of the horror movies coming out soon. The big news surrounding Saw 10 is that director Kevin Greutert will be sitting in the director’s chair. So far, the only two cast members to be revealed are Tobin Bell, who will be playing John Kramer, and Shawnee Smith’s Amanda. It’s likely, considering that Kramer died in Saw 3, that he’ll appear in flashbacks or memories — but it’s also been posed that it could be a prequel. Saw 10 will release just in time for Halloween and is sure to contain plenty of inescapable Jigsaw traps.
The Strangers—TBA 2023
2008’s The Strangers is getting a reboot under the direction of Renny Harlin (The Legend of Hercules) and is one of the horror movies coming out soon. The Strangers sees a young couple taking a cross-country road trip. They are forced to stop at a remote Airbnb in Oregon where three masked strangers bring about unspeakable terrors. While there’s no release date yet for The Strangers 2023, there is a cast. Madelaine Petsch (Riverdale) is the lead, Maya, and Froy Gutierrez (Hocus Pocus 2) is her boyfriend. Rachel Shenton (Switched at Birth) will be playing the part of Debbie, while the movie also stars Gabriel Basso and Ema Horvath.
Dark Harvest—TBA 2023
After several scrapped release dates, is it possible that 2022 horror movie Dark Harvest is one of the horror movies coming out soon? Apparently, that’s what studios are aiming for. Dark Harvest finished its production way back in 2021 and was supposed to come out in September 2021. Dark Harvest is based on Norman Partridge’s eponymous novel, which zeroes in on a fictional town, where every fall, a specter named Sawtooth Jack goes up against violent gangs of boys hoping to take down the supernatural creature once and for all. The horror movie has a stellar cast, with the likes of Elizabeth Reaser, Jeremy Davies, Luke Kirby, and Ezra Buzzington.