10 Recent Horror Hits to Watch This New Year {HorrOrigins List}

Catching up with 2022 releases might seem like a tedious task considering that this era has been one of the best for the genre in some time. With a multitude of successful franchise reboots, golden age horror auteurs back in action and original works taking the world by storm, there’s a little something out there for everyone. 2023 looks to be even more fulfilling for the fans, and while we prepare for what’s to come, here is a list of ten titles that you should check out before the end of this year.

10
Studio 666
Directed by B.J. McDonnell

The Foo Fighters are looking to record a new hit album, and what better place to do it than a haunted mansion in LA? See Dave Grohl and the rest of the bandmates grapple with supernatural forces and demonic possession in this hoot of a horror comedy.

Studio 666 doesn’t always land in its humor attempts, but exists as a ridiculously entertaining piece of metafiction that commits to absurdity. Goofy and gory all throughout, this ode to 80s horror delivers. Also starring rising scream queen, Jenna Ortega!
​

9
House of Darkness
Directed by Neil LaBute

Released digitally on the same day Barbarian hit theaters, this romantic thriller starring Justin Long finds tension in talking and a moody atmosphere. He meets Kate Bosworth in hopes to hook up, and the arrival to her secluded estate turns things sinister.

House of Darkness is a short, yet extensive, reimagining of Dracula in the modern dating realm. With compelling dialogue and performances that latch on tight, it should fill your desire for a slightly erotic and entirely intriguing vampiric tale.
​

8
Dark Glasses / Occhiali neri
Directed by Dario Argento

Returning the master of the thrill, Dario Argento, himself to the directorial field for the very first time since Dracula 3D in 2012, this funky Giallo is a pleasant surprise. Ilenia Pastorelli stars as an escort, blinded and pursued by a serial killer.

While Dark Glasses isn’t groundbreaking compared to any Argento film from the 1970s and 80s, it’s serviceable and often familiar. With frequent action and some nasty bits of gore sprinkled from start to finish, it acts as a stunning return to form.

7
Deadstream
Directed by Joseph & Vanessa Winter

Our current media landscape is overridden with influencers, and Deadstream knows exactly how to deconstruct it. With commentary surrounding cancel culture and the cyclic nature of problematic internet personalities, this found footage satire cuts deep.

Co-director Joseph Winter portrays the disgraced final boy, who stakes out at a haunted house in an attempt to regain his fans & sponsors. As the night progresses, things get bloody in one of the most creative SFX showcases since Evil Dead II.

6
You Won’t Be Alone
Directed by Goran Stolevski

Set in the 19th century, this directorial debut blends fantasy and folk horror elements, bringing a new meaning to the word allegory. You Won’t Be Alone presents a tale about human nature – love, life, and loss – through shapeshifting and witchcraft.

It looks and feels similar to many of the ‘elevated’ films released in recent years, though it rises above them with an authentic discussion of sex and gender, and swift body horror sequences. One fascinating, wildly emotional period piece.
​

Related: ‘You Won’t Be Alone’: A Bone-Crushing, Blood-Spilling Thing of Beauty {Sundance Movie Review}
​

5
​Flux Gourmet
Directed by Peter Strickland

Flux Gourmet is an odd black comedy that feels like Crimes of the Future if it followed people with gastrointestinal disorders. As in Cronenberg’s film, it revolves around performance artists, who extract sounds from food, rather than unidentified organs.

There’s a lot to praise about the style here, and the cast feeds into Strickland’s off-beat humor almost effortlessly. With kinky undercurrents and a flat deadpan tone, Flux Gourmet is a unique project that feels raw in its idea of longing to belong.

4
Bed Rest
Directed by Lori Evans Taylor

Bed Rest brings back Melissa Barrera and the studio behind this year’s relaunch of Scream, in a smooth paranormal thriller ripe with survivor’s remorse. Combine that with a haunted house atmos that feels unnerving from the jump, and there you have it.

While it feels familiar, it is never generic, and places emphasis on Barrera as an actress to carry the film as a whole. Best in its final twenty minutes; a sleek, haunting Tubi original that should keep you steady until Scream VI graces our screens.

3
Christmas Bloody Christmas
Directed by Joe Begos

It wouldn’t be right to exclude the newest wintery horror from our list, so if you want a fresh sci-fi slasher, you’re in luck! Christmas Bloody Christmas sells itself on the premise of a Santa Claus animatronic gone haywire, and it delivers precisely that.

Drenched in neon lighting, this 16mm independent flick is an absolute beauty. Action is relentless and the kills are quite gruesome, rarely slowing down after the snowy small town setting is established. An instant classic for the holiday season.
​

2
A Wounded Fawn
Directed by Travis Stevens

What happens when you throw a museum curator into the dating pool where a serial killer is on the prowl? You get a romantic film in the vein of this year’s Fresh, with a much heavier psychological slasher component and a fabulous shot-on-film presentation.

A Wounded Fawn came almost out of nowhere, with a quiet preview at the Tribeca Film Festival before it became available on Shudder. It feels like a movie-within-a-movie, visuals out of the ordinary, and a mystic approach that you won’t find elsewhere.

1
Nanny
Directed by Nikyatu Jusu

By far one of the greatest feature debuts to hit the horror field this decade is Nanny, a thought provoking story about a mother’s sacrifice. It acts as a psychological-supernatural genre hybrid and packs a pretty heavy punch after all is said and done.

Led by Senegalese actress Anna Diop, this film is gorgeous no matter which way you look at it. From the use of color to the rising tensions and a nuanced unraveling of today’s climate, it’s a near-masterpiece as rich as every on-screen performance.

RELATED: ‘Nanny’: Subtle, Character Driven & A Bit Light On Scares {Sundance Fest Movie Review}

Follow HorrOrigins on Social Media

---

Author

Born a few towns over from the infamous Amityville Horror house, Steven Thomas has been fascinated with the genre for as long as he can remember. His love for horror stemmed from the likes of Goosebumps and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and was amplified with the release of Scream 4 in his elementary years. Between writing frequent capsule reviews on Letterboxd and plotting to become the next “master of horror”, Steven currently studies Film & Media at CUNY Queens College.