Movie sequels 2023

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. 2022 has been a solid year for the horror genre. For every tonally awkward failure like Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2022, there has been a Scream 2022, an X, or a Fresh to remind viewers that the genre is still thriving both at the multiplex and with VOD. 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.

Alongside Scream 6 and The Exorcist's sequel, 2023 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. One of the genre’s most divisive directors, M. Night Shyamalan, will return to horror by directing the twisty post-apocalyptic horror Knock at the Cabinwhile 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. For those with a more family-friendly taste in horror, Disney’s The Haunted Mansion promises to be a less intense thrill ride that (unlike a lot of the gorier offerings seen here) will be fun for all ages. Here are the best and most noteworthy new horror movies releasing in 2023.

M3gan—January 13, 2023

Gerard Johnstone's M3gan will be the first horror film releasing in 2023, with the story conceived by none other than legendary horror director James Wan. The movie features a breakout cast in the form of Allison Williams (Get Out) and Violet McGraw (Doctor Sleep) in the two main roles, with musician/actress Jenna Davis providing the voiceover for the AI antagonist, Megan. The film will follow Gemma (Allison Williams, A Series of Unfortunate Events) as she is now the trusted guardian over Cady (McGraw) after her niece's parents died in a car accident. In order to make Cady feel more acclimated to her new surroundings, she brings home a prototype AI doll from work named "Megan", whose primary operative is to take care of, and "protect" her new owner. Things start to go awry as Megan overrides her programming, and stops at nothing to keep Cady safe.

Last Voyage of the Demeter—January 27, 2023

While the Nicholas Cage vampire movie Renfield will provide a goofy, horror-comedy look at Dracula’s often-forgotten henchman, Last Voyage of the Demeter has found another original route to retelling the Count’s creepy story. This sea-set horror movie will focus on the chapter of Stoker’s Dracula wherein the Count stows away inside a coffin on the eponymous ship, with Last Voyage of the Demeter retelling this portion of the Dracula tale from the perspective of the ship’s unfortunate inhabitants. A clever, fresh way to revisit the classic tale with a stellar cast including Aisling Franciosi, David Dastmalchian, and Liam Cunningham, this André Øvredal horror has plenty of potential.

Knock at the Cabin—February 3, 2023

King of the absurd plot twist M. Night Shyamalan has assembled a stellar (if bizarrely mismatched cast) for Knock at the Cabin, a fusion of horror, thriller, and sci-fi. Dave Bautista and Rupert Grint will appear alongside Jonathan Groff in what is being billed as a home invasion movie with a twist — the twist being that it is set during the apocalypse. Given Shyamalan's well-earned reputation, that won’t be the only wild revelation in Knock at the Cabin, which is scheduled for release on February 3rd, 2023.

Scream 6—March 31, 2023

After the success of Scream 2022, Scream 6 is perfectly poised to bring back Matthew Lillard’s Stu, Hayden Panettiere’s Kirby, and the rest of the franchise’s forgotten fan favorites. However, the question of whether all — or any — of these characters will be back is under wraps for now as Scream 6 was only green-lit in February and Courtney Cox only confirmed she would return in March. While little is known about the sixth sequel in the slasher series, it is worth remembering that Scream 2022 didn’t even release a trailer until a few months before its release date and turned out to be one of 2022’s biggest horror hits, meaning genre fans have every reason to get excited about this one.

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, 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. The movie itself will star Alyssa Sutherland (Vikings), Lily Sullivan (Barkskins), and Nell Fisher (Northspur) in the headlining roles. While it doesn't look like Raimi and co. will be returning to the famed cabin in the woods, based on set photos, it looks like the sequel Evil Dead Risewill 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. Hopefully, the latest Evil Dead movie can live up to the camp and fun of the originals, something that the 2013 reboot sorely lacked.

Insidious 5—July 7, 2023

The Conjuring actor, most famous for playing Ed Warren, Patrick Wilson will sit in the director's chair for the next Insidious movie. Rose Byrne will also be reprising her role as Renai Lambert in the upcoming horror film, though it doesn't look like Lin Shae's Elise Ranier will be returning to the big screen. Everything known about Insidious 5is 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, and who knows what ghosts will try to latch on and take over his body along the way.

The Haunted Mansion—August 11, 2023

While 2003’s other Disney theme park movie spawned the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, The Haunted Mansion wasn’t so lucky. The cartoony kid’s horror starred Eddie Murphy as a self-absorbed dad who had to save his family from the titular threat and, while The Haunted Mansion is fondly remembered by viewers of a certain vintage, the anodyne 2003 movie doesn’t do much to recapture the feeling of the chilling real-life thrill ride. However, 2023’s The Haunted Mansion reboot seeks to fix this. Arriving in August 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. 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 (The Chronicles of Narnia) will be playing the character of Marcella, Katelyn Rose Downey (The Princess) is Sophie, and Storm Reid (Euphoria) has been cast in an undisclosed role. Hopefully, The Nun 2 can live up to the hype of the first movie, considering that the Nun is one of the most terrifying specters in the Conjurverse.

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. It will be tough for any sequel to recreate the impact that director William Friedkin’s terrifying original religious 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 and original Exorcist star Ellen Burstyn.

Saw 10—October 27, 2023

James Wan is at it again, with the Saw horror powerhouse receiving its next sequel: Saw 10. The Saw franchise has certainly had its ups and downs, with several of the movies missing the mark and other surprise sleeper hits (like Saw 6) reaching fan-favorite status. The big news surrounding Saw 10, however, is that director Kevin Greutert will be sitting in the director's chair. So far, the only cast member to be revealed is Tobin Bell, who will presumably be playing John Kramer. It's likely, considering that Kramer died in Saw 3, that he'll appear in flashbacks or memories — but exactly whose is the million-dollar question. Saw 10 will release just in time for Halloween 2023, and is sure to contain plenty of inescapable Jigsaw traps, and the tons of gore that the franchise is known for.

Salem's Lot—TBA 2023

Stephen King adaptations are all the rage, and will continue to be for decades to come. While the story of 'Salem's Lot has been shown on the screen twice in the form of the 1979 two-part miniseries and the 2004 straight-to-TV miniseries, Gary Dauberman (writer of the Annabelle series and IT) will sit in the director's chair for the latest iteration. Salem's Lot follows the same story as the book, in which a writer 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. With how many aesthetic changes the classic vampire has gone under over the years, it'll be intriguing to see how Salem's Lot's vampires differ from their other counterparts.

The Strangers—TBA 2023

By far one of the most terrifying home invasion movies, 2008's The Strangers is getting a reboot under the direction of Renny Harlin (The Legend of Hercules). The premise for the movie remains the same, though probably with some tweaks to bring the film to the current day. The Strangers sees a young couple trying to revive their relationship by 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, a small cast list is available, with only one being given a disclosed role. Rachel Shenton (Switched at Birth) will be playing the part of Debbie, while Madelaine Petsch (Riverdale), Gabriel Basso (Super 8), Ema Horvath (Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power), and Froy Gutierrez (Hocus Pocus 2) remain in undisclosed parts.

Dark Harvest—TBA 2023

After several scrapped release dates, is it possible that audiences will finally get to see Dark Harvest in 2023? Apparently, that's what studios are aiming for. Dark Harvest finished its production way back in 2021, and was supposed to come out September 24th, 2021. However, due to issues surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the release date was pushed back to September 9th, 2022. However, the release date was pulled again, but this time because of Amazon's acquisition of MGM. The 2022 horror movie Dark Harvestis based on Norman Partridge's eponymous novel, which zeroes in on a small Midwestern town. In the fictional town, 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. Dark Harvest has a stellar cast, with the likes of Elizabeth Reaser, Jeremy Davies, Luke Kirby, and Ezra Buzzington. If it ever makes it to the big screen, Dark Harvest is set to be a chilling thrill ride.

The Boogeyman—TBA 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. Rob Savage’s adaptation, arriving on Hulu in 2023, 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. Expect slow-burn horror as Savage brings one of the last un-adapted stories from King’s legendary debut horror collection to life.

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