I already did my annual list of the ten best older movies I saw in 2023, so here is a list of the newer movies I saw this past year. They are separated into five tiers based on quality and listed alphabetically within each tier. (Check JustWatch.com to see where they are currently streaming.)

Tier 1: Cinematic Masterpieces 

A Dark Song (2016) directed by Liam Gavin

I sat stunned as the credits rolled, amazed at how great this low-budget indie horror film was. It is an absolute masterpiece, maybe my favorite horror movie ever—at least of the new millennium. I was on edge throughout, legitimately frightened—all without a single jump scare. It is an occult horror movie about black magick and rituals, but they take the subject matter extremely seriously and clearly did research to make it seem realistic—which makes it all the more haunting. [Slight Spoilers Ahead] The story is about a grieving mother who hires an occultist to perform a ritual to summon her guardian angel to ask a favor so she can speak to her murdered son—and get revenge against his killers (who used him to perform an occult ritual). The ritual in the film is based on an actual ritual from The Book of Abramelin, which the famous occultist Aleister Crowley performed in real life. I find the world of occult ritual magic fascinating but also frightening. Occult horror scares me more than most other subgenres because the type of dark magic portrayed in the film might actually exist. Whether such dark forces are real or not doesn’t matter, because there certainly do exist occultists who believe them to be real and actually perform these magical rituals—but to what end? 

A Dark Song follows the same slow-burn style as The Exorcist and is sort of an inverse of that movie, in that they’re trying to summon demons as opposed to exorcising one. I loved how the film didn’t over-explain everything with exposition of the ritual—they left it mysterious and the audience had to keep up, trying to figure out what was going on. It starts slow, with a creepy atmosphere and psychological horror about the abrasive occultist locked in the house with this woman for months, performing intense rituals that might not even be working. But by the end [Full Spoilers Ahead] it is clear the rituals did work and the horror gets mind-blowingly supernatural. Also like The Exorcist, it has an uplifting ending that is earned. Mixed between the rituals are deep philosophical conversations: “Science describes the least of things, the least of what something is. Religion, magic, bows to the endless in everything, the mystery.” I want to see more occult horror movies in this vein, about real occultism. It’s similar to Hereditary, a movie I enjoyed a lot, but I think A Dark Song is even better and am surprised it hasn’t received more hype. The film is all the more impressive considering it was made for only $50,000 and takes place almost entirely inside a single house. I cannot wait to see what writer/director Liam Gavin does next. 

A Classic Horror Story (2021) directed by Roberto De Feo and Paolo Strippoli

This Italian movie has a “classic horror story” setup: a group of travelers in an RV driving through a remote area of southern Italy have an accident and end up stranded in the middle of nowhere. They stumble upon bizarre things in the woods and a creepy abandoned house with occult decorations. Of course there is no cell service to call for help… The owners of the house show up, who are members of a pagan cult that performs gruesome rituals. Then the movie takes a twist from “classic horror story” to something much more. I don’t want to spoil the twist, but if you’re a fan of horror movies you need to see this. 

Come True (2020) directed by Anthony Scott Burns

I really loved the horror/sci-fi vibe of this movie, which is somewhat similar to a story idea of my own (which is different enough that I still plan to write it). Scientists perform a sleep study, using new technology that allows them to view the dreams of their subjects on fuzzy video screens. But the subjects all begin to have nightmares of the same creepy shadow figure with yellow eyes—who might be able to affect them outside of the dream. The cinematography was amazing with haunting visuals of the dream world. This represents my favorite type of horror, blending science fiction with technology and messing with dreams and reality. I will be eager to see more from this director in the future.

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) Directed by Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert

I enjoyed this movie but was surprised it won Best Picture at the Oscars. It’s not the typical kind of film to get recognized. It’s not a typical film, period. It’s like a live-action Rick and Morty episode. As the title suggests, it’s got just about everything in it: science fiction, kung-fu action, zany comedic gags, heartfelt family drama, life regrets, Chinese culture, the American immigrant experience, financial struggles, the heartless bureaucracy of the IRS, existential philosophy, the black hole of nihilism, and the meaning of life. It is rare for a single movie to have so many disparate tones yet all cohere in a way that makes sense. It will make you laugh, cry, cheer, and blow your mind. My only critique is that some of the science fictional mechanics of the multiverse don’t totally make sense, but that is not really the point of the movie.

Triangle of Sadness (2022) directed by Ruben Östlund

This film is off the walls crazy in the best way possible. I never had any idea where it would go next, which doesn’t happen often to me while watching movies anymore. I don’t want to give any plot details, as the less you know beforehand, the better experience it will be.

Tier 2: Great Films

Infinity Pool (2023) directed by Brandon Cronenberg

This felt like a Thomas Ligotti story, set in a sort of dreamworld or alternate reality. A couple goes on vacation to a resort in the fictional foreign country of Li Tolqa, where the cultural customs and practices of the locals are quite different. Tourists are supposed to stay within the gated walls of the resort, but when they venture out, things get horrifically bizarre. I won’t spoil any more than that. If you have seen Infinity Pool, I recommend this spoiler-filled analysis from YouTuber “The Vile Eye,” which made me understand and appreciate the film even more.

The Killer (2023) directed by David Fincher

This is one of the darkest most nihilistic movies directed by Fincher—which is saying something. It is an inside look into the life of a professional assassin, and the kind of mentality required to do such a job. It is reminiscent of American Psycho but without the humor and satire. Fincher reunited with the screenwriter of Se7en, and Michael Fassbender’s “The Killer” is similar to Kevin Spacey’s John Doe in some respects. The style of the movie is similar to Fight Club, with the voiceover explaining The Killer’s thought process. People view serial killers as evil and the scum of the earth—and rightfully so—but hitmen and assassins are often viewed as somehow less evil because they’re “just doing it for the money.” Many movies even glamorize hitmen and assassins, but this film shows that it takes a certain psyche to emotionlessly kill people for money—someone with such an extreme nihilistic attitude towards life that they don’t care about anything or anyone. The Killer ultimately shows that a professional hitman like The Killer is just as evil as a serial killer like John Doe—precisely because he believes there is no such thing as “evil.” (The film opens with The Killer quoting Aleister Crowley, “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law.”)

Men (2022) directed by Alex Garland

I purposely avoided plot details before seeing this latest film by Alex Garland (his involvement is enough to get me to watch), and the less you know beforehand, the better experience it will be. Men is a psychological horror movie set in the English countryside. I would classify it as weird fiction in the vein of Arthur Machen or Robert Aickman. It has an eerie atmosphere and a constant sense of dread as things become increasingly bizarre. Some viewers will be turned off by the extreme weirdness at the end, but I enjoyed it—though “enjoy” is the wrong word, as it gets pretty dark and twisted, but I appreciated the artistic intention. 

Something in the Dirt (2022) directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead

A low-budget mind-bending sci-fi horror film from my favorite director duo, set in their own apartment, starring themselves. Benson and Moorhead make some of the best cosmic horror movies today.

They Cloned Tyrone (2023) directed by Juel Taylor

This movie is like The X-Files meets The Wire—or just like Get Out. (It’s actually more similar to Get Out than Jordan Peele’s own follow-ups to Get Out.) The film sets up an intriguing sci-fi mystery of someone discovering a clone of himself, that keeps you watching, eager to find out the answers.

House of Darkness (2022) directed by Neil LaBute

This horror movie could be a play, as it’s almost entirely dialogue-driven, consisting of conversations between a man and a mysterious woman after he drives her home from a bar to her house, which happens to be a large gothic castle. The writing is great, with the two characters going back and forth, commenting on social dynamics, as horror elements gradually creep in. The IMDb rating (4.7/10) deserves to be much higher. It is likely artificially suppressed by visceral horror fans who were expecting more jump scares, but this is not a traditional horror film. There are very few scares at all until the very end. 

Skinamarink (2022) directed by Kyle Edward Ball

I was really looking forward to this low-budget indie experimental horror movie after it received a lot of hype online. It’s set in the 1990s as two children explore their house late one night after their parents disappear—as well as all the doors and windows in the house. It’s the type of movie that you either love or hate. It got a lot of 5-star reviews but also a lot of 1-stars—and not much in between. Though, I would say I am somewhere in between because I both loved and hated Skinamarink.

The critics who call Skinamarink tediously slow and boring, with no plot or characters, where nothing happens for most of the movie, are correct. But I also agree with the fans who applaud the film for its creepy atmosphere, lo-fi aesthetic, and 90s analog horror vibe. Plus it’s such a great title. Skinamarink feels like a fresh and original horror movie, akin to The Blair Witch Project. Not that it is similar in content, tone, or style, but in the sense that there hadn’t been another horror movie quite like it before, and it will surely spawn many copycats in the future (some better, some worse).

Yet I can’t wholeheartedly recommend Skinamarink to everyone because of the earlier stated flaws. Perhaps if they trimmed an hour of fat off it would make an amazing 40-minute film (yes, there is that much fat). Because the great parts of Skinamarink are truly great, with mind-blowing ideas and haunting visuals (those 40 minutes are some of the best horror ever). But other parts felt like a creepy house ASMR YouTube video with crappy quality—and like any good ASMR video, it put me to sleep. However, I have only seen Skinamarink once, and it is the type of movie that will reward repeat viewings. The slow-burn tedious pace may grow on me. 

Ultimately, when you consider the budget was only $15,000, it is quite impressive what the writer/director accomplished. Kyle Edward Ball is definitely a filmmaker to watch in the future. (PS: This Wendigoon review is helpful in explaining the story.)

Hell House LLC (2015) directed by Stephen Cognetti

This is one of the best found-footage horror movies I’ve ever seen, which is not a sub-genre I’m particularly fond of, but it was an inventive use of the form, combining found footage with a faux documentary. It also combines comedy and postmodern irony/cynical attitudes from the characters, who are dismissive of ghosts—yet it is legitimately scary at moments. The plot is somewhat similar to my recent horror story, “Camp Blood Gore Tour,” though I hadn’t seen this until after I wrote that. A group of friends try to create a fake haunted house tour for Halloween—except the old abandoned hotel is actually haunted for real. Like my story, fiction and reality are blurred, as both the hosts and the guests don’t know if the ghosts are real, a part of the show, or someone messing with them. Fun fact: in the movie, the haunted hotel is located in Rockland County NY, my hometown, though the particular town in the movie (Abaddon) does not exist in Rockland, and the actual hotel where the film was shot is located in Pennsylvania. 

Tier 3: Just Good

5-25-77 (2008) directed by Patrick Read Johnson

This is a heartwarming and inspiring coming-of-age story, based on the director’s real life, of himself as a teenage aspiring film director in the middle of nowhere, Illinois. He goes on a weekend trip to Hollywood to visit his hero Douglas Trumbell and sees an early cut of Star Wars, which forever changes his life. This movie was made in 2004-06 but not officially released until 2022. [It was odd seeing John Francis Daly (who is around my age) playing a high school student now, though he was only a couple years removed from HS when it was filmed.] I enjoyed the movie, but I’m not sure how much appeal it would have to non film geeks. 

The Death of Dick Long (2019) directed by Daniel Scheinert

This is like Fargo set in Alabama, or like the leads from Dumb and Dumber trying to cover up a crime (the death of Dick Long), though it takes a darkly disturbing turn when the truth is revealed. 

The Fabelmans (2022) directed by Steven Spielberg

A semi-fictionalized film based on Steven Spielberg’s life. The parts about him falling in love with film and making movies with his friends were great, but the deteriorating marriage of his parents and other family problems were heavy and depressing. It was similar to 5-25-77, which featured Spielberg as a character who inspired that young director, while The Fabelmans features David Lynch playing John Ford as the older director who inspired young Spielberg. 

Knock at the Cabin (2023) directed by M. Night Shyamalan

I was really enjoying this adaptation of the Paul Tremblay novel The Cabin at the End of the World (a book I loved), pleasantly surprised to find it faithfully adapted—that is until the end. The premise: a family is on vacation at a remote cabin in the woods when a group of cult members arrive and say one of them must kill a member of their family as a sacrifice to prevent the end of the world. The book’s ending was divisive because of its ambiguity, but I thought it was brilliant. Yet the film removed that ambiguity, detracting from the brilliance of the story. Like the book, the movie would have been so much more powerful if you never truly know if the cult was right, if the apocalypse was really impending. M. Night is a masterful director, but his problems with his movies usually stem from his scripts. I thought that would be solved by him working from a great book written by someone else—but unfortunately he had to change it. Knock is still a good movie worth watching, but the book is far better (as is the title—I don’t know why they changed it.)

M3GAN (2022) directed by Gerard Johnstone

A fun sci-fi horror movie about a child’s life-size robot doll that turns evil and kills anyone who is mean to her owner. It’s more funny than scary due to its over-the-top campiness.

Millennial Hunter (2023) directed by Jason Shwartz

An absurd animated comedy about a boomer fed up with millennials. As a millennial, I can relate—I’m fed up with my generation too. This was clearly written by millennials making fun of themselves.

Nope (2022) directed by Jordan Peele

Jordan Peele is a highly talented director, but his career seems to be going the M. Night route, in that his follow-ups to his big hit (Get Out/Sixth Sense) are interesting and full of creative ideas but not as good in totality as a movie, perhaps because he was given too much creative freedom. Peele may be a better director (and actor) than a writer. Us and Nope focus too much on the metaphoric allegory rather than a cohesive narrative. 

Reptile (2023) directed by Grant Singer

This was a gripping neo-noir murder mystery with good twists, slickly directed with a great performance by Benicio Del Toro. But the ultimate twist (spoiler alert: corrupt cops dealing drugs, a conspiracy that goes all the way to the top!) felt cliche and outdated—it’s not the Serpico days of the 70s anymore. 

V/H/S: Viral (2014) directed by various

An anthology horror movie featuring:

“Dante the Great” had a good premise about a magician with a cape that is real magic, but the acting and writing were subpar. And the story felt limited by the found footage gimmick; could have been better as a traditional narrative. 

“Parallel Monsters” by Nacho Vigalondo, the Spanish writer/director of the great time travel movie Timecrimes. This time, the sci-fi concept is opening a portal to a mirror universe where a man swaps places with a double of himself (similar to the concept in my short story “Double Life Sentence“)…except the mirror world is a lot more warped and horrific than he imagined.

“Bonestorm” directed by the great duo Justin Benson and Aaron Scott Moorhead, was the highlight of this anthology, about teenage delinquent skateboarders doing extreme stunts to try to go viral online. They end up in Tijuana where they encounter a cult and flesh-eating zombie/skeletons. 

The connective film, “Vicious Circles,” paid off at the end, focusing on the cosmic horror of going viral on the internet and seeking fame.

The Whale (2022) directed by Darren Aronofsky

A disturbing and heart-breaking film reminiscent of director Aronofsky’s earlier Requiem for a Dream, but this time the “drug” is food. Features an incredible Oscar-winning performance by Brendan Fraser, but The Whale is a tough watch because of the depressing subject matter.

X (2022) Directed by Ti West

All of Ti West’s movies begin slow and seem like comedies or straight dramas at first, as you’re not even sure if it’s a horror movie, but there is a slight unnerving tension that gradually builds until the final act when all shit hits the fan and things get bloody horrific. It’s apparently not for everyone, considering his mixed reviews, but I like his slow-burn style, ending with a crescendo of gore. 

Tier 4: Flawed But Entertaining

The Ballad of Lefty Brown (2017) directed by Jared Moshe

A decent western, though a bit derivative of better westerns like Unforgiven.

Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) directed by Halina Reijn

This had a good premise, was well-directed, with a satirical look at Gen-Z, but the characters grew too annoying, and the ending was a letdown. 

The Civil Dead (2022) directed by Clay Tatum

A man is “haunted” by the ghost of his dead friend who no one else can see or hear. It kind of reminded me of my story “I am Invisible,” but this movie is more of a comedy than that.

Cosmic Dawn (2022) directed by Jefferson Moneo

Great title, great poster, mediocre movie. A freaky psychedelic cosmic horror story about a UFO cult. It is low-budget with bad acting but is still interesting enough to watch.

Hell House LLC II: The Abaddon Hotel (2018) directed by Stephen Cognetti

Not as good as the original. The acting was worse. The “talk show” gimmick was dumb, and the scares were lacking. 

Sacrifice (2020) directed by Andy Collier & Tor Mian

Some interesting Lovecraftian elements, but was too slow with poor acting.

Willy’s Wonderland (2021) directed by Kevin Lewis

An absurd horror comedy about a Chuck E. Cheese-type place where the animatronic characters are possessed. Nic Cage is trapped inside and must kill them to survive—and he doesn’t say a single word throughout the entire movie.

Tier 5: Disappointing (Don’t Bother)

Blair Witch (2016) directed by Adam Wingard

This sequel was a waste of time. Half the script is just characters walking in the woods shouting other characters’ names—and the characters are so annoying and unlikeable that you’re rooting for them to get lost. (I suppose the original suffers from some of these same flaws, but at least it was fresh and original at the time.) The finale in the witch house was somewhat well-done and interesting, but not worth the excruciating shaky cam footage and whining in the woods that led to that moment. Just watch the original again. 

Scream (2022) directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett

I loved the first Scream and kind of enjoyed the sequels (though I only saw them once and don’t remember them too well) but I was disappointed by this reboot/sequel. First, the title is terrible (come up with something new). It should have been “Re-Scream” since it’s a “requel” which they even comment upon in the film. I liked some of the meta aspects, but the acting and writing were subpar.