Bam Smack Pow
Fansided

15 most popular horror movies of 2023 ranked worst to best

A long list of highly-anticipated horror movies were released in 2023, but unfortunately, not all of them were great.

By Natalie Zamora

Ghostface in Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group's "Scream VI."
Ghostface in Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group's "Scream VI." /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 9
Next

14. Knock at the Cabin

5765_D012_00055R-6720x4480-ef7eb9f
Knock at the Cabin, image courtesy Universal Pictures /

M. Night Shyamalan's latest movie is an adaptation of the award-winning 2018 novel The Cabin at the End of the World, and unfortunately, it's not great. Full transparency — I haven't read the book, though I heard from a few people who did read it that they weren't happy with the adaptation. Despite a star-studded cast and intriguing premise, Knock at the Cabin is totally forgettable.

The apocalyptic movie follows a couple who are vacationing at a cabin with their young daughter. As a shock to them, a group of people appear at their door and tell them the world is going to end and they must sacrifice someone in order to save it. And they're not going to let them say no.

There's emotional complexity to Knock at the Cabin that I really appreciate, but it doesn't go deep enough. It also gets extremely repetitive as the central characters are confronted by the same dilemma over and over again. And in the end, the movie's conclusion is very unsatisfying.

WHERE TO WATCH: Stream on Amazon Prime Video

13. Five Nights at Freddy’s

Five Nights at Freddy's
(from left) Mike (Josh Hutcherson) and Abby (Piper Rubio) in Five Nights at Freddy's, directed by Emma Tammi. /

Based on the extremely successful video game of the same name, this 2023 movie adaptation had a lot of pressure to get right. Unfortunately, diehard fans of the game didn’t love the movie, and it’s easy to understand why. 

Five Nights at Freddy’s stars Josh Hutcherson as protagonist Mike, who accepts a job as the night guard at a family entertainment center in order to keep custody of his little sister Abby. If you're familiar with the franchise, you know where this one goes.

With a PG-13 rating and very simplistic plot, Five Nights at Freddy’s seems geared towards a younger audience, maybe one that’s just starting to get into the horror genre. For that reason, the movie serves its purpose and I can’t hate on it too much. I don’t think I was the target audience and that’s totally fine. 

WHERE TO WATCH: Stream on Peacock

Home/Movies