It’s that time of year again where I consult my great and mighty notebook that holds all of the movies I watch for Horrortober and my ongoing list of potentially ‘best of’ flicks for each year. I have to tell you, I was worried I wouldn’t see 13 horror movies worthy of making any kind of list this year. Luckily, there was a slew of quality movies that hit theaters and streaming at the end of the year to quell my fears. It’s like an Oscar push without the hope of anyone getting an Oscar (though Mia Goth sure as hell deserves at least a nomination).

Now, in the first episode of 2023 on Final Guys, we all revealed our top 13 list. Naturally, days later, the order has changed a bit for me. You can check out the extra-sized episode below and then scroll down for my remastered list.

Now, onto my revised list with one sentence reviews for each!

#13 – SISSY – Beautiful to look at with pretty cool gore and social media influencer gone wild. You can watch it on Shudder.

#12 – THE SADNESS – Horny, fast moving zombies are more disturbing than you’d think. Also on Shudder.

#11 – DEADSTREAM – Another social media influencer gets his comeuppance at an haunted house, all while streaming live. No shock, you can see it on Shudder.

#10 – THE BLACK PHONE – Creepy, heart wrenching child abduction thriller with a terrifying Ethan Hawke that will hit you in the feels. Catch it on Amazon Prime.

#9 – RESURRECTION – A complete mind fuck of a movie starring the queen, Rebecca Hall who should get every award for every movie she does. See it on Shudder.

#8 – SMILE – Biggest surprise of the year for me with genuine chills, pulse pounding scares and an ending that will wipe that smile off your face. Available streaming on demand and Amazon.

#7 – NOPE – A big yep for this alien western with killer performances and a very, very bad monkey. Catch it on Hulu.

#6 – PEARL – The prequel to X is a throwback to big movies of the 30s and the most daring horror film to come out in a long time. Available to stream on Amazon.

#5 – FRESH – What starts out as a kind of romcom descends into madness and cannibalism. Watch it on Hulu.

#4 – THE MENU – Wondrous to behold, this hysterical take on food culture stars the otherworldly Anya Taylor Joy who is the best of her generation. Feast your eyes on HBO Max.

#3 – BARBARIAN – Proof that Detroit horror movies rule, your jaw will drop more times than you can count in this offbeat foray into subterranean horror. Watch it on Hulu.

#2 – VIOLENT NIGHT – The most fun I had at the movies all year, the violence and humor is at eleven. In theaters.

#1 – X – I knew this would be my favorite the second I saw it. Shooting porn in a rented shack in Texas has never been so sexy, strange, and disturbing. Thank you Ti West for coming back to horror!

And to round things out:

HONORALE MENTION goes to A Wounded Fawn, Dashcam, Slash/Back, Hellbender, The Innocents and Piggy.

WORSE MOVIE OF THE YEAR is undeniably Halloween Ends. Words still fail me. Let’s hope this is truly the end.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT – Terrifier 2. I’d been looking forward to it, but what I got was a bloated, mean, pointless exercise in gore for gore’s sake.

COMEBACK DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR – Ti West for giving us 2 amazing flicks! Can’t wait for Maxxine later this year.