From When Evil Lurks to Evil Dead Rise, 2023 was a good year for horror. It’s no surprise either, as horror has been going through a gradual resurgence in quality over the past five years or so, with auteur filmmakers taking risks, trying boldly original concepts, and pushing the brutality factor of horror up to 11 while still receiving mainstream wide releases through distributors such as A24. This more experimental landscape of horror cinema has led us away from the dreaded self-serious “startle, not scare” formula that mainstream horror had gotten so comfortable with throughout the 2010s, and has brought about a much-welcome return to form for some more niche horror styles, such as the holiday slasher with Thanksgiving or the return of torturous body horror with Saw X. (One of the best entries that the franchise has seen in nearly two decades.)