Lists

Most Memorable Kills in the Horror Movies of 2023

Published

4 months ago

December 28, 2023

It’s been quite a year for some great, and not-so-great horror movies. With that also comes on-screen carnage. As we all know one of the things that make a great horror movie is the inventiveness of the kill, and this year there were some good ones. But with that originality came unsettling scenes of self-harm, child violence, and self-mutilation. Some detractors might ask, with all that’s going on in the world, why would anyone want to see such graphic displays?

To them, I would emphasize that as a species we are intelligent enough to know that it is all fake. None of what we see in movies is real so we can then appreciate the filmmaker’s visions and all the special effects work that goes into perfecting a gag; the more clever, the better.

As you go through the list, be warned there are spoilers and scenes of violence that are mentioned above. If you can’t differentiate what is real from what is not or are easily triggered by scenes of graphic gore or violence against human beings of all ages, you might want to reconsider reading this article.

For the rest of us, here are some of the best horror scenes 2023 has to offer in film.

Evil Dead Rise

Evil Dead Rise is complicated because no one really dies, they just come back…different. But there is one kill scene in which a living mass is destroyed at the end so if you don’t want spoilers don’t read (or watch) any further.

In the last scene, every Deadite merges into a single mass called the Marauder. It has working limbs that grab weapons in an attempt to kill our final girls Beth and Cassie. But Beth manages to maneuver the creature into a whirling wood chipper grinding everything but the head into a pulp. In the end, Beth, having been taunted one last time by the severed demon head, gets the last word before punting it into the spinning teeth of the industrial appliance.

^{Evil Dead Rise}

Thanksgiving

Eli Roth knew what fans wanted and he delivered it in Thanksgiving. Of all the kills “John Carver” performs there is one that contains a few horrific jabs. First, a character named Kathleen is shoved into a large oven and cooked alive. Then, after being oven-roasted her arms and legs are tied and positioned like a Thanksgiving turkey on a dining table in front of the gagged and bound survivors. The killer then cuts a slice of cooked white meat from her inner thigh and forces her husband to eat it.

^Thanksgiving

Cocaine Bear

Poor Ranger Liz (Margo Martindale). She means well but nothing ever works out. First, she has a crush on an unavailable man, and then a huge bear hopped up on illegal stimulants is terrorizing her peaceful park. Her one bout of good luck comes after she is injured and an ambulance quickly arrives to take her to the hospital. That’s cut short after the bear leaps into the back of the speeding ambulance launching her and the stretcher face-first at high velocity into the pavement where the momentum drags her several more feet.

^{Cocaine Bear}

Saw X

There were a few kill scenes that were difficult to watch this year. Valentina’s death in Saw X was one of them. After her part in a medical scam against John Kramer (Jigsaw) he captures her and creates a trap that forces her to choose between amputating her leg and collecting enough bone marrow or failing and suffering the consequences: decapitation with a Gigli saw. We watch every excruciating second as she saws into her leg and then, after failing, her head slowly being sliced from her shoulders.

^{Saw X}

Scream VI

Scream VI had many kills, but the ladder above the alley might have been the most memorable. Anika is the girlfriend of Mindy Meeks and is unfortunately at the wrong place at the wrong time when Ghostface comes calling. In a harrowing scene several stories above a New York City alleyway, she is tasked with crawling across a ladder bridged between two windows to an adjacent building. Fearful of heights she nervously starts her transition but midway through Ghostface rocks the ladder and Anika falls to her death bashing her head against a steel dumpster on the way.

^{Scream VI}

When Evil Lurks

This is probably the most suspensefully well-crafted scene of 2023, and it’s also the most provocative. Vicky, the young daughter of our hero Pedro, is sitting next to the large and hefty family dog who has just become infected by a demon virus. As Pedro and his ex-wife Sabrina argue, Vicky’s older brother looks on in horror as the possessed dog mauls the little girl and drags her down the street. This isn’t the most gruesome scene in the film, but it is the most shocking.

^{When Evil Lurks}

No One Will Save You

This isn’t a human kill, it’s an extraterrestrial one. Our heroine Brynn is in a tense game of cat and mouse inside her house with a large gray alien on her heels. Just as it looks as if the alien is going to win she kills it using a bell tower from her miniature village diorama. What makes this kill so great is that it’s a headshot and we don’t see it coming, and neither does the alien. Furthermore, we aren’t sure what is going to happen next: is the E.T. really dead? And if so what happens next?

^{No One Will Save You}

It’s a Wonderful Knife

Some might think the axe attack is the best kill in the mediocre It’s a Wonderful Knife, and that might be accurate. However, as a horror fan, the kill is only as good as its gag. For this gag our heroine’s best friend Cara and her boyfriend head off on their own for a private kissing session. During the liplock Cara in recoils in disgust at the taste of her partner’s breath. The camera pans out and we see that he has been impaled and bleeding through the mouth by a large sharpened candy cane yard decoration.

^{It’s a Wonderful Knife}

Beau is Afraid

Not everybody likes Beau is Afraid, it is probably the most divisive horror movie of this year. It is so weird and non-linear that some filmgoers got confused and asked the modern question “What did I just watch?” That’s fair because there is so much artistic exposition about anxiety, depression, and grief the culminated result is an exhausting think piece.

There is one memorable scene that deals with mental illness resulting in self-harm and death. Beau is staying with Roger and Grace and their trepidatious daughter Toni. In one scene, Toni, under the spell of an intrusive thought, begs Beau to drink some blue house paint, and when he refuses she engulfs it herself thus resulting in her death.

It is such a weird moment that only adds to then quirkiness of the movie, but it remains with you in afterthought.

^{Beau is Afraid}

These are just a few noteworthy kills in horror movies this year. We know there are more that weren’t included. So if you have a favorite that we missed, let us know in the comments.

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Lists

Indie Horror Spotlight: Uncover Your Next Favorite Fright [List]

Published

16 hours ago

May 10, 2024

Anthony Pernicka

Discovering hidden gems in the world of cinema can be thrilling, especially when it comes to indie films, where creativity often flourishes without the constraints of massive budgets. To help movie buffs find these lesser-known masterpieces, we’ve curated a special list of indie horror films. Perfect for those who appreciate the underdog and love to support emerging talent, this list is your gateway to potentially uncovering your next favorite director, actor, or horror franchise. Each entry includes a brief synopsis and, when available, a trailer to give you a taste of the spine-chilling excitement that awaits.

Insane Like Me?

Insane Like Me? Official Trailer

Directed by Chip Joslin, this intense narrative centers on a combat veteran who, upon returning from overseas duty, becomes the prime suspect in his girlfriend’s enigmatic disappearance. Wrongfully convicted and incarcerated in a mental asylum for nine years, he is eventually released and seeks to unravel the truth and seek justice. The cast boasts notable talents including Golden Globe winner and Academy Award nominee Eric Roberts, along with Samantha Reddy, Jack Maxwell, Paul Kolker, and Meg Hobgood.

“Insane Like Me?”debuts on Cable and Digital VOD on June 4, 2024.

Silent Hill: The Room – Short Film

Silent Hill: The Room Short Film

Henry Townshend wakes up in his apartment, finding it chained shut from the inside… A fan film based on the game Silent Hill 4: The Room by Konami.

Key Crew & Cast:

Writer, Director, Producer, Editor, VFX: Nick Merola
Starring: Brian Dole as Henry Townshend, Thea Henry
Director of Photography: Eric Teti
Production Design: Alexandra Winsby
Sound: Thomas Wynn
Music: Akira Yamaoka
Assistant Camera: Hailey Port
Gaffer: Prannoy Jacob
SFX Makeup: Kayla Vancil
Art PA: Haddie Webster
Color Correction: Matthew Greenberg
VFX Collaboration: Kyle Jurgia
Production Assistants: Brandom Weavil, Lauren Smith, Steve Visbeck

Alien Hunt

Alien Hunt Official Trailer

On a hunting trip in the wilderness, a group of siblings discovers an abandoned military outpost on their land, but is it what it seems? Their trip takes a sinister turn when they find themselves facing off against a relentless army of extra-terrestrial beings. Suddenly, the hunters become the hunted. The formidable squad of alien soldiers will stop at nothing to wipe out the enemy and in an all-out, brutal battle for survival, it’s kill or be killed in Alien Hunt.

This brand-new sci-fi horror from director Aaron Mirtes (Robot Riot, The OctoGames, The Bigfoot Trap, Painted in Blood) is set for its US Premiere on May 14, 2024.

The Hangman

The Hangman Official Trailer

To mend their troubled relationship, a middle-aged door-to-door salesman, Leon, takes his teenage son on a camping trip into deep rural Appalachia. Little do they know of the mountainous region’s sinister secrets. A local cult has summoned an evil demon born of hate and pain, known to them as The Hangman, and now the bodies have begun to pile up. Leon wakes up in the morning to discover that his son is missing. To find him, Leon must face the murderous cult and the bloodthirsty monster that is The Hangman.

The Hangman will have a limited theatrical run beginning May 31. The film will be available to rent or purchase on video-on-demand (VOD) starting June 4th.

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Lists

Unbelievably Cool ‘Scream’ Trailer But Re-Imagined As A 50s Horror Flick

Published

3 days ago

May 7, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Ever wonder what your favorite horror movies would look like if they had been made in the 50s? Thanks to We Hate Popcorn But Eat It Anyway and their use of modern technology now you can!

The YouTube channel reimagines modern movie trailers as mid-century pulp flicks using AI software.

What is really neat about these bite-sized offerings is that some of them, mostly the slashers go against what cinemas had to offer over 70 years ago. Horror movies back then involved atomic monsters, scary aliens, or some sort of physical science gone awry. This was the era of the B-movie where actresses would put their hands against their faces and let out over-dramatic screams reacting to their monstrous pursuer.

With the advent of new color systems such as DeLuxe and Technicolor, movies were vibrant and saturated in the 50s enhancing primary colors that electrified the action happening on screen, bringing a whole new dimension to films using a process called Panavision.

^{“Scream” reimagined as a 50s horror movie.}

Arguably, Alfred Hitchcock upended the creature feature trope by making his monster a human in Psycho (1960). He used black and white film to create shadows and contrast which added suspense and drama to every setting. The final reveal in the basement would probably not have been if he had used color.

Jump to the 80s and beyond, actresses were less histrionic, and the only emphasized primary color was blood red.

What is also unique about these trailers is the narration. The We Hate Popcorn But Eat It Anyway team has captured the monotone narration of 50s movie trailer voiceovers; those over-dramatic faux news anchor cadences that emphasized buzz words with a sense of urgency.

That mechanic died out long ago, but luckily, you can see what some of your favorite modern horror movies would look like when Eisenhower was in office, developing suburbs were replacing farmland and cars were made with steel and glass.

Here are some other noteworthy trailers brought to you by We Hate Popcorn But Eat It Anyway:

^{“Hellraiser” reimagined as a 50s horror movie.}

^{“It” reimagined as a 50s horror movie.}

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Lists

The Top-Searched Free Horror/Action Movies on Tubi This Week

Published

1 week ago

May 3, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The free streaming service Tubi is a great place to scroll when you’re unsure what to watch. They are not sponsored or affiliated with iHorror. Still, we really appreciate their library because it’s so robust and has many obscure horror movies so rare you can’t find them anywhere in the wild except, if you’re lucky, in a moist cardboard box at a yard sale. Other than Tubi, where else are you going to find Nightwish (1990), Spookies (1986), or The Power (1984)?

We take a look at the most searched horror titles on the platform this week, hopefully, to save you some time in your endeavor to find something free to watch on Tubi.

Interestingly at the top of the list is one of the most polarizing sequels ever made, the female-led Ghostbusters reboot from 2016. Perhaps viewers have seen the latest sequel Frozen Empire and are curious about this franchise anomaly. They will be happy to know it’s not as bad as some think and is genuinely funny in spots.

So take a look at the list below and tell us if you are interested in any of them this weekend.

1. Ghostbusters (2016)

Ghostbusters (2016)

An otherworldly invasion of New York City assembles a pair of proton-packed paranormal enthusiasts, a nuclear engineer and a subway worker for battle.An otherworldly invasion of New York City assembles a pair of proton-packed paranormal enthusiasts, a nuclear engineer and a subway worker for battle.

2. Rampage

When a group of animals becomes vicious after a genetic experiment goes awry, a primatologist must find an antidote to avert a global catastrophe.

3. The Conjuring The Devil Made Me Do It

Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren uncover an occult conspiracy as they help a defendant argue that a demon forced him to commit murder.

4. Terrifier 2

After being resurrected by a sinister entity, Art the Clown returns to Miles County, where his next victims, a teenage girl and her brother, await.

5. Don’t Breathe

A group of teens breaks into a blind man’s home, thinking they’ll get away with the perfect crime but get more than they bargained for once inside.

6. The Conjuring 2

In one of their most terrifying paranormal investigations, Lorraine and Ed Warren help a single mother of four in a house plagued by sinister spirits.