JP Nunez
If you’re a horror fan, you know the critics don’t always get it right. And I’m not just talking about movies that undergo extreme reappraisals a la The Thing or The Shining. A lot of film critics simply don’t care much for horror, and while that bias against the genre is thankfully waning, it hasn’t gone away entirely. Every year a few awesome horror movies find themselves severely underrated by the cinematic intelligentsia, and 2023 was no different.
Sure, a lot of genre films received rave reviews, but there were also plenty of times I walked out of the theater very pleasantly surprised after expecting a trainwreck. And according to Rotten Tomatoes, I wasn’t the only one. Of the five movies on this list, four of them earned positive audience scores, and two have particularly wide disparities between their critic and audience ratings.
So once again, it looks like the critics missed the mark a few times last year, and if you’re curious about which poorly reviewed horror films are actually worth your time, you’ve come to the right place. I’ve compiled a list of five underrated 2023 horror movies I had a great time with, so let’s dive right in and see why they deserve way more love than their Rotten Tomatoes scores would suggest.
The Last Voyage of the Demeter
First up, we have The Last Voyage of the Demeter, director André Øvredal’s fantastic adaptation of a single chapter from Bram Stoker’s classic novel Dracula. It tells the tragic story of the Demeter, the ship that carried Dracula from Transylvania to London, and it shows how the bloodsucking count picked off the vessel’s crew one by one until there was nobody left.
As of this writing, the movie only has a 49% on Rotten Tomatoes, and to be frank, I totally get why. This is pretty much just a straight-up scarefest, so if you’re looking for sensational storytelling or compelling character arcs, you’re not going to find them here. Instead, The Last Voyage of the Demeter is all about making Dracula as terrifying as possible, and on that count, it succeeds brilliantly.
In fact, this is probably the scariest the prince of vampires has ever been. This Dracula looks more like a demon than a man, and he attacks his victims with an animalistic intensity we’ve rarely seen before. It’s a thing of horrific beauty, and that alone makes The Last Voyage of the Demeter a super fun watch from beginning to end. Sure, the film has its fair share of shortcomings, but it’s way better than its poor critical reception would suggest. It’s definitely one of the most underrated horror movies of 2023, so if you haven’t seen it yet, I suggest you remedy that as quickly as possible.
The Exorcist: Believer
Next, we come to The Exorcist: Believer, the only film on this list that sports a low audience score as well as an abysmal critic score, so I know I’m in the minority here. But I don’t care. This movie may not hold a candle to the original The Exorcist, but I still think it’s a damn good watch in its own right.
The film is a direct sequel to the 1973 classic that kickstarted the exorcism subgenre, but this time, the possession victims are two girls, not just one. However, that doesn’t mean The Exorcist: Believer has twice the scares of the original. In fact, it actually goes pretty light on the horror.
Instead, this movie is much more interested in crafting sympathetic characters and getting you to care about their seemingly hopeless plight, and in my opinion, it gets the job done. I was thoroughly invested in this story, and since I loved these characters so much, my fear for them more than made up for my lack of fear of what I saw on screen.
What’s more, this film also ends on a frankly bold note that completely upends a popular possession trope, and I appreciated that. I don’t want to spoil it if you haven’t seen the movie but trust me, it’s not at all what you’d expect from this subgenre. It leaves the film off on a high note, and when you combine that with the excellent characters and great story, it’s clear that The Exorcist: Believer is one of the most underrated horror movies of 2023.
Renfield
If you can’t tell, I’m a huge Dracula fan. I love the original novel and a lot of the character’s films, so it should come as no surprise that I had an absolute blast watching Renfield. As the title suggests, this movie is all about Dracula’s henchman, Robert Montague Renfield, a man who desperately wants to break free of his master’s control. Along the way, he meets a police officer struggling to take down a powerful crime family, and he unwittingly drags her and her enemies into the count’s twisted and terrifying web.
It’s a unique take on the Dracula mythos, and while it’s far from perfect, it’s way better than its rotten critic score would lead you to believe. To begin, this version of Dracula is played by Nicolas Cage, and that casting is just as amazing as you’d expect. Cage injects the role with his typical over-the-top craziness, and when he goes full-on Nic Cage, you can’t help but smile from ear to ear.
On top of that, the other main characters in this story are genuinely likable as well, and the film also features a whole bunch of entertaining horror, a boatload of over-the-top gore, and some hilarious comedy. Simply put, Renfield expertly fires on all cylinders. Despite a few obvious flaws, it’s tough to deny that this is one of the most underrated horror movies of 2023.
Meg 2: The Trench
I’d be lying if I said Meg 2: The Trench was everything I wanted it to be. It’s not. It drags a bit at times, and I think the filmmakers made an unfortunate mistake putting human bad guys in a movie about giant sharks. The megalodons are the antagonists, so the evil humans end up being little more than annoying distractions. But despite those missteps, this is still one of the funnest shark films in recent memory.
Much like the original The Meg, this film stars Jason Statham as a badass, shark-fighting deep-sea diver, and it follows a group of scientists as they travel to the bottom of the ocean. Unsurprisingly, they come across some unexpected hurdles on their way down, and in their struggle to make it out alive, they unwittingly allow a trio of megalodons (along with a few other underwater monsters!) to escape their isolated home and wreak total havoc on the surface.
If that brief plot synopsis doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, you probably won’t get much out of Meg 2: The Trench, but if this does sound like your type of movie then I think you’ll have a ball with it. For starters, the characters are almost all likable, and Jason Statham’s Jonas Taylor is particularly charming. Meg 2 also features a ton of awesome monster action and suspense, and it wisely adds a few new touches to keep it from feeling like a carbon copy of the first film.
In a word, Meg 2: The Trench is an absolute blast, so go ahead and ignore its dreadful critic score. This is one of the most underrated horror movies of 2023, and if you’re a fan of big, dumb creature features, you’d do well to check this one out if you haven’t seen it.
Insidious: The Red Door
Last but not least, we have Insidious: The Red Door, the latest installment in the very hit-or-miss Insidious franchise. The film picks up several years after Insidious: Chapter 2, and it follows Josh and Dalton Lambert as they experience some spooky supernatural phenomena. However, because their memories of the events of the first two movies have been erased, they’re at a big disadvantage. They have no idea what’s going on, so they have to piece together the cause of these disturbances before it’s too late.
As I said, the Insidious movies are very hit or miss, but this is a welcome return to form for the franchise after two very subpar films. To begin, it’s great seeing the Lamberts again, and Josh and Dalton are possibly the best they’ve ever been. What’s more, this movie also features the super fun scares that fans of these films crave, so it’s pretty much everything we could’ve asked for.
Granted, if you’re not already an Insidious aficionado, Insidious: The Red Door isn’t going to change your mind. But if you’re a fan of the franchise, do yourself a favor and check this one out. It’s way better than its ridiculously low critic score would suggest, so it’s hands down one of the most underrated horror movies of 2023.
