The 2023 movie season kicks into high gear this week with the start of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Each year, Sundance is where many of the big, buzzy, independent films start their journeys to either box office success or critical glory — and, with the festival now being both digital and in-person, audiences everywhere can participate.
Sundance might be best known for its dramatic fare (like last year’s best picture winner, Coda, which premiered there), but it’s also a great place to discover excellent horror, sci-fi, and other genre films. That’s where Gizmodo comes in. In the past, the festival was the proving ground for films like Saw, The Blair Witch Project, Donnie Darko, 28 Days Later, The Descent, and Primer. Last year, After Yang, Something in the Dirt, Brian and Charles, and Resurrection all premiered at the festival.
So, odds are, this year includes some new genre classics. It’s time to see the contenders and, if you want to watch them for yourself, the festival runs from January 19-29 both in Park City, Utah and online. Get more info right here and click through to see the films.
Aliens Abducted My Parents and Now I Feel Kinda Left Out
A young woman meets a new friend with a surprising secret: he’s sure his parents were abducted by aliens. The film co-stars Will Forte and Elizabeth Mitchell. Read more here.
The Amazing Maurice
An animated film about a sneaky cat who teams up with an equally savvy young woman to solve the mysteries of a country town. It features the voices of Hugh Laurie, Emilia Clarke, Himesh Patel, and Gemma Arterton, and is based on Terry Pratchett’s novel. Read more here.
Birth/Rebirth
A pathologist who loves dead bodies and a nurse obsessed with bringing back the dead team up for… something. It also involves a young girl. We’re kind of creeped out just thinking about it. Read more here.
Bravo, Burkina!
Described as “a multidimensional exploration of love and migration,” this film follows a young boy who discovers he has the ability to travel back in time to try and redefine his past. Read more here.
Infinity Pool
Alexander Skarsgård and Mia Goth star in the latest film from writer-director Brandon Cronenberg which follows the terrifying discoveries wealthy tourists uncover while on vacation. Read more here.
In My Mother’s Skin
A Filipino family filled with secrets puts its trust in the hands of a flesh-eating fairy. We guess that wasn’t the best idea. Read more here.
Landscape With Invisible Hand
Based on the novel by M.T. Anderson, Landscape is set in a world where aliens have taken and watch human interaction for amusement. Here, we follow a young man and woman hoping to scrape by livestreaming their romance. Tiffany Haddish, Michael Gandolfini, and William Jackson Harper co-star. Read more here.
The Longest Goodbye
A documentary that explores what goes into psychologically preparing someone for deep space travel. Read more here.
My Animal
A story of the budding romance between two young women (including soon-to-be Star Wars star Amandla Stenberg) when one of them is a werewolf. Read more here.
Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls
To be honest, we’re kind of sold on the title alone. But the film itself is a comedy following an amateur occultist who accepts an invitation to raise an ancient spirit and ends up on an adventure for his life. Read more here.
The Pod Generation
Emilia Clarke and Chiwetel Ejiofor play a couple from a not-so-distant future where pregnancy is possible through specialised pods. She is all about it, he is not, and the rest unfolds in a sci-fi satire filled with futuristic twists. Read more here.
Run Rabbit Run
Succession’s Sarah Snook stars as a mother whose daughter begins exhibiting very odd traits when she gets a mysterious birthday gift: a rabbit. Read more here.
Sorcery
In the 1800s, a young girl learns sorcery from an indigenous organisation hoping to get revenge after her father is murdered. Read more here.
Talk to Me
Even before Sundance, the buzz had begun for this horror film about a group of friends whose lives get turned upside down when they try the latest social media trend: conjuring spirits from beyond the grave. Read more here.