Best Horror Movies Released In January

January is almost universally seen as a dead time for movies. Studios looking to cash in on their last big movies of the year are more likely to look for a Thanksgiving or Christmas release date. Kids and teenagers on winter break mean that animated and action movies are likely going to fare better during the last two months of the year. Finally, if studios want one of their movies to be an Oscar contender, releasing in the late months gives those movies a better chance at being remembered when award season rolls around.

With all of these factors combined, January tends to become a dumping ground for movies that studios have little-to-no faith in. This couldn't be more true for horror movies; a genre that is often plagued with more bad movies than good.

That being said, a January release isn't necessarily a death sentence for horror movies. For every rule, there is always an exception, and sometimes movies have been successful, popular, and acclaimed despite releasing during the first few weeks of the year. In recent years, horror has proven to be a lucrative genre in January, so much so that it seems to be rivaling October as the new scary month.

Honorable mention: Scream was released on January 14, 2022 to a positive reception.

5 Cloverfield

Release Date: January 18, 2008

The movie that kicked off the Cloverfield franchise, this science-fiction found-footage movie still rings just as intriguing and frightening as it did back in 2008. The story follows a mysterious monster that rampages through New York, told from the point-of-view of a few civilians with no context of the situation.

Told entirely through found footage, Cloverfield manages to make the audience feel as though they're trying to survive with the characters. It's a unique take on the found-footage subgenre of horror that actually works in favor of its story. Cloverfield raked in a total of $40.1 million on its opening weekend, making it the most successful January release for any movie in history.

4 Saint Maud

Release Date: January 29, 2021 (USA)

Like many movies and shows recently, Saint Maud was pushed back nearly a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This delay didn't stop the film from gathering acclaim, however. The psychological horror follows a young nurse who converts to Roman Catholicism after she fails to save a patient of hers. After being assigned to take care of a terminally ill dancer, she becomes obsessed with saving her soul.

Saint Maud was supposed to release in April 2020, though had the unfortunate timing of COVID-19 hitting the United States at around the same time. At first, it was pushed to July before being pulled indefinitely. It finally saw the light of day, however, when it was released on January 29, 2021 to theaters before hitting video on demand a few weeks later. While not a huge financial success, Saint Maud was highly praised by critics for its directing, performances, and atmosphere.

3 From Dusk Till Dawn

Release Date: January 17, 1996

Anyone familiar enough with Quentin Tarantino might expect any horror movie from him to be a little strange. From Dusk Till Dawn's horror elements come so far out of left field that it's difficult not to appreciate it. The first half of the movie plays like a typical thriller; two bank robbers take a family hostage and attempt to flee to Mexico. This plan goes awry about halfway when the group stops at a saloon that just so happens to be frequented by bloodthirsty vampires.

While genre switches have happened in film before and after 1996, there perhaps has never been one quite as drastic and unexpected as the one featured in From Dusk Till Dawn. Written by Tarantino and directed by Robert Rodriguez, From Dusk Till Dawn is a bizarre yet fun action-horror from beginning to end. It was a financial success too, grossing nearly $60 million against a $19 million budget.

2 Split

Release Date: January 20, 2017

Split marked a brief return-to-form for director M. Night Shyamalan as it was his first positively-reviewed film since the early 2000s. The secret sequel to Unbreakable, Split follows three young girls who are kidnapped by a man; only this guy happens to suffer from multiple-personality disorder, living with a total of 23 separate personalities. Patricia, the film's protagonist, uses this knowledge to help her and her friends escape.

Sure, Split does stigmatize an often-misunderstood mental illness. But overlooking that, Split is simply the best thing Shyamalan has done in years. The beautiful camerawork mixed with Shyamalan's direction creates a wonderful sense of dread throughout the entire movie. If any performance from James McAvoy was worthy of an Oscar, it would be from Split. He manages to perfectly switch between all the necessary personalities with ease. Most actors spend a lifetime establishing their acting range, but McAvoy does it in just under two hours. Split made a total of $278.5 million at the worldwide box office.

1 Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

Release Date: January 5, 1990

As its title implies, Henry is a deep psychological look at a fictionalized serial killer loosely based on fact. The titular Henry is played by Marvel's Michael Rooker as he travels around the country with his prison buddy Otis on a random killing spree. Both characters are loosely based on the real-life serial killers Henry Lee Lucas and Otis Toole. While fascinating and frightening, Henry is also a step above most horror movies in terms of disturbing violence, making it one of the few notable movies to receive an "X" rating.

While reviewed positively, the dark subject matter made its release an interesting issue. It initially played at the Chicago International Film Festival in September 1986. From there, it had trouble acquiring a distributor, hopping around from festival to festival throughout the late 80s without ever seeing an official release date. Finally, Greycat Films picked up Henry in 1989, and it was released to theaters on January 5, 1990. Despite the January release, controversial subject, and "X" rating, Henry was highly successful; making $609,939 against a $110,000 budget.

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