Man, 2022 was one hell of a year for horror. And, putting this list order wasn't easy, as there were so many flicks that I enjoyed the hell out of. But, I can only rank the top 10 (and mean to keep that way), so without wasting anymore time, let's get to it. Well, first let go with some honorable mentions, movies that came damn fucking close at getting ranked. Oh, on a side note, my favorite movie of the year, overall, was
Violent Night, but its not a horror movie (it's horror adjacent, at most), so it's not on here. I say this in case someone other wonders.
Honorable Mentions:
Orphan: First Kill
Christmas Bloody Christmas
10. Prey- Now, here is a film that blew my expectations right into the stratosphere. Leaning the heaviest into horror since the first two movies, this one builds up tension really nicely. It's also, by and far, the best movie in the series outside of those first two movies, featuring one hell of a heroine in Naru (Amber Midthunder). She is, in fact, one of the year's absolute best final girls, on top of being
accompanied by one of the absolute best doggies in all of horror history. Another thing that is great is that Disney didn't tone down the splatter content, with bloody squibs, decapitations, flayings, impaling, and more. In all, it's a fucking killer, suspenseful, and fun time. One more thing though, can we please get this on Blu-ray? I'm dying to have it in my collection!
9. The Seed- We stick with alien terrors, with the most underrated movie of the year. How is this weird, slimy, bit of WTF sci-fi/ horror not the talk of the town?! It gets weirder and more fucked up as it goes along, all while remaining a gorgeous looking movie starring three gorgeous beauties (including
Horror Crush inductee: Lucy Martin). Fast paced and darkly funny this mix of babes, aliens, slime filled sex orgies, and barfing is a wonderous and gross bit of body horror.
8. Fresh- This one is highlighted by great acting, especially from our two leads, Sabastian Shaw as our easy to hate villain and the gorgeous Daisy Edgar-Jones as our heroine. It's also deliciously gruesome with a couple of wonderfully stomach churning moments. The intense and violent climax had me cheering. And, by the end of this film, it will also have you reconsidering your dating habits.
7. Resurrection- Resurrection is a chilling, disturbing, and unsettling psychological horror movie that simply needs to be seen. It really got under my skin in a manner few movies this year did. The movie touches upon male toxicity, grooming, abusive relationships, trauma, and a mother's love for her child in absolutely powerful ways. It is further elevated by great acting, especially by that of its lead, the lovely Rebecca Hall. Hall has become one of my favorites actors, and her performance here cements that status. Her monologue scene is haunting, uncomfortable, and absolutely heart rendering. I know it won't happen, but she should an Oscar nomination for it. And, be sure you stick around for the shocking and jaw dropping finale which will shut up anyone, who pulls the "This ain't horror" bullshit.
6. Barbarian- I think its really best to go into this movie with the least possible bit of knowledge. It's unlike anything from 2022 or before it. A flick that is intense, wild, fucked up, funny (darkly, at times), unsettlingly, and frightening. Its very much succeeded at holding my attention more and more as it went along and headed towards its absolutely killer climax. That this isn't on Blu-ray is a total crock of shit, though.
5. Terrifier 2- Writer/ director/ makeup FX artist Damien Leone has outdone himself and given us one of the greatest slasher sequels in genre history. An epic and extremely graphic work of splatter, it cements Art as one of the great slasher villains. One who is far crueler and more mean spirited than guys like Michael or Jason (in fact, to me, this movie is far better than ANY of the
Friday the 13th sequels). This vile and nasty movie might be a bit overlong, but it does manage to take the time to add more characterization, in turn giving us one of the greatest final girls ever in the stunning Lauren Lavera as Sienna.
4. The Menu- Man, I loved this movie and feel like this will only increase over times and viewings. It's deliciously shot and edited, on top of being wonderfully different. The cast and their acting is top notch. Horror favorite Anna Taylor Joy, looking as stunning as ever as a redhead, is wonderful as our protagonist. While, Ralph Feinnes is magnificent as the chef. The flick is funny, intense, smart, exciting, fun, fuck I don't think there are enough adjectives in the dictionary to describe the awesomeness that it possesses. Also, I totally wanted a cheeseburger after it was done.
3. X- Ti West's "X" is a movie that thankfully lives up to all its hype. This
Boogie Nights meets
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, is a wonderful homage to Tobe Hoopper's masterpiece. It is far better than any of the sequels or remakes to TCM, if I can be honest. The film also features some of West's finest directing being intense, shocking, nasty, and always superbly good looking. And, unlike so many other genre movies, in the last few years, it has lots of skin onboard, with both female (and, holy crap what a gorgeous cast!) and male (including full frontal). Then, again it does deal with the porn biz, so it would've lame if it didn't. There is some great acting, too, including a double role by the amazing Mia Goth. Plus, Brittany Snow makes her return to horror after the awesome but underseen
Would You Rather? Oh and we actually care about what happens to the characters! What a concept!
2. Pearl- It is amazing to think that West not only made and released the prequel to his magnificent "X" the same year, but that somehow, he may have topped it. The lovely Mia Goth gives a powerhouse performance as the title character, one of the very best of the year. With a beautiful technicolor look to it, it simply pops from the screen. Some of my favorite scenes in any movie this year come from here, including Pearl's dance tryout (or rather her delusional take on it) and her monologue (guess its the year of powerful monologues!) to her sweet and pretty half-sister. This is another one that I think will only get better with viewings and the passing of time.
1. The Saddness- This uncompromising, shocking, unmerciful, ultra-violent gorefest is the year's best horror film. Not for the easily offended or queasy, it's also serves as a smart, fast paced, and blood drenched take on the post-COVID 19 world. This is a flick that blew me away from the moment I saw it for my
review.
Now, I am curious to hear what were your favorite horror movies of 2022? Let me know in the comments section below.
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