The 10 Best Horror Movies of 2022

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

Dark Glasses
The History of Metal and Horror

Watcher

Smile

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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The Sadness (Review)

Writer/ Director: Rob Jabbaz
Cast: Berant Zhu, Regina Lei, Ying-Ru Chen, Tzu-Chaing Wang, Emerson Tsai, Wai-Hua Lan
Year: 2021
Min: 99

In Taiwan, a young couple, Jim (Berant Zhu) and Kat (Regina Lei), have a minor argument about him working instead of going away with her as had been planned. On the TV news, a podcast is shown featuring Dr. Wong (Wei-Hua Lan), who warns that the current flu like Alvin virus is mutating and that the nation needs to quarantine. The host of said podcast scoffs at this stating that is all being done cause this is an election year. Before going to work Jim notices a blood covered old woman on a nearbay roof. Immediately there after, he talks to his neighbor Mr. Li (Ralf Chiu, here credited as Ralf Yen-Hslang Chiu) who thinks that the virus is a load of bullshit. 

But, of course, it ain't, and when Jim goes to a café all hell breaks loose. The old lady he saw on the roof viciously attacks the cook. Immediately after, bloody violence erupts. Meanwhile, on the train that Kat is on, murder and violence explodes as people begin to brutally attack and kill passengers Blood and viscera begins to fly, as a body count quickly rises. She helps a woman named Molly (Ying-Ru Chen) who has gotten stabbed in the eye. They both head to a hospital, and hope to be safe there. Kat tells Jim where she is. He heads to there to meetup with her, as they both try to survive the ever increasing acts of brutality and horrific violence that are happening around them. For you see, the virus is spreading quickly and creating more assaulting, murdering, and raping zombies.

The Sadness is a 2021 Taiwanese infected/ zombie/ hardcore splatter/ horror movie. It premiered in its homeland of Taiwan on January 22, 2021 and played a few festivals in the months that followed. The movie's extreme and boundary pushing ways quickly gained it a reputation, as gruesome and shocking. But, it has also been getting praise for the movie's inherit quality. 

Horror has always been indictive and responsive of the world around it. Look no further than the nuclear horror movies of the 1950's or the post 9/11 torture porn era. So then, it comes as no shock that the COVID pandemic era is seeing a rise (pun not intended) in infected horror, as also seen in the recent and well made Argentinian/ Uruguayan Virus-32 (currently streaming on Shudder). But, with The Sadness, we might have already hit our be all-end all of disease horror flicks.  

As would be expected the film is highly topical and its politics very contemporary. It's allegory to the corona virus and the attitudes of denial and political standings inherit with it are certainly blatant. But then, this movie is in your face in every fucking way. That its warranted and timely statements are all wrapped in a balls to the wall splatter movie reminds us that yes, you can make an extreme horror movie with something important to say. Its commentary is not just regulated to COVID, though, as one incredibly uncomfortable and realistic feeling scene involving a creepy businessman hitting on Kat showcases. 

One of the things that really makes the movie work are our two leads. Both Berant Zhu and Regina Lei, as Jim and Kat respectively, are an incredibly likable and believable couple. You care for them and want them to survive, even when it all feels nihilistic. As such, it really adds to the tension and fear that we feel watching them. It also helps that both give great performances. They come off as heroic, but still feel grounded, in a reality where no one suddenly becomes an unbelievable action hero. 

Writer/ director Ron Jabbaz makes his directorial debut with this movie and blows away some guys who have been behind the camera for fucking years. Right off the bat, this is one of the absolute finest and, certainly, most dangerous debuts in many moon. He gives us a very good looking movie, that is also savage in its intensity and extreme content. From the very first moment of violence committed onscreen, your jaw will drop to the floor.

In fact, if you leave with even one takeaway (even though I can't see this being only one), it will be that the ultra-gory, take no shit splatter movie is not dead! Unlike most recent gorefests, this one is dead serious. It isn't trying to be funny or hip. What humor is included is enough to break the intensity with some levity. Also, the flick doesn't bring its message through some pretentious "elevated" bullshit. What this flick is is a true balls to the walls, excellently made genre movie. The climax is powerful and harsh in both story and feel. We also get a totally kick ass death/ grind metal track named "Crying City" by Ashen, which serves as the icing on the bloody cake, ending everything perfectly.  

And, make no mistake, this motherfucker takes no prisoners. The infected in this movie don't simply run and kill. They can also talk, shoot weapons, and commit rape. As a matter of fact, there is a lot of rape, which may make this a disturbing viewing for some. The splatter FX are excellent, shocking, and realistic. They include arterial spraying, eye gougings, bodies hitting the pavement, finger chopping, fleshing munching, arm snapping, barb wire to the balls, stabbings, and more. A couple of set pieces really stand out among all the spattering blood and guts. One of them involving an infected neighbor and garden shears that made even this old gorehound wince! Another one has to be a stab to the aorta which leads to a geyser of blood hitting the train ceiling and passengers. This scene alone counts as the year's best and bloodiest kill. Scratch that. The whole goddamn train scene is easily the year's most horrific, bloody, and nightmarish moment! And, we get even more graphic shit happening after that! 

Look, I'm not gonna beat around the bush, The Sadness is the most uncompromising horror movie in a very, very long time. It's shocking, unmerciful, ultraviolent, and an easy 10 on the gore-meter. But, it isn't simply a mindless gorefest, as it also serves as a terrifying reflection of the post-COVID world in which we live in. The film is the definitive and final word on the infected zombie trope. It is also technically excellent. This is thanks to the strong directing, which gives it a great look, fast pacing, nail-biting tension, and a nihilistic feeling. On top of this, the acting is superb, especially from the two likable leads. That being said, it is most certainly not for the queasy or easily offended. Those with trigger warnings like rape and sexual harassment should definitely avoid as well. All other horror and splatter fans should take heed and jump right in, when the movie begins streaming exclusively on Shudder on May 12, 2022.

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