Dread Central’s Favorite Horror Films of 2022 So Far
2022 has been good to us on the horror movie front. And thank god because nothing else feels like it’s going right this year. It’s been the year of the reboot/sequel, with iconic properties such as Scream and Predator coming back with fresh new takes on the horror staples. But we’ve also had incredible original horror films that have dominated in theaters, from The Black Phone to Nope. And let’s not forget the indies like Incantation and We’re All Going To The World’s Fair that have taken our breath away.
It’s also only just September and with the spooky season upon us, we’re about to see a slew of new horror films hit theaters and streaming. So in the calm before the much-appreciated release storm, we’re sharing our favorite films of 2022 so far! Check back at the end of the year to see how many were able to keep their place on the list.
The Black Phone
Blumhouse’s collaboration with literary legend Joe Hill was a spectacular success. The Black Phone, an intimate chiller about a child killer, saw Sinister director Scott Derrickson and writer C. Robert Cargill return to the lowkey traumatizing horrors that worked so well for their first Blumhouse collaboration. Star Ethan Hawke also returns, delivering one of the best horror performances of the decade as The Grabber, a murderer who captures preteen boys while dressed as a birthday party magician. The Black Phone is scary, unforgiving, and generally bloodless. It’s a fantastic hybrid of ghost story, serial killer thriller, and tear-jerking family drama. While the film leaves a little bit to be desired when it comes to The Grabber’s backstory, rumors of a sequel may quell this minor complaint. -Josh Korngut
Bodies Bodies Bodies
After seeing the premiere of Bodies Bodies Bodies at SXSW, I had to watch Halina Reijn’s startling film again on opening weekend. The infectious energy of a premiere can hide flaws that tend to bubble up after a second viewing. The performances of Amandla Stenberg (The Hate U Give), Maria Bakalova (Borat), Chase Sui Wonders, Myha’la Herrold (Industry), and Rachel Sennott (Shiva Baby) are even better the second time around. Their chemistry and a fantastic third act are the main reasons to see Bodies Bodies Bodies. That’s also ultimately why it will probably wind up in my top 10 list of 2022.
On a positive note, after a recent press debacle involving Stenberg and a misguided critic, more filmgoers are getting out to see this film. There is too much emphasis on the story’s supposed takedown of millennials, however. Inappropriate comments aimed at Stenberg brought undue focus when Bodies Bodies Bodies really isn’t about bodies at all. It’s a pressure cooker experiment showing what happens when panic sets in and destroys a group dynamic from inside the house. -Drew Tinnin
Hypochondriac
Addison Heimann’s feature film debut Hypochondriac ran over my heart with a truck then back over it again. And I mean that as the highest compliment. The film follows Will, a potter in Los Angeles who’s living a pretty good life. Sure, his boss is awful but he’s got a great boyfriend, a decent apartment, and a rather positive outlook on life. But, when his estranged mother gets back in touch with him, he begins to spiral. He hallucinated a creepy wolf-man hybrid who follows his every mood.
Will is quickly unable to determine what is real and what isn’t, creating a poignant tale about intergenerational trauma and inherited mental illness. But, in Will’s struggles is a glimmer of hope. Heimann never exploits his characters and while the film is difficult to watch, it’s a beautiful piece of queer horror. This is the kind of movie we need more of in the genre. -Mary Beth McAndrews
Incantation
Netflix has long been notorious for acquiring and then dumping innumerable horror titles on its platform. Some originate domestically, some abroad, but all are subject to Netflix’s growing domination of the streaming market. With so many titles available at once, many of which arrive absent any fanfare or marketing to speak of, it’s easy to miss out on what would otherwise be genre-defining classics. Incantation, Kevin Ko’s Taiwanese found footage shocker, is one of the best horror movies of the year.
With a conceit uniquely suited to streaming, Ko plays with audience expectations, the nature of audience and viewership, and familiar possession tropes to deliver something altogether new. Arguably one of the most effective cult shockers since Kōji Shiraishi’s Noroi: The Curse, Incantation is a nightmare-inducing foray into what the future of found footage stands to yield. Seek it out immediately. -Chad Collins
Nope
Nope is a searing, oozing, frightening filet of spectacle and extraterrestrial terror. With a marketing campaign grounded in Jordan Peele’s trademark humor, it’s surprising to say Nope is his scariest movie yet. With a propulsive score from longtime collaborator Michael Abels, Nope accelerates through over two hours of the weirdest, boldest, most assured alien invasion movie in years. It’s never dull. It’s abounding with subtext, cryptic clues, and a pair of expectedly strong performances from Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer. Three features in and Peele hasn’t missed yet. Let this one abduct you—it’s impossible to look away. -Chad Collins
Orphan: First Kill
The triumphant return of Dark Castle Entertainment came in a decidedly small package. Orphan: First Kill is a low-budget, campy, violent, and all-together bananas prequel to the 2009 classic. Julia Stiles joins the fun this time around in a role that never is never to be forgotten, and Isabelle Furhmann’s second portrayal of Esther is a sight to behold. Orphan: First Kill is fun, diabolical, and completely outrageous from the opening credits to its final shot. This should come as no surprise to fans of director William Brent Bell, who is responsible for bonkers horror outings like Stay Alive and The Boy. While the film’s handling of a psychotic dwarf antagonist is slightly questionable, the political incorrectness of this unexpected follow-up is wholly refreshing. -Josh Korngut
Scream
I knew coming into this year that Scream was one of the two movies I was most excited to see. However, I also know that not all franchise installments are created equally. So, I was so damn happy Radio Silence, and this stellar cast which includes the queens known as Jasmin Savoy Brown and Jenna Ortega, gave me everything my cold little heart desired and then some. I went from being cautiously optimistic to taking driving lessons so I can drive the Scream bandwagon. I want more POC leads, I want more POC alive at the end of your movies, and I crave more cool movies that feel fresh and spark joy. Also, I want us, as a society to move away from the idea that legacy characters need to live forever.
This movie was fun, smart, and of the moment in a way, very few movies have felt since the original Scream grabbed me in 1996. I am a stan account and have watched it multiple times as I pretend the world isn’t a dumpster fire. Easily one of my favorites of this year, and this craptastic decade. It gave me all of the things I rant about on all of the podcasts, articles, and group chats. I have been changed for good. –Sharai Bohannon
See For Me
See for Me follows Sophie (Skyler Davenport), as she settles into a housesitting gig and soon learns that a trio of ruffians has secured entry to the home, intent upon gaining access to the owner’s safe. From there, Sophie, who is blind, must rely on an app called ‘See for Me’ to navigate an unspeakably harrowing ordeal.
This taut home-invasion horror film takes a risk by featuring a protagonist that isn’t entirely likable at the onset. Thankfully, the risk pays off because the inherent tension overshadows Sophie’s prickly exterior. And by the time everything shakes out, she has a pretty tremendous arc that gives the audience perspective on why she wasn’t exceptionally warm when the viewer first makes her acquaintance. -Tyler Doupé
The Spine of Night
The Spine of Night is an animated anthology effort, with an all-star cast, that weaves together a series of violent and visually stunning segments, each of which is interconnected in some fashion.
What I appreciate most about The Spine of Night is that it riffs on nostalgic favorites from years past, like Heavy Metal, but stands firmly on its own two feet. The onscreen carnage is amped up to the point of being rather grotesque. But seeing as it is brought to life via beautifully rendered rotoscoping animation, it functions as a breathtaking work of art. -Tyler Doupé
We’re All Going To The World’s Fair
As a depressed child of the 00s who spent way too much time online, Jane Schoenbraun’s We’re All Going To The World’s Fair is painfully relatable. Schoenbraun’s film is the first to truly capture the loneliness and horrors of the internet, while also depicting creating the most accurate depiction of dysphoria I’ve ever seen. While not explicitly queer, there’s no denying this is a queer horror film as we watch Casey grapple with her own identity and body, using the World’s Fair challenge as a way to dissociate through the harrowing experience of being a teenager. Schoenbraun melds second-screen horror aesthetics with more traditional narrative techniques to create a dreamy yet dark look at those who lurk in the corners of the internet. -Mary Beth McAndrews
X
Ti West burst back onto the horror scene this past spring with a violent, psychosexual exploration into youth, sex, and growing old. On the surface, X works as a funny, gory thriller all on its own. Looking deeper, it’s an almost meditative take on the cycle of aging with a striking dual performance from Mia Goth. The young starlet Pearl and the elderly shut-in Maxine are two sides of the same coin. Pearl wants fame and notoriety at any cost while Maxine feels neglected and passed over by life. This September, the prequel to X looks to delve into the quiet killer inside of Pearl. That insight should provide an even greater understanding of why Maxine in X decides to rage against the dying of the night. -Drew Tinnin
Categorized:Editorials Lists News
