2022 was an amazing year for art. We got great music, we got great film, but more importantly - we got good horror movies.
Horror movies carry great intrigue for me. All types of horror. Body horror, slasher films, supernatural horror, psychological horror, comedy horror and gore. I love them all!
It’s very rare that we get memorable horror movies anymore, but last year we were blessed with so many from start to finish, and I just had to show my appreciation to all that showed out.
Starting January:
SCREAM V
A classic. A cult classic actually. I think it’s one of the first, if not the first horror movie to get its own franchise. Some are definitely better than others, but fans were excited for this one because they hadn’t added to the franchise for 11 years as per the last one. It’s a fun slasher horror to watch with friends on a junk filled movie night. They didn’t hold back with the gore on this one (which I love), and it also has some very iconic death scenes.
This set the tone for a hour filled 2022.
RESURRCETION
Resurrection is a movie that really stayed with me weeks after I watched it due to its subject matter.
It’s a psychological horror about a woman whose past comes to haunt her and her daughter two decades after a series of very unfortunate events.
It starts very firm in its storyline as the suspense builds, then crumbles as the answers we are not sure we wanted are revealed to us on screen. This movie tackles abuse, PTSD and mental health in a very interesting but honest way. Rebecca Hall does a phenomenal job as the lead actress, and Tim Roth genuinely plays a convincing coldhearted master manipulator. This is no happy ending, but it does give you a lot insight and perspective, while still questioning so much.
BODIES BODIES BODIES
I had missed movies like this. Fun slasher horror with annoying characters that you’re not sure you’re rooting for, or waiting to meet their death. I think it’s going to be a Gen Z cult classic in the same ways SCREAM or I know What You Did last Summer was for millennials. Some might think otherwise, but just give it a few years. It’s funny, it’s silly and a bloody good time. Rachel Sennot plays my favourite character in this film and I can’t wait to see her in more from this genre.
X
This was such a refreshing horror movie to watch. Completely original and perfectly executed. Ti West created his own trilogy with X, Pearl (both released in 2022), and Maxxxine
set to be released later this year. Mia Goth does a phenomenal job in both movies, as well as the other cast. It was nice to see Kid Cudi acting again, as well as Brittany Snow. It’s wonderfully gory and creepy at the same time, while also tacking the human condition and our relationship with age.
MEN
An artsy, British folk horror story with an intense storyline buildup. It is creepy both in action and in sound. The story follows a widows journey into healing. In the midst of this is, she gets tormented by the undertones of biblical misogyny. The film is directed by Alex Gurland and the main character is played by Jessie Buckley, who you might know from Chernobyl, I’m Thinking Of Ending Things or The Lost Daughter.
It’s definitely a weird movie, but in my opinion worth the watch.
THE BLACK PHONE
The Black Phone is a supernatural horror about a 13 year old boy who falls victim to a kidnapping and tries to find his way out before falling to his demise. I enjoyed this movie from top to bottom. It was well written, well directed and well acted. Ethan Hawke plays a creepy dude really well and the kids gave a phenomenal performance. The star of the movie is Madeline McGraw, who plays Finney’s younger sister. She’s badass, and she really loves her brother. The sibling love and family dynamics in this show definitely carried on with me a while after watching it.
NOPE
This was one of the most anticipated horror movies of 2022. Following his success with Get Out and Us, Jordan Peele offered us another look into his mind and what a wonder this was. It is very different from his other two films but very similar in very small ways.
NOPE is about two siblings played by Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer, who discover a sinister object in the sky above their family ranch and try to capture it on camera (or at least understand it). It follows a series of unexpected events till the end that honestly left me confused. This is definitely the type of movie to watch more than once to truly understand it. It’s also not a typical horror story, so the scaredy cats can enjoy this one too!
THE BARBARIAN
The jump scares on this worked on me! The plot of this movie doesn’t go the way you think it will. It makes you question what actually happens in an Airbnb before you rent it out and who owns it? Georgina Campbell's character will have you screaming at her screen for all the right reasons as she is the definition of a lacking a sense of safety.
Bill Skarsgard’s role as the Pennywise plays a big role in how we perceive his character in this movie. Justin Long’s character is a douchebag when introduced in the second act of the film and you just want him to get what he deserves.
There’s nothing uniquely special about this movie, but the storytelling and cinematography make it one of the best horror movies to come out last year.
BONES AND ALL
Written and directed by one of my favourites, Luca Guadagnino, starring his favourite Timothee Chalamet and protagonist Taylor Russel.
I went into this movie wondering what a coming of age horror - romance is, and boy did I get an answer.
The story follows a teenage girl who finds herself grappling with her savage needs as she awakens into womanhood and meets a boy who could help her come to terms with who she is. Despite their efforts, they cannot escape the past and who they are while travelling the backroads of America.
Maybe I’m biased, but this is easily in my top 3 favourite horror movies from last year. It’s bloody, it’s raw, it’s real.
THE MENU
I did not expect this movie to be so funny! I was both terrified and amused while watching all the chaos unravel in this dark comedy horror, starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult and Ralph Fieness.
The menu basically pokes fun of stan culture and the outrageous behaviour of the elite. It follows a young couple who go to a remote island for a lavish menu tasting that does not go as planned. It has a well grounded cast, who portray the film’s comedy with uncanny seriousness. I loved this movie and I know I’m going to be watching it for years to come.
NANNY
This one peaked my interest because it touches on African supernatural horror, the black experience (aligned with immigration) and liberal ‘wokeness’.
I discovered this through a filmmaker I’ve been following on twitter who goes by the name Nikyatu Jusu who had announced it earlier last year. I was excited for its release and I can gladly say that I enjoyed it.
It follows a Senegalese woman played by Anna Diop who is a nanny to a privileged caucasian girl who’s parents are seemingly liberal but lack in many ways. She hopes to bring her son to America as well, but things get complicated once a violent presence starts to cloud her life.
The ending confused the hell out of me, but I appreciate the storyline and the cinematography so much that I’m willing to believe that it was intended that way.
Are you a horror movie fan?
What are some of your favourites?
Let me know xx