2022 was a great year for horror. Narrowing the top ten horror movies of 2002 from the wide variety of great releases was a difficult exercise.
2022 saw top notch new chapters of notable franchises like Hellraiser and Scream. We got some terrific sequels in Satan’s Slaves 2: Communion, Scare Package II: Rad Chad’s Revenge and Orphan: First Kill. Movie theaters saw major releases doing great business with Smile, Bones and All, The Menu, Barbarian and X.
Streaming services offered up great originals like Nanny, Run Sweetheart Run, Christmas Bloody Christmas, Watcher, We’re All Going to the World’s Fair and Sissy. We had some fun horror comedies in Flux Gourmet, Feed Me, Bodies Bodies Bodies and Blood Relatives. And a great year in foreign language films with Hatching, Speak No Evil, Deep Fear and Incantation.
How good was 2022 in horror? None of those movies cracked our top ten.
The movies that did crack the top ten cover all of those categories and more, however. An installment of a long running franchise. A direct sequel to a burgeoning one. Movies released in theaters, via streaming and on demand. Foreign language, horror comedy, found footage, mockumentary and even a prequel (or two).
2022 wasn’t just a great year in horror…it truly had something for everyone.
Any movie that was widely available in The United States for the first time in 2022 was eligible. If it debuted at a festival or in another country prior to 2022…but was released in the US for the first time in 2022…it is eligible.
Presented in alphabetical order. Write-ups may contain spoilers.
The Top Ten Horror Movies of 2022
Deadstream
Deadstream combines a lot of what makes a good horror movie. It’s spooky enough, while being both funny and clever. Some nice practical effects and gore add to the fun. And that’s exactly what Deadstream aims to be. It succeeds at delivering a fun ride through a haunted house with enough twists and turns to keep itself feeling fresh.
Read our full review
Streaming on Shudder
Fresh
Fresh was heralded upon release for its dark turn to start the second act. The turn it takes to start the third is even more interesting. Noa turning the tables by using all of the tricks her captor used to court her is a fascinating take on the dynamic. Fresh isn’t done being a romantic comedy when Noa is drugged and chained to a wall. It just becomes a completely different one to deliver a wildly satisfying conclusion.
Read our full review
Streaming on Hulu
The Harbinger
The Harbinger introduces a concept with limitless possibilities but doesn’t shirk on delivering a thorough and fulfilling experience. A story unique to our time that begets a timeless story. It preys on a shared anxiety then builds its own mythology with it. The demon known as the Harbinger is described as a bad idea. The movie The Harbinger is a decidedly great one.
Read our full review
Available to rent or purchase from Amazon
The Innocents
The Innocents pulls no punches in its depiction of evil. There are unforgivable acts here. The central question of The Innocents is whether they should be forgiven because they were performed by children. The Innocents probably comes to the correct conclusion. It doesn’t come by it easily.
Read our full review
Streaming on Shudder
Nope
With a director at the peak of his confidence, Nope sees continued success for Jordan Peele. Beautiful to look at, vast in its scope, Nope is a big swing that mostly connects. Peele and company deliver a spectacle that you can’t keep your eyes from…no matter how much warning they give you.
Read our full review
Streaming on Peacock
Pearl
Mia Goth’s fearless multilayered performance is among the best in any film, in any genre, this year. Ti West taunts Pearl a gorgeous, rich world that she fears she will never get to be a part of. X set a high bar that Pearl managed to clear.
Read our full review
Available to rent or buy on Amazon
Prey
If they were aiming to make a good Predator prequel, they overshot the mark. They made a great one. Easily the best film in the franchise since the original, Prey makes a case for overall franchise best. A great story combined with top notch production and all the Predator related violence you could want. We get to see a Predator fight a bear, people. This is the good stuff.
Read our full review
Streaming on Hulu
The Sadness
Gory pessimism wasn’t exactly its own subgenre of horror…but maybe The Sadness creates it. This is extreme violence with masterful gore. Once the world of The Sadness breaks there is no going back. It doesn’t slow down. Uninterested in providing shelter or hope. What it does do is present a unique zombie terror in a masterful way.
Read our full review
Streaming on Shudder
Terrifier 2
Terrifier 2 gives you all the things you want from a sequel to Terrifier wrapped in a completely different package. There are flaws, yes, but they are interesting flaws created by hard swings. Did the world need the epic slasher movie? Yes. More than we probably realized.
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Streaming on Screambox
When the Screaming Starts
When the Screaming Starts is a funny, entertaining time with a group of murderers, wannabe murders and a guy who walked into the wrong interview. A great cast brings a fun group of characters to life. Fast paced with a consistent tone and featuring enough kills to satisfy those seeking more than just comedy. There are some endearing characters mixed in with the obvious crazies. Their stories, and fates, are fun to follow.
Read our full review
Streaming on Screambox
