Well, another is in the books and 2022 was a big year for horror. From a surprise Texas Chainsaw Massacre sequel popping up on Netflix to Terrifier 2 doing some crazy numbers in the cinema and everything in between. This year saw the climax of the current Halloween series (a franchise that has so many timelines, you could do a combined multiverse crossover film) with Halloween Ends and it wasn’t well received yet as with all horror films it’s defenders really championed it, the film dealt with all different kinds of trauma and that seemed to be a recurring theme throughout a majority of films this year. Alex Garland came back and put forth his views on the world that women face with Men, whilst other similarly themed films Monstrous, The Long Walk, Cordelia. Covid was predictably a subject that got mentioned and was even the centrepiece of some films with Camping Trip mixing it in with the awfulness of human beings which arguably was the calling card of the pandemic (much of the bullshit which continues still) and the loneliness The Harbinger really leaned into that. A few foreign language films also caught the attention with the brutal Speak No Evil, the milky vomit dripping Pussycake, the soul crushing Repulse, the minimalistic Old Flame and the sun-drenched bullying horror Piggy. One thing that is a horror staple every year is the anthology and this year produced some more with Spider-One’s Allegoria, Sinphony and the V/H/S/ series shows no sign of slowing down after it’s reincarnation with V/H/S/99. Found footage proved it still isn’t played out with the excellent Deadstream and the quirky Everybody Dies at The End. We had cosmic Gods in public toilets in Glorious, relationship issues worked through via cannibalism in Do Not Disturb and to round it out a good santa kills bad guys in Violent Night and a robot santa kills everyone in Christmas Bloody Christmas. For what it is worth here are our favourites from 2022.
Ryan’s 2022 favourites
In no particular order
Satan’s Slaves: Communion – Whilst not as scary as the first film, Joko Anwar once again, gives us the setups and the scares on a much bigger stage.
Old Man – When Lucky Mckee makes a film, you watch it. A one location film, that has a grizzled Stephen Lang recounting his life to a stranger that stumbles on his remote cabin.
Piggy – A look at bullying and revenge in the sweltering Spanish summer. Laura Galán is excellent in the lead role and Carlota Pereda guides us expertly through the film, a big achievement for her first feature.
Glorious – If a cosmic god asks you a question, do you answer? Wes (Ryan Kwanten) is in that situation in a highway rest stop. Stuck in the public toilet, the Cluthu style god wants a favour and Wes has been chosen. Another great one location film with excellent direction from Dr. Rebekah McKendry.
Allegoria – Spider One (Rob Zombie’s brother) directs a bunch of horror anthology stories that end up joining up, and to be honest, the film was kinda slept on, so hopefully it gets noticed. It’s a very good anthology film.
Speak No Evil – Soul. Crushing. I can’t correctly articulate the feelings that were felt during this film, so I’ll use the words of our writer Lisa – This fucked me up!
Deadstream – Proving found footage ain’t dead, Deadstream was funny, gross and featured a great satire on the douche bags of Youtube.
Christmas Bloody Christmas – Joe Begos hits us with a straight up stalk and slash featuring a robot santa and one of the best final girls in recent memory.
Lisa’s 2022 favourites
Bones And All – Cannibals and tragic love stories: I want to marry this film and then eat it! Certain not a film for everyone this is a perfect blend of love story and gore that broke my heart and I loved every second of it.
The Sadness – Yes, this was on my list last year, but it debuted for the general public this year and I still love it. A batshit gore fest – a bonanza of poor taste and outlandish violence.
Resurrection – Rebecca Hall gives us the horror performance of 2022, not too mention the most captivating monologue in horror this year. Smart, polished and absolutely bonkers.
Let’s hope 2023 is even better for horror and hope that your 2023 is your best year yet.
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