What a year for horror! I can’t ever remember a year that had so many high-quality horror films as 2022. Apparently the years of darkness and lockdown were worth it, because this has been a year to remember. I easily could’ve made this a top 25, there were just that many movies that were fantastic this year. So without further ado, here’s my list of the absolute best horror movies of 2022.
10. Barbarian
What a surprise this one was. Went from being a film that I hadn’t even heard of to one that was a must watch, and boy did it deliver. It’s a shock to the system, and it’s refreshing to see a lower-budget film deliver like this one. Just go in blind, you don’t want to know anything about it before you watch.
Awesome cannibal story, super stylish and with some great performances. It’s a really unique concept, and it’s executed to near perfection.
Fuck you, this movie was awesome. Is it as good as the original? Nope, but it’s brutal as hell and mocks all of the social justice shit that’s been permeating our media in a decidedly meta way. It’s not a perfect movie, but the hate it gets is absolutely ridiculous, and I loved it.
Excellent period piece that feels almost like a historical drama until the fucking Predator starts wrecking shit. Filled with gore and with a stellar performance by Amber Midthunder, Prey is not to be missed.
By far the most disgusting movie of the year… until Terrifier 2 came out. The Sadness is brutal horror that only the sickest will enjoy. I guess I must be one of them, because I loved this movie, and it’s yet another example of the fantastic horror coming from around the world.
Pearl is a fantastic movie, but it deserves its spot on this list for Mia Goth’s performance alone. Absolutely incredible and Oscar-worthy. The movie is intense and emotional, Old Hollywood with (a bit) more brutality.
Probably the scariest movie of 2022, this one is a great Asian horror that will be missed by far too many because they don’t like subtitles. Highly recommended.
Beautiful, haunting, and with some of the best performances I’ve seen all year, Hellbender was incredible. Fantastic movie, and you can read our interview with the Adams family!
I fucking loved this movie, and it managed to somehow quadruple the gore of the original while telling a completely coherent and interesting story. Fuck the haters, I had five walkouts during the showing I attended, so while I can’t unequivocally state that the “vomiting and passing out” that was reported in the press was for real, I can definitely say that this one damaged quite a few people.
This is it: the absolute best horror movie of 2022. X is fantastic in its blend between 70’s porno and straight up gory slasher. Director Ti West knocks this one out of the park and makes a brilliant decision to release the sequel later the same year. Fantastic.
Just bumped out of the top 10: The Innocents: Fantastic Norwegian horror, with some outstanding performances. The children in this film are scary as fuck, and this is some damn fine psychological horror.
Honorable mentions because they weren’t in 2022 (but I saw them this year): The Stylist, Malignant .
