Suggested Horror Of 2022

Film and horror film history, specifically, are going to look back on 2022 as a banner year for horror. It wasn't just that it was a great year for horror at the box office, where it's beginning to become clear that the genre is reliably profitable, for me, it was more that this was a great year for original films in the horror genre. For as much as it's decried as a genre that relies on sequels and remakes, there wasn't another genre of film putting out anything close to the variety or boldly creative films this year. The sequels were there, certainly, but the year really belongs to all those original scripts and the films they birthed. 

I couldn't finish this year and not post a list of the horror films I most enjoyed this year. This is not a "Best Of" list. I don't do "Best Of" lists. My opinion about the best film from any given year can change from day to day. There are many films out there I didn't see this year, as well. I also don't generally like to make a competition out of discussing creative works, of any kind. There can be some objective ways to measure the way one film might be "better" than another, but there are so many elements, and the importance of those elements can change from film to film and person to person, both as an audience member and for the people who created them, "best" is basically meaningless. Some films are exciting despite their flaws or limitations. A film like, A Wounded Fawn clearly exists within the limitations of its budget, and that might limit the audience it's going to appeal to. I still think it's a great film, because I can see the depth and scope of the imagination that went into it, despite and because of the budget limitations. It's a very good film, on its own. It's an exciting film because of what it says about the future these filmmakers can have. I also really enjoy writing and evangelizing about the films I love and enjoy. I've already written about some of these films, but not all of them. 

A few other housekeeping notes before we get started. First, if you want to know where a film is streaming, click the title. It'll take you to JustWatch.com, where you can see if the film is streaming on a service you're subscribed to and if not, where you can rent it/buy it. Just FYI, I don't get paid anything for that. I actually want people to watch these films. Second, these are in no particular order, other than Nope being at the top of the list. The reason it's at the top of the list is that it was the big horror hit this year and it's already making the majority of year ends horror lists, so I wanted to get it out of the way. If you need me to tell you to see Nope at this point, you aren't following much in film or horror, which is not a dig, but I don't want to belabor an already labored point for the people who do read/listen to more of what's new in film. The rest of the films on this list have not had the same variety of press push and some of them have had far, far less attention in terms of general buzz. Most of them have been on the radar of horror obsessives, and there isn't a whole lot of crossover between horror press and the rest of the entertainment/film press. 

Additionally, few things make eyes roll back into my head like seeing a comment to the effect of, "Everything's all remakes and sequels now. There's no new horror!" Being that I spend more time in website comment section, Facebook groups dedicated to horror and #HorrorTwitter, I see it far more often than a human being should. To that end, I've put anything related to a previously established franchise at the bottom of the list. If 2022 wasn't proof that there's a windfall of great original horror, nothing will be, and I'd like to be able to just post this list when I come across that comment over the next year or so. Prey was one of my favorite movie experiences of the year, I loved it, unreservedly, and it's toward the bottom. Not because I didn't love it, but because it is a sequel in the Predator franchise. I did fudge this one a little bit with Pearl and X, but they both did come out this year, as wild as that is.

Looking back through this years list, a few trends emerge. It's been one hell of a year for women in front of the camera. As 2020 and 2021 may have been stellar years from women behind the camera in horror, 2022 has produced a slate of films giving women center stage, and great roles to embody in that spotlight. There's been a lot of recognition in the horror crowd for Rebecca Hall and Mia Goth already. Chances are it won't translate to recognition in the mainstream of film, but they deserve it. If not for this year having been full of great performances and roles for women, it would be a tragedy if they weren't both cleaning up at all the awards ceremonies. Maika Monroe, Keke Palmer, Hong Chau, Leá Seydoux, Kristen Stewart, Gabby Beans, Emily Davis, Zelda Adams, Toby Posner, Anna Cobb, Sarah Lind, Daisy-Edgar Jones, Jojo T. Gibbs, Georgina Campbell, Kate Bosworth, Brittany Snow, Jenna Ortega, Sosie Bacon, Amber Midthunder, Jasmine Savoy Brown, Mikey Madison, Julia Stiles, Isabelle Fuhrman, Odessa A'Zion and Jamie Clayton all got to shine this year. You might look at this list of names and think, "Considering the number of movies released in a year, this doesn't seem like a lot," but these are just the standout performances in the movies on this list. 

I want to talk about a few films which didn't make the list for me, specifically because I do recognize they are well made, with strong performances, and they just don't land with me, basically because of the perspective they're written from. Bodies, Bodies, Bodies didn't quite make the list, but it does have four great performances at its center. It's funny. It has a few good scares. I enjoyed it, but I don't know it didn't rise to the level of what's already here. This may be one of the few instances where I can point to a difference in generational perspective being the reason a film didn't work for me as well as its level of craft suggests it should. The Black Phone didn't quite make it either. It's a technically excellent film. I have thoroughly enjoyed Scott Derickson and C. Robert Cargill's previous work. Ethan Hawke, Madeleine McGraw, James Ransone and Mason Thomas are also outstanding. The central conceit of The Black Phone relies on the idea that the universe somehow relies on a sense of justice that automatically makes it harder for me to buy in. I recognize how well the film is made, and I know that's why I didn't find it as compelling as so many others did this year. Terrifier 2 was one of the biggest surprises of the year. Made on a budget of $250,000, it ended up brining in over $12 million, and is a two and a half hour slasher film. Nothing about this makes conventional sense, but Art the clown, the titular character, made a big splash with horror audiences in his appearances in the anthology All Hallow's Eve and Terrifier. I haven't seen Terrifier 2. The first film left me with such a distaste, due to what felt like a particularly pointed misogyny, I just haven't been able to summon any enthusiasm. That said, I've read and heard a number of reviews saying the reviewers felt the same way about the original film, and were pleasantly surprised that problem is fixed in Terrifier 2 and it ended up being one of their favorite horror films of the year. Filmmakers can learn from their mistakes, and I hope they do, so I may give this one a shot at some point in the future. I also haven't seen Bones And All, and given that Luca Guadagnino's previous foray into horror adjacent territory with his Suspiria remake is one of my favorite films, it would not surprise me if I loved this one. It didn't get very close to me in theaters. It's also still $20 to rent, and I've been trying to catch up on a number of other things I've missed during the year. I've also heard a lot of great things about a film called You Won't Be Alone, starring Noomi Rapace. Noomi Rapace is one of those actors who can save even the cheesiest film, and this one is apparently cheese free, and genuinely substantial. The quick summaries I've heard suggest it is exactly the kind of film I usually fall for, and again, I just haven't gotten to it yet. 

With that, these are the horror films I enjoyed and/or respected most in 2022, that I've seen and would recommend. 

Nope - What do you do when your first film was a generation defining masterpiece in its genre, and your second film was a smash hit, even though it was less accessible? If you're Jordan Peele, you make your third film slightly more accessible than your second, even weirder than either of the two previous films and hire one of the best cinematographers in the world, that's what. No one but Jordan Peele could have done this, and I mean that in two ways. First, it had to come from the imagination, storytelling perspective, craft and technical prowess Jordan Peele has previously demonstrated. Also, no major studio would have funded this film for anyone but Jordan Peele. He gets to make this movie because he has two blockbuster successes, and near universal respect among critics, film buffs and fellow filmmakers. There isn't another filmmaker working in horror who would be given a budget like this, for a movie like this, and the results speak for themselves. It's a blast, and one of the best theater experiences I've had in a good while. It's the film I'm most glad I saw in theaters this year (aside from Moonage Daydream, the visually stunning Bowie documentary). The cinematography is truly outstanding. Different parts science fiction, horror, western adventure and part commentary on fame and cultural spectacle, it's all Jordan Peele. Nope was yet another smash hit box office success, thankfully, so we're likely to keep getting more from Jordan and whatever studio he works with is that much less likely to try and nickle and dime him on the budget. I wrote about Nope earlier this year. 

The Menu - I went into the theater hoping this would be a decent horror comedy that I wouldn't feel was a waste of time. It ended up being one of my favorite films of the year. Acerbic in its wit, very funny and still carrying off a sense of suspense superbly, this class satire using the haute restaurant/food culture as its lens was a really fun time at the movies, while being intelligent, incisive and thought provoking. Also, Hong Chau and Ralph Fiennes. This film made me aware that Hong Chau, if given the opportunities, is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the acting world. I wrote about this one. Ralph Fiennes was excellent, as he usually is, but in this case, his attention to the craft of acting and the details in a scene help elevate the material. As much as Nope was the rare film that succeeds in being a horror film that in some moments feels like Close Encounters or Jaws, The Menu has moments which feel like they're reaching the lunatic heights of some of the great cinematic satires like Dr. Strangelove or The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeosie. 

Crimes Of The Future - Everyone was excited for David Cronenberg's return to horror. He wasn't just returning to horror, he was returning to "body horror" the sub genre which he almost singlehandedly turned into a sub genre in the late 70's and the 80's. This might not be horror though. Either way, it's one of my favorite films of the year, and some of the imagery is disconcerting enough that it certainly fits in with Cronenberg's history with body horror, as well as being a meditation on his place in it, and circling back to a constant theme in his early work, our relationship with technology. I'm going to have to give it some time, as I didn't actually see this until late December, BUT it might be my favorite of Cronenberg's films. As I'm writing this, I've been thinking about it for days, and I can't stop. I wrote a relatively short piece on it too. 

Resurrection - Rebecca Hall. With this performance, and her body of work, I'm comfortable putting her next to that elite level of actor working today that includes Meryl Streep, Viola Davis and Cate Blanchett. She's among the best we have right now, but generally doesn't get the same kind of recognition because her best roles have been in or adjacent to horror, material that is discomfiting in ways critical and general audiences are less likely to find appealing. If you haven't seen 2021's The Night House or 2016's Christine, I would heavily suggest both of those as well. Resurrection is an excellent film, through and through, but deeply unsettling and maybe more than anything else on this list, not for those who have a hard time engaging with difficult material. Dealing with the subjects of domestic abuse, recovery, and gender norms, Resurrection has very little graphic violence. What it has instead is a portrait of the psychological and emotional toll. Rebecca Hall's performance carries the film and insures it's going to stick with the audience, long after it is over. We've gotten two show stopping monologues from female characters this year, and Hall delivers one. Tim Roth is also excellent opposite her, but this is Hall's show. Thought provoking, dizzying, ferocious. A brilliant film and brilliant performances. If you have a stomach for difficult film, I can't recommend this enough. 

Hellbender - A family of four in upstate New York have now been making low budget horror films together for almost a decade. That's not the premise of the movie, it's the true story of the people who made Hellbender. This low budget chiller is about a mother keeping her daughter the isolated seclusion of rural, forested New York. The why she's keeping her secluded is the center of the film. The depth of respect I have for a mother, father and two daughters making something this good, by themselves is hard to convey. The mother/daughter relationship in the film is beautiful, heartbreaking and feels so authentic because it is authentic. It's also an inventive take on the sub genre it's playing with. The technical filmmaking and the feel for what does and doesn't work in the story is shockingly strong. I want more from the Adams clan ASAP. 

Speak No Evil - As of a few weeks ago, AMC, Shudder's parent company has begun making deep cuts to its staff and layoffs at the streaming service of choice for horror fans are ongoing. Shudder may be the best streaming service available right now. It understands its audience, and it is a curated catalog meant to serve that audience everything it loves and give them the opportunity expand their horizons with a click. Films like Speak No Evil find an audience because of Shudder, and Speak No Evil, as upsetting and disconcerting as it is, deserves an audience. Comedy has long had a sub genre considered the comedy of manners. Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, Molière were all purveyors at some point. Through the years, a sub genre within horror has started to emerge which could be considered a horror of manners. One of my favorite films of all time, Karyn Kusama's The Invitation is an excellent example, but Speak No Evil may be the most straightforward example we've seen yet. Again, this film has very little graphic violence, and it's still deeply disturbing, but the source of that ability to disturb and disconcert is it's focus on social norms and what we consider good manners. The cast are all phenomenal in playing all of this on the line, and slowly tipping as the film progresses, as the tension and suspense increase. Among horror fans, utter the words, "Because you were home," and they'll know exactly what you're referencing (the ending of Bryan Bertino's The Strangers, for my readers who aren't horror obsessives). In the not distant future, the sentence "Because you let us," will have a similar place in horror film culture. 

Pearl - It's extremely unusual to get an original film and it's prequel in the same year. It's even more unusual that the prequel is the better film. I enjoyed the first film in this series, X, thoroughly. It's on this list too. Pearl is the origin story of a character in that film, and is a wholly different variety of film. Co-written by director Ti West and star Mia Goth, Pearl is not only entirely different from its predecessor, it's unusual in the horror genre. This is as much a character study as it is a horror film, which is what makes it a rarity and Pearl is a character it is impossible not to want to watch as her journey proceeds. Longing, dreams, isolation, and gender are all parts of the recipe here, but like Resurrection, this film shines because of how good its lead is. They are very different films, with very different intentions and the nature of the lead performances are as different for that reason, but they are both driven by committed, courageous performances by clearly gifted actors. The irony of Goth, as Pearl, screaming, "But, I'm a star!" can't be lost on anyone familiar with her career. She's had a career tens of thousands of young actors would kill for in many ways, playing supporting parts in successful indie or small studio films. With Pearl, she proves she can stand shoulder to shoulder with any of the actors of her generation she's been in those roles to support. She has the goods to be a proper Movie Star, and Pearl is a film deliriously screaming for Goth to be considered in that level of status. There is a monologue in the final act which Goth turns into a jaw dropper. The final shot behind the closing credits is heart breaking. All of that is without even getting into how beautiful this film in the visual sense, with eye popping colors and striking cinematography. It also has a great score and some excellent supporting performances. Pearl pulls off that incredible trick of absolutely being a horror movie, with everything a general horror audience would come to see, while also being a deeply artistic character study. To say all this about the second film in a series, a prequel at that? Ti West and Mia Goth practically pulled off a miracle. I can't wait for MaXXXine, the final film in this trilogy. I gushed about this already this year. 

Watcher - It's true that horror has a long history of problems with misogyny. It's also true the genre has given women the opportunity to lead and carry films to a degree the rest of the industry is just getting around to. Watcher is taking on some of the roots of that misogyny, while also intently focusing on a female protagonist, and firmly setting us in her point of view, with deeply unsettling results. Like Rebecca Hall and Mia Goth, Maika Monroe gives one of the years stand out performances in Watcher. In many ways, Watcher is a throwback though. Director and co-writer Chloe Okuno very clearly loves the history of films built primarily on the experience of ratcheting suspense. The influence of Hitchcock, Otto Preminger, and Sydney Lumet are there, and so is the nearly obsessive attention to craft. That obsession either creates or is balanced by a striking level of discipline for a first time filmmaker. Every frame feels considered. Every scene fully thought through. At the center of all of this perfectly crafted suspense piece, is Maika Monroe as an American recently arrived in Bucharest, who thinks a man who has been watching her from his window across the street may be the serial killer whose victims have been all over the news. Another example of a final shot of a film being a heartbreaker, and not for the reason most would expect for a suspense, horror adjacent film. For my money, this is as bold an announcement of an extremely new talented young director, whose career will be one to follow, as The Witch was for Robert Eggers or Hereditary was for Ari Aster. Okuno may be a much more traditional filmmaker, but she has got the talent and obviously knows the craft, inside and out. Watcher is drenched in style, but most audiences aren't going to see it unless they start looking for it, and then it becomes blindingly clear how talented Okuno is and just how firm her grasp on the technical aspects of filmmaking are. In this way, Watcher reminds me of early Spielberg, but far less sentimental and even more disciplined. The style is there, but it's never in service of calling attention to itself, it's always about serving the narrative and tone of the film as directly as possible. 

We're All Going To The World's Fair - From a film with a very traditional structure, in a genre with a long, storied history, we are jumping to one of the most startlingly original films of the year. We're All Going To The World's Fair may be the first real sign we've gotten of the possibilities in "screen life" as a style. Told entirely through the perspective of YouTube videos shot or watched by a young girl as she participates in an online horror roll playing game and web cam interviews with another participant as he sits in front of his computer, World's Fair is a study in intimacy, loneliness, the search for identity in a digital world, and the dangers it can present. This isn't a traditional horror film in the way that we generally tend to think of them. There may be one jump scare in the film, but it doesn't rely on tension in the way we understand that either. This is very much about the world Casey, the young protagonist (played unnervingly well by Anna Cobb), exists in and how she's trying to learn to move through it in isolation. This is not for everyone, but it certainly was for me. It's slow, and there isn't much happening in the sense of a traditional plot, but that's entirely the point of the film, at the same time. Writer, director Jane Shoenbrun is going to be a talent to watch in the world of independent film. If she continues creating as intimate, character driven narrative in as creative a narrative and approach to film as she has here, she's never going to break into the mainstream, but she may just be one of the most interesting filmmakers of her generation anyway. This is less a film that's frightening than it is one that's unsettling on an existential, emotional, psychological level and the more you consider it after it's over, the more rewarding it is. 

The Harbinger - The only film this year that managed to cause my mind to start running based on something other than obsessively thinking about the filmmaking when I laid down. Not that other films this year didn't invoke a similar level of dread or have a truly disquieting antagonist or premise, but this one creeped me out on an existential level. It's also the only film I've seen that I think captures what it really felt like early on in the pandemic. That's not what had me thinking about it when I put my head on a pillow though. It's the only film I've seen in a good while which had my mind spinning around a "What if that happened to me?" axis when the lights went out. Some great cinematography, a simple premise expertly executed, good performances and some excellent design make this one deeply, deeply creepy and a real gut punch.

A Wounded Fawn - Another startlingly original film, this time through its merging of genres, styles and narratives. A Wounded Fawn reminded me of my experiences watching Phantasm and the first two Evil Dead films. What they all have in common is the feeling that the film is barely able to contain the scope and size of the imagination at work behind them. I had a similar feeling watching A Wounded Fawn. Narratively, and visually, this is a film bursting at the seems with creativity, that feels like it is screaming out the joy in the act of creating, while being about some extremely dark subject matter. It's clear the budget was the primary limitation for the film, and at the same time, it transcends its budget through how creatively it approaches and tells its story, on top of some eye popping imagery. This is another film that was in extremely limited release, basically only accessible in theaters if you lived in a big city, but that Shudder made accessible to anyone who might be interested. It has announced major talents in horror in director/co-writer Travis Stephens and writer Nathan Faudree. This is not your parents serial killer film. A Wounded Farm has far more than that on its mind. Nothing but respect for Sarah Lind and Josh Reuben for deciding to jump into and so deftly handling the lead roles in this, weird wild film. This is not the first time I've put my admiration for this film into words. 

Deadstream - Evil Dead 2 is a touchstone for horror and movie fans  because of the level of creativity it exposed, but also because it is exceedingly rare a film comes along that feels like it can barely contain itself. It felt like that film was trying to prevent the energy contained within it from spilling out of screens all over the audience. Many thousands of films have since attempted to imitate or mimic this, and very, very few have succeeded. Peter Jackson's early trio of Bad Taste (released the same year as Evil Dead 2), Meet The Feebles and Dead Alive may be the only ones to get close, until Deadstream came along. It brings that energy, and tone into the found footage sub genre, with great success. There are some very good laughs in here and some great jump scares. One in particular got me very good. The film centers on a YouTube personality, attempting to gain his audience back after having been "cancelled" because of the consequences of one of his stupid stunts. His schtick is that he films himself as he engages in an activity that is or is associated with his biggest fears. Deadstream takes place as he's spending the night in an allegedly haunted house. Husband and wife team Vanessa and Joseph Winter share writing and directing credits, and Joseph plays the lead, Shawn Ruddy. The Winter's writing and Joseph's performance perfectly capture the variety of YouTube personality they're bringing to life, and I have nothing but respect for Joe in his commitment to this character. It is a perfect encapsulation of some of the most terrible varieties of narcissist on the internet. At the same time, he's sincere and almost sympathetic enough for it to not tip completely over into the kind of sadism where you're just watching because you want to see bad things happen to him. How you feel about him changes over the course of the film, repeatedly. They are also possibly the first to as authentically recreate what audiences on live streams are like too. Winter is part of the alchemy of what makes the film work, along with some inventive, creative approaches to the found footage style and an absolute dedication and commitment. That feeling of manic anarchy driving Evil Dead 2 is bursting through Deadstream. As soon as this film takes off, it doesn't stop and it keeps upping the ante in both laughs and scares. It's gross at moments, very funny the next and then it serves up a solid scare the next. It is smartly making some sly commentary about internet culture, and it's absolutely dedicated to being fun while it's doing that. This is essentially a film made by a few people during the pandemic, with very little in the way of resources. It is ridiculous that it ended up being as good and as fun as it is. It's taking its place in the long line of horror films which seem like just making them would be impossible, much less being anywhere near as good as they end up being. I will revisit this film many times, if for not other reason than it requires very little heavy lifting as a viewer, and it is so ridiculously entertaining. This is another Shudder original, bought and distributed by Shudder. Without Shudder, what has been one of the bright spots of the year in horror, and has gathered a loyal fanbase already, most of us probably wouldn't have heard of it in order to be able to seek it out. 

Glorious - Being a horror fan, over any extended period of time, forces us to confront the business of the film industry in a way being a casual moviegoer doesn't. It's rare that a new horror film is being released in theaters nationwide every few weeks or even every few months. It's most likely during September and October, and then comes to a screeching halt as Halloween passes and studios start releasing the films they have some feeling might be awards contenders. If you don't live in a major city, you learn that smaller, low budget independent films are where you need to look for your regular horror fix, and they aren't going to be in a theater near you. Glorious is another instance of Shudder coming through for horror fans. This is a weird, off kilter, funny story of a man trapped in a rest stop, glory hole bathroom with a Lovecraftian Elder God. Given that premise, this film should not work. It shouldn't even exist, but film studies professor, podcaster and filmmaker Rebecca McKendry got hold of the original script during the COVID quarantine and decided this was the movie she had to make. Another film made during lockdown on a very limited budget, the level of creativity on display behind and in front of the camera is  enviable.  

Fresh - In horror circles, when you say, "cannibal movie," chances are it's going to conjure ideas of the spate of 70's Italian cannibal films, which were pure exploitation. They did give us what can be argued is the first "found footage" movie in Cannibal Holocaust, but they are definitely over the top, gore soaked, outrage bait, exploitation films. Honestly, far from my favorite sub genre, not at all my thing. So, when I heard Sebastian Stan ("Winter Soldier? That guy?" Yes, that guy) and Daisy Edgar Jones (best known from Hulu's Normal People) were in a cannibal movie, and it was very good, I was deeply confused. It turns out, this is a whole other variety of film. Teetering around on and turning rom-com tropes upside down, messing around with modern class and gender commentary, with two excellent central performances, I was genuinely surprised by Fresh. I have read a critique of this film which basically amounts to the tone being too light for the subject matter, and that is a fair critique. It was a question I had as I watched. I can also see a decision being made to reach for a larger audience by keeping things a little bit lighter than most films tackling these subjects tend to. It's a hard call, and unfortunately something people have to wrestle with in the arts, especially if they have something they want to say challenges prevailing orthodoxy. 

Barbarian - It was a good year for horror films being unexpected and surprising, and Barbarian succeeds at that in spades. On top of three great performances from Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård and Justin Long, this wild indie shocker had some very, very good jokes, a few excellent scares and was at least trying to say something. It does stumble a bit at getting across exactly what it's trying to say, but I'll give it credit for trying and because the story aspects were so unexpected and entertaining. Possibly this years greatest number of "WTF?" moments in one film. Smart casting, a good story and some well constructed scares made this one of the surprise box office hits of the year, which helped the general film press, outside of horror, come to realize what horror fans have known for a very long time. Horror is a reliably profitable genre. With all the headlines in entertainment press, comments from filmmakers and talk on Film Twitter about the death of the mid-budget film, it may be time to realize that contrary to all that talk, the mid-budget film isn't dead, but that certain varieties of mid-budget film don't draw audiences to theaters like they used to, and others still do. Maybe it's time to fully put to rest the idea that horror as a kind of red headed stepchild to the real movie industry or a creative gutter. 

House of Darkness - What do you get when playwright Neil Labute writes and directs a horror movie? You get a small, intimate film that feels like it could absolutely be a play, and is full of wonderful moments between the characters as they kind of spar around intentions and words. For anyone even casually familiar with horror, there is no shock in where this one goes. For fans of the comedy of manners genre or the kind of indie films and plays which deal with social expectations related to gender or class, this is still a fun watch. Justin Long (possibly this year's MVP for doing his best to break the typecast he's been in most of his career), Kate Bosworth and Gia Crovatin are all very good. There are some very cool visual bits in here and some interesting moments that aren't necessarily scary, but are a fun variety of spooky. I am definitely not immune to the charms of a small, talky film with characters going around each other verbally. As much as I know this one didn't work for a lot of people, it really worked for me. There's a high likelihood I'll see it again when it hits one of the streamings services. 

X - It was announced a new Ti West horror movie was going to be premiering at the South By Southwest film festival, which was exciting for horror fans. It had been a number of years since the directory who'd cut his teeth in the genre and released a number of good to excellent films in it had been back. The word of mouth from the festival circuit was overwhelmingly positive and this weird little slasher movie about a group of young people who are trying to shoot a porn in Texas in 1979, and run into some jealous property owners became one of the year's surprise hits. This one doesn't give Mia Goth quite as much to do, but what it does give her to do is part of what makes the film so fun and unusual. This is a wild ride. It's definitely a more conventional slasher than Pearl, but Ti West mixes the traditional slasher with a story about the kind of entrepreneurial and creative spirit which was the basis for so much of both horror and porn in the 1970's and in doing so, is willing to show off a little bit with the filmmaking, which adds to the fun as well. The cast of Martin Henderson, Brittany Snow, Jenna Ortega, Kid Cudi, Mia Goth and Stephen Ure are excellent. Even as it's structure more closely resembles that of a traditional slasher, X is not merely a traditional slasher. It definitely has much, much more on its mind, and Ti West has the talent and experience to weave all that together for a really satisfying, at moments deeply unsettling cinematic experience. My piece on X from April is here. 

Smile - Another surprise hit. This one was originally slated to be straight to streaming on Paramount+, but the early screenings were so enthusiastic, Paramount decided to give it a theatrical release. With a little help from a smart marketing campaign, and a lot of help from word of mouth, it raked in the dollars at the box office. To be completely honest, there is nothing new here. It's a Frankenstein mash up of things we've seen done better before in other films. At the same time, it's fun. It has some very good jump scares, and it boasts two great performances from Sosie Bacon and the consistently criminally under appreciated Kyle Gallner. Even as what it might be trying to say is more muddled than that of Barbarian, which had critics and audiences scratching their heads about its intent, it's well executed and well made on a technical level. I saw it described as the "normiest horror movie of the year" and that's not inaccurate, but it's still a fun ninety minutes. 

 Prey - Dan Trachtenberg's last feature was 10 Cloverfield Lane in 2016. It was marketed as "Part of the Cloverfield universe." There's a bunch of odd explanation for why that is and what that means, but for our purposes, all you have to know is that 10 Cloverfield Lane is an excellent film. I'd absolutely recommend it. John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and John Gallagher Jr. are fantastic in it. It's a great film. It didn't do as well as its predecessor did at the box office though, because it deviated from the form and formula of Cloverfield, so unfortunately, no one has been rushing to put Trachtenberg behind the camera for another feature. I was excited to hear he was directing when there was suddenly word of a new Predator film. There had been no production announcements, so no one knew it was happening until a trailer dropped. It was a big surprise that generated excitement across the genre landscape. That excitement was in no way misplaced. Our protagonist is a young Indigenous woman, who has her heart set on being a hunter and warrior. Her tribe isn't so sure. The film takes place in the early colonial era of North America. This is where one of the nearly unstoppable killing machines we know as a Predator drops in to do some hunting and ends up facing off against our protagonist. It's a creative risk for the franchise, and Trachtenberg and company knocked it out of the park. One of the most fun films of the year, without doubt. This is much more in the action horror vein, so even if horror isn't normally your bag, it's still worth a shot. Amber Midthunder and Dakota Beavers are the acting discoveries of the year as the sister and brother at the heart of the story. The filmmaking is excellent, through and through. Great action cinematography, choreography, cool design, some absolutely stunning shots of the wilderness this all takes place in and this year's best "good boy" in Midthunder's sidekick, Sarii. Unquestionably the best Predator film since the original. Some franchise die hards might say that distinction belongs to Predator 2, but from the standpoint of the quality of the overall film, Prey is the only film which gets close to the narrative and thematic success of the original. There are solid arguments for this being the best film in the franchise. Give Dan Trachtenberg all the money, for whatever it is he's going to do next. Give Amber Midthunder and Dakota Beavers all the roles they want too. 

Scream - To put it bluntly, the Scream franchise is the most influential and important horror franchise of the last thirty years. Beyond the influence seen in the number of attempted imitators, and its part in inspiring the remake craze of the early 2000's, there is the sheer number of horror fans now in their twenties and thirties who count Scream as the franchise which kicked off their interest in horror. It is likely the most widely influential, within the genre, since John Carpenter's Halloween. The landscape of the genre is what it is today, in part because Scream was released in 1996, and horror legend Wes Craven came back to helm all three installments that followed. It's also arguably the most consistent of all the major horror franchises as well. There is variation in quality, certainly, but even the worst Scream film is still fun and funny. There isn't a boring entry in the franchise. When director Wes Craven died in 2015, it looked like we'd never be going back to Woodsboro, the fictional town where the series first and fourth installments took place, and more importantly, we'd never be seeing the trio of Sidney, Gale and Dewey again. The announcement of a new Scream film without Wes Craven was met with trepidation by fans. The fourth film did poorly at the box office, and was initially rejected by fans, but it has gone through a reclamation and found vocal support in the decade since its release. The creative team known as Radio Silence were going to be behind this new installment, which gave some hope. They'd made Ready Or Not, which was one hell of a good time at the movies (if you haven't seen it, do yourself that favor, soon). It demonstrated they could handle the mix of comedy and horror that's essential to the success of the Scream franchise. There was going to be a new cast of teens under threat from the someone in a Ghostface mask, and our beloved trio, Sidney, Gale and Dewey would be making a return. Expectations were high. Although this isn't a Wes Craven Scream film, the overall tone is correct, the performances are all strong, it advances the meta commentary which is necessary to the franchise and it gets the mystery/ending aspect right. It's a bloodier, slightly meaner version of Scream, but it was still a great time at the movies and gave fans what we were looking for, including a great final showing for Sidney. The box office success put the franchise back on top too. With new cast members Jenna Ortega and Jasmine Savoy Brown having given stellar performances in Wednesday and Yellowjackets, Courtney Cox returning, Samara Weaving joining the cast, fan favorite Hayden Panettierre returning after an absence following Scream 4, and the Ghostface action heading to New York City for the upcoming Scream 6, the franchise is once again one of the most anticipated of the next few years. Radio Silence, the cast and the producers deserve respect for being willing to take on a task which was as close to a guaranteed failure as possible and being able to pull it out. Here's my piece about Scream earlier this year.

Orphan: First Kill - I skipped the original Orphan when it was in theaters, because the trailers suggested it was self serious and ridiculous in a way that wouldn't even be fun, and given the cast, I thought it wouldn't even be bad enough to be fun as unintentional camp. I was very, very wrong, and caught up with it because of how overwhelmingly positive the word of mouth was as First Kill was about to be released. Orphan was far beyond what I imagined, in large part because it did know exactly what it was, and I had a blast with it. I knew the big spoiler and all, but it was still ridiculously entertaining. I was on board for Orphan: First Kill twenty minutes into Orphan. My attitude was that another ninety minutes of the same high camp goodness would be fine. What I got was even campier, and still managed to drop a big surprise on me. For all my nineties kids out there, I would heavily suggest jumping in for the Julia Stiles performance, if nothing else. Julia Stiles has some of the best line deliveries of the year. There are at least two instances where Stiles could justifiably be brought into the conversation for "line reading of the year." I cackled out loud, overcome with dark glee, on a number of occasions. She is going toe to toe with Isabelle Fuhrman who is once again killing it as the iconic Esther. This could qualify as the very rare instance where the sequel surpasses the original. My only regret is I haven't been able to watch this with a crowd of friends, especially queer friends. This is top shelf high camp of the first queer order. 

Hellraiser - There is really nothing else in the world like Clive Barker's Hellraiser. The 1987 film was a watershed moment, for many reasons. The second film is beloved as sequels go too. After that the franchise was badly, badly abused by the Weinstein's when they acquired the rights. If Scream is the most consistent horror franchise, a strong case can be made for Hellraiser being the most inconsistent, with the high of those first two films, and some truly, genuinely atrocious lows. It was announced that David Bruckner would be in the director's chair, which was a promising start. Bruckner had previously directed The Night House (another film with a powerhouse, knockout performance by Rebecca Hall) and The Ritual, both films which were genuinely scary at points, and proved he has a definite ability to create powerful images. That left the question of The Hell Priest or Pinhead, as he was more popularly known. Doug Bradley and Clive Barker created one of the most iconic villains in horror history when The Hell Priest and his Cenobites stepped out of the darkness in the first Hellraiser. Even in some of those absolutely tragic sequels, with horrible writing and lines, Bradley's portrayal of Pinhead got the single decent moments in them. Doug Bradley has made clear on numerous occasions he wasn't interested in returning to the role, it's been a blessing and a curse for him, as is unfortunately fitting. It was announced Jamie Clayton would be taking up the mantle of a new Hell Priest, and even as the transphobes of the world were shitting themselves over a trans actress stepping into an iconic franchise as the new featured villain, the early stills showing the look for this new Hell Priest was on track to keep what was iconic about the original, with a slightly new flavor. The film was released to overall positive reviews, the most common criticism being that it didn't embrace the sexuality in the original. I was initially unmoved by this criticism, but as time has passed, I've warmed to it and have somewhat cooled on the film itself. That being said, Bruckner and company have still managed to create an interesting film, with strong themes and a striking visual language. Jamie Clayton is outstanding as The Hell Priest and the new design for the Cenobites is a worthy update. Odessa A'zion is very good as Riley, who was the unfortunate target of criticism because the character is more complicated than some modern audiences would like. Riley isn't always likable, but A'zion does make her believable. I'm increasingly tired of criticisms that revolve around the idea that a protagonist has to be a moral paragon for anyone to want to take the journey the film has in store for them. If nothing else, this is a film worth seeing because of what it suggests for the possibilities in the future. Bruckner and company obviously care about making a good movie, and making a good Hellraiser movie, and if his previous work is an indication, he has what it takes to correct the ways this one does leave a bit unsatisfied. 

Halloween Ends - This will probably be my most controversial pick. It was one of the most controversial horror films of the year, so that would make sense. David Gordon Greene and Danny McBride were more or less given the reins in rebooting the Halloween franchise, and after the serious box office success of 2018's Halloween, a trilogy became the plan. John Carpenter's Halloween was a formative film for me. It is among the most, if not the most formative film. Through it, I became a die hard horror fan, but I also learned how to learn about film. I enjoyed the 2018 film. I know one of the chief criticisms is the degree to which some people prefer the portrayal of trauma's effect on Laurie Strode in H20. I like the fact that both of these very different portrayals of response to trauma exist. It's not an either/or question for me, I think it's good that we get as many variations in the portrayal of traumas effects on people as possible. That 2018 film was entertaining, and it gave us a great showdown between Michael and Laurie. I liked what it gave us of the relationship between Laurie and her granddaughter Alyson. I did not enjoy Halloween Kills, the second film in this new trilogy, by itself, at all. Yes, it has some creative kills and has some fun with them. I'm 45 and I've seen hundreds, if not thousands, of films which have creative and fun kills that were actually good films too. Halloween Kills feels like a premise in search of a script. It doesn't know what it wants to be and doesn't know where it's going. It wants to ape many of the previous sequels, and tries to shoehorn in some kind of larger themes it's not interested in treating with any significance. Halloween Ends is the first film in the Michael Myers films to do something genuinely different. It also gives a thematic context to the two previous films which at least makes Halloween Kills feel like it's part of a thematic whole, even if it's not a good film by itself. I wrote a long piece about my feelings on Halloween Ends. The short version is that if we're going to keep going with franchises running this long, I want to see them try different things, not just regurgitating the same film fifteen times. Rohan Campbell is very good as Corey. Andi Matichak has been great as Alyson, and my biggest complaint about the trilogy as whole is that she's wasted by not being given enough to do. Jamie Lee Curtis is still great, as always. I'll watch this one repeatedly, in part because of its flaws.