It’s been a tremendous year for horror, with fun and nasty flicks like Orphan: First Kill, Smile, and The Black Phone burning up the box office and Jenna Ortega ascending to scream queen status (seriously, she’s in two of our picks below).
But are you sure you got to see every spooky film you planned on catching? Stephen A Russell has you covered with the best frights newly streaming and in cinemas, but here we’ve chosen some of the year’s greatest horror movies overall that you’d have to be a slow-moving Argento zombie to miss out on.
Bodies Bodies Bodies
The latest A24 thriller is pretty low on scares, but makes up for it with salty characters and a laugh-out-loud ending twist. You know you’re watching a good slasher when you’re not quite sure who you want to survive, and who you’d like to discover as the killer: everyone’s hilariously toxic, but Rachel Sennott might be MVP.
Hatching
Frosty, pristine visuals and some sickening family dynamics pave the way for eggy terrors in this Finnish horror flick, which had a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cinema release in most regions. A must for Cronenberg stans, it features chilling performances from an overworked young gymnast and her controlling Insta-obsessed mum.
Incantation
Read our full review here of this Taiwanese terrifier—the story of a mother and her adorable daughter haunted by an obscure religious relic might even leave you more sad than scared. Perfect to watch on a rainy Netflix night in, unless you’re the suggestible type who’ll get drawn into the film’s infectious chant.
Nope
Okay, judging from its solid box office results you probably did see Jordan Peele’s latest. But it’s well worth a rewatch: you’ll pick up on the creepy motifs with new understanding, and with the mystery of Jean Jacket and Jupiter’s Claim understood, can just enjoy the tremendous performances and atmosphere better. Check out Flicks’ review here for more details.
Prey
The delicious combo of horror + sci-fi + action was perfected in the 80s with Alien and Predator, and Dan Trachtenberg’s side-quest to that latter film lived up in a big way. Amber Midthunder gave one of the best final girl turns of the year as a fierce Comanche warrior battling that drooling intergalactic threat.
The Sadness
The Sadness
If you’re seeking a horror movie that’ll disembowel you and leave you quivering on the couch, this entirely bleak Taiwanese zombie yarn will do the job. It’s so sick because the undead perpetrators violently assault each victim before delivering any sweet release of death—and they seem to be horrifically aware, and distressed, of what they’re doing. Yuck.
Scream (2022)
Scream (2022)
Even without Wes Craven, this highly referential legacy sequel was pretty good, huh? The culprits behind Ghostface were hard to predict, and his taunting and slashing took on a gritty new flavour. We almost could’ve done without the return of the OG trio Sidney, Gale and Dewey.
Speak No Evil
The Sadness wasn’t dark enough for you? Try this gut-wrenching Danish horror in the vein of Funny Games, about the lengths us passive-aggressive civilians are willing to go to in avoiding discomfort. The sick social play turns fatal, with an ending that’ll make you think twice about holidaying with family friends.
We’re All Going To The World’s Fair
Sorrowful, intimate, and also heart-stoppingly scary when it wants to be, Jane Schoenbrun’s indie debut is unlike many other horror films we’ve seen before. Our review compared it to a possessed version of Eighth Grade, with a similarly fragile teen performance holding the whole nightmare together.
X
We didn’t expect Ti West’s 70s video nasty to spark a trilogy that’s boosted Mia Goth to a top-tier horror talent, but we’re certainly pleasantly surprised. Make sure to see X before enjoying Pearl and the upcoming 80s sequel MaXXXine. The kills are gory, the fashion is fabulous, and it has dark themes of fame and the cruel passage of time.
