Making a year-end “Best” and “Worst” of list in the horror world is always a slippery slope. Some people just seem to take things personal if their favorites make the bad list or even if they are not ranked higher on the good list. So, with that being said please keep in mind this is just the opinion of a soon to be 40 year old who’s been doing this and dealing with the feedback since 2008. You can wish death on me but it won’t make me magically re-think my list and change my mind about Halloween Ends being a bad movie. That being said, feel free to read the lists below and keep in mind I haven’t seen every title released this year.
Let’s go ahead and get the negative stuff out of the way first…
THE WORST HORROR FILMS OF 2022 (In No Real Order)
Scream
I don’t know why people loved this Scream so much? I thought it just seemed like a let-down that didn’t make the best use of the original characters. I also feel like half the twist was just lazy.
Halloween Ends
I know, I know, some people like to look at the deeper side of things with this one. Not me. I don’t want to see “Bad Ronald” overpower Michael Myers to steal his mask and then have a forced “deep” connection with the granddaughter of Laurie Strode. Maybe whatever timeline they decide to jump on for the next series of movies will make-up for this one and “kills”.
Jeepers Creepers Reborn
This list is in no order, but I assure you had it been done as such this would have been THE worst. It’s almost like a really indie movie label got the rights to Jeepers Creepers and still made a fan film with terrible CGI and not even the real Jeepers Creepers song, that apparently wasn’t included in the actual movie rights.
Orphan: First Kill
If there wasn’t a twist half-way with Julie Styles’ character this one would have brought absolutely nothing to the table. It just stands out mostly in a bad way, but it’s funny trying to hide the lead’s actual age in this prequel.
Firestarter
If you insist on remaking everything at least try harder not to be boring. We’re a long way from High School Musical for Zac Efron.
Dark Night of the Scarecrow 2
This one didn’t need a sequel after all these years and they insisted on giving it one. The worst part is they didn’t even try to make it good.
The Munsters
I can’t believe I’m saying this for a Rob Zombie movie made after Halloween 2, but I expected more.
Top 10 BEST HORROR FILMS OF 2022
10: Nope
Some people LOVED Nope. I found it to be a well-made movie with some social commentary that brought forth some worldly issues. It’s a nice watch and probably the most main stream movie you’ll find on my list this year.
09: Slapface
Slapface makes a case for being the best truly indie horror movie I’ve seen this year. The story of a witch in the woods that takes an overly obsessive liking to a kid leads to some strange issues. Also, the Slapface game is actually more on the backburner but this one is still fun.
08: V/H/S/99
This one lacks when you compare it to last year’s V/H/S/95 but it’s still really solid when you sit-down and really think about it. I’m a fan of these movies and I will continue to look forward to seeing them as long they want to make them.
07: Prey
Let’s take The Predator and put him up against some native Americans! Yeah, I don’t get why they speak a whole lot of English but it’s a good concept and it put life back into the franchise.
06: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
There are a whole lot of logical holes in this one. But who’s looking at The Texas Chainsaw Massacre for logic? Leatherface despite the fact he should be in Depends going by his age, does his thing (cuz?) and it’s a lot of bloody fun. Makes no sense at all, but lots of bloody fun.
05: Barbarian
One of the more interesting things I’ve seen in horror in a long time. This one just feels different and tosses some curveballs at us along the way as well.
04: Deadstream
This one is just fun and manages to be that way while being MOSTLY a one-man show. It’s creative and gives me some Evil Dead 2 vibes in a very good way.
03: X
While I see a lot of people giving love to the prequel, Pearl, that also came out in 2022, this one was way more of my time of horror film. We got sex, dark humor, and violence. You can’t go wrong with that combo and Ti West being behind the camera just makes it better.
02: The Sadness
I understand a lot of people saw this last year somehow. But it hit Shudder in 2022 and most the rest of the world saw it then so I’m counting it. One of the best zombie movies I’ve seen in years and I wish it would get a North American release already. This one is great stuff.
01: Terrifier 2
The little indie horror movie that could, Terrifer 2, tops this list despite being way too long! Regardless of run-time, it has a new horror icon at the forefront and one of the best final girls we’ve seen in years. The plot is crazy and a little weird but it still somehow works and I can’t wait for Terrifer 3.
