Chloe's Not Scared

From the safety of our couches to the terrifying light of the silver screen, audience flocked to watch horror this year. We are collectively traumatized, it’s true, but doesn’t sharing in our fear make everything a little less scary, even for an hour or two? Themes of cannibalism, stalking, and the dangers of internet culture ruled the box office this year, often directed by women (hell yeah). Because of the sheer amount of terror I consumed this year, I decided to step it up and do a top ten list for both movies and books (you can find my books post here). Without further ado, here are the best horror movies of 2022.

10. Fresh

Directed by Mini Cave (2022)

Ah yes, they horrors of online dating. I’m lucky that I never had to do it and if I did, I would probably die (no exaggeration). Noa (Daisy Edgar Jones) is just about to swear off online dating when she meets a handsome guy at the grocery store (Sebastian Stan). After a few weeks of dating, Noa and her new beau decide to go away for the weekend. What happens next is bloody and stomach-churning, with a surprising amount of dance sequences!

9. We’re All Going to the World’s Fair

Directed by Jane Schoenbrun

Have you heard of the new internet sensation “The World’s Fair challenge?” Record yourself saying “I want to go to the World’s Fair” three times, smear blood on your phone or computer, and watch a series of strobing light videos. At least that’s what teenager Casey believes. After attempting the challenge, Casey begins to experience psychological and physical changes, uploading her thoughts for her followers to see. This slowburn indie film had me scared to fall asleep with YouTube in the background. Director Jane Schoenbrun, who is nonbinary, has said in interviews that they wanted to make a movie that was “truthful to the coming out process.”

8. The Black Phone

Directed by Scott Derrickson

According to the horror movies and books I consume, violence was everywhere in the 1970’s. From abusive parents to childhood bullies, it seemed like everyone was getting beat up. Siblings Finney and Gwen are no stranger to the violence of this world, so when a serial child abductor nicknamed “The Grabber” begins taking children at their school, they are concerned but not surprised. Until, of course, The Grabber takes Finney. Based on a short story by Joe Hill, Ethan Hawke gives one of the year’s best performances as The Grabber (yes, I’m serious).

7. Hatching

Directed by Hanna Bergholm

Another movie about the internet! 12 year old Tinja (Siiri Solalinna) lives with her mother, father, and brother. Her mother (Sophia Heikkilä) is an influencer who documents her family’s “perfect” lives living in Finland on social media and her blog. One day, Tinja finds an egg and begins keeping it in her room, until it hatches into her evil doppelganger. What follows proves that Tinja’s life isn’t so perfect after all. Gross body horror, truly remarkable special effects and a genuine look at perfection both online and off.

6. Prey

Directed by Dan Trachtenberg

First of all, you have to watch this movie with the Comanche dub on Hulu. It’s required. Second of all, if you never watched any of the Predator movies (like me), don’t worry. You’ll still love this film. The year is 1719 and Naru (Amber Midthunder), a Comanche woman, wants to prove that she can hunt as well as her brother. Then, the Predator comes into their lives. This movies has great performances all around, but I especially want to point out the great relationship between Naru and her dog. This is the best horror movie dog since The Thing.

5. Barbarian

Directed by Zach Cregger

Tess (played by Georgina Campbell), a young woman visiting Detroit for a job interview, attempts to check into her Air Bnb and finds someone (Bill Skarsgard) already staying there. After they decide to share the house (with precautions set up), Tess finds something sinister lurking in the basement. The marketing of this movie was genius, as to not tell audiences too much. While the commentary about white flight and cancel culture feels a bit disingenuous, the movie as a whole is batshit crazy and very funny. It’s the perfect horror movie to put on with friends.

4. Bones and All

Directed by Luca Guadagnino

I’m such a sucker for road movies (especially when Timothee Chalamet is behind the wheel). Magnificent newcomer Taylor Russell stars as Maren Yearly, a teenage cannibal who is deserted by her family. Maren hits the road to seek answers about her condition and how to control or stop it. In Middle America, she finds Lee (Chalamet), another cannibal, and they team up to create a life together. Yes, it’s bloody and the kills are gnarly at times, but truly this movie stands out as a beautiful portrait of not fitting in within the rural Midwestern landscape. Plus, Mark Rylance’s performance as strange and awkward Sully is the scariest dude of this year’s horror slate.

3. Watcher

Directed by Chloe Okuno

If you know me at all, you know It Follows is one of my favorite movies. That’s why I’m delighted that Maika Monroe returned to horror in this Shudder original, Watcher. A young married couple, Julia and Francis, relocate from America to Bucharest, presumedly for Francis’ job. Julia begins noticing a man from the apartment across from her, watching her. And there’s serial killer on the loose in their neighborhood. This movie is so good at capturing the isolation of living in a city where you don’t speak the language. Bonus: Watcher manages not to “other” different cultures in the process! This was director Chloe Okuno’s debut feature, making it clear that she is one to watch!

2. Nope

Directed by Jordan Peele

Jordan Peele is the king of horror. At this point, it’s just a fact of our lives. And no matter if you preferred Get Out or Us, Nope will definitely not disappoint you. Nope follows the Haywood family, a family of ranchers who raise horses to rent out to Hollywood sets. When a UFO comes to their ranch, siblings Otis Jr. (a masterful restrained performance by Daniel Kaluuya) and Emerald (riveting and hilarious Keke Palmer) team up with a strange bunch of individuals (Brandon Perea, Michael Wincott) in an attempt to document the flying creature. Nearby, a tourist trap called Jupiter’s Landing run by a former child actor (Steven Yuen) threatens to derail the Haywood’s plan. This movie says so much about surveillance, documentation, fame, and race in Hollywood. One of the best cold opens, hands down.

1. Resurrection

Directed by Andrew Semans

Margaret (a flawless Rebecca Hall) is a businesswoman living in Albany New York with her nerdy but lovable teenage daughter Abbie (Grace Kaufman). One day, Abbie finds a tooth in her coin purse and shows her mother. A few days later, Margaret is at a conference and sees a man, sending her into a panic attack. After seeing the same man many times on the street and in a mall, Margaret begins to unravel. This man (Tim Roth) holds a very powerful secret; a secret that threatens to take everything from Margaret and her family. Resurrection absolutely shocked me. I saw it by myself in the afternoon on a hot summer’s day and my mouth was open in horror the whole time. Rebecca Hall is transcendent in this bonafide Haneke-level psychological thriller. Do not watch while eating, especially not the end.

Honorable mentions: The Innocents, Master, Bodies Bodies Bodies

What were your favorite horror movies of 2022? Let me know in the comments!