In many ways, 2022 was a frightening year for the film industry (would audiences return?). Should they? ), but horror proved once again to be a commercially and artistically successful genre. Simply put, this is a genre that values cheap execution of fresh surprises. From killer aliens to murderous Santas, here are the ten scariest stories of the year. Only one of these titles is based on an existing IP.
10. Smile
![Smile
The 10 best horror movies
10 best horror movies of 2022
The 10 best horror movies of 2022](https://jaybesttrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/images-27.jpg)
Smile, starring Sosie Bacon as a psychiatrist who is tormented by a supernatural force following the death of a patient, shocked both horror fans and theatre owners by grossing more than $200 million worldwide. Less happy? The unfortunate individuals tasked with cleaning up the mountains of popcorn left on theatre floors as a result of the film’s numerous effective jump scares.
9. Speak No Evil
![Speak No Evil](https://jaybesttrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/MV5BNWRhMjcwYjMtZDg2ZC00YmI1LWIwM2MtOTBhNmQ4OWUwYjgxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDgyNzAxMzY@-2-717x1024.jpg)
Before the release of his film, Christian Tafdrup told EW that he intended to create “the most disturbing film in Danish history.” Successfully completed! Morten Burian and Sidsel Siem Koch play a husband and wife who visit a family they met while on vacation and then make the mistake of staying out of courtesy, despite their hosts being a bit odd. Following a period of hilarity, the situation becomes very bleak indeed.
8. Scream
![Scream](https://jaybesttrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/images-28-2.jpg)
After the departure of the original creative team, long-running horror franchises can become somewhat chaotic. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, in collaboration with writers James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, were challenged by the high standard set by the late Wes Craven, who directed the previous four films in the series. Wisely, the new team persuaded the core legacy cast (Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette) to return with the promise of honouring Craven’s memory while introducing new characters who genuinely appear capable of carrying the horror torch in future instalments. The outcome inspires optimism for both Scream 6 (10 March) and Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett’s Radio Silence filmmaking collective’s reportedly forthcoming reboot of the Escape from New York franchise.
7. The Black Telephone
![The Black Telephone](https://jaybesttrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/images-29-1.jpg)
Actor Ethan Hawke, director Scott Derrickson, and screenwriter C. Robert Cargill, who brought us the chilling 2012 film Sinister, have reunited for this similarly unsettling tale of a child murderer. In The Black Phone, based on a short story by Joe Hill, Hawke achieved instant horror-icon status as the Grabber, whose terrifying mask was designed by legendary makeup artist Tom Savini (veteran of the original Dawn of the Dead & Friday the 13th). Derrickson told EW that Tom had just returned with something that was head and shoulders above the competition. “I was anticipating a more original contribution from someone younger. I was in error.”
6. Christmas Bloody Christmas six
![Christmas Bloody Christmas six](https://jaybesttrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/images-34-2-203x300.jpg)
Joe Begos’ answer to the question, “What if Richard Linklater remade The Terminator?” is one of the most entertainingly chaotic films of the year. After a robot Santa Claus goes berserk, Riley Dandy’s night out with Sam Delich’s employee is violently interrupted.
5. X / Pearl
![X / Pearl](https://jaybesttrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Pearl_theatricalposter-202x300.jpg)
Is it dishonest to list these two films as a single entry? Maybe. However, the two 2022 films by director Ti West are so intertwined that it would be illogical to separate them. X is a fun, 1970s-set bloodbath about a pornographic shoot in which the cast and crew are menaced by two elderly men, with Mia Goth in dual roles. Pearl, which takes place in 1918, is the more interesting, serious, and slightly better film, with Goth once again being spectacular as the younger version of her X killer.
4. Nope
![Nope](https://jaybesttrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/images-33-1.jpg)
If Jordan Peele’s third film after 2017’s Get Out and 2019’s Us seemed less cohesive than its predecessors, the director still delivered 2022’s greatest big-screen spectacle and two of the year’s best performances, regardless of genre, with his tale of siblings (Keke Palmer and Daniel Kaluuya) attempting to obtain UFO footage. The flashback scenes involving the child actor version of Steven Yeun’s character are genuinely terrifying, but oddly detached from the main plot.
3. Bodies Bodies Bodies
![Bodies Bodies Bodies](https://jaybesttrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/images-31-1.jpg)
Among others, Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova, Pete Davidson, and a hilarious Rachel Sennott play zoomers whose weekend at a remote mansion goes horribly wrong in a spectacularly bloody manner. Halina Reijn, a Dutch actress-turned-director, masterfully emphasises the film’s comedic elements while still making you care about her cast of largely unlikeable characters.
2. Barbarian
![Barbarian](https://jaybesttrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/images-32.jpg)
Disney and 20th Century created a box office hit out of Barbarian by revealing almost nothing about the film’s second and third acts. In a world where trailers routinely reveal plot points that occur late in a film’s runtime, this was a smart move. And we should be extremely grateful for that. Zach Cregger, a member of the sketch group Whitest Kids U’ Know, crafted one of the year’s most enjoyable films, a sleeper hit in which the audience had almost no idea what was going to happen. In the same vein, we will not elaborate further on the fact that Justin Long is welcome in any horror film he chooses.
1. The Dinner Menu
![The Dinner Menu](https://jaybesttrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/images-30-2-1.jpg)
Our favourite book of the year describes a night of increasingly terrifying dining for affluent guests at a secluded, opulent restaurant overseen by the celebrity chef Ralph Fiennes. The film, directed by Mark Mylod (Succession) and starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, John Leguizamo, and Hong Chau, skillfully mines comedy and tension from its premise, while also providing some food for thought for the one percent (though not enough to give anyone indigestion). But is it a horror film or a satirical thriller with horror elements? On this point, we defer to Black Phone screenwriter and all-around fear monger C. Robert Cargill, who tweeted that The Menu is a horror film “is an f—-ing horror film, period. I’m sick of people attempting to remove the best horror from the genre because they are ashamed of it.” So be it.
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