Sommerleigh Pollonais, Horror Head Writer
Yes, it’s that time of year once again when both professional and self-made critics such as me myself and I churn out our favourite and not-so-favorite movies of the past year. Being the Head Horror Honcho around these parts my list of course focuses on all the horror content I’ve consumed in 2022 and while I could spend all day talking about them, I know you beautiful people are busy getting ready to ring in the New Year. So, with a pinky promise to keep things short and sweet, here are my choices for Best and Worst of Horror for 2022 with the inaugural hosting of the Spooky Awards!
Side Note: I saw a LOT of horror movies but even this fan couldn’t see them all so the following is based on what I watched only.
Spooky for Best Horror Television Show Goes to…History of Horror
This show checks all my horror-loving boxes. With each episode focusing on a different sub-genre of horror Eli Roth’s History of Horror has horror writers, directors, actors and special effects artists discussing the impact and (of course) the history of the horror movies that we all know and love. Informative and highly entertaining, there’s nothing better for a horror fan than discussing the genre with others who love it as much as we do, and that’s exactly what this show delivers in spades.
Runners Up: Chucky, All of Us Are Dead, Archive 81, 1899, Wednesday, Love Death & Robots, The Sandman, Hellbound, From, Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, Interview with the Vampire, What We Do in the Shadows, Evil.
Spooky for Best Horror Movie You (Maybe) Missed Goes to…Deadstream
Do you love horror comedy and do you enjoy horror movies that fully embrace their 80’s horror roots while taking you to delightfully unexpected places? Well boy do I have the movie for you!
Drawing from films like Evil Dead and Grave Encounters, Deadstream is the kind of movie that knows how to make you scream and laugh in equal measures. So if you still want to check out a horror movie before year’s end, this one is worth a look.
Runners Up: The Sadness, The Witch 2: The Other One, Hellbender, Sissy, Hatching, Piggy, What Josiah Saw, Watcher, Glorious, Scare Package 2.
Spooky for Best Horror Movie Kill Goes to…Terrifier 2
While it won’t save an entirely bad movie, a memorable kill can make a horror movie stand out in ways that will have you telling your friends, “You HAVE to watch this!” This year brought us some truly crazy kills such as (SPOILER ALERT) Studio 666’s couple sliced in half mid-coitus, Barbarian’s shocking skull crushing scene that works as well as ice water being thrown in your face, and the showdown between Taabe and the Predator in Prey. But if we’re talking about a kill that will stick with you long after the screen goes black, the gold medal goes to none other than Art the Clown in Terrifier 2.
I really don’t want to spoil this one for those who haven’t seen the movie yet, so I’ll just say this—it goes on and on and on as Art slices, maims and uses salt and bleach in ways that I definitely don’t think the manufacturers had in mind. I might’ve managed to pick my jaw up off the floor by now, but this was definitely a horror movie kill that will be burned into my brain forever!
Runners Up: Slumber Party Massacre 2021, Bodies Bodies Bodies, Smile, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2022, Pearl, Violent Night.
Spooky for Most Disappointing Horror Movie of the Year Goes to…Halloween Ends
You wanna kill with the big boys?
I don’t think this is going to be a surprise to anyone, but Halloween Ends took what could’ve been a great rebirth for an iconic horror franchise and drove it straight into a wall made of vibranium. Honestly, I would’ve been more impressed if they actually followed through with their set-up of creating a new villain to don the mask, at least that would’ve left an impression. Instead fans were left feeling like they showed up to a blind date expecting Henry Cavill only to meet Liam Hemsworth instead and yes, I’m not looking forward to the next season of The Witcher either.
Runners Up: Crimes of the Future, Prey for the Devil
Spooky for Worst Horror Movie of the Year Goes to…Jeepers Creepers: Reborn
One man’s trash and all that jazz but while some fans may have found this movie enjoyable, I couldn’t find one redeeming thing about this so-called revival/reboot of Jeepers Creepers.
Terrible effects, a totally forgettable cast of characters and that awful AWFUL recreation of the Creeper is just some of the issues found in this lacklustre movie. I take that back because lacklustre is too fancy a word for this unimaginative flick. “Stink-bomb.” Stink-bomb is the best way to describe this. And the worst part of it all is that The Creeper is (make that was) a genuinely intriguing and engaging horror villain that we probably won’t get to see anytime soon considering what a colossal failure this reboot was.
Runners Up: Slayers, The Cellar, Dashcam, Mr. Harrigan’s Phone, The Invitation, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Grimcutty, The Requim, Nanny, Firestarter, The Legend of La Llorona, Warhunt, They/Them.
Spooky for Best Horror Movie of the Year Goes to…Black Phone
It might not have been the most thought provoking or complicated genre outing this year but what it did it did absurdly well. Turning the short story by Joe Hill into a genuinely suspenseful film with effective jump scares, great pacing and starring young actors who outshine most of the adult actors on screen, The Black Phone gets my highest praise for also being the type of horror movie that I’ll enjoy rewatching for years to come.
Runners Up: X, Prey, Barbarian, Pearl, Werewolf by Night, Incantation, Watcher, Terrifier 2, Bodies Bodies Bodies, Nope, Smile, Scream, Scare Package 2, Violent Night, Orphan: First Kill, The Witch 2: The Other One, Studio 666, Day Shift.
So that’s my list? Agree? Disagree? Wanna share your own 2022 Spooky Awards? Feel free to hit us up in the comments. And you can check out full reviews for our last three winners below:
Sommerleigh of the House Pollonais. First of Her Name. Sushi Lover, Queen of Horror Movies, Comic Books and Binge Watching Netflix. Mother of two beautiful black cats named Vader and Kylo. I think eating Popcorn at the movies should be mandatory, PS4 makes the best games ever, and I’ll be talking about movies until the zombie apocalypse comes.
Double Tap Baby!
She Will is a horror movie from last year I really enjoyed, very spooky. I guess it’s 2001 but it was released in the U.S. in 2022. I was disappointed by Black Phone.
Thanks for the heads up. We’ll see if we can check it out