2022 still has plenty of major horror movies on the way, from Jordan Peele’s Scream 2022, a successful slasher that revived its franchise and proved January wasn’t always a dumping ground for movies with little audience appeal.
Since then, Ti West’s X proved a surprisingly big hit in theatres, the satirical horror-comedy Fresh excelled on VOD, and the likes of Studio 666 and Choose Or Die proved that there was still room for fun, silly horror in the era of streaming services. ittedly, Hellraiser on the way, the future looks bright for the dark side of 2022 cinema.
The arrival of Hellraiser will try to erase Rick & Morty’s spoof from the minds of horror fans around the same time.
Crimes of the Future – June 10, 2022
David Cronenberg’s first foray into body horror in twenty years is a major cinematic event both for hardened horror heads and casual fans of the genre. To celebrate, the legendary horror helmer has assembled an incredible cast for Crimes of the Future, including Viggo Mortensen, Kristen Stewart, and Lea Seydoux. Mortensen will play a performance artist displaying his body’s gruesome, revolutionary modifications in the near future while a mysterious group attempt to uncover the truth behind this aberrant evolution.
The Black Phone — June 24, 2022
Directed by Scott Derrickson, The Black Phone is an adaptation of Joe Hill’s short story of the same name. Where Hill’s most recent adaptation, NOS4A2, had to cut much of the sprawling novel’s subplots and lore, this movie is likely to face the opposite issue. Like many chilling tales found in Hill's debut collection 20th Century Ghosts, The Black Phone's source story is a spartan exercise in suspense as a small boy attempts to escape the underground lair of a serial killer with nothing but the titular object to help him. According to early reviews, The Black Phone manages to make this disarmingly simple conceit terrifying, but only time will tell how successful the movie is.
Nope — July 22, 2022
Jordan Peele’s much-hyped return to horror, Nope, is one of 2022’s most mysterious releases. Nope's enigmatic trailer appears to depict a group of modern-day cowboys attempting to evade alien invaders, but the teaser doesn't give away much in of the movie's actual plot. Still, Us gave away almost nothing in its marketing and proved similarly successful for Peele. As such, there is no reason to think this mysterious approach will be bad news for the heavily anticipated Nope.
Hypochondriac — July 29, 2022
After the big-budget, large-scale horror of Nope, there’s no better way to remind viewers that horror begins at home than with a Hereditary/Relic-esque family horror. Hypochondriac sees its protagonist, a seemingly content young potter, jeopardize his happy life, his relationship with his boyfriend, and his sanity when the return of his estranged mother causes past demons to resurface. A moving exploration of generational trauma is also an artsy, horror-fuelled nightmare, reminding viewers that The Haunting of Hill House's Mike Flanagan isn’t the only director who can find horror in the comfortable environs of happy families. Whether Hypochondriac will find as big an audience as that streaming success remains to be seen, although an impressive cast including Paget Brewster bodes well.
Salem’s Lot — September 9, 2022
Stephen King’s small-town vampire novel Midnight Mass’s success proved a Salem’s Lot remake could work since audiences are still invested in vampire horror paired with character drama, so the movie may yet prove another huge hit for King.
Halloween Ends — October 14, 2022
Speaking of classic horror franchises derailed by recent entries, Halloween Ends will attempt to wrap up the new Halloween Kills. While that flawed follow-up was largely derided as un-scary, thinly plotted, and overlong, 2018’s Halloween reboot was a critical and commercial success that proved the legendary slasher series still had some life left in it. Whether Michael and Laurie’s last stand will be a return to form or another disappointing outing will be decided in October 2022.
Evil Dead Rise — Late 2022
Sam Raimi’s legendary Evil Dead franchise will return to screens for the first time in years when Evil Dead Rise is related by HBOMax in 2022. Directed by acclaimed Irish helmer Lee Cronin, Evil Dead Rise is set to follow the story of Beth who must save her sister Ellie and Ellie’s three children when Deadites are unleashed in the basement of their high-rise apartment building. Notably absent from that description is franchise hero Bruce Campbell’s Ash, who barely appeared in 2013’s remake but whose surprise presence could ensure that Evil Dead Rise avoids becoming another tonally flawed misfire like Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2022.
Hellraiser — Late 2022
The exact release date of Hellraiser’s long-anticipated revival is not yet known, but the movie’s director and cast have been announced. Acclaimed horror helmer David Bruckner is the helmer tasked with making Pinhead scary again, while Doug Bradley is out in the role that made him famous. He will be replaced by Jamie Clayton, who will co-star alongside Odessa A'zion and Brandon Flynn. Set to be released on Hulu, Hellraiser will terrify viewers for the first time in years sometime in late 2022.
The Rest of 2022’s Big Horror Releases
While the titles listed above are most of 2022’s biggest remaining horrors, there are still plenty of smaller releases coming from the genre in the next few months. June sees the arrival of Spanish sci-fi horror The enger while September marks the return of Resurrection.
Netflix’s animated horror-comedy Wendell & Wild, the much-delayed cult sequel The Devil's Light will all also arrive on VOD in late 2022. Between them, the trio of very different genre offerings nicely round out the year’s horror output with a classic paranormal scare-fest, an extremely gory hard-R slasher, and a kid-friendly cartoon horror. While they won’t be as huge as Nope and Evil Dead Rise in horror circles, these VOD horror movies will still prove that the genre has plenty to offer fans as 2022 comes to a close.
