Dread Central’s Most Anticipated Horror Movies of 2022
Happy New Year, everyone! We made it through another year. While 2021 wasn’t easy, to put it lightly, it was an incredible year for horror. But, 2022 is looking even better (barring any COVID delays which are unfortunately inevitable). Jordan Peele, Robert Eggers, and Ari Aster are all releasing their films on to the world. Scream is back. Evil Dead is back. Hellraiser is back. Halloween is coming to an end. It’s shaping up to be a big year for the genre and we here at Dread Central simply cannot wait.
Here’s the list of the horror films we’re most excited for in 2022!
Scream (2022)
dir. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett
Release date: January 14
The gang is back together along with some fresh new faces in the first Scream movie not helmed by the legend Wes Craven himself. Twenty-five years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, a new killer has donned the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town’s deadly past. Neve Campbell (“Sidney Prescott”), Courteney Cox (“Gale Weathers”) and David Arquette (“Dewey Riley”) return to their iconic roles in Scream alongside Melissa Barrera, Kyle Gallner, Mason Gooding, Mikey Madison, Dylan Minnette, Jenna Ortega, Jack Quaid, Marley Shelton, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and Sonia Ammar.
Orphan: First Kill
Dir. William Brent Bell
Release date: January 28
The 2009 film Orphan is a camp classic. No, I will not hear otherwise. Isabelle Fuhrman reprises her role as Esther, this time in a prequel that chronicles her life before the first film. She escapes from an Estonian psychiatric facility. She then impersonates the missing daughter of a wealthy family, but becomes pitted against a determined mother.
A Banquet
Dir. Ruth Paxton
Release date: February 18
Paxton’s first feature film debuted in 2020 at Toronto International Film Festival and we’re so excited it’s finally getting a wide release. In the horror film, a widowed mother is radically tested when her teenage daughter insists a supernatural experience has left her body in service to a higher power. Paxton described it as “a slow-burning psychological horror, which, at its core, is about a family dealing with grief.”
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Dir. David Blue Garcia
Release date: February 18
Another horror franchise reboot! This one follows Melody, her teenage sister Lila, and their friends Dante and Ruth head to the remote town of Harlow, Texas, for business. However, things turn into a nightmare when they accidentally disrupt the home of Leatherface, the deranged serial killer.
Studio 666
Dir. BJ McDonnell
Release date: February 25
The Foo Fighters made a horror comedy. Yup, you read that right. The official synopsis is as follows: “The legendary rock band Foo Fighters move into an Encino mansion steeped in grisly rock and roll history to record their much anticipated 10th album. Once in the house, Dave Grohl finds himself grappling with supernatural forces that threaten both the completion of the album and the lives of the band.”
Unwelcome
Dir. Jon Wright
Release date: March 17
A couple escapes their urban nightmare to the tranquility of rural Ireland, only to hear stories of mysterious creatures who live in the gnarled, ancient woods at the foot of their garden. As warned by their new neighbors, the creatures come when called to help souls in dire need of rescue, but it’s crucial to remember that there’s always a dear price to pay for their aid.
The Northman
Dir. Robert Eggers
Release date: April 8
Eggers stays in the past with his third feature film, this time tackling Norse mythology. The Northman is an epic revenge thriller, that explores how far a Viking prince will go to seek justice for his murdered father. Said prince is played by Alexander Skarsgard. The supporting cast is an absolute powerhouse. It includes Anya Taylor-Joy, Bjork, Nicole Kidman, Ethan Hawke and Willem Dafoe.
Nope
Dir. Jordan Peele
Release date: July 22
We don’t know much about Peele’s third foray into horror. What we do know is that it stars Keke Palmer, Daniel Kaluuya and Steven Yeun. We also have a cryptic poster featuring storm clouds, cop cars, and a string of flags coming from said cloud. We can’t wait to see what Peele has in store for us.
‘Salem’s Lot
Dir. Gary Dauberman
Release date: September 9
More vampires massacring a small New England town? Sign us up! This time, ‘Salem’s Lot is directed by Dauberman, who wrote It: Chapter Two and the Annabelle series. James Wan (Insidious, The Conjuring) is also producing alongside Mark Wolper and Roy Lee. Lewis Pullman takes the lead in the latest adaptation of King’s iconic novel. Other cast members include William Sadler, Makenzie Leigh, Bill Camp, Spencer Treat Clark and Pilou Asbæk.
Dark Harvest
Dir. David Slade
Release date: September 23
A legendary monster called October Boy terrorizes residents in a small Midwestern town when he rises from the cornfields every Halloween with his butcher knife and makes his way toward those who are brave enough to confront him. Sounds incredible, right??
Don’t Worry Darling
Dir. Olivia Wilde
Release date: September 23
Olivia Wilde and Harry Styles are teaming up for a horror film! And we know our boy Harry can act, so it’s exciting to see him venture into the genre. The synopsis is as follows: “A 1950s housewife living with her husband in a utopian experimental community begins to worry that his glamorous company may be hiding disturbing secrets.”
Halloween Ends
Dir. David Gordon Green
Release date: October 14
The saga of Michael Myers and Laurie Strode comes to a close in Halloween Ends. Most plot details have been kept under wraps but we do know it jumps ahead two years into the future after the Haddonfield massacre in Halloween Kills. We’re stoked to see Laurie and Michael’s final showdown.
Disappointment Blvd
Dir. Ari Aster
Release date: TBA
Hereditary and Midsommar had us asking if Aster was OK. And he definitely isn’t, that’s why we love him. His latest foray into genre films is a horror-comedy coming from indie darling A24. Disappointment Blvd. is an intimate, decades-spanning portrait of one of the most successful entrepreneurs of all time. Joaquin Phoenix is cast as the film’s lead. The rest of the cast is just as impressive, with Meryl Streep, Parker Posey, Nathan Lane, and Patti LuPone set to appear alongside Phoenix.
Evil Dead Rise
Dir. Lee Cronin
Release date: TBA
More Evil Dead, this time helmed by Lee Cronin, responsible for The Hole In The Ground. Now, he’s teaming up with Sam Raimi to deliver a new story in the horrific Evil Dead universe. This time the film follows two estranged sisters. Their reunion is cut short by the rise of flesh-possessing demons, thrusting them into a primal battle for survival as they face the most nightmarish version of family imaginable.
Hellraiser
dir. David Bruckner
Release date: TBA, exclusively on Hulu
Bruckner has such sights to show us and we cannot wait. Especially because Jamie Clayton is taking up the helm as the infamous Pinhead. Odessa A’zion has also been announced as part of the cast. She’s set to play Riley. Plot details are sparse, but this Hellraiser is meant to serve as a reboot of the franchise rather than a continuation of previous entries. It’s said to follow more closely to the source material, Clive Barker’s The Hellbound Heart.
The Munsters
Dir. Rob Zombie
Release date: TBA
Get excited, Rob Zombie’s adaptation of the beloved series The Munsters comes out this year! We’ve been heavily reporting on this one, and we can’t wait to finally see it! Sheri Moon Zombie is set to play Lily, with Jeff Daniel Phillips as Herman and Dan Roebuck as Grandpa.
Insidious 5
Dir. Patrick Wilson
Release date: TBA
Patrick Wilson, an Insidious veteran, is making his directorial debut with the fifth installment of the franchise. This entry goes back to the Lambert family, 10 years after the events of the first two films. And of course Lin Shaye is back. Duh.
Prey
Dir. Dan Trachtenberg
Release date: TBA
The fifth installment of the Predator franchise is almost here. This time, a skilled warrior from the Comanche Nation protects her tribe from a highly-evolved Predator. Details are scarce right now, but we do know it’s coming directly to Hulu.
Terrifier 2
Dir. Damien Leone
Release date: TBA
Art the Clown is baaaaack. This time on a much larger scale. After being resurrected by a sinister entity, Art the Clown returns to Miles County where he must hunt down and destroy a teenage girl and her younger brother on Halloween night. Terrifier 2 is written and directed by Leone; the film stars Felissa Rose, David Howard Thornton, Casey Hartnett, and Lauren LaVera.
We Have a Ghost
Dir. Christopher Landon
Release date: TBA
After bringing the world Happy Death Day and Freaky, Christopher Landon is back with We Have A Ghost. Based on Geoff Manaugh’s short story Ernest, the film follows Kevin and his family, who find a ghost named Ernest haunting their new home. So they turn him into overnight social media sensations. But when Kevin and Ernest start to investigate the mystery of Ernest’s past, they become a target of the CIA. Sounds wild, right? The all-star cast includes Anthony Mackie, David Harbour, Jennifer Coolidge, and Tig Notaro.
We’re All Going To The World’s Fair
Dir. Jane Schoenbraun
Release date: TBA
Schoenbraun’s incredible feature film debut made the festival circuit last year and won over our hearts here at Dread Central. Their filmmaking style is so self-assured and poignant, capturing the digital ennui of our digital age.
The film follows Casey, who sits alone in her attic bedroom, scrolling the internet under the glow-in-the-dark stars and black-light posters that blanket the ceiling. She has finally decided to take the World’s Fair Challenge, an online role-playing horror game, and embrace the uncertainty it promises. After the initiation, she documents the changes that may or may not be happening to her, adding her experiences to the shuffle of online clips available for the world to see. As she begins to lose herself between dream and reality, a mysterious figure reaches out, claiming to see something special in her uploads. HBO Max has exclusive streaming rights to this one, so it’ll be readily accessible to all once it hits the platform.
Wendell and Wild
Dir. Henry Selick
Release date: TBA
We get more than just Nope from Jordan Peele this year. He also co-wrote the upcoming stop-motion film, Wendell and Wild. He and Keagan Michael Key wrote the script and will voice the titular characters. Wendell and Wild are two scheming demon brothers. They must face their arch-nemesis, the demon-dusting nun Sister Helly, and her two acolytes, the goth teens Kat and Raoul.
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