TOP 10 BEST HORROR FILMS OF 2022

 1.) X 

Ti West’s Grindhouse swinging satire epic, X, makes a roaring commentary about the parallels between sex and youth obsession, power obsession, and the self righteousness morality/arrogance of religion. With perfect 70’s film rendering, and expert, clever horror directing, X marks this as Ti West’s 8th film, and is sure to finally solidify West, as one of the most important mainstream auteurs of the 21st century.

Ti West absolutely needs to direct the Friday the 13th Requel.

2.) Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)

Fun, gory, topical and fast paced. Texas Chainsaw Massacre is finally a worth entry since the second one, in the long line of chainsaw films, by trimming all the fat and keeping it lean with great acting, plausible plotting, a straight forward script sprinkled with modernism, and a revamped Leatherface delivering some of the hardest gore scenes ever seen in a horror movie, in a very long time.

3.) Fall

While ridiculous, Fall is a truly terrifying experience with a grim twist that elevates the plot to unpredictable heights, and proves lead Grace Caroline Currey is an actor to look out for.

4.) Bodies Bodies Bodies

A perfect realization that a reactionary, self obsessed, sometimes unforgiving and detail oriented generation, would make for an absolutely comedic and fresh take on the slasher genre.

5.) Halloween Ends

Halloween Ends is a punk rock, future cult classic that allows David Gordon Green to bare his filmmaking soul and have fun while doing it. While at the same time breathing fresh air into a quick to tire slasher franchise, and paying possible praise to Friday the 13th part 5.

6.) Gone in the Night

Though slightly cheap in execution and plotting, Gone In The Night is not only a great/perfect Winona Ryder performance, but it’s an exact and near perfect Get Out-esque iteration, of the Millennial crisis.

7.) Scream (2022)

 

The most Tarantino-esque, Post Dexter, Trump era, Covid era, Scream film, that bravely gives two fucks and has some of the most deliciously creative kill scenes the franchise has ever had. Scream 5 is a paranoid RIDE.

8.) Terrifier 2

Terrifier 2 is a marvel in practical special effects, and is the most vicious yet heart felt horror movie of 2022. While cementing Art The Clown as one of the greats, to any nay-sayers.

9.) Resurrection

Resurrection uncomfortably but smartly, explores grooming and it’s affects on it’s victim in regards to how the victim lives their life, how they treat others in return, how it disrupts their moral compass and how PTSD actually works. Andrew Semans presents a realistic psychological thriller, by showing that relationship abuse is a long lasting nightmare, that one may never wake up from without help.

10.) Barbarian 

Barbarian is a fresh and hardcore horror film, that breathes new life into hot politic topics, such as; Gender roles, white privilege and gentrification.

TOP 10 BEST FILMS OF 2022

1) Bones and All

The most romantic, sentimental and scariest movie of the year. Bones and All is Luca’s best work, weaving his signature depictions of developing young love and photographic, grainy nostalgia, with raw, brutal, matter of fact violence and cannibalism gore. A perfectly blended film, that’s not afraid to be cinematically emotional while hardcore, and all this being possible, when acted out by a stellar and committed cast, along side a gentle folk score. Bones and All is powerful work, and my favorite of the year.

2) Magic Spot

A perfect mix of comedy, anti-comedy and all around charm. Magic Spot is like a warm blanket that not only keeps you laughing, but makes a clever commentary on small town life and the typical trajectory of Hollywood films in the Rom Com genre, while stopping to remind us that the absurd is what’s truly important. Magic Spot is easily the best comedy of 2022.

3) X

Ti West’s Grindhouse swinging satire epic, X, makes a roaring commentary about the parallels between sex and youth obsession, power obsession, and the self righteousness morality/arrogance of religion. With perfect 70’s film rendering, and expert, clever horror directing, X marks this as Ti West’s 8th film, and is sure to finally solidify West, as one of the most important mainstream auteurs of the 21st century.

Ti West absolutely needs to direct the Friday the 13th Requel.

4) True Things

Ruth Wilson gives the most vulnerable of performances along side the king of “fuck boys”, Tom Burke in True Things: A near perfect character study of someone with attachment behaviour, low self esteem and depression. True Things captures dating in your late thirties, and the desperation of living alone, while trying to recapture youth inside the confines of societal pressure.

5) Scream (2022)

The most Tarantino-esque, Post Dexter, Trump era, Covid era, Scream film, that bravely gives two fucks and has some of the most deliciously creative kill scenes the franchise has ever had. Scream 5 is a paranoid RIDE.

6) Pearl 

Ti West takes his trademark hypnotizing long shots to prestige heights with Pearl. What could be a good psychological slasher, Pearl is elevated to a great rare horror character study, of the likes of the Psycho franchise, by a truly Oscar worthy lead performance by Mia Goth, who gives her absolute all in this prequel to X.

7) Vortex

When you mix Gaspar Noe with the elderly, you get the absolute definition of bleak, in such epic portions, that one may forget to anticipate and or comprehend, because the reality it displays about modern life is way too damaging to the human spirit.

8) Funny Pages

Owen Kline’s Funny Pages is coming-of-age turned on its ass, and a defamation of counter culture. With help from the Safdie brothers, Owen Kline creates a timeless yet grainy world, of poverty, and a world of aggressiveness brought on by mental illness. Only through the naivety of an outsider teenager, can art mask the creep behind the art. Funny Pages is a striking and daring debut, that flies by the sit of its pants, jumping from realistic to extremely violent outcomes to display a grimly hilarious, tried and true message about the artist life.

9) TAR

Tar is Todd Field’s most expansive, genre bending and thought provoking film yet, and therefore his best. Most of all, Cate Blanchett summons all her powers to deliver the her most infuriating character yet, with a performance about a person who puts on a performance. Tar is a lesson in lack of self awareness, and the obsession with tyrannical behaviour through pretentiousness and praise, which leads to the abuse of subordinates in the lavish orchestrated music scene. Todd Field remains, as the go-to orchestrator of the crescendoing results, of one’s consequences in modern life.

10) Terrifier 2

Terrifier 2 is a marvel in practical special effects, and is the most vicious yet heart felt horror movie of 2022. While cementing Art The Clown as one of the greats, to any nay-sayers.

Sundance 2022 - Emily The Criminal (2022) - Mumblecrime

When restaurant worker Emily, starts to get her hours cut due to being late for work, she takes advice from a co-worker to take up an odd job, unaware that odd job is a criminal job. Intrigued by the money she can make Emily accepts the job and all goes well. However, when Emily takes up another criminal task and escapes by the skin of her teeth, Emily confronts her employer about the nearly failed job, but in doing so, Emily learns about building a criminal empire, and falls in love.

 

 

A commentary on the wealth gap, wage gap, non-paid internships, worker's rights, immigrant survival, student debt and capitalism’s responsibility to crime. Emily the Criminal is a Safdie brothers-esque crime drama about real people, and the lengths they will go just to survival in a cold, capitalistic society in front of an LA back drop. As Emily gets further into the crime world, it mirrors the office politics of climbing a corporate ladder to further a career, such as asserting confidence and force towards someone to complete a project or to recurved back a bag of drugs. Partly inspired by The Wire, the film explores immense fiscal status of any kind being acceptable, as long as it presents wealthy within rich circles and furthermore how love changes our focus and influences us make decisions for someone we love, and that could ultimately take us of course, career wise.

 

Aubrey Plaza does great work as a frustration Millennial trying to pay the game of the straight and narrow with realization that capitalism doesn’t have many options when playing within the law.

 

Emily The Criminal is an immigrant story at it’s core, and it’s resolution ironically, gently reinforces the notion of success being created through focus of smarts to get ahead in a money obsessed society with tricks of the trade. 8/10.

 

 

• Maurice Jones