The long wait is ended, horror aficionados! The year 2022 is approaching, and it will bring with it a long list of horror films that you have been anxiously anticipating for a long time. The horror films set to be released in 2022 have already begun to attract and thrill horror enthusiasts now that the film release calendar has begun to normalize.
Films like the new “Scream” and the last installment of the “Halloween” trilogy, as well as many more distinct films in the iconic series and original material from outstanding directors like Jordan Peele, Robert Eggers, and others, are going to be published.
Everyone is excited about the sequels, adaptations, and spine-chilling tales to hit theatres next year, so there’s a lot of buzz about the facts and features of these flicks. Let’s take a look at some of the best forthcoming horror films in 2022 that will terrify you. Are you ready for a blast of adrenaline?
The Crooked Man
Who can forget the Crooked Man from “Conjuring 2,” who is linked to a zoetrope toy owned by the Hodgson family and played by Javier Botet? Now we have “The Crooked Man,” an upcoming American supernatural horror film that will be a spin-off of Conjuring 2 and the ninth episode in the Conjuring universe. The script is written by Mike Van Waes and directed by Peter Safran and James Wan.
Safran has indicated that audiences favored the role of Nun above the Crooked Man for a spin-off out of both characters in Conjuring 2. As a result, creating the Crooked Man was not a top priority for them. But, finally, things changed, and now “The Crooked Man” is knocking on our door, ready to be launched next year.
From the glimpses of the scenes released in the film’s teaser, we can see a teacher asking a group of children whether they know the song that kills them if they sing it. Suddenly the light goes out, and the kids shout at the top of her voice. Then we can see the crooked man appearing before a terrorized young girl, Olivia Shaw.
The girl is then accused of murdering her friend as she keeps on repeating that it was the Crooked Man who had actually murdered. We see a mutilated dead body and a group of women being tormented by some cruel, unearthly force, which is none other than the Crooked Man. The lives of all the girls who were present on that cursed night were being taken away one by one.
The film’s primary objective, according to Wan, was to create a dark fairy tale, and it is set to enter theatres in 2022, but the specific release date has yet to be determined.
The Black Phone
“The Black Phone,” directed by Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill, is the next supernatural horror film on the list. Due to his conflicts with Marvel Studios, Derrickson stepped out of “Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” Consequently, he joined the project “The Black Phone” with Cargill. The filming began in February 2021. The film was premiered at Fantastic Fest on September 25, 2021, and is scheduled to be released in February 2022.
The story takes place in the 1970s, when five children go missing in a Colorado suburb. Finney Shaw, the serial killer’s latest victim, has been kidnapped and is being held captive in a soundproof basement. Shaw comes upon an abandoned phone on which the killer’s prior victims’ voices may be heard.
They are all trying to help Finney escape from the clutches of the killer. Meanwhile, his sister seemed to have recurring visions that might lead the way to find her sibling. The film had received quite positive reviews for being a close adaptation of the source story. The antagonist, Ethan Hawke’s performance, was also highly appreciated. The other stars of the film are Mason Thames as Finney Shaw and Madeleine McGraw as Gwen Shaw.
The villain ‘Grabber’ is shown as a painted face and mask on the film’s poster, with the motto “Never speak to Strangers.” It was rather horrifying to see the poster, and it will be fascinating to see whether the film lives up to the hype it has generated.
Unwelcome
The spine-chilling Irish thriller “Unwelcome” from Warner Bros. U.K., directed by Jon Write and written by Mark Stay, is the next anticipated picture to enter the list. The film revives goblin legends from Irish and Scottish tradition. But these goblins are not at all cute and funny as we often find in animated movies but vicious, monstrous creatures that can make peoples life hell.
Maya and Jamie, fed up with the hectic, insensitive city life, relocated to the Irish countryside in search of peace and tranquillity. Unfortunately, life had different plans for them. Soon they found that they were unwelcome in their new neighborhood and the wood at the foot of their garden was the home to monstrous goblins who made their life miserable.
The neighbors warned them that the goblins appear when they are asked for help, but the help comes at a terrible price. In an advanced stage of pregnancy, Maya had to take extreme measures to protect her unborn child. The film stars Hannah John-Kamen as Maya and Douglas Booth as Jamie.
The MPAA has given the picture a R rating owing to its graphic violence and gore, as well as its harsh language, drug use, and sexual material. In March 2022, the film will be released in theatres. People are getting set to greet the film ‘Unwelcome.’ The countdown has begun.
Firestarter
The mainstream horror genre has always been dominated by Stephen King’s writings. One of the most anticipated Stephen King films is “Firestarter,” based on the novel by the same name, which was initially released in 1980 and is one of horror lovers’ favorite stories. The novel was first adapted in 1984 by director Mark L.
Lester with Drew Barrymore, David Keith, and George C. Scott in the lead roles. In 2002 a sequel was created as a miniseries titled Firestarter: Rekindled. This movie will be the third film based on the same novel.
To far, Blumhouse Productions has only released one film, “Mercy,” in 2007, based on Stephen King’s short tale “Gramma.” This would be Blumhouse Productions’ second Stephen King adaptation. Keith Thomas will helm the film, which will be scripted by Scott Teems. Zach Efron, who stars for the first time in a horror movie, is playing the main male lead role. The plot follows Andy Mcgee, who develops psychic powers after being experimented on by a secret government entity called the Shop.
After Andy met the love of his life, he settled down and became the proud parent of a daughter who also gained the power of setting things on fire with her mind. The Shop was desperate to get them back. Apart from the Shop, the central antagonist, John Rainbird, an independent contractor was hired by the Shop to hunt down McGee. But he was a psychopath who had other plans for the young girl with special powers.
Ryan Gosling, Zac Efron, and Ryan Gosling are among the other main characters. Charlie McGee is played by Kiera Armstrong, John Rainbird is played by Michael Greyeyes, and Victoria McGee is played by Sydney Lemmon.
Jeepers Creepers Reborn
Jeepers Creepers Reborn, written by Sean Michael Argo and directed by TimoVuuorensola, is the fourth film in the Jeepers Creepers film series and a reboot. This is meant to be the first of a new trilogy series, however Victor Salva, who directed the previous trilogy of Jeepers Creepers, isn’t involved. The first trilogy featured the Creeper, a devilish creature, and a mysterious serial killer featured by Jonathan Breck. In the new film, the role of Creeper is featured by Gabriel Freilich.
The story follows the Horror Hound Festival, which is taking place in Louisiana for the first time. The festival has attracted hundreds of freaks and horror aficionados from all over the world. Chase, who has come with his girlfriend Laine, who was compelled to attend the event, is one such die-hard horror lover.
But as the event progresses, Laine begins to get intuitions and terribly disturbing premonitions about the town’s past. The local legendary myth, the Creeper, keeps haunting her visions, and soon, Laine believes that some supernatural being has been summoned surrounding her.
Laine is played by Sydney Craven, while Chase is played by Imran Adams. Fans are ecstatic to return to the world of Creepers with a more terrifying version from the new filmmaker. Some of the filmings was done in Louisiana, while the remaining shooting was completed in the U.K. A new truck has been used in this film, discarding the truck used in the first two films.
Prey: Predator Prequel
The next installment in the Predator franchise, “Prey,” will premiere on Hulu in the United States in the summer of 2022. Although there have been rumors about the film for some time, the first look and title were revealed as part of the Disney Plus Promotional Event. With an indigenous woman protagonist, the film is produced by Jhane Myers with John Fox and John Davis, while it is directed by Dan Trachtenberg, known for his work on “10 Cloverfield Lane”.
The Predator franchise has a long history, with the first film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger being released in 1987. Following then, there have been a number of sequels and crossovers, the most recent of which was “The Predator” in 2018. The series highlights a highly advanced extraterrestrial race known as the Predator who requires the best prey of the galaxy, and this time their choice is the human beings.
The film’s official logline states that the timeline of the film is set 300 years ago, where it follows the skilled warrior Naru, who is ready to protect her tribe from the wrath of the highly evolved alien Predators. This film is supposed to be the prequel of the entire series, elaborating on the arrival of the ‘Predator’ on the planet.
Amber Midthunder plays Naru, Dakota Beavers plays Dakota, and Dane DiLiegro plays Dane. Following the initial film, ‘Predator 2’ was released in 1990, followed by ‘Predators’ in 2010 and ‘The Predator’ in 2018. There have also been ‘Alien Vs. Predator’ movies, seeing a classic confrontation between the Predators and the Alien monsters of Ridley Scott’s “Alien.” The last Predator movie had been a significant disappointment in the box-office, so there are many expectations from the upcoming prequel of the series.
Hellraiser
The famous Hellraiser is getting a fresh revamp and reimagining of the Hellraiser Universe’s principal adversary. For the first time, Jamie Clayton will feature Pinhead, the leader of an interdimensional organization of sadomasochists who are oblivious to pain and pleasure. The actress has also confirmed the news on Twitter by saying, “Demons to some, Angels to others,” while she also holds the iconic puzzle box, which on solving summons the Pinhead and the other Cenobites to Earth.
The first Hellraiser was largely inspired by Clive Barker’s tale “The Hellbound Heart,” which was also written by Berker. The basic tale is around a gang of demonic Cenobites who take delight in torture, despite minor changes between the story and the film..
“Jamie perfectly fulfils the part of the Hell Priest they are hoping to produce a very remarkable new chapter in the Hellraiser history,” director David Bruckner said of the next film. It’ll be fascinating to see if Jamie manages to achieve the same level of fame as Douglas Bradley, who played the one and only Pinhead throughout the franchise.
The new version of Hellraiser is to be written and produced by David S. Goyer, the production of which had started in 2019. The horror fans are pretty thrilled and excited to welcome the reimagined version of the Hellraiser and are eager to see how it performs when placed under the scrutiny, in comparison with the original film. The movie is ready to be released on Hulu in 2022.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
In the forthcoming horror flick “Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” Leatherface returns. The ninth movie of the franchise aspires to be a straight sequel to the original 1974 film “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” disregarding all previous films in the franchise. The movie is written by Fede Alvarez and RodoSayagues, while it is directed by David Blue Garcia.
Melody is the main character, and she relocated to the little Texas town of Harlow with her presumed crippled sister and their friends Charlie and Ruth. Her primary motivation for relocating to Harlow was to start a new business endeavour. However, her hope of a fresh life is quickly turned into a nightmare when they interrupt the serial killer’s old family home.
Alvarez stated, “it’s basically the same character who is still alive- he’s been hiding for a long, long time, trying to be a good person.” These people arrive in the town are going to awaken the grant.”
The story also brings back Sally Hardesty, the sole survivor of the 1973 massacre who is desperate to seek revenge on the deranged killer whose legacy still haunts the local people. The cast of the film includes Sarah Yarkin as Melody, Elsie Fisher as Lila, and Mark Burham as Leatherface.
After the release of Leatherface in 2017, Lionsgate planned to make five additional films in the series, however they lost the rights to the property, which were subsequently purchased by Legendary Pictures. Initially, Ryan and Andy Tohill were signed as directors, but owing to creative disagreements, they were replaced by Garcia. The filming of the upcoming slasher took place in Bulgaria and is scheduled to be released on Netflix in February 2022.
Evil Dead Rises
The next film on the list is “Evil Dead Rises,” the fifth installment in the Evil Dead franchise. Lee Cronin wrote and directed the picture, which was produced by Robert G. Tapert. The story revolves around two sisters who reunite after a lengthy separation. Their happiness was short-lived, however, as they discovered a weird book that unleashed a demonic invasion.
The sisters have to jointly battle the demonic invasion, which becomes very complicated as Ellie’s older sister is raising her three kids in a small L.A. apartment. We know that the “Evil Dead” series revolves around the Necronomicon En- Mortis, an ancient Sumerian text.
The text is supposed to resurrect demons that wreak havoc unless no one is left alive. “Evil Dead Rises” focuses mainly on Beth, who faces the deadly version of motherhood that no one could imagine. Alyssa Sutherland stars as Ellie and Lilly Sullivan as Beth.
Sam Raimi, the creator of the original Evil Dead trilogy, began talks in July 2019 about filming a new Evil Dead picture, and he was particularly interested to work with Bruce Campbell, who had played Ash in the previous films, but Campbell stated that he had retired and would not resume the role of Ash.
In October 2019, Raimi announced that Bruce Campbell would be executive producer of the film and would not feature in the movie. Somewhere in June 2020, Campbell stated that Raimi had chosen Lee Cronin to write and direct the reboot “Evil dead rises.” The film is scheduled to release in 2022 on HBO max.
Scream
How can the Ghostface stay so far behind if Leatherface may return? The Scream film franchise is returning to theatres. The slasher series, written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Wes Craven, premiered in 1996, with principal actors Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and David Arquette, as well as the masked murderer Ghostface, who had been terrorising audiences for over 25 years.
After the popularity of the first film, “Scream 2” was released in 1997, followed by “Scream 3” in 2000, and finally “Scream 4” in 2011. Following the release of the 2011 film, Craven and Williamson were hired to work on many sequels, however, Craven died in 2015. The Spyglass Medin organization acquired the franchise’s rights in 2019 and opted to create a reboot rather than a sequel.
The 2022 film Scream will be the first in the series to be directed by someone other than Wes Craven. However, William is still the executive producer. The upcoming film will have two directors, Matt BettinelliOlpin and Tyler Grillet. Also, returning to the film is the trio of survivors from the previous film who feature along with the new characters.
So, David Arquette comes back as Dewey Riley, Courtney Cox returns as Clogged journalist Gale Weathers and Neve Campbell will once again be seen as Sidney Prescott. Sharing the screen with them would be Melissa Barrera, Jack Quaid, Mason Gooding, and a host of otherartists.
As a result, the “whodunit” mystery continues, with enthusiasts scouring the internet for clues to the killer’s identity and relationship to the past and present. The film is expected to hit theatres in January 2022.
Halloween Ends
“Halloween” is one of the most well-known horror series, with a large number of sequels. It all started in 1978 with the release of John Carpenter’s flick “Halloween.” “Halloween” chronicles the story of Michael Myers, who murdered his older sister Judith without explanation on Halloween night in 1963.
He was merely six years old at that time. He was sent to Smith’s Grove Sanitarium, but he never spoke again. Dr. Sam Loomis, who treated him, stated that Michael Myers was the incarnation of evil.
Michael escaped and returned to Haddonfield, his hometown, after 15 years. There, he began supplying Laurie, as played by Jamie Lee Curtis and her pals, while Lori emerged as Michael’s solitary survivor.
There have been several reasons for Michael’s murdering spree, but the one that makes him otherworldly is the most suitable. “Halloween Ends” will complete the trilogy that started with the 2018 movie that was supposed to be the direct sequel to Carpenter’s original film. The film sees the return of Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode along with Kyle Richards, who reprises her role as Lindsey Wallace.
In the case of Michael Myers, James Jude Courtney and Nick Castle are playing dual roles. David Gordon Green, who also co-wrote the script with Danny McBride, is once again the director. Though the writers have claimed that Halloween ends will close this trilogy, horror fans know death slasher movies will never die and will always make a comeback.
Terrifier 2
When most of the key masked legendary villains have returned, we get to the end of the list with Art, the clown from Terrifier 2. The film is a direct sequel to “Terrifier,” which was released in 2016. Damien Leone wrote and directed this forthcoming slasher flick, which stars David Howard Thornton as Art the clown and Samantha Scaffidi as Victoria Heyes.
The official teaser for the film shows Art in much deadlier attire. The sole survivor Victoria Hayes is mutilated, and upon confrontation with police, Art commits suicide. After being resurrected by a sinister entity, Art again returns to Miles County, where he is seen busy, hunting down a teenage girl and her younger brother on a Halloween night.
As Art’s murder spree continues, the siblings fight hard to survive while they desperately try to uncover the truth behind Art’s evil motives. According to Thornton, some additional shooting was required as the film is supposed to be more than two hours long.
Leone has been able to grab extra budget through crowdfunding as he claims that there’ll be some iconic practical effects that will rule the horror world for quite some time. Terrifier 2 was one of the many films impacted by the pandemic as the shooting came to a standstill from mid-2020. The main character Sienna Shaw is featured by Lauren LaVera, while the role of her brother, Jonathan Shaw, is featured by Elliot Fullam.
Leon desires to release the film in roadshow style. Let us see whether that really happens in 2022.
Let us all wish you a joyful, calm, and productive year in 2022, with all the fear confined to impending horror films. Let us all hope that the COVID-19 epidemic will no longer be a source of terror in our lives, and that we will be able to see these films in cinemas without dread.