Movies
Underrated Horror Gems of 2022 You May Have Missed
2022 has been, by and large, one of the most incredible years in horror movie history. We’ve seen instant classics rise one after another, and the slate for 2023 doesn’t show any signs of slowing. You’ll be seeing best-of-the-year lists with the most obvious suspects at the top: Nope, Prey, Pearl & X, Hellraiser, and many more films that I just don’t have enough space to list here. And those movies deserve all the praise they get! But I’m a champion of the underdog, and I can’t just sit by and let great films go by without showing them to as many people as I can. So, I’ve made a list of the most unsung heroes of horror in 2022, both creators and their creations, for you to check out in 2023. Because even though the year is over and Christmas has passed, its gifts of horror are far from gone!
Our Favorite Underrated Horror Gems of 2022
HONORABLE MENTION: THE LONG WALK
This is going to be the shortest of my mentions on this list, not for any fault of the film; it’s a heartbreaking and masterfully crafted venture, but my rewatch of the film has not radically changed my opinion of it. It’s still pretty dope, and you should still check it out!
If you need any more convincing, I have a more detailed (and positively glowing) review of The Long Walk already up on this site, and I think you should give it a shot if you’re at all a fan of horror drama or sci-fi horror. You will not be disappointed.
ALL OF GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S CABINET OF CURIOSITIES, BUT ESPECIALLY THE VIEWING
And speaking of sci-fi horror, let’s talk about The Viewing…
Once I’m done ranting about how Cabinet of Curiosities did not get the flowers it deserved!
I was fully expecting Horror Twitter to prostrate itself before Guillermo Del Toro and all the artists he platformed for making such an excellent collection of short films, and instead I saw a mere sprinkling of tweets. A tiddlywink of tweets. For shame. All the shorts in this series are great in their own right, there’s not a single bad one among them, and I encourage you to check them all.
But the one I feel got the least credit was Panos Cosmatos’ The Viewing (written by Mandy collaborator Aaron Stewart-Ahn). The creature design in The Viewing is only matched by Hellraiser (2022)’s special effects wise, which tracks given that The Viewing feels exactly like something that Barker would have written. In it, a hedonistic hermit assembles a group of like-minded eccentric individuals to witness something incredible, wanting to reignite their hearts and minds. The viewing, like many sights man was not meant to see, goes terribly wrong, and Cosmatos makes it look earth-shakingly fantastic.
The Viewing is a slow-paced, coke-induced dream of an even dreamier late-70s aesthetic that is embodied in its upper-echelon set design and production. It brings together a colorful cast of the most unexpected character actors (Eric Andre, Sofia Boutella, and Peter Wellers together? Seriously?) all under the same roof, executing the intricate construct of a true-blue horror visionary.
NOCEBO
Nocebo released in early November, and despite the time that’s gone by, the internet hype wave never really carried this excellent film to the shores of cultural consciousness as it should have. This supernatural horror was a rare international collaboration of the Film Development Council of the Philippines and Screen Ireland, and like Detention which I spotlighted last year, is inspired by true horrific events; namely, the 2015 Kentex slipper factory fire that ravaged the Philipines.
Irish director Lorcan Finnegan and writer Garret Shanley, who headed the trippy sci-fi horror Vivarium, weave the tragic tale of Christine (Eva Green), a flourishing fashion designer who, after being attacked by a wild dog, begins suffering from a mysterious ailment and becomes the inadvertent employer of Diana (Chai Fonacier), a picture-perfect nanny with preternatural healing abilities.
It reminds me of both Possession, in following a descent into madness, and Hereditary, in following the slow and grisly dissolution of a family. Cinematography-wise, it’s well-executed but this tale of supernatural revenge and traditional medicine that harms more than it fixes shines when it lets the actors breathe. Green’s performance is wrenching and works perfectly in contrast to Fonacier’s reserved and captivating coldness.
The general atmosphere of the film is one that you can feel yourself walking through, slowly picking up the pieces of a tragedy that makes you feel helpless. The final sequence is shockingly powerful and hard to watch, so brace yourself for this one.
SISSY
When popular influencer Cecilia runs into her best friend and unrequited love Emma all grown up and engaged, the hen’s weekend she’s invited to takes a turn for the worst when confronted by her childhood bully; what begins as a reunion turns into a bloody brilliant rampage as Sissy…sorry, Cecilia, goes out for retribution.
I watched Sissy the same week as Bodies, Bodies, Bodies, A24’s smash hit, and was blown away by how great both were. Both are about parties gone horribly wrong, both are out of the park at being equal parts black comedy and horror, and both have a satirical streak that runs through their entire scripts. There’s a special kind of balance only these two movies achieve where they can have you ratcheted tight with anxiety one minute and cracking up laughing at grotesque absurdities (emotional and physical) the next.
Whereas Bodies opts for a much darker setting literally and figuratively, Sissy’s photography choices are aptly matched with one of the film’s core themes; though everything is cheery and bright on the surface, this is regularly juxtaposed with the sinister and rotten relationships we foster with our self-image and others, as well as some plain old nasty human cruelty.
In an age where toxic positivity is on a meteoric rise, and where the loudest mental health awareness advocates tend to have a beam in their eye the size of their follower count, Sissy is the film that tackles that modern attitude with acerbic wit.
And, no spoilers, but you will not look at kangaroos the same after this one.
SALOUM
But by far, the most underrated horror film of the year for me was Saloum.
Saloum follows a trio of mercenaries known as the Bangui’s Hyenas. Escaping a massacre they didn’t cause with gold that isn’t theirs, sabotage forces the guns-for-hire to hide out in the small coastal town of Saloum, where, the characters face phantoms from the country’s past as well as their own.
This Shudder exclusive release needs to get a reassessment from the public, and part of me wonders if it’s because of its structure. Horror fans are effectively watching a crime thriller for the first 40 minutes with only soft hints of horror dashed in. After that point, all hell breaks loose as the tale becomes a horrific story of survival for the crew, with some very frightening monsters to boot.
On the surface, Saloum is a tale of revenge, and it tells you that upfront. On a deeper level, Saloum is a movie about myth in a uniquely Senegalese tradition. The personal myth, the mythologization of war and its combatants, and the mythos of a country. It sells these ideas with an intensely charismatic cast and some impeccable directing. The movie is a perfect genre fusion, slick and stylish without losing its substance, Saloum was a tour de force that I enjoyed every minute of.
SO…
Did I miss any that you think should be on here? Let me know in the comments and talk to us on Twitter to get your voice out there, you know we love to hear from you!
Here’s to another great year of horror ahead!
Netflix did not give me a lot to work with this month. I may have also zoomed through many of my favorite things on the platform these last few months. So, many of these are titles I have been meaning to check out, and I hope they are worth the wait. However, I cannot promise the carnage, chaos, and confusion I normally provide for this column. This means you’ll have to forgive me for having less razzle dazzle and a little more uncertainty while I list some stuff off the less beaten path. Gather around, and I’ll tell you what I am trying to get into this March!
Archive (2020)
In 20238, George Almore’s newest AI prototype is nearly complete. However, this humanesque machine is also hiding one of George’s secrets that must remain hidden. While I love some British sci-fi and believe we should watch as many of the 2020 movies that slid under our quarantined radar, I’m pulling up for another reason. I want to see Theo James in something that isn’t The Monkey. Literally. I didn’t enjoy that movie, and I seem to be the last person I know who was unfamiliar with James before that. So, I’m trying to rectify that and see what he can do in anything else. Hopefully, after catching this on Netflix, I will have a new movie that comes to mind when he is mentioned. Fingers crossed, friends!
Green Room (2016)
A punk rock band gets trapped in a venue where skinheads want to kill them. So many people have told me this movie is worth my time, but because it’s always too soon for violent racists in this decade, I keep putting it off. However, I am so curious to see what Patrick Stewart, Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat, and the late Anton Yelchin are doing in this movie. Green Room is also one of the few A24 horror movies that I have not seen, which makes it even more intriguing. While I doubt 2026 will calm down enough for this not feel too real, I think it’s time for me to be brave and cross this movie off my list already. So, I might have to grab a drink, a weighted blanket, and remote so I can open Netflix.
M3GAN 2.0 (2025)
Two years after M3GAN’s murder spree, she is rebuilt by her creator to take down a military-grade weapon made from her stolen tech. Is this movie as good as the original written by Akela Cooper? Obviously not. No one can do what Cooper does and we shouldn’t hold people to that very high bar. Is this movie way too damn long? Also, yes. However, was there still a lot of fun to be had along the way? I thought so. While M3GAN 2.0 isn’t the sequel we wanted, I’m happy to rewatch it for free at home. We lose a lot of the threads I loved in the first one, but I’ll be damned if this isn’t the new Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day anyway. In a perfect world, Akela Cooper will reopen the computer (after receiving a very large check from Blumhouse) and give us a third installment to bring our dancing diva back into the horror fold.
Life After Beth (2014)
A man discovers his dead girlfriend is back, and that might be for the worst. I never watched this horror comedy, but I’m sad and hoping Aubrey Plaza can change that. After all, if she can’t wake us up after a long winter, then who can? I also imagine Plaza as a zombie is kind of great. Along for the ride is Molly Shannon, so between the two of them, I expect some chuckles and guffaws. Maybe the powers that be at Netflix knew we could all use a laugh, and that’s why this is waiting for us on the other side of February. Or possibly they wanted to apologize for that last season of Stranger Things. Or maybe it’s just a wacky coincidence, and I’m looking for meaning where there is none. Either way, I have a date with this movie, and you might want to check it out too.
Teen Wolf (2011-2017)
Getting bitten by a werewolf turns life upside down for a high school student and his best friend. Hear me out! I doubt there is a world where I will watch all six seasons of this. Hell, I doubt I’ll even finish the first season. However, I skipped this MTV moment when it originally aired. Which is why I didn’t know who Dylan O’Brien was when Send Help was announced. So, I’m using this Netflix account to see where he started now that I have seen him in something. You can join me in this or mark your time as safe and watch something else. I don’t blame you either way, and I hope you’ll respect my privacy during this adventure.
That’s what I’m doing with my Netflix account this month. Here is hoping April gives us more scary movies because some of us deserve it. Most importantly, I deserve it.
Shudder is still that girl even in March. Our beloved streamer is adding classics like The Fog and Messiah of Evil. They are also adding a couple of films that are precious to my generation, like May. The app always has an eclectic lineup, but this month is an embarrassment of riches. At least if you are like me, and looking at a list of movies you have had on your watch list forever. That is why it took me a hot minute to figure out which five titles should be this month’s priority. However, I cracked the code and think I have something old, something new, and definitely at least a couple of things that will turn blue. Check out what I am trying to see on Shudder this month. Also, be sure to let me know if you are as geeked about these titles as I am.
The Best Movies to Stream on Shudder This Month
The Last Horror Film (1982)
A New York taxi driver stalks an actress during the Cannes Film Festival. I love 80s slashers and have been on a quest to watch them all. This one has eluded me for a couple of years, and I am so happy Shudder is finally letting me cross it off my list. I am not expecting this to break my top 1980s slashers. I’m not even counting on it to be one of the best movies about a stalked actress of that era. However, I’m excited to finally see it for myself with an adult beverage in hand.
You can watch The Last Horror Film on March 1st.
Fade to Black (1980)
A film fanatic begins murdering people who betray him while stalking his idol. I finally caught this on Shudder in the last couple of years and will be using its return as an excuse to rewatch it. Very few movies cater to the slasher kids and film nerds as well as this one. Fade to Black is the kind of psychological horror comedy that is the reason 1980s horror remains unmatched. The costumes, the obsession, and the kills are the most fun you can possibly have on a Shudder Saturday. Do yourself a favor and hit play immediately.
You can watch Fade to Black on March 9th.
Hostile Dimensions (2023)
Two filmmakers travel through alternate dimensions seeking out the truth about a missing graffiti artist. This found footage film has been on my list for years, and I am so grateful that Shudder is finally letting me see it. I have heard so many great things, and the FOMO was killing me. Hopefully, Hostile Dimensions lives up to the hype. Otherwise, I have to ask my nearest and dearest to explain themselves and then stop accepting recommendations from them. Will it scratch the found footage itch I have this month? There is only one way to find out, and that is why I will be sat the day this drops on the app.
You can watch Hostile Dimensions on March 9th.
1000 Women in Horror (2025)
Women have been an integral part of the genre since Mary Shelley started thinking about Frankenstein. However, we do not always get the credit and respect we deserve. Which is why I am thrilled 1000 Women in Horror is celebrating the badasses who revolutionized horror films. Not only is the documentary opening the libraries for us, but it’s also bringing current faves along for the ride. Akela Cooper, Toby Poser, and Jenn Wexler are just some of the names I know who are about to inspire so many women to get serious about making their movies. I cannot stress enough how happy I am that Shudder is adding this to its lineup.
You can watch 1000 Women in Horror on March 20th.
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
College friends backpacking through Britain are attacked by a werewolf. As a werewolf film enthusiast, I know they are not all made equally. That is one of the many reasons why this is easily one of the best werewolf movies the genre has. The transformation alone is worth the price of a Shudder subscription. So, it shouldn’t come as a shock that this is one of the five titles I’m most excited to see this month. Hell, it’s probably in everyone’s top five to be completely honest. I cannot think of a better way to close this month out than with a top-tier werewolf flick.
You can watch An American Werewolf in London on March 31st.
I told you, Shudder is that girl. Whether you’re on spring break, taking a mental health day, or just dissociating, this app has got you covered. Make sure you dig into some of this sick, twisted, and cool cinema. As for me, I will see you next month with more recommendations.
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