Horror is certainly a genre that is thriving in 2022, with many successful entries to the genre being released right at the start of the year, including the latest installment of the Scream franchise. While there is still a lot we can expect until 2022 is over, some of the titles released in these first months delivered some of the most original ideas in a long time.
Many good horror movies follow a basic structure that the audience knows well, and the latest Scream movie highlights this. However, it takes a lot of creativity to come up with something that was never done before in the genre or transform a popular trope into something completely different. From creepy science fiction elements to dramas that rely heavily on horror, here are some of the most innovative horror movies of the year so far.
The Cursed
Available to Rent on AppleTV+ & Amazon Prime Video
The Cursed is set in the 19th century and brings back with originality the well-known tale of the werewolf, adding some other spooky elements to craft a story that is terrifying and engaging at the same time. The well-built unsettling atmosphere of a small village haunted by an evil presence sets the tone of the movie to a violent and gory payoff.
After the baron’s son goes missing and a boy is found dead in a brutal way, the locals believe a wild animal is lurking in the woods, while the pathologist John McBride suspects there’s something more sinister involved.
X
Available to Rent on AppleTV+
Ti West’s X is a great example of a simple narrative that takes a brand new form in the right hands. In fact, the movie often pays homage to the well-established structure of low-budget slasher productions that was popularized with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
The movie is set in 1979 and follows a group of young filmmakers that travel to a secluded rural farm in Texas to shoot an adult film. However, the owners of the land, an elderly couple, have a few twisted ideas that will take place as the night falls. The movie takes its time to conduct the narrative to a bloody mess, with a perfectly crafted build-up. In the end, it’s undeniable that X has some of the most creative gruesome kills of the year.
The Innocents
Available to Rent on AppleTV+ & Amazon Prime Video
The Innocents is a Norwegian movie that addresses one of the most popular fantasy tropes in a disturbing way; four children become friends and discover strange hidden powers. This is the base of many well-known stories, but here it takes a totally different direction; while exploring their newfound abilities in the nearby woods, their friendship is shaken when their playtime takes a dark turn and their powers seem to be just as dangerous as they are fascinating.
With incredible child performances, The Innocents quickly becomes an anxiety-inducing movie as the dark secret these children are keeping threats to change their lives forever.
The Sadness
Stream on Shudder
The Sadness created a lot of buzz during its festival run last year by leaving the audience in a state of total shock and is now finally out stateside on Shudder. The movie takes the zombie subgenre and drives the violence and depravation to a level never seen before, as a young couple is pushed to their limits while trying to reunite amid the chaos of a pandemic outbreak that turns people into perverted lunatics.
It’s a jaw-dropping movie that will make viewers fear for what they might be seeing next, as each scene that follows goes over the most terrifying acts imaginable, alternating between explicit and subjective violence with groundbreaking uses of practical effects.
Strawberry Mansion
Available to Rent on AppleTV+ & Amazon Prime Video
Strawberry Mansion is a unique sci-fi story with quite a few elements of horror, taking viewers to a not-too-distant future where the government records dreams and taxes them, as the gentle agent James Preble gets caught up in the dreams of an aging artist, only to find a secret that can change everything he has ever known.
With a brightly saturated cinematography, Strawberry Mansion takes the viewer on a hypnotic journey through the depths of the unconscious, never losing faith in its own absurdity.
Hatching
Available to Rent on Amazon Prime Video
Hatching was one of the most anticipated original horror releases of 2022 since its premiere at this year’s Sundance Festival. It’s an uncanny tale about Tinja, a young girl who is desperate to please her demanding mother and one night finds a strange egg. What hatches from it will turn the life of the family upside down.
It’s a straightforward fantasy movie with a good portion of body horror that brings up an important social topic for discussion, as Tinja’s mother tries everything to keep the image of a perfect family. Hatching is a clear metaphor for society but is also charged with gruesome moments.
We’re All Going to the World’s Fair
Available to Rent on AppleTV+ & Amazon Prime Video
We’re All Going to the World’s Fair is that kind of movie that targets a very specific audience; a generation that grew up with creepypastas and cyber challenges that pushed users to the depths of the internet. Viewers follow Casey, a teenager that starts losing her grip on reality as she immerses herself in a role-playing horror game.
It’s a movie that will click with some and hit close to home, while others might have a hard time connecting to its subtle mystery. What is undeniable is the originality of the narrative, conducting the viewers through many layers of the internet with Casey, where reality and fantasy are constantly getting mixed up.
Fresh
Stream on Hulu
Fresh is one of those movies better to go into totally blind because the twists and turns of the story are anything but predictable. The movie addresses the drawbacks of modern dating as Noa starts to go out with a total stranger she met at the grocery store, going for a bold 30 minutes intro. When the movie title finally pops up on the screen, the narrative takes a drastic turn to horror.
With charming dark humor and energetic editing, viewers will have a hard time trying to contain their laughs as the most ghastly things happen onscreen. Fresh is simply a fun horror ride from start to finish.
Hellbender
Stream on Shudder & AMC+
Hellbender is considered one of the best horror movies of the year and shows that are no budget limitations that can hold back creative projects and should be an inspiration to aspirant filmmakers. The movie is produced, directed, and acted by Toby Poser, John Adams, and their daughter, Zelda Adams; the so-called “Adams family.” Together they crafted a story about a secluded teen and her mother living in the woods, bound to uncover a dark connection between their family and witchcraft.
Hellbender is a grim coming-of-age story that knows its limitations but still concedes a magnificent folk horror with lots of hallucinatory visuals and ghastly sequences, getting comfortable in its own mythology.
You Won’t Be Alone
Stream on Peacock
You Won’t Be Alone is the perfect example of a movie that knows how to balance drama and horror well. In the 19th century, a shape-shifter witch accidentally kills a peasant and decides to take their shape to see what it’s like to be human, igniting her curiosity to experience life in the bodies of others.
With beautiful filmmaking, it’s easy to get lost in the hypnotic cinematography of the movie. Even with its contemplative approach, You Won’t Be Alone is not afraid to go deep in its horror elements, often delivering unsettling gory scenes to remind the viewers what kind of creature the movie follows.
