Real life is horrific enough these days, so do we still need to watch more horror? To that, we say, “Hell yeah.” Fictional horror reflects real-life cultural fears and helps us process them in relative safety. So, yes, we’re still going to devour all the horror and thriller movies and shows slated for 2022.
Here are some movies and shows on our radar that you’ll want to add to your watchlist.
“Men”
We’ve been joking that “Men” has to be the scariest title—and director Alex Garland explores precisely the reasons behind that fear in this movie. It follows a widow (Jessie Buckley) who retreats into an English village after the death of her abusive husband (Rory Kinnear). However, she starts seeing him in every man (all played by Kinnear) she encounters.
We can’t wait for dudes who say “not all men” to watch this, too. It premieres in the US on May 20.
“Crimes of the Future”
David Cronenberg is serving more body horror in “Crimes of the Future.” Here, Viggo Mortensen stars as celebrity performance artist Saul Tenser, who publicly showcases the metamorphosis of his organs with the help of his assistant played by Léa Seydoux. Kristen Stewart plays an investigator who finds out that a mysterious group is trying to use Tenser’s notoriety to shed light on the next phase of human evolution.
To give you an idea of the movie’s premise, there’s a clip in the trailer where Stewart says, “Surgery is the new sex.” It makes its freaky debut at the Cannes Film Festival in France on May 25.
“First Kill”
What happens if you combine “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” with “Killing Eve”? You get something like Netflix’s “First Kill.” In this vampire-meets-vampire slayer star-crossed romance, Calliope (Imani Lewis) is on a mission to kill her first vampire to gain monster slayer status when she conveniently meets her new vampire classmate Juliette (Sarah Catherine Hook).
It’s a sapphic romance based on a V.E. Schwab short story with Black actors as badass monster slayers. If we get Confederate vampire backstories like we got in “Twilight” or “The Vampire Diaries,” maybe the show will address how wrong it is this time. We’ll find out on June 10.
“The Witch Part 2: The Other One”
South Korean action-horror flick “The Witch Part 2: The Other One” is the sequel to “The Witch: Part 1 – The Subversion” which starred “Our Beloved Summer” stars Choi Woo-shik and Kim Da-mi. Just like the first movie, we see a mysterious young girl escape from a lab (think Eleven in “Stranger Things”) and get chased down by armed men. Kim will reprise her role in a special appearance but Shin Si-ah has big shoes to fill as this installment’s lead.
While Choi didn’t join the cast this time, a long-haired Lee Jong-suk seems equally nefarious and handsome in the trailer. The supernatural showdown begins on June 15.
“Bodies Bodies Bodies”
Reminiscent of “Scream” and “Scream Queens,” “Bodies Bodies Bodies” is a satirical comedy slasher for this generation of teens. It follows a bunch of “toxic” rich kids play a party game that turns into an IRL murder mystery.
We love whodunits as much as the next person, but the real selling points of the film are Lee Pace and “Shiva Baby’s” Rachel Sennott. The Gen Z buzzword-rich dialogue seems kinda cringe in a “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” reboot way, but Sennott is so funny and hot that it works. Its US release is set for Aug. 5.
“They/Them”
“They/Them” (pronounced as they slash them) takes place at a conversion therapy camp where LGBTQIA+ teenagers are subjected to psychological torture. Then, a killer emerges. Will this end up being as iconic as “Sleepaway Camp” and be successful in its mission to examine queer identity while avoiding misrepresentation? We’ll have to wait and see.
The first images of the movie had us asking “Is this for real?” because of the characters’ stereotypical nonbinary outfits. Director John Logan is no stranger to queer horror, though, so we’re willing to give it a chance when it drops on Peacock on Aug. 5.
“Don’t Worry Darling”
If you loved “The Stepford Wives” and “The Truman Show,” you’re probably going to dig Olivia Wilde’s “Don’t Worry Darling.” We watch a housewife (Florence Pugh) get increasingly suspicious of her perfect 1950s neighborhood and her husband’s (Harry Styles) secret job that she’s not supposed to ask about. The more she tries to uncover the truth, the more her world comes apart.
Also joining this sexy and stylish thriller’s roster are Chris Pine, Gemma Chan, and Kiki Layne. It will be released in the US on Sept. 23.
“Hocus Pocus 2”
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The Sanderson Sisters are about to return in “Hocus Pocus 2,” the sequel to the cult classic starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy. Our fave witches will once again terrorize modern-day Salem.
We have yet to learn more about the plot but attendees of the Disney Upfront presentation were able to watch a sneak peek on May 18. According to EW, the company showed a clip which included the witches’ cover of Elton John’s “The Bitch Is Back.” It premieres on Disney+ on Sept. 30.
Art by Pammy Orlina
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