Top 10 horror movies of 2022: 'Barbarian', 'The Black Phone', 'Nope', and others

"Fear is a wonderful thing, in small doses." So said one of the world's finest writers of popular fiction Neil Gaiman. And indeed, fear is fun and enjoyable — so long as, that is, you know you are going to be safe. This is why we love horror movies. They provide vicarious thrills of being in the position of the protagonist, of being stalked/beset/haunted by a ghost, demon, vampire, or zombie. The winter is here. This is the time to curl up on your sofa or bed and enjoy scary movies with your loved ones (or alone, if that's your thing).

2022 has been a superlative year for horror. From both big studios and indie filmmakers, we got a number of really good scary flicks, and some great variety too. Here is a list of the best of the best. There is something here for everyone.

Ti West's 'X' may be one of the finest slasher horror films in the last decade. It's really that good. The cast and crew of a porno movie choose a secluded farm owned by an elderly couple as a location. Of course, the old man and woman, isolate for so long, are eccentric. Nothing dangerous here. Except... the woman has a weird fascination with younger of the two actresses, envying her youth and beauty, and missing hers. 'X' provides all the thrillers the classics of the genre — 'Halloween' and 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre', for instance — and it adds a new layer to the story. Don't miss this.
 

A different kind of Spielberg-inspired horror thriller, Jordan Peele's 'Nope' uses the power of spectacle to comment on the very nature of spectacle and its dominance of our pop culture. Don't make the mistake of thinking it is not entertaining. On the contrary, it is one of this year's best films with stunning vistas and truly repelling imagery. Performances are also excellent.
 

Based on the 2004 short story by the great Stephen King's son Joe Hill, the Scott Derrickson-directed 'The Black Phone' follows a child-kidnapper, unimaginatively named 'Grabber' by the kids and the press, in a Denver suburb. Finney and Gwendolyn Blake (Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw) are two close siblings who have a drunken, abusive father and a dead mother. After Finney gets 'grabbed' it is up to Madeleine and the stranger powers of her dreams to save her brother. Finney, meanwhile, is locked in a room with just a retro-style phone without connection. But he realises that he can mysteriously talk to children who were abducted earlier. A well-executed, frightening experience, 'The Black Phone' is a must-watch for classic horror's fans.
 

It is said that the most effective horror is the one we know, and can relate to. We do not meet ghosts and ghouls in real life, but we, if we are unfortunate, can encounter a creepy kid who has all the makings of a psychopath. Eskil Vogt's Norwegian gem 'The Innocents' scares the viewer in a way that will remind them of 'Hereditary'. 
 

A sequel to 2009's brilliant horror-thriller 'Orphan', 'Orphan: First Kill' is prequel done right. The first film had a couple adopting a 9-year-old girl who turns out to have psychopathic tendencies. Later, and this is a SPOILER, it is revealed that she is actually 33 and appears younger because of a condition called hypopituitarism, a rare hormonal disorder. Not only she is posing as a young girl, she is also a murderer, we learnt. In the prequel, we come to know of her origins. And her life story as disturbing as you would imagine. Go into this, while knowing as little as possible.
 

An installment in as well as a prequel to the 'Predator' franchise, 'Prey' pits one of those extra-terrestrial bounty hunters against a Native American tribe. Not only is 'Prey' a riveting action-thriller, but it also gives the long-languishing 'Predator' franchise a shot in the arm. It is a raw, primal return to the franchise's roots and in this scribe's opinion the best film in the series since the 1987 original. 
 

Zach Cregger's 'Barbarian' is a horror film marked by sudden, drastic tonal shifts and concurrent stories that come together in the end. It is a very unique and effecting horror film in that it is not the film you would expect it to be, before the end. A gripping horror film that no fan of the genre should miss.
 

Not exactly a scary horror-thriller, composer Michael Giacchino's 'Werewolf by Night' is a creature feature that pays homage to the classic movies of that genre. Based on the character of the same name, 'Werewolf by Night' has a cult-like group of monster hunters assembling after the death of their leader, Ulysses Bloodstone, to play a deadly game: whosoever kills a monster in a maze-like arena will be the next leader and will wield the Bloodstone, a powerful object that can weaken the said monster of its powers. The bold stylistic choices will probably not work for everyone, as perhaps not all look at Old Hollywood with affection. But most will find a lot of fun in carefully doled-out thrills.
 

Dutch film director Halina Reijn's 'Bodies Bodies Bodies' is one of the most satisfying and funny slasher thrillers you will see this year. The film harkens back to Agatha Christie's celebrated mystery novel 'And Then There Were None' and similarly puts a bunch of people — 21st-century youngsters, in this case — in a single location and cuts them off from the rest of the world. Even as it ratchets up the suspense, 'Bodies Bodies Bodies' retains its humour. It is often inappropriately funny, blackly funny.
 

David Cronenberg presents a unique vision of the future in his latest film 'Crimes of the Future'. Even by his standards, 'Crimes of the Future' is a particularly weird film. There is oodles of gore in the film with disturbing visuals like organs in a cut open belly, scalpel scraping the bone in a foot, heads being drilled into -- and it is all very disturbing -- but there is a thematic depth here in 'Crimes of the Future' that keeps the film engaging even during the most disconcerting sections. It is an often a stunning film. A masterpiece.