2022 has been a big year for horror. With the return of major franchises Scream and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre as well as compelling new entries such as X and Master. Yet, it seems the best may still be right around the corner.

With two major Stephen King remakes on the way, myriad prequels and sequels in the mix, and heavily-anticipated new releases from directors like Jordan Peele coming down the line, this year marks a golden age for horror films in which there is truly something for everyone. Here are some that are still on the way.

Firestarter

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Image via Universal Pictures

The classic Stephen King adaptation Firestarter, which starred a young Drew Barrymore, has been given the remake treatment. Blumhouse Productions and Universal Studios have teamed up to bring the story of a young girl with supernatural powers to the big screen and on-demand (via Peacock) in May. Ryan Kiera Armstrong will star as Charlie, the young girl who can set things alight with the power of her mind, while Zac Efron will play her father Andy.

RELATED: The Most Anticipated Upcoming Stephen King Adaptations

Our hero Andy must protect his daughter with unusual powers after she is hunted by a government agency that intends to capture and control her. The film looks to be in good hands with legendary horror director and composer John Carpenter pairing with his son Cody Carpenter to provide the score. The duo recently worked on scores for Halloween (2018) and Halloween Kills (2021) as well as providing a cameo in the recent Foo Fighters movie Studio 666.

Nope

Nope Movie

The third horror feature directed by Academy Award winner Jordan Peele, Nope, is shrouded in secrecy. Despite the cryptic yet epic-looking trailer featuring flying horses and foreboding scenes of isolation, all we really know so far is the plot follows residents of an isolated town who witness a strange event.

The film is scheduled to be released on July 22 and starts previous Peele collaborator, the brilliant Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out, Judas and The Black Messiah) along with Keke Palmer and Steven Yeung. Nope looks like Peele is going all out with a bigger budget and an ambitious premise (the film will be shown at IMAX) helped along by an epic marketing campaign. With Peele's track record in feature-length horror, this has to be the most anticipated horror feature of 2022.

The Black Phone

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The Black Phone is a supernatural horror film directed by Scott Derrickson (Doctor Strange, The Exorcism Of Emily Rose) and produced by Jason Blum. Set to drop in June, the film is an adaptation of the 2004 short story by Joe Hill and stars Mason Thames as an abducted child who can communicate with the past victims of his abductor as portrayed by the always brilliant Ethan Hawke.

In January 2020 Scott Derrickson, set to direct Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, announced his departure from the project due to creative differences with Marvel Studios. Hawke is known for being picky about roles he takes on and with Derrickson at the helm as writer and director, it looks like The Black Phone will provide some genuine scares.

Evil Dead Rise

Jane Levy holding a chainsaw while it's raining blood in Evil Dead
Image via Sony

Horror fans are always clamoring for more Evil Dead content. The new film will serve as the fifth installment in the franchise, following the original trilogy and the 2013 remake. Rise follows two sisters trying to save their family from demonic creatures and is set in a high-rise building in Los Angeles. The film will be released through HBO Max at some point in 2022.

RELATED: Evil Dead Rise uses 6,500 litres of blood on set

Traditionally the Evil Dead universe is a "cabin in the woods" style setting, so transporting the evil to one of the biggest cities in the world seems like an ambitious and entertaining premise. With up-and-coming Irish director Lee Cronin at the helm and the original team of Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell acting as executive producers, Evil Dead Rise is one to look out for.

Halloween Ends

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Image via Universal

The final film in the Halloween trilogy directed by David Gordon Green arrives in October. A conclusion to the series that includes Halloween (2018) and Halloween Kills (2021), the ending of the latest story arc is an increasingly hot topic. It has been revealed that Jamie Lee Curtis has wrapped on the franchise for the final time.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a bigger event in the horror calendar than a new Michael Myers film. This year fans will be looking for redemption with Halloween Ends. Not only is the film the conclusion to the modern trilogy but acts as a direct sequel to what is considered by many to be an underwhelming middle chapter with Halloween Kills. There is hope that the series will live up to its potential and go out with a bang this October.

Salem's Lot

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Image via CBS

Long celebrated in pop culture the popular Stephen King novel about a town where the residents are becoming vampires, Salem's Lot will have its first major theatrical imagining through New Line Cinema this September. Gary Dauberman is directing, know for writing It: Chapter Two and the Annabelle series while James Wan (Insidious, The Conjuring) is producing.

With a big studio behind the film and some heavyweight horror names involved, it's likely this will be the definitive screen adaptation of Salem's Lot. The novel is reported to be King's favorite, so it will be interesting to see what direction the script takes. Recently Mike Flanagan paid homage to Salem's Lot with the excellent Midnight Mass, so fans of small-town vampire tales are fully prepared as we get ready to head back to Salem.

Pearl

Pearl watches Maxine Sleeping in "X"
Image Via A24

While shooting the recent retro-slasher X in New Zealand, it seems Ti West found time to shoot a prequel, Pearl. This film was shot in secret, only revealed in a teaser trailer shown at the end of X at some screenings. It is believed the film will focus on Pearl, the older woman in X, exploring her backstory and violent tendencies.

Pearl is a tantalizing treat for fans of X and the work of West. Expectations are that it will be a very different film that will stand alone while fleshing out the universe further. West has also stated he intends to make a sequel to X that will lean more towards the slasher genre. It is an exciting time to be a horror fan with a Ti West trilogy on the cards.

Next: What is 'Pearl'? The Prequel to Ti West's 'X' Explained