As with every year, it’s a good year to be a horror fan; there’s a brand new scary movie to look forward to each month. Reboots, sequels, Stephen King and Joe Hill adaptations, new Ti West, and a new freaking Predator movie loom hauntingly over the horizon. Even Marvel is trying to get in on the action, hyping up Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness up to be the first scary movie of the MCU. Like comic book movies, there’s a reason why studios keep producing horror movies – they’re quite profitable. The ravenous fanbase researches and waits patiently to support and consume these creep shows. Here’s a guide for those horror hounds hunting for the next spooky release.
The Black Phone
After departing Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness, director Scott Derrickson announced a new horror project with the writer of his most celebrated horror movie – Sinister–C: Robert Cargill. Their new movie, The Black Phone, starring Ethan Hawke, is an adaptation of a Joe Hill (Lock & Key) story. Ethan Hawk reteamed with his Sinister writer and director to act as a child abductor. The Black Phone rang up a ruckus at the Fantastic Film Festival in Austin, Texas in 2021, and announced a February 2022 release that had horror fans clamoring for the new year. Unfortunately, the movie was moved back to June 24, 2022, so fans will have to wait a little longer to answer the call of The Black Phone.
The Cursed
Formerly titled Eight for Silver, The Cursed is a werewolf tale that scared up a storm at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. The new movie from Sean Ellis (Cashback) stars Boyd Holbrook (Logan) and Kelly Reilly (Eden Lake) and will be in theaters on February 18. The trailer plays before Scream – currently in theaters – so pick up a ticket to get a tease for this new werewolf feature.
Dark Harvest
David Slade is returning to Wide release horror to adapt the Norman Partridge Novel, Dark Harvest. Slade directed Hard Candy and 30 Days of Night before executive-producing and directing the first episode of Hannibal. Dark Harvest is a story about a small town with an odd ritual; every Halloween, the October Boy rises from the cornfields outside of town. With his pumpkin head and a weapon in hand, he heads to town to slaughter anyone he finds – but the young men hunt him too. The story has all the making of a coming of age story and a cautionary tale. Audiences will have to wait until September 9, 2022, when Dark Harvest is expected to be released to witness the rise of Ol’ Hacksaw face.
The Devil’s Light
Daniel Stamm (The Last Exorcism) is back with a new movie about exorcisms called The Devil’s Light. Lionsgate’s official release concerning the story says that The Devil’s Light will be about the first nun allowed to perform exorcisms, named Sister Ann (Jacqueline Byers). The movie also stars Virginia Madsen (Candyman) and is expected on February 5, 2022.
Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness
After the departure of Scott Derrickson, Marvel hired Sam Raimi to take over directing what has been teased as the scariest movie in the MCU, Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness. Raimi famously created the Evil Dead series of films – excluding the reboot that he produced—followed by his turn directing the Spider-Man trilogy of the early 2000s. He’s got the horror chops, he’s got the action chops, now he’s got Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The first trailer debuted after Spider-Man: No Way Home was released in December 2021. Comicbook fans and horror movie fans only have to wait until May 6, 2022, if Marvel’s movie slate keeps on track.
Don’t Worry Darling
After her hilarious directorial debut with Booksmart, Olivia Wilde is back in the director’s chair with a new movie titled Don’t Worry Darling. Starring a who’s who of awesome and funny people including Gemma Chan, Florence Pugh, Chris Pine, Nick Kroll, Timothy Simmons, Kate Berlant, and Wilde herself, the horror drama about a utopian community disturbed by the shocking secrets is shaping up to be one of the best casts and most intriguing horror/thrillers of the year. Don’t Worry Darling is slated for a September 23 release.
Evil Dead Rise
The first new Evil Dead movie since 2013, Evil Dead Rise sees Sam Raimi back as a co-writer alongside the director of the film, Lee Cronin. The official plot release describes a family reunion interrupted by deadites, and two sisters who must, presumably slay, their way to closure. Raimi is producing along with former series lead Bruce Campbell. There’s no set release date and no trailer available yet but keep checking back at collider for more information on Evil Dead Rise.
Halloween Ends
David Gordon Green’s Halloween trilogy comes to a close this year with Halloween Ends. Halloween Ends aims to wrap up the four-film story arc concerning Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Michael Myers that started back in 1978. It’s being written by two of the men that tackled the previous two installments—Green and Danny McBride (Eastbound and Down)—along with Chris Bernier and Paul Brad Logan (Manglehorn). Halloween Ends is expected to be released on October 14.
Hellraiser
Bruckner is back, and he’s come with an intriguing little box. Director David Bruckner (The Night House) is bringing Pinhead back in a reboot of Clive Barker’s classic. It’s being written by Luke Piotrowski and Ben Collins (Super Dark Times), with a story credit slung David S. Goyer’s way. Jamie Claton joins the shortlist of people to dawn the Pinhead makeup and pins. No release date is scheduled yet, but with the film in post-production, it can’t be far off. The film is unrelated to the new Hellraiser series being developed at HBO with David Gordon Green and Danny McBride attached as producers.
Nope
Jordan Peele’s new horror movie Nope is still scheduled for a July 22 release with no trailer or official story details released yet. His sophisticated, jarring, and often-hilarious social commentary made Get Out and Us two of the most intriguing and talked about horror movies of the last few years, and audiences are eagerly waiting on his next project. Nope stars Keke Palmer (Hustlers), Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out), Steven Yun (The Walking Dead), and Barbie Ferreira (Euphoria) among several others.
Prey
The Predator franchise is set to release a prequel-sequel later this year titled Prey. The film depicts a Native American tribe belonging to the Comanche Nation harassed by an alien hunter. Naru (Amber Midthunder), the tribe’s fiercest female warrior, takes up arms to protect her people against the alien assailant. Directed by Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane) and written by Patrick Aison, Prey features lots of young talent as it attempts to reinvigorate the franchise that has only seen three other sequels in nearly 35 years – five if you count the Alien Vs Predator series.
Salem’s Lot
Longtime Annabelle and The Conjuring-verse scribe Gary Dauberman is stepping outside of the franchise to direct an adaptation of Salem’s Lot, by Stephen King. Salem’s Lot follows Ben Mears (Lewis Pullman) after he returns to his hometown to write a story and confront his demons. Ryerson finds himself confronting an evil force converting the townspeople into undead vampires instead. It stars Spencer Treat Clark (Unbreakable), William Sadler (The Shawshank Redemption), Alfre Woodard (Annabelle), and Pilou Asbaek (Game of Thrones) alongside Pullman, and it is scheduled to be released on September 9.
Scream 5
Scream 5 is the “requel” it needed to be to precisely mock movie trends in the most modern way. The meta–sequel stays as tongue n’ cheek as the original while elevating the intensity of the violence. It’s a grand whodunit with a laundry list of suspects that packs as much humor and blood into the film as it can. Directors Matt Bettinelli–Olpin and Tyler Gillet (Ready or Not) continue to craft intense and captivating horror movies with bigger and bigger names on the cast list. Fans of the Scream franchise, slashers, and horror movies as a whole should snag a ticket to check out the newest addition to the series. The Cursed trailer beforehand is just a bonus.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Following in the footsteps of 2018’s Halloween, 2022’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre bulldozes over all the remakes and sequels to craft a true followup to the madness witnessed in Tobe Hooper’s iconic slasher film. Directed by David Blue Garcia (Tejano) with Fede Alvarez (Evil Dead) producing, Texas Chainsaw Massacre should prove a striking, intense realization of the source material. It takes place in the modern-day, 47 years after the original, and follows sister Ruth (Nell Hudson) and Lila (Elsie Fisher) out on business in the country when they come face to chain with Leatherface. Texas Chainsaw Massacre is set to release on Netflix on February 18.
Wendell and Wild
Wendell and Wild is the new animated movie by Henry Selick (Coraline). Written by Henry Selick, Jordan Peele, and Clay McLeod Chapman, and starring Jordan Peele alongside his long-time comedy partner Keegan Michael Key, Wendell and Wild seems like a spooky film for all ages. The story about a pair of demons facing down a nun and her two goth kid disciples sounds funny, but paired with Selick’s creepy art style and animation, this may be a movie horror fans should keep their eye on. Wendell and Wild is expected later this year.
You Won’t be Alone
You Won’t Be Alone seems kind of like what would happen in The Witch if instead of obliterating the kidnapped child, the witch opted to raise it as her own. The very A24 trailer shows a drama peppered with frightening imagery. Director Goran Stolevski’s feature debut stars Noomi Rapace (Prometheus), Alice Englert (Beautiful Creatures), Anamaria Marinca (Fury), and Sara Klimoska, and is scheduled to be released on April 1.
X
The internet has heard a low buzz through the last few years of horror lovers aching for a new Ti West horror show. Without any pomp or circumstance, A24 and Ti West dropped a trailer for his new movie, simply titled X. With a cover that seems like an homage to a preceding movie with the same title, X is about a group of young pornographers secretly shooting a dirty movie during their stay in the guest house of a remote residence occupied by an elderly couple. Things get creepy after the sun goes down, and the cast and crew find themselves struggling to survive their stay. You can catch X in theaters on March 18.