MONSTERZERO NJ’S 10 BEST/FAVORITE HORROR FLICKS of 2022!

Hardest working actress in horror Jenna Ortega makes a horrifying discovery in Ti West’s X.

It’s time to look back at the past year and see what horror flicks left an impression. There were some strong titles, but to be honest, I wasn’t overly impressed by this year in horror. 2022’s bests/favorites are…like most years’, a healthy mix of high-profile chillers and indie productions. So, without further ado, here are my ten best/favorite horror movies of 2022!…

…along with a no surprise honorable mention streaming series!…

(To get to our reviews of these titles use the search engine at the top of the page!)

TOP TEN

HONORABLE MENTIONS TV SERIES

Technically more sci-fi than horror, but Amber Midthunder did make a strong final girl in the Predator prequel Prey.

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-MonsterZero NJ

MONSTERZERO NJ’S 15 REASONS WOMEN OF COLOR ARE GOING TO ROCK YOUR HALLOWEEN!

Native American actress Amber Midthunder made quite an impression as Comanche warrior Naru in Prey!

Horror films have always been a step ahead with having diversity in their casts and women of color have played important roles for decades! To celebrate their contribution to our favorite genre, here are 15 reasons women of color are going to rock your Halloween🎃!

VONETTA MCGEE in BLACULA!

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PAM GRIER in SCREAM BLACULA SCREAM, GHOSTS of MARS and BONES!

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KELLY JO MINTER in A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 5: THE DREAM CHILD, THE PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS and POPCORN

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EIHI SHIINA in AUDITION

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LUCIANA FAULHABER in THE NIGHT CREW and DON’T LOOK!

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CHASTY BALLESTEROS in THE NIGHT CREW and GIRLHOUSE!

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LUPITA NYONG’O in US and LITTLE MONSTERS!

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TARA BASRO in SATAN’S SLAVES and IMPETIGORE!

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CHELSEA ISLAN in MAY THE DEVIL TAKE YOU and MAY THE DEVIL TAKE YOU TOO!

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KIANA MADEIRA in THE FEAR STREET TRILOGY!

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ROSA SALAZAR in BRAND NEW CHERRY FLAVOR!

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CRISTINA RODLO in NO ONE GETS OUT ALIVE!

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JENNA ORTEGA in SCREAM and X!

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AMBER MIDTHUNDER in 14 CAMERAS and PREY!

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TSAI HSUAN-YEN in INCANTAION!

Versatile and talented Latina actress Jenna Ortega in Ti West’s’s chilling X!

These talented ladies aren’t the only ones and women of color are now also getting a chance to add their voices behind the cameras, with writer/directors like Nia DaCosta (Candyman) and Gigi Saul Guerrero (Mexico Barbaro) making a name for themselves and opening doors. All the more reason that women of color are going to rock your Halloween🎃!

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-MonsterZero NJ

BARE BONES: INCANTATION (2022)

INCANTATION (2022)

Incantation is a Taiwanese found footage horror that has former paranormal investigator Li Ronan (Tsai Hsuan-yen) fighting to save her six-year-old daughter Dodo (Huang Sing-ting) from a malevolent entity. During a past investigation, a pregnant Li and her companions (Sean Lin and Wen Ching-Yuan) violated sacred ground and provoked a curse. Now the sinister specter has come for Dodo. Flick is supposedly inspired by actual events.

Directed by Kevin Ko from his script with Chang Che-wei, this is a delightfully bonkers horror in all the right ways. Sure, it’s a bit too long at 111 minutes, but unlike most found footage flicks, this movie gets started with the spooky stuff right away and maintains an atmosphere of dread throughout. There are some very unsettling and disturbing moments, and some very over-the-top and gory moments too. The film knows when to be subtle and spooky, and when to go off the rails and really hit us with some craziness…and it does. Some of it provides unintentional chuckles, when it’s trying to scare, but that is still as entertaining as when the flick is giving us goosebumps. Kevin Ko gives the film a nice creepy atmosphere and uses his locations very well, while utilizing the past investigation footage to show us how Li got into her current supernatural conundrum. Tsai Hsuan-yen makes a solid heroine as the overwhelmed Li Ronan, and little Huang Sing-ting makes for a sweet and sympathetic kid as the malevolent entity’s helpless target, Dodo. Flick is currently streaming on Netflix and definitely worth checking out, even if not being quite as scary as its online reputation would have us believe.

-MonsterZero NJ