2022 Archives - The Void of Celluloid

It was a fantastic year for horror this previous year. Nearly every month, something notable dropped. Sure, we had some ugly ones (I’m looking at you, Texas Chainsaw Massacre), but we also had some great ones. 2022 is going to be a year that we talk about when we look back on film history, and horror is a standout genre in that discussion. My top three picks will remain in people’s mouths for sure. Due to awards season always looking bleak for this genre, I am taking it into my own hands to give these films the praise they deserve.

Already looking forward to the new year? I also talked about my top five most anticipated horror films for 2023, which you can check out here. If you would rather a starter guide to horror and have no idea what I’m on about, I made a series just for you, which you can check out here. Nevertheless, let’s move on and discuss my top ten picks for this previous year.

10. The Black Phone

The Black Phone' review: Ethan Hawke embodies fears of Stranger Danger generation | Mashable

While I consider this one more of a thriller, The Black Phone stands out this year for the outstanding performances it provided. Not only did Ethan Hawke kill it as the diabolical Grabber, but its two lead protagonists are sure to be rising stars. Sure, this film did have its plot holes, but it is easily corrected by imaginative autofill or reading the source material, which is a quick read. A slow burn in an entertaining way–I was a fan. You can read my review for this film here, but there is definitely enough here to make my top ten.

9. Studio 666

Foo Fighters Made a Horror Film. Because Why Not? - The New York Times

Speaking of endearment behind films, Studio 666 is a beautiful, hilarious ode to the Foo Fighters and what they were and still are. Taylor Hawkins was a tragic loss this year, and it happened so quickly after the release of this celebratory film. However, it is honestly a heartwarming and heartbreaking tribute to the glorious friendships in that band. It’s still a fun watch however, with goofy scenes followed by grisly kills. I definitely don’t recommend it to the merely acquainted fans, but if you’re in on the jokes already with the Foo, then you’re in for a grand ol’ time.

8. Watcher

Watcher was a fantastic watch. This is Chloe Okuno’s debut feature film after co-directing V/H/S ’94, a fun anthology from the previous year. Her and Maika Monroe are a match made in heaven as a shocking, disturbing tale takes form over a fast hour and a half. The paranoia you will feel during this film is exemplary and will have you checking out your windows for suspicious activity–or make you too scared to even do so. This was a terrifying watch when I lived in my downtown apartment.

7. Sissy

I just recently reviewed this film right here on TVOC, so be sure to check it out if you want some more details. Sissy is the unsung hero of 2022. A smaller, indie film that was released as a Shudder exclusive made me laugh and gasp the whole way through. It’s the first horror film that accurately spoofs the influencer generation in the best way without making fun of the concept. It also is an introspective look on trauma and how severe things can get if its triggered. While that might be in a satirical way, there is still some endearment behind it all.

6. The Menu

Alright, this one definitely leans more towards the thriller-comedy, but the concept alone is horrifyingly brilliant that I had to include it on this list. No, this film isn’t about cannibalism like the trailer made it seem like it was, but rather about the horrors of the service industry–something that a lot of us can relate to. There are brilliant performances all around in this movie, the story is exciting, and it is full of twists and turns. This film is available for streaming on HBO Max as of January, so watch it as soon as you can. It is just as good on the rewatch as well. This one isn’t in my top five only because it is barely horror.

5. Bodies, Bodies, Bodies

Bodies Bodies Bodies: The Void's Top Ten

This one looked like it might have been a stinker this year, but it ended up being one of my favorites. Bodies, Bodies, Bodies is a brilliant horror comedy that has one of the best twists I’ve ever seen in a horror movie. While the first twenty minutes of this movie take a while to get going, you’ll be hooked once it kicks off. If you’re skeptical throughout, I beg you to wait for the ending. It clicks everything into place and steps it up from a fun time to a great, hilarious time. This one has stuck with me and made it pretty high on my top ten list.

4. Fresh

Who knew dating could be just as horrifying as cannibalism? This one IS about cannibalism, even though the first twenty minutes play out like a traditional romcom. Sebastian Stan and Daisy Edgar Jones deliver a performance that leaves you on the edge of your seat throughout its runtime. I feel like this one deserves a revisit as it was huge and then disappeared as the year went on. It is gross, but if you can get past it, there is a worthwhile film in there with a final act that makes it all worth it in the end, two times over.

3. Pearl / x (TIE)

This one is a tie, because one would not exist without the other. Ti West has returned in triumphant fashion with his films X and Pearl. This is the quickest trilogy ever to exist once Maxxxine drops this year. Not only is it the quickest, but it’s also dripping with quality. X and Pearl are both effective horror films that tell the most outlandish stories that provide metaphors on aging, inhibitions, sex and more. It is female rage incarnate with Mia Goth playing the starring role, and I am eating it up, not leaving a crumb.

2. Nope

Alright, some may argue this isn’t a horror film. It’s definitely a genre fusion, leaning more towards sci-fi and comedy, but has some standout horrifying moments that makes it jump up on this list for me. The Gordy situation as well as the entire Star Lasso experience are some of the more disturbing things I’ve seen in a film in a while. NOPE is a fantastic film and while Get Out is a masterpiece and one of my favorite horror films of all time, this is my favorite of Jordan Peele’s releases so far. I wrote an entire article on what the Gordy scene is even about, I loved it so much.

1. Barbarian

You had to see this coming. Barbarian is inventive and will go down as a legendary horror film. It’s hard to believe that this is Zach Cregger’s first horror film. He completely knocked it out of the park. This film has its immaculate twists and turns, making it a fun, disturbing and memorable watch. I simply laughed in disbelief the entire time due to how great this movie is. If you haven’t seen it, go watch it as soon as possible and go in completely blind. It’s truly a trip and an experience you won’t forget. I don’t even want to write about it because I don’t want to give it away, but it is possibly in my top ten of the decade.

What’s NExt

Thank you for hearing me out on these top ten films. What are your thoughts on these films? Let me know in the comments and I am happy to discuss. As for what’s next, TVOC is posting daily content on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. There will be buttons below to check out that and you can see my lovely face discussing various topics on the regular. Be sure to follow those if you’re into fun facts, history, and the occasional fan edit dedicated to the art that is horror. There usually isn’t many top ten lists, but there is top fives. New blog posts will be posted Monday, Wednesday and Friday as regularly as possible.

Anyways, thanks for spelunking this void with me. If you’re new to the Void of Celluloid, welcome. Feel free to spelunk some other voids while you’re here and follow me on other platforms by clicking the buttons below. We post regularly and stay up to date about what’s going on in horror today, reflect on what went on yesterday, and plan for a better, horror filled tomorrow. See ya next time.

The horror community will always get a little giddy when there is a new installment in the legendary franchises. It’s inevitable, even if we know that the sequels, reboots and requels won’t satisfy as much as the original. We watch them anyways. That’s how everyone felt with the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre. However, once it was announced that Netflix was the studio and the trailer dropped, the hype died almost immediately.

It was for good reason. I sacrificed one of my Saturday nights watching this film to see if it was as bad as everyone says. The only reason I say that it was terrible is because there were some fun spots in the flicker of the flames of this dumpster fire. Texas Chainsaw Massacre plays as a comedy and spoof sometimes, and it is undercut by the times that the film tries to be serious. The last half of it? It plays like a Halloween (2018) rip off.

The New Group: Might be more annoying than franklin

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre | release date, cast, plot for Netflix film | Radio Times

The film starts out fairly similarly. A group of twenty somethings traveling to the middle-of-nowhere Texas for some kind of sanctuary. This film takes sanctuary a little too far. They’re practically turning a ghost town into a commune. It gives me a little bit of the creepy cult vibe, but honestly, revamping a ghost town into something thriving sounds pretty neat. However, I would not want to be neighbors with any of these pretentious hipsters. I say that as a Portland local, so you have to know I mean that.

They make several stupid decisions and are really not supportive of one another. An example of a stupid decision being not having any papers on you when claiming the town, causing in the death that starts the whole thing off. Another example was sending the main guy’s girlfriend with the ambulance. The ambulance got there within plenty of time, I feel as if they should’ve just hoped for the best and called. Of course, that wouldn’t be the catalyst of events anymore, but the film honestly takes no time to get things rolling. Especially since it is paying homage to the original, which is a bit of a slow burn in the beginning.

The indestructible, traumatized sisters

Never have I ever seen someone get a sledgehammer to the gut from the top of the stairs that drives them through the floor, only to have them crawling for their lives three seconds later. The older sister, Melody is borderline indestructible. She takes so many hits and slashes, but still makes it through to the final act and beyond. I get that horror can go beyond reality, but this was borderline ridiculous. In turn to making Leatherface invincible, maybe making another character seemingly invincible will lead to a lot of fluff to the film. Just maybe.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2022 Cast and Character Guide

On top of that, we have poor Lila. She is severely traumatized by a school shooting, which puts some pretty heavy commentary into the film and never really goes into it afterwards. The film then proceeds to force this traumatized girl to defend herself with multiple guns and hear multiple gunshots, just to add to the horror and terror of it all. I understand final girls have to go through it, but part of it is getting the upper hand creatively. That happens eventually, but after the heavy use of guns, it seems as if her using a gun was the true cure to her trauma. That’s not really a sympathetic approach to survivors of school shootings.

Pro Gun Control or Anti Gun control? Does it really matter?

The Most Shocking Moments in Texas Chainsaw Massacre - Netflix Tudum

To follow up on the Lila’s storyline, the film really makes fun of the younger characters being against having guns. I get we’re in Texas and the writers might consider this detail ironic, but it ultimately didn’t deliver. I think it was supposed to be somewhat of a tongue-in-cheek reference to the current political climate and the gun control debate. However, it doesn’t establish what side it leans on to be actually funny. It just came up as confusing and abrasive to insert it within the story without a smooth transition.

Honestly, I am really for social commentary in horror. There usually always is some kind of metaphor and moral hidden between the brutality. However, I really saw this as an unnecessary situation to bring up. Especially since it turned into something so insensitive to the school shooting victim in the film and a ‘gotcha’ moment when the people were not a fan of guns had to use the guns. Of course, they did; they are up against a seemingly supernaturally invincible murderer with a chainsaw. Distance works in your favor for that situation. With the already poorly written dialogue, this kind of serious topic was never going to be a subtle, witty insert.

Sally Hardesty isn’t laurie strode

The last thing about Texas Chainsaw Massacre was its final act and the writing of Sally Hardesty. After the bus scene, that I dare say was the best part of the film. It’s ridiculously brutal, bloody and violent–which actually made me laugh at the insanity of it. After that bloodbath and wiping out the entirety of the extra people in the town, the final act kicks in, with its weakest part not being the new characters but rather the original final girl. I don’t think the writers realized that Sally Hardesty will never make the same impact as Laurie Strode. Therefore, they shouldn’t have used her character like this without beefing up her character.

Sally is a hardened, traumatized woman who decided to go build an arsenal to showdown Michael Myers once they met again–sorry, I mean Leatherface. It’s literally the same format they went with in 2018’s Halloween. However, despite Sally being a trailblazer for the final girl, she simply doesn’t hold a candle to Laurie. Also, she makes some really stupid decisions that result in way more harm to herself and others than Leatherface. The woman doesn’t even make a dent in him and utters the worst line ever: “Don’t run, or he’ll haunt you forever.” Okay, whatever you say.

I think the icing on the cake was her asking Leatherface to say her and her group’s name while holding up a polaroid to him. Did she not listen in the first film? Leatherface is very much implied to be nonverbal due to disability. Also, he didn’t wait to learn their names, he just murdered them immediately upon arrival to that house. I feel like they were trying to show that they were putting a lot of thought and effort to tie it to the 1974 film. However, those of us who know the film are disappointed that seemingly ignored the events of the first film.

Final thoughts on Texas Chainsaw Massacre

I went into this film knowing it was going to be bad. I was ultimately hoping for a situation in which it was so bad, it was funny. Instead, I watched a half-baked horror film that had some really solid sequences that were just covered with poorly written, non-loyal to the original filler. Also, the Tesla autopilot ending was terrible. Hilariously terrible. Therefore, I don’t really think it’s worth the watch. What did you think of it? Were you a fan of this one or do you agree that Netflix should probably lay their efforts to rest? Let me know in the comments.

I’m not anti-Sally Hardesty either. You can read more on the evolution of the final girl and the role she plays in forming the trope here.

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Tag: 2022

The Void’s Top Ten Horror Films of 2022