The Best Horror Movies of 2022, Ranked - From 'Barbarian' to 'X'

With all the horrors that Americans face on a daily basis – a gun crisis, attacks on women's rights, a Supreme Court determined to legislate backwards – it can be difficult to engage in artificial terror horror movies.

Appropriately, many of the best titles of the year tapped into that anger and fear. The themes of environmental degradation ("Crimes of the Future"), the oppression of women ("Men"), toxic internet culture ("Scream"), surveillance ("Watcher") and sexual repression ("X") figured prominently, linking fantasy scares with very real scares.

Before the countdown, some honorable mentions:

* Parker Finn's "Smile" is the year's best crowd pleaser, filled with effective spooky jumps, a spooky score, twists and suspense that's tailor-made for date night .

*Joseph and Vanessa Winter's "Deadstream" confuses YouTube culture with a charming and fun haunted house story that draws on the artisanal charm of early Sam Raimi movies.

*Ti West's 'Pearl' is a chilling sequel to his other film of this year, 'X', and features Mia Goth's best horror performance of the year, earning awards attention.

* Mariama Diallo's "Master" isn't scary, but it's a gripping, haunting tale that explores big ideas, backed by a strong lead performance by Regina Hall.

* Toby Meakins' "Choose or Die" has compelling visuals and a charming throwback premise, but the killer video game script can't handle a feature-length runtime.

*Although it's too long and needs a script doctor to make up the jokes, "Studio 666" is a fun game for rock fans - and a charming showcase for the late drummer of the Foo Fighters, Taylor Hawkins.

* David Blue Garcia's “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” was a disappointment, but featured one of the best gory scenes of the year, thanks to Leatherface invading a party bus.

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