At the end of each year, horror fans reflect on the movies that they have loved over the past 12 months, and this includes thinking about the most entertaining and thrilling scenes. While there are often gruesome, gory and unforgettable kills in these new releases, the moments that stand out include character development or a clever twist.
From a friend fight in a beloved horror comedy to a horrifying conclusion involving a terrible curse, there are many moments from 2022 horror movies that fans are always going to talk about.
Pearl Freaks Maxine Out In X
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It will be exciting to see the third entry in Ti West's X trilogy as both X and Pearl have been critically acclaimed. In the first film, which is considered one of the best 2020s horror movies, Maxine (Mia Goth) goes over to Pearl (also Mia Goth) and Howard's (Stephen Ure) farmhouse and gets a scare. Maxine and Pearl sit in the kitchen and Pearl stares at the young actress in an incredibly creepy way. Pearl even tries to seduce Maxine, which freaks her out even more.
This moment works so well for two reasons. For one thing, it's fascinating to see Goth portray these two very different characters in the same scene. It's truly masterful acting. For another, this is when Maxine and the audience realize the darkness inherent in Pearl and that it's a bad idea to stay here.
The Demon Shows Its Face In Smile
The 2022 horror movie Smile is well-done and Parker Finn sets up a frightening story from the very first scene. But it's the last scene that is one of the best moments from any horror film that was released this past year. Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) and Joel (Kyle Gallner) are alone in her childhood home together and the demon who has been chasing Rose shows its face.
After several instances of Rose seeing the twisted face of a loved one or stranger, this scene is incredibly terrifying. The demon is bright red and has incredibly freaky teeth and evil eyes. The demon transfers itself into Rose, who gives Joel the curse and grins at him. This is absolutely one of the scariest smiles in horror movies and proves the perfect pacing and atmosphere of the film.
Ghostface Calls Tara In Scream (2022)
Jenna Ortega is the Scream Queen of 2022 after starring in X, Studio 666, and Scream (2022). She plays Tara Carpenter perfectly in the movie's memorable opening scene. Ghosface calls Tara on her landline and when she opens the door to find the killer, she attemps to fight him off and punches him in the face. Of course this doesn't work and she is stabbed multiple times but manages to survive and spends the rest of the movie recovering in the hospital.
Scream was one of the most anticipated 2022 horror movies and fans got what they were looking for. The opening scene not only features a flawless performance from Ortega but feels like when Casey Becker (Drew Barrymoore) is targeted by Ghostface in the first scene of the original 1996 film, which is nostalgic and fun.
Cut To Justin Long In Sunshine In Barbarian
Barbarian balances tones well and that is why this is one of the most exciting horror movie scenes of 2022. There is a great mid-movie twist that suddenly, after many creepy moments, the movie randomly cuts to Justin Long's character driving a car in the California sunshine. It's quite the change as right before, Tess Marshall (Georgina Campbell) watches The Mother kill Keith Toshko (Bill Skarsgård). While audiences are getting over the shock of seeing this creepy villain, AJ Gilbride is in the next shot.
Barbarian did well at the box office and continues to impress critics and audiences who love how different it is. No one was expecting the movie to make a change like this and that's what makes it so interesting to watch.
The Friends Fight In Bodies Bodies Bodies
Bodies Bodies Bodies is one of the best A24 horror movies and one of the most fun horror viewing experiences of the last 12 months. Halfway through the film, Sophie (Amandla Stenberg) and her friends are scared of the killer who seems to be loose in the house and they throw caution to the wind and begin insulting each other. The funniest part of the scene when Sophie says that Jordan (Myha'la Herrold) hate listens to Alice's (Rachel Sennott) podcast). Jordan says that she's upset with Sophie for manipulating David (Pete Davidson) because she wants his money. Jordan shares that she and Sophie have hooked up, which means that she has been unfaithful to Bee (Maria Bakalova).
Bodies Bodies Bodies uses Gen Z stereotypes perfectly. It's a hilarious yet brutally honest scene and proves that people should really keep such harsh opinions to themselves. No friend will ever want to hear this kind of raw commentary on their life choices, which is what makes the scene stand out so much.