Even though 2022 is nearing its end, movie enthusiasts still have many new horror films to look forward to.
It does not matter whether a film is not rated the highest by other fans, thrillers and horrors still keep us on the edge of our seats in the theater. From the recent slasher film Pearl, to the supernatural horror that was Blumhouse’s The Black Phone, there are countless examples as to why 2022 was an excellent year for horror and thriller movies. Even though each of those films was fantastic, there were two specific instances in 2022 when horror and thriller really made an impact on the movie industry.
Jordan Peele’s third movie, Nope, masterfully explores the depths of horror and sci-fi. This movie follows the characters Emerald and OJ Haywood as they find a mysterious UFO outside the presence of their childhood home. They run a ranch in the state of California and discover even more sinister phenomena that lie above.
Jordan Peele became one of the most well-known filmmakers in Hollywood when he delivered his other two films, Us and Get Out. Those two films alone won over the critics and received millions of views. Nope did not get as many views as those films, even though the third film was particularly high in views.
The Nope cast had stars such as Daniel Kaluuya who played OJ and Keke Palmer who played Emerald. Those two were spectacular actors with lots of captivating chemistry, which was key in the film. Supporting actors, Steven Yeun, well-known for his role as Glenn Rhee in AMC’s The Walking Dead, and Barbie Ferreira, well-known for playing Kat in Euphoria both became one with the movie and created balance.
Peele’s iconic technique of abruptly cutting to a black screen is reflected in Nope and works to create many intense scenes throughout the film. Many people described the movie as “overrated” due to the high anticipation for the movie and it's being written by Jordan Peele, who many thought would create a similar film to his previous works.
Don’t Worry Darling directed by Olivia Wilde was one of the most highly anticipated movies of the year due to former One Direction member and singer, Harry Styles being one of the lead roles. The film is set in the 1950s following the story of a married couple, starring Florence Pugh playing Alice who has previously been in films such as Midsommar and Little Women, and Harry Styles who plays Jack. Alice, the housewife, living with her husband Jack, starts to worry about their perfect life in a utopian experimental community where Jack’s company holds disturbing secrets of society.
The film is full of suspense and psychological drama featuring scenes that will keep you in suspense. The film’s cast is full of many well-known actors such as Chris Pine, Gemma Chan, Nick Kroll, Kiki Layne, and also starring herself, Olivia Wilde.
The film was also surrounded by an abundance of drama caused by director Olivia Wilde, including casting problems, and several rumors. The drama all started when actor Shia LaBoef said and did some questionable things that were concerning to the creators, so he got replaced by Harry Styles. Soon after that, rumors started circling that Harry Styles and Olivia Wilde started dating, which sparked a lot of controversy about whether it was a publicity stunt. Actress Florence Pugh and Olivia Wilde were rumored to not be getting along on set as well. Actress Kiki Layne came out and said how she was cut from most of the film after posting a photo on Instagram captioning “The best thing about #Don't Worry Darling is that I was lucky enough to meet @arielstachel. They cut us from most of the movie, but we are thriving in real life. 🙂🙂”. At the premiere of Don’t Worry Darling at the Venice Film Festival, a video circulated on the internet of Harry Styles spitting on Chris Pine. Many said they saw the spit hit Pine but others say it was just the angle from which the video was taken. A week or so later Harry Styles makes a joke about it during his tenth show at Madison Square Garden during his 15-show residency saying, “I just popped very quickly to Venice to spit on Chris Pine. But fret not, we're back!”
The film itself did not do so well with critics ratings but fans ratings were out the roof. The rating was very low due to the messiness of the plot and the lousy acting job from Styles. Pugh and the rest of the cast really brought the films back to life. Samirah Horton, a 9th grader said “Don’t Worry Darling was very freaky and weird but it was still pretty good”. Many other people described Don’t Worry Darling as “strange” and “confusing”. Others said “The film was wasted potential and felt rushed”.
The film ended up topping the box office with 60% of the audience being female and over 70% of the audience aged 18-34. The film was mostly directed towards the younger female audience due to heartthrob Harry Styles being the lead character.
These two films helped change the movie industry by making 2022 one of the most memorable years for horror films. They broke countless records and made a huge impact on filmmakers and movie fans.