“Salem’s Lot”
This James Wan-produced film marks the very first big-screen adaptation of Stephen King’s iconic novel. And it seems to be in really good hands: Screenwriter Gary Dauberman (“It,” “It Chapter Two”), who also directs the film (his second feature, after “Annabelle Comes Home”), is no stranger to King. “Salem’s Lot” follows a writer who travels to a vampire-ridden town, and Lewis Pullman (“The Strangers: Prey at Night”) plays the lead alongside Makenzie Leigh (“The Assistant”), Alfre Woodard (“Clemency”), William Sadler (“The Shawshank Redemption”), and Bill Camp (“Joker”). The film was supposed to debut last September, but got shifted up “due to COVID-related delays in post-production;” it has since been bumped from its new release date for “Evil Dead Rise.” This movie can’t seem to catch a break, but fingers crossed that Warner Bros. unleashes it this year.
Release date: TBD via Warner Bros.
“Scream 6”
Time for another scary movie. This one picks up where the last film left off, and features most of the same ensemble cast, including Melissa Barrera (“Vida”), Jenna Ortega (“X”), Jasmin Savoy Brown (“Yellowjackets”), Mason Gooding (“Booksmart”), and, of course, Courtney Cox as Gale Weathers. Though this marks the first film sans Neve Campbell, AKA Sidney Prescott, it does introduce Samara Weaving, who was an impeccable scream queen in “Ready or Not.” The film is set in New York City, where the Carpenter siblings (Barerra and Ortega) and the Meeks twins (Brown and Gooding) hope to get a fresh start. Spoiler alert: Ghostface is not about to let that happen.
Release date: March 10 via Paramount.
“The Strangers 3”
Though “The Strangers” took itself a little too seriously, it’s now spawned a franchise that’s shaping up to be a lot more fun. “The Strangers: Prey at Night,” which was released ten years after its predecessor, was set in a trailer park and featured a kill scored to “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” Now a new trilogy starring Madelaine Petsch (“Riverdale”) and Froy Gutierrez (“Cruel Summer”)hope to give the classic torture-home-invasion story another facelift. In this first film, the third in the overall franchise, Petsch and Gutierrez play a couple who confront murderous masked strangers when waylaid travel plans bring them to an isolated Airbnb. Petsch and Froy will reprise their roles for all three films in the trilogy, which were filmed concurrently last fall. Director Renny Harlin, a six-time nominee for the Golden Raspberry for Worst Director, has helmed all three. Even if these are all schlocky as hell, it’s always good to have some brainless horror to look forward to. Who knows, with horror, shoddiness is often an asset.
Release date: TBD via Lionsgate.
“Swallowed”
The fourth feature from gay horror auteur Carter Smith (“The Ruins,” “Jamie Marks Is Dead”) is equal parts gay love story, body horror film, and crime thriller. Dom (newcomer Jose Colon) arranges a drug deal to get his best friend (Cooper Koch, “They/Them”) some extra cash before he leaves town, but they end up smuggling more than they bargained for. Jena Malone and Mark Patton (“A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge”) star as the film’s antagonists, proving our axiom that every film should include Jena Malone wielding a glock. This Overlook and Fantastic Fest 2022 competitor is fresh off the festival circuit and looking for a North American distributor, but as soon as it has one, we’re eating it up.
Release date: TBD.
“Totally Killer”
“Fresh Off the Boat” creator and “Always Be My Maybe” director Nahnatchka Khan will make her horror debut with “Totally Killer,” a slasher comedy starring Kiernan Shipka (“The Blackcoat’s Daughter”), Julie Bowen (“Modern Family”), Olivia Holt (“Cruel Summer”), and Randall Park (“Fresh Off the Boat”). A sort of “Back to the Future”-meets-“The Final Girls,” “Totally Killer” sees Jamie (Shipka) travel to her mother’s teenage years in order to prevent her mother’s murder in the present day. Jen D’Angelo (“Workaholics”) wrote the script, Blumhouse TV and Divide/Conquer co-produced, and Amazon will distribute. Sounds like an ideal summer popcorn flick.
Release date: TBD via Amazon.
Though they didn’t make the list (and many of them already mentioned on our 52 Films In 2023 Directed by Women), here are some releases we’re still looking forward to: Sundance Midnight films “My Animal” (a Focus Features release starring Bobbi Salvör Menuez and Amandla Stenberg), gory Filipino fairy tale “In My Mother’s Skin,” and Sarah Snook starrer “Run Rabbit Run;” Elizabeth Banks’ delightfully ridiculous “Cocaine Bear;” Shudder’s Jewish folk-horror romance “Attachment”; and the Marielle Heller/Amy Adams collaboration “Nightbitch.” “MaXXXine,” the sequel to “X” and Ti West’s next raunchfest starring Mia Goth, only missed out because it hasn’t finished filming yet, so 2023 release odds are iffy.
“Knock at the Cabin,” “The Nun 2,” Nic Cage’s vampire comedy “Renfield,” and “Saw X” (yes, as in ten) are all out this year, too, but you probably already knew that.
Follow along with all our Best Of 2022 coverage here. and our 2023 coverage here.
