The Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Films to Look Forward to in 2022

Belle – In this gorgeous anime movie from Summer Wars director Mamoru Hosoda, a young woman who has social anxiety in the real world becomes the most popular singer in the massive virtual world called U. Just go watch the trailer and be entranced. (January 14)

Scream - A sequel 11 years in the making, Ghostface is back to terrorize not just the new kids in Woodsboro, but the now grown adults who have survived the first four sequels. We loved it, read our review here. (January 14)

The King’s Daughter – Louis XIV (Pierce Brosnan), the King of France, is so determined to gain immortality that he’ll do anything for it—including capturing and stealing the life force of a mermaid (Fan Bingbing). However, when his rebellious daughter Marie-Josèphe (Kaya Scodelario) discovers what he’s done, she’s none too pleased in this adventure-fantasy film. (January 21)

Ghosts of the Ozarks - In this horror Western—a genre mash-up we don’t see nearly enough of—a doctor in post-Civil War Arkansas begins to realize the idyllic small town he’s just moved to is hiding some extremely dark, worrisomely ghostly secrets. Tim Blake Nelson and David Arquette co-star. (February 3)

The Long Night - Scout Taylor-Compton (Rob Zombie’s Halloween) stars as a woman who starts digging into her mysterious family history, only to uncover an apocalyptic cult that soon begins targeting her to help fulfill a horrific prophecy. (February 4)

Moonfall - Roland Emmerich really likes to blow up Earth and in his latest disaster film, he’ll do it again. This time though, it’s not climate change, Godzilla, or giant spaceships: it’s the moon. (February 4)

Fear - This horror movie, which counts social media superstar turned actor King Bach (The Babysitter, Greenland), Ruby Modine (Happy Death Day), and rapper T.I. among its cast, is about a “contagious airbone threat” that threatens a celebratory weekend. We can all relate to that plot, no? (February 11)

A Banquet - In this horror-tinged family drama, a teenager starts insisting that she’s become transformed by a mysterious higher power—a flight of fancy that feels less fanciful once she stops eating but somehow doesn’t lose any weight, to the increasing distress of her widowed mother. (February 18)

Texas Chainsaw Massacre - We were entirely “meh” about yet another entry in the Texas Chainsaw franchise, until we saw that it’s going to pit Leatherface against hipsters. The participation of producer and co-writer Fede Álvarez (the Evil Dead remake) is also intriguing. (February 18 on Netflix)

Uncharted - The popular PlayStation franchise finally makes its way to the big screen with Tom Holland as a young adventurer on the hunt for ancient treasure. We hope it’s the next Indiana Jones. We’re scared it might be the next Super Mario Bros. (February 18)

The Devil’s Light - A young nun believes she’s destined to conduct exorcisms, despite the fact that the church doesn’t allow women to perform the ceremony. Can she prove herself when a demon with a particularly nasty personal vendetta appears on the scene? Daniel Stamm (The Last Exorcism) directs, and Virginia Madsen (star of the original Candyman) co-stars. (February 25)

Studio 666 - The Foo Fighters play themselves in this horror story which follows the band as they set up shop in a haunted house to record their latest album. (February 25)

The Adam Project - Free Guy director and star Shawn Levy and Ryan Reynolds team up on a heartfelt sci-fi film about a man (Reynolds) who travels back in time to deal with his younger self. (March 11 on Netflix)

The Batman - Not just any Batman. THE Batman. Robert Pattinson stars in the Matt Reeves film that audiences hope will live up to such a lofty distinction. But in a world that’s already got Michael Keaton and Christian Bale, can it really? Fingers crossed. (March 4)

Turning Red - While it’s a bummer that yet another Pixar movie is going direct to streaming, that hasn’t stopped the studio’s films from being great. Soul was great. Luca was great. And this film about a young woman who turns into a giant red monster on occasion looks equally great. (March 11 on Disney+)

Unwelcome – Jamie (Douglas Booth) and his pregnant wife Maya (Hannah John-Kamen) decide to leave the hustle and bustle of London to raise their child in England. Unfortunately, the woods nearby their house is full of murderous goblins… and maybe worse. (March 17)

Alice – Keke Palmer plays a woman enslaved during the antebellum South, only to escape the plantation and discover it’s actually 1973 in this mind-boggling thriller from director Krystin Ver Linden. Alicia Witt, Johnny Lee Miller, Common, and Gaius Charles also star. (March 18)

Moonshot – A young woman stows away on a spaceship heading to the terraformed planet Mars in hopes of connecting with her boyfriend in this romantic sci-fi comedy. Starring Riverdale’s Cole Sprouse, Lana Condor, and Zach Braff. (March 24 on HBO Max)

Everything Everywhere All At Once - The latest film from Daniels, the directors of Swiss Army Man, stars Michelle Yeoh as a woman who exists in infinite universes and goes on an adventure to save them all. It looks absolutely incredible. (March 25)

Morbius - At this point, Morbius has been delayed so many times, it almost feels like an April Fools’ Day release is just a joke. Nevertheless, Sony is all in on the Spider-Man universe and this is the next film after No Way Home changed the game. Jared Leto stars. (April 1)

You Won’t Be Alone - Noomi Rapace (star of Lamb, Prometheus, and several other weird yet intriguing films) headlines this tale set in 19th century Macedonia, about a witch (who’ll be played by different actos) who decides she wants to try out being human via some magical body-swapping. (April 1)

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - Doctor Robotnik (Jim Carrey) is back and this time, he’s got Knuckles with him. Thankfully Sonic has some help of his own in the form of Tails. It’s every Sega fan’s dream movie come true. (April 8)

Chariot – John Malkovich plays a doctor at a corporation that can somehow control reincarnation. That is until a man (Thomas Mann) inadvertently meets the woman he loved in a past life (Rosa Salazar), which threatens to disrupt the system. (April 15)

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore - Yes, somehow this is still a franchise that’s out there, in spite of it all. After the dismal previous installment though, this Harry Potter spin-off starring Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, and Mads Mikkelsen had better be serviceable enough that we can focus on criticizing J.K. Rowling’s repeated transphobic remarks instead. (April 15)

The Bad Guys - A new animated film about a group of criminals who team up. Think The Suicide Squad but as animated animals. (April 22)

The Northman - Robert Eggers, director of The Witch and The Lighthouse, continues his “The” trilogy with the star-studded story of a Viking on a quest to avenge the murder of his parents. (April 22)

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent - Nicolas Cage plays Nicolas Cage who is hired by an uber-rich guy to hang out and gets into some kind of weird, meta adventure. It sounds very Nicolas Cage. (April 22)

Hatching - In this Finnish film, a 12-year-old gymnast named Tinja tries desperately and unsuccessfully to please her domineering mother. But when she finds a mysterious egg, it hatches a creature that slowly evolves into a being that looks just like her—but it’s willing to do what Tinja won’t. (April 29)

65 - Little is known about this sci-fi film except that it’s directed by the screenwriters who created A Quiet Place and stars Adam Driver as an astronaut who lands on an alien planet. What more do you need to know though? (April 29)

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - This is a big year for the Marvel Cinematic Universe and it kicks off with the return of Benedict Cumberbatch’s sorcerer, who... can still currently be seen in theaters in Spider-Man: No Way Home. This film is set to explode the multiverse though and there’s no clue what, or who, could appear. (May 6)

The Innocents - This Norwegian supernatural thriller is about a group of children who’re hiding some unsettling powers from their woefully unaware parents. (May 13)

DC League of Super-Pets – DC’s foremost super-animals—namely Krypto (voiced by Dwayne Johnson), Ace the Bat-Hound (Kevin Hart), and the Flash’s turtle Mertle (Natasha Lyonne), along with a pig named PB (Vanessa Bayer) and Chip the squirrel (Diego Luna)—must band together to free the Justice League after they’re captured by Lex Luthor (Marc Maron). (May 20)

The Bob’s Burgers Movie – When a giant sinkhole forms in front of their diner, Bob and Linda have to keep the restaurant afloat over the summer with a burger stand near the amusement park. Meanwhile, Tina, Gene, and Louise investigate the mystery of why the sinkhole formed in this animated movie musical. Also, there’s a robot. (May 27)

Jurassic World: Dominion - The third film of the Jurassic World franchise will be a culmination of the six-film Jurassic Park franchise as the stars of both trilogies come together to try and save the world from the dinosaurs who now roam it freely. We think one or two people might see this one. (June 10)

Lightyear - Pixar’s latest twist on the Toy Story franchise is this multi-layered action movie which explains why Andy was so excited to get a Buzz Lightyear figure in the first movie. It’s because Buzz Lightyear starred in an awesome summer action blockbuster—and now we get to see it. (June 17)

The Black Phone - The team behind Sinister, who took a quick Doctor Strange detour, are back in their mid-budget horror wheelhouse with this terrifying-looking film about abduction and the supernatural starring Ethan Hawke. (June 24)

Minions: The Rise of Gru - Fans of Minions are probably very excited to see this new film about how the little yellow buggers helped the Gru rise to supervillain status. The rest of the world? Not so much. (July 1)

Thor: Love and Thunder - Thor is back and so is writer-director Taika Waititi in what promises to be the wildest Marvel movie yet. Natalie Portman is going to become Thor, the Guardians of the Galaxy are in it, Christian Bale and Russell Crowe are in it, and we are so beyond excited for this one. (July 8)

Nope - With Get Out, Jordan Peele instantly became one of those filmmakers whose works you’ll always be excited for. Us continued the trend and now there’s Nope, which we know almost nothing about save for a poster of some weird cloud over a city. And you know what? We wouldn’t have it any other way. (July 22)

Black Adam - Finally, the Rock has become a superhero. It’s been literal years since Dwayne Johnson talked about playing DC villain Black Adam and in 2022 we finally get to see it. He’s a big man and the expectations are equally big. (July 29)

Secret Headquarters – A kid discovers a—you guessed it—secret headquarters underneath his home and starts to wonder if his estranged father might secretly be a superhero. Owen Wilson, Michael Peña, and Jesse Williams star. (August 12)

Beast - This one’s not entirely genre, but we’re willing to make an exception for an adventure flick that pits Idris Elba (who plays the father of two teen girls) against a gigantic rogue lion (which happens to be hunting said teens in South Africa). (August 19)

The Bride - Game of Thrones’ Nathalie Emmanuel stars as a woman who realizes, maybe too late, that her new love isn’t what he seems. Big hint: the movie is said to be “Dracula-inspired.” (August 26)

Samaritan - Sylvester Stallone plays a retired superhero who has gone into hiding, then forced to come out to save a struggling family. It’s almost like if Rocky was Superman, retired, went into hiding, and came back into the ring. (August 26)

Salem’s Lot - Speaking of vampires, the Stephen King novel is getting another adaptation, this time from writer-director and horror-genre veteran Gary Dauberman (Annabelle Comes Home). (September 9)

Distant - Anthony Ramos (In the Heights), Naomi Scott (Aladdin), Krisfofer “Hodor” Hivju, and Zachary Quinn (who’ll be voicing an AI character) star in this tale of an asteroid farmer who gets marooned on an alien planet, where he makes contact with a similarly desperate crewmate who’s trapped in an escape pod. (September 16)

Don’t Worry Darling - Fresh off the incredible Booksmart, Olivia Wilde’s sophomore directorial effort stars Florence Pugh as a 1950s housewife who begins to discover not-so-great things about her husband. (September 23)

Mission Impossible 7 - Tom Cruise will ride a motorcycle off a cliff and land safely at the bottom. That’s about all we know about the next installment in the mega spy franchise, once again directed by Christopher McQuarrie. (September 30)

Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse Part One - The first sequel to one of the greatest superhero movies ever made. Period. What’s next for Miles, Gwen, and god-knows how many other Spider-people could show up this time? Who is the villain? Why is it Part One? All valid questions we don’t have answers to but are beyond pumped to find out about. (October 7)

Halloween Ends - In 2021, Halloween Kill-ed. And now, it Ends. We’re hoping like hell this trilogy-capper starring Jamie Lee Curtis is the Michael vs. Laurie showdown that we’ve been waiting for since the end of the 2018 film. (October 14)

The Flash - This is the year of the multiverse and, we think, it’ll culminate in this long-awaited solo film starring Ezra Miller as Barry Allen. A Barry Allen who has already been on The Flash TV show and now will interact with Ben Affleck’s Batman, Michael Keaton’s Batman, and Warner Bros. only knows how many other heroes. (November 4)

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - After the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman, a Black Panther sequel almost doesn’t feel right. But Marvel knows this. Writer-director Ryan Coogler knows this. And they all know the best way to honor Boseman is to continue in his honor and make Wakanda bigger and better than ever. Mark our words, this might be the superhero movie of the year in a year full of them. (November 11)

Strange World - In this Disney animated adventure from Don Hall (whose credits include Raya and the Last Dragon, Moana, and Big Hero Six), a family of explorers will need to learn to get along if they want to succeed in their latest mission. (November 23)

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom - Jason Momoa and James Wan’s surprise 2018 DC hit is coming back and it’ll surely be bigger than ever. We’re wondering, though, in a year with Flash, Batman, and Black Adam, what will the DC Universe look like when we finally sit down to see the film in December? (December 16)

Avatar 2 - Will 2022 actually be the year we see James Cameron’s second Avatar movie? It seems not just possible, but probable, depending on what the world looks like in 12 months. What Cameron’s world will look like is a bit clearer. More blue people, more color animals, and apparently a lot of underwater action. (December 16)

Super Mario Bros. - Not the official title, but this is the Illumination animated film based on the iconic Nintendo video game with a voice cast that feels totally out of character. Nintendo has been careful with its Italian plumber in the decades since his debut, though, so we think this will end up working. (December 21)

These movies don’t currently have release dates but are all expected to be released sometime this year.

Batgirl - Leslie Grace stars as Barbara Gordon, daughter of Commissioner Gordon (J.K. Simmons), who’ll put on the cape and cowl of the Caped Crusader... with some help from Michael Keaton apparently? This is a huge movie for streaming only. (HBO Max)

Enola Holmes 2 - We enjoyed the first Enola Holmes movie, starring Mille Bobby Brown and Henry Cavill, so we’ll definitely be checking out the sequel to see what’s next. (Netflix)

Escape from Spiderhead - The director of Tron Legacy, the writers of Deadpool, and Chris Hemsworth. That right there is a very solid pitch. This film is about a future prison where you can reduce your sentence by participating in dangerous experiments. (Netflix)

Evil Dead Rise - Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell return as producers for what is being billed as an official Evil Dead 4. This time though, it’s not set in the woods or in another dimension. It’s in a city highrise. (HBO Max)

Pinocchio - Years in the making, this is finally the year we’re likely to see Guillermo del Toro’s stop-motion animated version of Pinocchio. And really, we’d see anything del Toro has any part of. (Netflix)

Prey - 10 Cloverfield Lane director Dan Trachtenburg returns to the world of Predator in this film about one of the first times the evil aliens came to Earth, where they were hunted by Native Americans. (Hulu)

The Slayers - Thomas Jane as a vampire hunter? Yes: Thomas Jane as a vampire hunter. (Spring in theaters)

Spaceman - The phrase “Adam Sandler Netflix movie” generally doesn’t inspire confidence, but this film is not a comedy. It stars the Sandman as an astronaut whose life on Earth erodes as he goes deeper into space and befriends an alien. (Netflix)

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