22 Overlooked Horror Movies From 2022 You Can Stream Before Halloween

    It's not too late to check out these eerie and overlooked 2022 frighteners.

    Ken W. Hanley
    by Ken W. Hanley

    BuzzFeed Contributor

    With new entries to the Scream, Halloween, and Terrifier franchises to exciting new nightmares from Jordan Peele, Scott Derrickson, and Zach Cregger, 2022 has been a great year to be a horror fan.

    Winterspectre Entertainment

    In fact, it might be too good of a year, as the wealth of new terror titles may have led some to miss out on a number of exciting and eerie fright films. But even if these macabre movies have flown under your radar, I’ve assembled 22 overlooked horror movies that you can check out before spooky season comes to a close.

    1. Orphan: First Kill

    Esther draws a detailed picture of her new “father” in “Orphan: First Kill”
    Prod DB / Dark Castle Entertainment / Eagle Vision / Entertainment One / Alamy

    Cast: Isabelle Fuhrman, Julia Stiles, Matthew Finlan, Hiro Kanagawa, and Rossif Sutherland
    Director: William Brent Bell
    Runtime: 99 Minutes
    Rating: R
    Rotten Tomatoes

    Debuting simultaneously in theaters and on Paramount Plus, Orphan: First Kill is a prequel to the hit 2009 horror film about an adopted young woman who begins to raise hell with her new parents and siblings. After escaping from an Estonian psychiatric institute, Esther (Isabelle Fuhrmann) poses as a missing American girl who is reunited with her family, who grows suspicious of her sudden appearance and volatile behavior. With a detective (Hiro Kanagawa) hot on her trail, Esther soon goes on the defensive when the tables are turned by her mother (Julia Stiles) and brother (Matthew Finlan).  Pulled off with a number of inventive camera tricks and shooting techniques, First Kill really thrives thanks to its narrative ingenuity, as they implement a terrific twist that kicks the movie into a demented second gear.

    2. Fresh

    Sebastian Stan looks down menacingly at someone in the trunk of his car in “Fresh”
    Searchlight Pictures / Moviestore Collection / Alamy

    Cast: Sebastian Stan, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Charlotte Le Bon, Andrea Bang, and Jonica T. Gibbs
    Director: Mimi Cave
    Runtime: 117 Minutes
    Rating: R
    Rotten Tomatoes

    A Hulu original horror film with a wicked sense of humor, this stylish suspense thriller from director Mimi Cave follows a young woman (Daisy Edgar-Jones) who encounters a charming and handsome stranger (Sebastian Stan) after a string of disappointing dates through dating apps. Hitting off immediately, the stranger offers to take her out to a destination date weekend out in the countryside, only to discover that he works as a black market chef…and she might be on the menu. Bonding with other women who are also being held captive by her deceptive paramour, the young woman attempts to plot an escape before she, too, becomes food for the ultra-rich.

    3. Watcher

    A young blonde woman stares at a stranger through an intricately designed fence in “Watcher”
    Imagenation Abu Dhabi FZ / Album / Alamy

    Cast: Maika Monroe, Karl Glusman, Madalina Anea, and Burn Gorman
    Director: Chloe Okuno
    Runtime: 95 Minutes
    Rating: R
    Rotten Tomatoes

    From lauded up-and-coming filmmaker Chloe Okuno (V/H/S/94), Watcher stars Maika Monroe of It Follows fame as a young woman who relocates to Bucharest alongside her husband (Karl Glusman), who becomes consumed by his professional responsibilities soon thereafter. In a foreign land with no discernable friends or hobbies, the woman begins to notice that one of their creepy neighbors has been watching her intently. With her suspicions growing deeper in the wake of a string of local brutal murders, she must decide whether or not the threat is real or if her paranoia has sent her imagination into overdrive.

    4. Deadstream

    A panicked YouTuber is incredibly scared in a haunted house in “Deadstream”
    Stonehaven Productions via YouTube

    Cast: Joseph Winter and Melanie Stone
    Directors: Joseph Winter and Vanessa Winter
    Runtime: 87 Minutes
    Rating: R
    Rotten Tomatoes

    An inventive, splattery, and fun-as-hell cross between Evil Dead II and MTV’s Fear, Deadstream is a contemporary found-footage fright-fest following a controversial YouTuber (co-director Joseph Winter) recovering from a scandal that cost him sponsors and streaming platforms. In an effort to put himself back on top, he decides to spend the night alone in a remote house with a history of paranormal activity. But when an uninvited guest arrives, he soon realizes there’s a terrifying truth behind the rumors and must fight to survive against the dangerous supernatural forces dead set on never letting him leave. Perfect for fans of horror comedy, Deadstream also has a penchant for gross-out set pieces that’ll have your gag reflex working overtime. 

    5. Beast

    A terrified man takes refuge is a beaten and broken down vehicle in “Beast”
    Universal Pictures / Moviestore Collection Ltd / Alamy

    Cast: Idris Elba, Leah Jeffries, Iyana Halley and Sharlto Copley
    Director: Baltasar Kormákur
    Runtime: 93 Minutes
    Rating: R
    Rotten Tomatoes

    Directed from the filmmaker behind such action-packed films as Contraband, 2 Guns, and Everest, Beast mixes hard-hitting thrills and nerve-wracking chills in this man-vs-animal horror offering. The ferocious film surrounds a recently widowed man (Idris Elba) who attempts to reconnect with his estranged daughters (Iyana Halley and Leah Sava Jeffries) with a trip to the South African reserve where he had met their mother. Guided by an old friend and wildlife biologist (Sharlto Copley), the four eventually find themselves stuck in a restricted area of a gaming reserve, where they must rely on their wits, ingenuity, limited resources, and one another after coming face-to-face with a ravenous rogue lion.

    6. Hatching

    A young woman is attacked by a monstrous doppelganger on a pink carpet in “Hatching”
    Silva Mysterium Oy / Album / Alamy

    Cast: Siiri Solalinna, Sophia Heikkilä, Jani Volanen, and Reino Nordin
    Director: Hanna Bergholm
    Runtime: 91 Minutes
    Rating: Not Rated
    Rotten Tomatoes

    A Finnish body horror fairy tale that initially garnered rave reviews following its premiere at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, Hatching tells the tale of a young gymnast (Siiri Solalinna) and her perfectionist lifestyle influencer mother (Sophia Heikkilä), who are both disturbed after an incident with a crow that ruined their family video. Upon discovering an egg in the woods, the gymnast decides to incubate it in her room, determined to foster it lovingly as opposed to the manipulative and abusive environment in which she is raised. When a creature awakens from the egg, its “happy home” begins to unravel in a most monstrous fashion.

    7. My Best Friend's Exorcism

    A possessed teenage girl gives off a grim scare in “My Best Friend’s Exorcism”
    Amazon Studios via YouTube

    Cast: Elsie Fisher, Amiah Miller, Chris Lowell, Rachel Ogechi Kanu, and Cathy Ang
    Director: Damon Thomas
    Runtime: 97 Minutes
    Rating: R
    Rotten Tomatoes

    Adapted from the critically acclaimed horror-comedy novel from horror author Grady Hendrix, this ‘80s-set possession flick surrounds a pair of high school students and best friends (Elsie Fisher and Amiah Miller) who are invited to a party at their friend’s lake house. After taking LSD, the two accidentally stumble into an abandoned cabin where a ritualistic murder had allegedly occurred and encounter a terrifying vision. When one begins to show signs of antisocial and demonic behavior, the other decides to acquire the services of a bodybuilding exorcist (Christopher Lowell) to help break her friend away from the grip of her otherworldly possessor.

    8. Choose or Die

    A young computer expert discovers an eerie software in his dark apartment in “Choose or Die”
    Prod DB / Netflix / Anton / Stigma Films / Alamy

    Cast: Asa Butterfield, Iola Evans, Eddie Marsan, Angela Griffin, and Robert Englund
    Director: Toby Meakins
    Runtime: 84 Minutes
    Rating: Not Rated
    Rotten Tomatoes

    In this science fiction-laden horror thriller featuring Sex Education star Asa Butterfield, Choose or Die follows a desperate college student (Iola Evans) who discovers a text-based adventure game at her friend’s apartment offering a $125,000 prize should she win. Accepting the challenge, she soon learns that the game is capable of manipulating reality and hurting others in her life, including her best friend (Butterfield) and her mother (Angela Griffin), and must find out how to defeat the game before she loses so much more than money. A gruesome mind-bender, Choose or Die has several solid set pieces that will keep you on the edge of your seat while also dreading the unnerving outcome.

    9. X

    A young woman hides underneath a bed in a ramshackle cabin in “X”
    Prod DB / A24 / BRON Studios / MAD SOLAR / Alamy

    Cast: Mia Goth, Brittany Snow, Jenna Ortega, Martin Henderson, and Scott Mescudi
    Director: Ti West
    Runtime: 105 Minutes
    Rating: R
    Rotten Tomatoes

    The grand return of The House of the Devil filmmaker and horror auteur, Ti West, X offers a stacked cast, eerie atmosphere, and moody, bloody carnage that will leave your jaw firmly on the floor. Starring Mia Goth (A Cure for Wellness) in a breathtaking dual role, X surrounds an independent porn film production on a secluded farm in Texas owned by an elderly couple (Goth & Stephen Ure). However, the production is complicated as the film crew and stars discover that the couple is not as innocent as they seem and harbor several dark secrets that could mean their imminent demise.

    10. Who Invited Them

    A well-to-do couple stares up ominously at their hosts in "Who Invited Them"
    Marvilla Studios via YouTube

    Cast: Ryan Hansen, Melissa Tanh, Timothy Granaderos, and Perry Mattfeld
    Director: Duncan Birmingham
    Runtime: 81 Minutes
    Rating: Not Rated
    Rotten Tomatoes

    In Duncan Birmingham’s atmospheric (and surprisingly acerbic) Shudder original, a complacent couple (Ryan Hansen and Melissa Tang) host a housewarming party where they can barely contain their frustrations and insecurities among their guests. However, after the party clears out, a pair of sharp-dressed strangers claiming to be their wealthy neighbors (Perry Mattfeld and Timothy Granaderos) hang around, hoping to keep the party going while endearing themselves to their hosts. Yet as they prod and open emotional wounds in their seductive and enigmatic conversations, more macabre truths are unearthed about their new home and both couples soon find themselves at odds with one another.

    11. We're All Going to the World's Fair

    A teenager covered in blacklight paint holds a teddy bear’s eye to her own in “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair”
    Utopia / Pictorial Press / Alamy

    Cast: Anna Cobb and Michael Rogers
    Director: Jane Schoenbrun
    Runtime: 86 Minutes
    Rating: Not Rated
    Rotten Tomatoes

    A contemplative and heartbreaking horror offering about loneliness, urban legends, and the internet that binds these themes, We’re All Going to the World’s Fair follows a teenager (Anna Cobb) who partakes in a supposedly dangerous online challenge known as “The World’s Fair Challenge.” After communicating with another soul who allegedly knows much more about the challenge, the teenager soon begins to experience various disturbances in her life as she falls deeper and deeper into the lore of “The World’s Fair Challenge.” Can she break out of the spell of this supposed online curse or is she too far down the rabbit hole?

    12. Day Shift

    An African American man feels a sharp-nailed vampire hand on his shoulder during a moment of suspense in “Day Shift”
    87Eleven / Impossible Dream Entertainment / Album / Alamy

    Cast: Jamie Foxx, Dave Franco, Snoop Dogg, Meagan Good, and Karla Souza
    Director: J.J. Perry
    Runtime: 113 Minutes
    Rating: R
    Rotten Tomatoes

    With an all-star cast, excellent special effects, and spectacular action choreography, Day Shift is a vampire-loaded horror action comedy that oozes charisma while spilling buckets of blood. The frightfully frenetic film follows a freelance vampire hunter, Bud (Jamie Foxx), who has to return to his vampire hunting union to acquire high-profile jobs that would pay for his daughter’s education and medical expenses. During his probationary period, he and his union representative (Dave Franco) accidentally stumble upon a vampire plot to establish colonies throughout various real estate development sites in order to shift humans back down the food chain. Teaming with an old friend (Snoop Dogg) and a rebellious familiar (Natha Liu Bordizzo), Bud plots out an explosive last stand that should elicit a smile from any fan of vampire fare.

    13. Significant Other

    A young woman keeps an intense stare on her lover during a hike in "Significant Other"
    Paramount Players via YouTube

    Cast: Maika Monroe, Jake Lacy and Matthew Yang King
    Directors: Dan Berk and Robert Olsen
    Runtime: 84 Minutes
    Rating: R
    Rotten Tomatoes


    From the directorial duo of Dan Berk and Robert Olsen, who previously crafted such subversive independent horror movies as Body (2015) and Villains, Significant Other surrounds a young couple (Maika Monroe and Jake Lacy) who decide to take a couple’s hiking trip in the Pacific Northwest to work out their own personal issues. While the endeavor has a rocky start thanks to an ill-timed proposal and panic attack, the trip soon takes an even more surreal turn when they discover that they may not be alone out there. With an impressive series of twists and some creative narrative turns, Significant Other will have you wrapped around its freaky finger until the credits roll.

    14. The Cursed

    A torch wielding man fearfully walks through a foggy forest during the night in “The Cursed”
    Prod DB / LD Entertainment / Alamy

    Cast: Boyd Holbrook, Kelly Reilly, Alistair Petrie, and Roxane Duran
    Director: Sean Ellis
    Runtime: 112 Minutes
    Rating: R
    Rotten Tomatoes

    A uniquely old-school take on the werewolf film, esteemed filmmaker Sean Ellis dives headfirst into gothic horror with The Cursed, which hit theaters over a year after premiering at the Sundance Film Festival in 2021. Starring Boyd Holbrook (The Sandman), Kelly Reilly (Yellowstone) and Alistair Petrie (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), The Cursed surrounds a French village plagued by nightmares after the brutal slaughter of a Romani clan by a nearby land baron. After a group of children happens upon a pair of silver fangs that possess those who don them to attack others, the entire town begins to panic as creatures begin to emerge that systematically (and literally) tear the townsfolk apart.

    15. You Won’t Be Alone

    A dirty woman wanders around a secluded pit in the forest in “You Won’t be Alone”
    CAUSEWAY FILMS / Album / Alamy

    Cast: Noomi Rapace, Anamaria Marinca, Alice Englert and Sara Klimoska
    Director: Goran Stolevski
    Runtime: 109 Minutes
    Rating: R
    Rotten Tomatoes

    If you’re a fan of such atmospheric fright fare as The Witch and Gretel & Hansel, You Won’t Be Alone tells the story of a peasant girl in Macedonia who is cursed as a newborn by a witch and raised in a cave away from the rest of the world. On her 16th birthday, her witch returns wearing the visage of her mother, giving the young woman magic powers and attempting to mentor her despite their clashing ideologies. Discovering her capacity for shape-shifting, the peasant girl soon assumes various identities to learn about human life and the nature of the world at large while the witch watches and waits from afar.

    16. Speak No Evil

    Two men stare at each other with wry concern in "Speak No Evil"
    Profile Pictures / Oak Motion Pictures via YouTube

    Cast: Morten Burian, Sidsel Siem Koch, Fedja van Huêt, and Karina Smulders
    Director: Christian Tafdrup
    Runtime: 98 Minutes
    Rating: Not Rated
    Rotten Tomatoes

    A tense and spine-tingling horror-thriller from award-winning Danish filmmaker Christian Tafdrup, Speak No Evil follows a Danish family who is invited to a remote rural property by a Dutch family that they had met on vacation, only to quickly learn to abhor their host’s passive-aggressive behavior. After a disturbing incident drives the Danish family to unexpectedly leave, they find themselves compelled to return to the property to retrieve a missing doll and are convinced to stay once more. But as the strange behavior escalates, the Danish family soon learns that they may have been invited under false pretenses with the truth of their stay being far more troubling than they could have ever imagined.

    17. Glorious

    A blood-covered man looks befuddled in a public restroom in “Glorious”
    Fallback Plan Productions via YouTube

    Cast: Ryan Kwanten, J.K. Simmons, Sylvia Grace Crim, and Andre Lamar
    Director: Rebekah McKendry
    Runtime: 80 Minutes
    Rating: Not Rated
    Rotten Tomatoes

    True Blood veteran Ryan Kwanten shines in this gonzo and gorgeous cosmic horror-comedy from FANGORIA alumna-turned-filmmaker Rebekah McKendry that almost plays like the most screwed-up one-man show you’ll ever see. The colorful and creepy flick follows a heartbroken man (Kwanten) who stumbles into a rest stop bathroom after a night of hardy partying, only to hear a compelling voice from the next stall (J.K. Simmons). Learning that he can no longer escape the restroom, this man is soon introduced to the stranger formally, who announces he is a Lovecraftian demigod hiding away from his planet-killing father in a glory hole and needs the man’s help to transcend into the ethereal plane.

    18. Offseason

    A stranded couple receives concerning stares at a bar in "Offseason"
    Defiant Studios via YouTube

    Cast: Jocelin Donahue, Joe Swanberg, Richard Brake, Melora Walters, and Jeremy Gardner
    Director: Mickey Keating
    Runtime: 83 Minutes
    Rating: Not Rated
    Rotten Tomatoes

    The latest creepshow from indie horror prodigy, Mickey Keating, Offseason captures the spirit of such cult favorites as Messiah of Evil, Dead & Buried, and The Beyond by creating a chilling atmosphere that permeates through every frame of the film. Starring Jocelin Donahue and Joe Swanberg, both of whom have had plenty of experience in the horror genre in years past, Offseason surrounds a woman and her boyfriend who visit a desolate island to close the book on her recently deceased mother’s affairs. However, the people in this faraway community immediately make the newcomers feel unwelcome, and when they are trapped by inexplicable and not-so-natural phenomena, they must venture further into the island’s dark secrets to find a way out.

    19. Master

    A young African American woman learns something disconcerting at her school’s library in “Master”
    Amazon Studios / Album / Alamy

    Cast: Regina Hall, Zoe Renee, Talia Ryder, and Talia Balsam
    Director: Mariama Diallo
    Runtime: 91 Minutes
    Rating: R
    Rotten Tomatoes

    Anchored by an outstanding lead performance by the oft-underrated Regina Hall as well as a provocative script from director Mariama Diallo, Master follows Gail (Hall), the first appointed Black master of the highly-regarded (and supposedly cursed) Ancaster University as she attempts to help a freshman (Zoe Renee) who believes she is being targeted by racist attacks from a cloaked figure. When a teacher (Amber Gray) is suspected to have something to do with the targeted harassment, Gail is forced to confront conflicting versions of “the truth” while reckoning with Ancaster University’s troubling history of race-based terrorism, harassment, and suspicious deaths.

    20. Goodnight Mommy

    A woman rebuilding her face examines her mask in the mirror in “Goodnight Mommy”
    Animal Kingdom / Films Distribution / Album / Alamy

    Cast: Naomi Watts, Cameron Crovetti, Nicholas Crovetti, Peter Hermann, Crystal Lucas-Perry, and Jeremy Bobb
    Director: Matt Sobel
    Runtime: 91 Minutes
    Rating: R
    Rotten Tomatoes

    A remake of the controversial yet critically exalted Austrian film from Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, Goodnight Mommy follows twin brothers (Cameron and Nicholas Crovetti) who return home after an extended stay with their father (Peter Hermann) only to discover that their estranged mother (Naomi Watts) has her head completed covered in bandages following cosmetic surgery. But when she seems to act consistently out of character and becomes prone to outbursts, the twins begin to believe that their mother is not who she claims to be and orchestrate a dread-inducing plan to expose the imposter in addition to the source of her animosity.

    21. Dashcam

    A woman stands in a dark road during a streaming webcast in "Dashcam"
    Blumhouse Productions via YouTube

    Cast: Annie Hardy, Amar Chadha-Patel, Seylan Baxter, and Angela Enahoro
    Director: Rob Savage
    Runtime: 77 Minutes
    Rating: R
    Rotten Tomatoes

    A collaboration between horror-heavy production house Blumhouse and Rob Savage, director of 2020’s Zoom horror sensation, Host, Dashcam is another chaotic yet chilling found footage effort from the filmmaker, which follows a brash and aloof streamer/rapper whose outspoken conservative leanings inspire her to leave the US during the COVID-19 pandemic to crash with a former bandmate in the UK. But when their merry reunion doesn’t go as planned, she takes off with his phone and his car, and a delivery gig gone awry puts her in the crosshairs of both a trigger-happy sociopath and a supernaturally-powered old woman with a taste for blood.

    22. The Munsters

    A wedding between Lily and Herman Munster gets especially freaky in "The Munsters"
    Universal 1440 Entertainment via YouTube

    Cast: Jeff Daniel Phillips, Sheri Moon-Zombie, Daniel Roebuck, Richard Brake, and Jorge Garcia
    Director: Rob Zombie
    Runtime: 110 Minutes
    Rating: PG
    Rotten Tomatoes

    With his only previous comedy feature credit on his directorial resume being the animated film The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, Rob Zombie marries his love for schlocky horror and quick-witted comedy for his first-ever family-friendly film, The Munsters. Rebooting the classic television property for a new generation with puns and spookshow goodness galore, The Munsters effectively acts as an origin story depicting how Lily and Herman Munster met and found their home on Mockingbird Lane. It's a level of silliness that might not be everybody's cup of tea, but this flick is a ghoulishly good time that's worth a good laugh or two.

    Get your heart pumping with Fall, a new thriller that will take you to terrifying heights. Own it on Blu-Ray and Digital now!

    Lionsgate

    Promising Review: "FALL (Amazon Prime, maybe others): Tight, terrific, and very, very scary. Reminded me a bit of DUEL. Wish I'd written it." – Stephen King