Horror used to be a genre that was relegated to the spooky time around Halloween, with scary movies fitting the spirit of the season. But as the genre has exploded in popularity, horror has now become a year-round thing, with buzzy slashers and thrillers hitting theaters every single month. Summer has now become one of the biggest times of year for the horror genre, with some of the biggest horror movies being held for the traditional blockbuster season. This summer is no different, with some huge horror flicks from some of the most celebrated directors in the genre rolling out over the next few months.
Here are the biggest horror movies hitting theaters in Summer 2022.
Firestarter – Release Date: Friday, May 13
Horror fans, get ready for this one. Firestarter is, of course, a new adaptation of the classic Stephen King book of the same name. When Charlie is born, it’s not long before her parents realize she has the eerie and powerful ability to start fires with her mind. Now, they have to go on the run as a shadowy government agency tracks them, determined to capture Charlie and turn her into a weapon of mass destruction. Charlie’s dad has taught her to control and suppress her powers, but as she grows older, they get harder to keep in check. When a mysterious operative catches up with them, however, her powers might be the only thing that saves her and her parents.
Men – Release Date: Friday, May 20
The cerebral director Alex Garland’s latest, Men, is another of his symbolically loaded and layered films, this time pure horror. After a terrible tragedy, Harper heads to the English countryside to grieve. But what was intended to be a peaceful place to heal takes a disturbing turn when Harper realizes that something–or someone–in the woods outside is stalking her. Soon, her worst memories and deepest fears are coming to light, and her life turns into a waking nightmare as she tries to unravel the mystery of what’s happening to her.
Crimes of the Future – Release Date: Friday, June 3 (Wide Release June 10)
The master of sci-fi body horror, David Cronenberg, is back with his first feature film since 2014 with Crimes of the Future. In the not-so-distant future, humankind is immersed in a synthetic environment. As a result, the human body starts undergoing strange mutations and changes. Celebrity performance artist Saul Tenser plans to take advantage of this by showing off the changes happening to his body and internal organs. But a mysterious group is following his public antics with interest, planning to use him to predict the next evolution of humankind.
The Black Phone – Release Date: Friday, June 24
Hype has been buzzing for director Scott Derrickson’s return to horror with The Black Phone, an adaptation of a short story by Joe Hill. When 13-year-old Finney is kidnapped by a sadistic child killer and kept in his soundproof basement, he starts getting strange calls from an old phone in the room from the serial killer’s previous victims. With the help of the spirits of the other murdered boys, Finney–and the murdered boys–are determined that what happened to them won’t happen to him.
Nope – Release Date: Friday, July 22
With only two horror movies to his name, Jordan Peele has already left a huge mark on the horror genre with Get Out and This Is Us. His next one, Nope, is just as cryptic and just as creepy. While the trailers have been characteristically mysterious, what’s known is that it takes place in a remote horse ranching town in California. But after a strange and eerie event, the residents of the town encounter a strange force that starts causing animals and people to behave bizarrely.
Bodies Bodies Bodies – Release Date: Friday, August 5
When a hurricane hits, a group of rich and spoiled 20-somethings plan a hurricane party at a remote family mansion in Bodies Bodies Bodies. But their party games soon go awry in the blackly comedic slasher when the catty backstabbing turns into real backstabbing and someone turns up dead. Now they have a killer in their midst and they have to figure out who did it before someone else gets got. With friends like this, who needs frenemies?
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