Three New Horror Movies That Get My Seal of Approval
Halloween of this year might have passed, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to stop watching scary movies. (It’s still too early for Christmas movies after all, and Thanksgiving movies are in short supply.) The three movies that follow are all recently streaming horror films that definitely get my seal of approval!
Werewolf By Night (2022)
Marvel Studios, 53 minutes
Werewolf By Night is a made-for-TV special streaming on Disney+. Though it’s actually part of Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Werewolf By Night feels like a breath of fresh air when compared to the overcomplicated and interconnected era of comic book movies and television shows in which we now find ourselves.
The special really does stand on its own, and though it takes place in the MCU featuring characters comic book fans might recognize, it can be enjoyed just as a spooky horror story. The choice to have the film in black-and-white, combined with the musical score and overall aesthetic, harkens back to classic monster movies like The Wolf Man or an episode of The Twilight Zone.
Werewolf By Night was directed by Michael Giacchino, who’s primarily a renowned composer, and has earned an Emmy, Grammy, and Oscar for his composing work. He does a great job with Werewolf By Night, and I wish Marvel and Disney would produce more movies and TV shows that take the back-to-basics approach Werewolf By Night does. It’s an approach that seems more focused on good storytelling and interesting characters as opposed to concentrating mainly on expanding an already large universe with an ever increasing amount of rules for things like multiverses.
It's not fantastic by any means, and it’s not truly horrifying in ways that the other movies in this post are, but as a solid horror story, Werewolf By Night is a worthwhile watch.
Grade: 7.5/10
Pearl (2022)
A24, 102 minutes
Pearl is the second film (of a planned three) to take place in the world of writer-director Ti West’s X (2022), serving as a prequel to that first film. While it isn’t completely necessary to have seen X before watching Pearl, the two would definitely serve as a great double-feature, as here we’re getting the origin story of X’s antagonist.
Pearl has the feel of a (very) twisted Wizard of Oz, as West has crafted a horror film that’s clearly paying homage to the Golden Age of Hollywood. Set in 1918, we follow Pearl, who lives on the family farm with her sick father and overbearing mother, all the while dreaming of something better for herself.
Mia Goth is the clear standout of the movie as she’s fantastic as the deranged title character. This is definitely one of the better performances of a disturbed character in recent horror movie history—she’s terrifying and you can’t take your eyes off of her.
For horror fans looking for a twisted fairytale, Pearl certainly fits the bill. While it might not be for everyone since it can be a bit disturbing, I’d definitely recommend Pearl.
Grade: 8/10
Smile (2022)
Paramount Pictures, 116 minutes
I first heard about Smile by way of its viral marketing campaign where people promoting the movie at baseball games sat behind home plate smiling creepily. It was a super effective marketing stunt, but it sort of led me to believe that Smile would be more of a gimmicky horror movie lacking in terms of quality. Fortunately, my assumptions were wrong because Smile is both good and pretty darn scary.
As far as the story goes, Smile is basically a combination of The Ring and It Follows, while still being different enough from both of those films to not feel like a rip-off. It’s not quite on par with either of those movies in terms of quality, but it’s still enjoyable and well-done.
Smile is the first feature film from writer-director Parker Finn, and he’s definitely got a hit on his hands (both critically and commercially). He probably relies a little too much on jump-scares, but there’s still some pretty frightening stuff here.
Sosie Bacon as the lead is also really good. I hadn’t seen her in anything prior to Smile, but she nails the role of a psychiatrist who has something strange start to happen to her after an interaction with a patient. (I won’t say more plot-wise as to not spoil the movie!) Smile is a scarily fun ride for fans of horror.
Grade: 8/10