Dr. AC's 2022 Horror Wrap-Up Extravaganza!

Hello, my horror-loving homebodies!

It’s been a curious year, where I once again was less-than-vigilant about setting down thoughts on every flickering image that passed my eyebrain. However, despite its complications, 2022 proved to be a shift back toward “the good old days” where I actually started venturing out of the house to enjoy horror-themed events amidst the faithful.

All credit goes to blood brother Jon Kitley, who invited, encouraged, cajoled, and accompanied me to every single one of them. From Flashback Weekend to the return of in-person Turkey Day Marathons to five-hour driving excursions to St. Louis (Monster Mayhem) or Merrill, WI (The Bill Rebane Exhibit) or Shelbyville, IN (Skyline Drive-in Dusk-til-Dawn) to screenings at our beloved Music Box Theatre to weekly lectures at the Chicago Public Library (Terror Tuesdays), all I ever had to do was glance to my left and there he was. (He and the Discover the Horror gang, i.e. Aaron AuBuchon and Damien Glonek, went so far as to invite me to join them on their podcast back in January.) We should all be so lucky to have a co-pilot as fearless and dedicated to the genre… and his friends. Bless you, sir.

Likewise, deepest thanks go out to Ian Simmons for allowing me to share the Internet for literally dozens of Kicking the Seat episodes. We covered 14 titles for Son of Hammerland, another season of Accademia Giallo with Jon, Bryan Martinez, Troy Howarth, and J. Blake Fichera, and our third go-round of Friday Night Frights in October to promote Scare-a-Thon 2022 efforts. (And I even got to see you in person one time! More of that next year!)

Finally, a big wave across the waves to Gert Verbeeck for keeping spirits up and enthusiasm alive from Brussels, sharing online chats, endless recommendations, and tireless camaraderie, going so far as to create banners for every single Scare-a-Thon episode on the Dr. AC YouTube channel. Not sure how I’ll ever repay you, but trust me that I’ve got it on the accounts. Get your butt over here to Chicago ASAP and we’ll start balancing the scales.

While we’re on the topic, thanks to all of the kind souls who joined me for my inaugural foray into the streaming world. Looking at you, Ben Beard, Eric Fritzius, Grant Kuchan, John Pata, Cati Glidewell, Daniel Millhouse, S.A. Bradley, Adam Witt, Vanessa Morgan, Ken Johnson, and my beloved femalien Michelle, (as well as Jon, Aaron, Ian, and Gert, because of course). Larry Sternshein, Chad the Bird, Lucille Ba’al, Eric Anderson, Dave Kosanke, Gavin Schmitt, Alan Tromp, Jason Coffman, Neil Calderone, Tim Palace, Brian Fukala, Jill and Gregg at Lix, Putrid Matt, Eli LaChance, and Christopher Hainsworth also contributed to making this one of the more noteworthy years in recent memory.

It was similarly great seeing my “horror crew” in person again at any number of the above-cited events. Seriously. Missed you, more than I’d realized.

Okay, since someone clearly has started slicing onions nearby and my eyes are watering, I suppose we’ll get back to the task at hand, summing up THE YEAR IN TERROR. In time-honored fashion, the titles listed below were encountered by your humble scribe for the first time during the past year and, to acknowledge as many as possible, I've broken them down into various categories in alphabetical order. As has been my wont over the past few years, I’m also including a brief sampling (okay, 20) of my favorite revisits.

Love to hear your thoughts about this year’s bundle of freaks, shrieks, and antiques! You can leave a comment below or reach out to me directly at drach101@gmail.com!

Enjoy!!!

BEST OF THE NEW:

Antlers
Anything for Jackson
The Black Phone
The Dark and the Wicked
In the Earth
Men
My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell It To
Nope
Son
Titane
The Vigil
Werewolves Within
X

HONORABLE MENTION:

Censor
The Forever Purge
Godzilla vs. Kong
Last Night in Soho
Post Mortem
On the 3rd Day
Possessor
Smile
Sputnik
We’re All Going to the World’s Fair

MIXED BAGS:

Candyman
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
It: Chapter Two
Malignant
Prisoners of the Ghostland
Seance
Spiral: From the Book of Saw
You Won’t Be Alone

BLEAH:

Old

FAVORITE HORROR DISCOVERIES (First-time views released before 2020)

Annabelle (2014)
Bloodstream (1985)
Man Beast (1956)
Premutos: The Fallen Angel (1997)
Ready or Not (2019)
Saint Maud (2019)
The Unearthly (1957)

WHAT THE $$#@%&$% DID I JUST WATCH??? (in the best possible way)

All Jacked Up and Full of Worms (2022)
Bloody Sect (1982)
A Day of Judgment (1981)
Godmonster of Indian Flats (1973)
Mystics in Bali (1981)
Yeti: Giant of the 20th Century (1977)

FAVORITE REVISITS:

2LDK (2003)
The Brain from Planet Arous (1957)
Les Diaboliques (1955)
Dog Soldiers (2002)
Evil Dead 2 (1987)
Eyeball (1975)
The House with Laughing Windows (1976)
Martin (1976)
Monster from Green Hell (1957)
One Million Years B.C. (1966)
The Quatermass Xperiment (1955)
Scream of Fear (1961)
Sinister (2012)
Stagefright (1987)

The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982)
Torso (1973)
The Valley of Gwangi (1969)
The Vampire Lovers (1970)
Winterbeast (1992)
YellowBrickRoad (2010)



Be back in a bit with the Civilian Views, final tallies, and stats! Stay tuned....


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