This year kicks off with a big ole bang with the return of Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson’s Scream franchise, bringing Ghostface back to theaters for the first time in ELEVEN years on January 14, 2022. The film is already getting rave reviews from critics, suggesting that 2022’s horror output is already on fire here in the first couple weeks of the brand new year.
But Scream isn’t the only major horror franchise returning in 2022…
While Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees continue to lie dormant, several other horror icons are headed back into our lives in the coming months. It’s going to be big year for horror franchises, with Ghostface’s return being only the very tip of the iceberg this weekend.
Here are five other big time horror franchises returning soon!
Olwen Fouéré as Sally Hardesty in ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’
Texas Chainsaw Massacre – February 18, 2022 (Netflix)
Just about a month after Scream, Leatherface will return in Texas Chainsaw Massacre, a brand new sequel to Tobe Hooper’s original classic that’ll be streaming exclusively on Netflix. This will be the ninth film in the franchise, and the second attempt to make a years-later sequel to the original Chain Saw. Back in 2013, Texas Chainsaw 3D took a very similar approach.
The new movie is a decades-later sequel *only* to Tobe Hooper’s original Texas Chain Saw Massacre, with actress Olwen Fouéré (Mandy) taking over the iconic role of Sally Hardesty (above) from the late Marilyn Burns. Of note, Fede Alvarez (The Evil Dead) produced this one.
“After nearly 50 years of hiding, Leatherface returns to terrorize a group of idealistic young friends who accidentally disrupt his carefully shielded world in a remote Texas town.”
Additionally, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is getting its own video game here in 2022!
‘Halloween Kills’
Halloween Ends – October 14, 2022 (Theaters)
In the wake of Halloween (2018) and last year’s Halloween Kills, David Gordon Green’s sequel trilogy comes to a close with Halloween Ends, currently dated for October 14th.
What we know of the film so far is that Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) will be taking the fight to Michael Myers one last time, now seeking an even more personal revenge after he appeared to murder her daughter in Halloween Kills. Gordon Green has also teased a four-year time jump for Halloween Ends, rather than a direct continuation of the events from Kills.
Additionally, Kyle Richards has signed on to reprise the role of Lindsey Wallace one more time, who had a fight with Michael but survived to live another day in Halloween Kills.
Filming on Halloween Ends is set to begin here in early 2022, so here’s hoping the pandemic doesn’t change any current plans. As always, we’ll report more as we learn more information.
Sam Raimi’s ‘Evil Dead II’
Evil Dead Rise – Date Unknown (HBO Max)
We don’t yet have a date but we do know that Evil Dead Rise has wrapped filming and is currently being edited, with Lee Cronin (The Hole in the Ground) in the director’s chair.
So is it a sequel to Sam Raimi’s original movies or to the Fede Alvarez reboot? Well, it doesn’t appear that Evil Dead Rise is necessarily continuing the storyline from any previous Evil Dead movie, but rather telling a brand new story set within the Evil Dead Universe.
And no, Bruce Campbell will not be playing Ash Williams in the film.
“In the fifth Evil Dead film, a road-weary Beth pays an overdue visit to her older sister Ellie, who is raising three kids on her own in a cramped L.A apartment. The sisters’ reunion is cut short by the discovery of a mysterious book deep in the bowels of Ellie’s building, giving rise to flesh-possessing demons, and thrusting Beth into a primal battle for survival as she is faced with the most nightmarish version of motherhood imaginable.”
Gabrielle Echols (Reminiscence), Morgan Davies (The End) and Nell Fisher (Splendid Isolation) will star in the new movie alongside Alyssa Sutherland and Lily Sullivan.
‘Prey’ (2022)
Prey – Summer 2022
In the wake of Shane Black’s The Predator back in 2018, the franchise is getting another reboot with Prey, a film shot in secret by director by Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane).
From what we gather, the plan was for Prey (formerly titled Skulls) to be a secret Predator movie, but alas, the ties to the franchise ended up leaking before they could surprise us.
Amber Midthunder (“Legion”) stars as a Comanche woman who goes against gender norms and traditions to become a warrior. The film’s events are set 300 years ago.
The new movie is reportedly a prequel to the original classic that will tell the tale of the Predator’s first journey to our planet. No date at this time, but we expect it in Summer 2022.
Pinhead and his Cenobites from ‘Hellraiser’ (1987)
Hellraiser – Dates Unknown
Pinhead and his Cenobites are plotting a big return here in 2022, and what’s particularly interesting and exciting about the Hellraiser franchise is that *two* projects are in the works.
David Bruckner (The Night House), who helmed Netflix’s The Ritual as well as sections of Bloody Disgusting’s horror anthologies V/H/S and Southbound, is directing the relaunch of the Hellraiser franchise for Spyglass Media, set to be a Hulu feature film written by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski (SiREN, Super Dark Times, The Night House).
“Sense8” actress Jamie Clayton is playing Pinhead in the new movie.
The project is being described as a “loyal, yet evolved re-imagining of Clive Barker’s 1987 horror classic,” and the best possible news is that Clive Barker is on board as a producer.
Additionally, a “Hellraiser” television series is in the works at HBO. Last we heard, David Gordon Green (Halloween, Halloween Kills) is directing the pilot and “several more initial episodes” of the HBO series, and Michael Dougherty (Trick ‘r Treat, Krampus, Godzilla: King of the Monsters) is writing alongside Mark Verheiden (“Battlestar Galactica”).
Clive Barker will be executive producing that Hellraiser project as well.
We don’t know for sure that both projects will be arriving here in 2022, but we do know that the Hulu movie wrapped last year, so we’re at least expecting that one sometime this year.
Of course, any of these dates and plans could change. Stay tuned…