Inverse - 🍿 The 10 best monsters of 2022

Tuesday

Dec 13 2022

You know it’s a good year for monster movies when Michael Myers doesn’t even crack the top 10. (And we were one of the few publications that actually liked Halloween Ends!)

As the Inverse Awards lurches forward with more end-of-year lists and stories, we present a ranking of the 10 best monsters in movies and television this year. From Vecna in Stranger Things to Nope’s flying saucer, 2022 was the year that horror cinema chose murderous monsters over psychological trauma.

Check out the full list below. And if you’re mad about number one, well, you know where to find us.

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Inverse Awards

Entertainment

The 10 best monsters of 2022

It’s cliché to say that horror is having a moment.

It’s been five years since Jordan Peele’s Get Out redefined the genre and ushered in a new era of serious horror. Since then, fans of the genre have lived through the rise of “elevated horror,” the backlash to “elevated horror,” and the eventual realization that horror is whatever fans want it to be — and whatever sells the most movie tickets.

But in 2022, one horror standby does seem to be having a moment: the monster. This year, psychological horror was no longer enough. We needed real, tangible monsters to deliver our scares. And Hollywood was more than happy to oblige.

From original creations like Barbarian and Nope to reboots and prequels like Hellraiser and Prey, 2022 was the year that monsters reclaimed their place at the top of the horror pyramid. Here are the 10 best, scariest, and most thought-provoking monsters of 2022 ranked. (Spoilers ahead!)

Sponsored

Audi

New holiday tradition: plug into a better future

Ah, holiday tech traditions: connecting to grandma’s ethernet port, going on an early-morning replacement phone charger run, and helping dad set up the smart TV (again). This time, ring in the new year with technology that brings a sense of optimism. With over 100 years of experience on the cutting edge, Audi has been manufacturing vehicles for premium mobility since day one. Fully electric motors housed in an elegant design rivals any family heirloom: That’s what makes Audi instantly recognizable.

This year, combine the automotive name you know and trust with the premium features you dream of finding under the tree.

Explore Audi today

Inverse Awards

Science

15 remarkable images from JWST's first year in space

In December 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope launched into space, carrying with it the promise of a new era for astronomy. Since then, the telescope has set its sights on ancient galaxies, dusty nebulae, and planets near and far.

The telescope’s first images dropped in July 2022, kicking off a steady stream of new views of the familiar and unfamiliar cosmos. Here are 15 remarkable images captured from JWST’s inaugural year in space.

Take a closer look

Business

Twitter

Everything you need to know about Elon Musk’s Twitter Blue relaunch

The blue checkmark is officially back. There are a few key tweaks with the new version of Twitter Blue, which includes new features, pricing changes, and different color checkmarks.

The welcome news comes after several weeks of uncertainty about what Twitter’s checkmark actually means. We first heard that Twitter’s CEO, Elon Musk, wanted to up the subscription price to $20 a month but later knocked it down to $8 a month after some sticker shock reactions. Twitter also paused its subscription service after rampant instances of impersonation.

With the caveat that Twitter is very much in flux right now, this new version of Twitter Blue seems to be official. Here’s everything we know so far.

Space

Science

Solar wind may have forged water on the Moon

The future landing site of Artemis III may be richly laden with hydrogen and water. That’s the conclusion of a recent study of regolith grains from China’s Chang’e-5 lander.

Space weather researcher Yuchen Xu, of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and colleagues published their findings in a recent paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

China’s Chang’e-5 lander sent two kilograms of regolith and Moon rock back to Earth in late-2020. The sample capsule, which landed in Mongolia, contained the first pieces of the Moon brought back to the Earth since 1976.

Inverse Awards

Gaming

The 10 best Nintendo Switch games of 2022

Nearly six years since its launch, the Nintendo Switch shows no sign of slowing down. The reason why is simple: Nintendo’s stellar library of games, which only got better in 2022.

While we didn’t see a new Mario or Zelda this year, some truly outstanding titles came to Nintendo’s hybrid console over the past 12 months. Here are the 10 best Switch titles from 2022.

See the full list

Meanwhile...

Watch Artemis I's final moments in 11 breathtaking images

Microbiome home test kits are the wild west of gut health

James Cameron's plan for 'Avatar 5' could ruin the entire franchise

The most devastating war movie of the year is streaming on HBO Max

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Inverse - 🍿 The 10 best monsters of 2022

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