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I meant to get this ranking in before 2021 rolled into 2022, but your boy is fashionably late and who’s counting anyways? Better late than never, though, right? Right? Right. Okay, so 2021 was a pretty solid year – a lot of the stuff that got delayed in 2020 got dumped into 2021, making it a bit of a hodge podge of sorts. It’s kinda hard to make sense of it other than just chopping it up to COVID. Because of this, I’m not gonna try and make a ranking and instead I’m going to use a star system 1-5 and group them that ways. I’ll keep things brief and give my general assessment of the best stuff I watched or read in 2021. Enough talking – let’s get jiggy.

1. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings *****

This film had me ready to sign up for jiu jitsu classes midway through. The MCU’s heat checks are starting to be lay-ups.

1. Video Palace: In Search of the Eyeless Man *****

The Eyeless Man is an amazing entry into modern folklore. Video Palace is a chilling anthology that uses 21st century technology to craft a tale that’s as unsettling as it’s good.

1. Fear Street trilogy *****

This trilogy has everything that I want in my horror films. Goosebumps on steroids.

1. Squid Game *****

This series caught me, and everyone else off guard Squid Game is fun, violent, funny, and thought-provoking.

1. Anansis’s Goatman Story *****

I absolutely love horror stories set in the woods, especially during summer. This is a phenomenally told short story that’s constantly teetering on the edge of full out anarchy.

1. The New Jim Crow *****

A masterpiece. Every black person in America needs to read this book.

1. Curb Your Enthusiasm *****

Legitimately laugh-out-loud funny. Quite possibly the GOAT sitcom.

1. Avatar: The Legend of Korra *****

You never wanna be the one following up a legend (pun intented!), but my girl Korra is up to the task. A brilliant show that masterfully carries on the legacy of the original.

1. The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires ****

A very eccentric novel that provides a jump to the vampire subgenre. Not sure if I’ve ever read anything quite like this before.

1. 9 Perfect Strangers ****

A new twist on the cult story. A really great adaptation that takes you to destinations that are quite unexpected.

1. Halloween Kills ****

Big Mike killed people in creative ways that were previously foreign to the genre. 12 films in and Kills managed to tell a fresh story.

1. Brand New Cherry Flavor ****

This mini-series feels like an acid trip. Idiosyncratic and weird; this is a gem that’s flying under that radar.

1. Slasher (season 4) ****

This season is violent and bloody as fuck. Nice who-dunit that’s kind of ridiculous but simultaneously really entertaining that’s easy as hell to binge.

1. Drug Use for Grown-Ups ****

Another book that every black person should read. This puts the Drug War and everything we’ve been told about drugs from the media in a new and transformative light.

1. The Only Good Indian ****

A horror novel unlike anything I’ve ever read. Confirmation that we need more Native American stories.

1. If It Bleeds ****

Rock solid short story anthology from the legend Stephen King.

1. Carrie ****

Mean Girls gone wrong. Carrie is an anti-villain there’s ever been one.

1. Army of the Dead ****

A zombie heist action film. An over-the-top thriller with a dash of camp.

1. The Institute ****

Kids with Professor X and Jean Grey type powers are locked in facility to be used as weapons by the government. Starts off a bit slow but it’s a helluva ride once it gets going.

1. Beast Boy ****

A very humanistic take on a comic book character. It’s an origin story that focuses on the insecurities, friends, family, and goals of Gar before he becomes the titular character.

1. Spider-Man: No Way Home ****

The strongest film of the Spidey MCU trilogy.

1. Midnight Mass ****

A strong mystery that’s a new take on religious horror.

1. 1963 ****

Man goes back in time to stop Lee Harvey Oswald from assassinating JFK. A lot of shit happens in between

1. Falcon and the Winter Solider ****

The first official buddy team-up of the MCU. A ground level story that depicts internal conflict as much as bad guys getting their asses kicked.

1. My Best Friend’s Exorcism ****

White teen girl goes in the woods to do acid and comes out possessed by a demon.

1. Reality Z ***

28 Days Later meets The Real World. Reality Z has zombies crash a Brazilian reality show.

1. A Quiet Place 2 ***

It would have been hard to top the amazing original. The sequel laid the groundwork to serve as a linch-pin to an amazing third.

1. Outrage: The 5 Reasons Why OJ Simpson Got Away With Murder ***

Very well-written but ultimately too emotional and the author spends too much time putting himself in the crosshairs.

1. Nightbooks ***

A good film for kids that could birth their love for horror the same way Goosebumps, Are You Afraid of the Dark or Hocus Pocus did for my generation.

1. You (season 3) ***

Some parts were a bit inconceivable but it’s ultimately a good season of tv that justifies a 4th season.

1. Candyman ***

This film was beautifully shot and is aesthetically sexy. However, I went in expecting a classic horror film and what we got was solid, but not great.

1. Black Widow ***

A much needed ground-level MCU film. It’s a spy film that stretches on too long in the 3rd act, but it’s still a solid offering.

1. The Night of the Mannequin ***

A short novel that clocks in just over 200 pages. Stephen Graham Jones continues his run on giving off-the-beaten-path takes on horror stories.

1. Lovecraft County (novel) ***

If you have seen the tv show but not the novel, as expected it’s much different than what we got on tv. What is unexpected is that an argument can be made that the tv adaptation is slightly better.

1. The Harder They Fall ***

Cowboys and westerns typically aren’t my thing but the ensemble cast is amazing and a black take on the genre is worth a watch.

1. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It ***

A change up from the haunted house motif. The third goes straight to the dark side with this one.

1. WandaVision ***

The first two episodes are straight-up filler. The story picks up in the third episode but it never truly hits the highs, in my opinion, that people claim that it does.

1. Nightteeth **

Uber driver gets held hostage by vampires. The vampire genre has hit a lull and this isn’t a bad entry but it’s not going revive interest in the subgenre.

1. Pet Sematary (novel) **

Pet Sematary would have been an incredible short story. The first and seconds acts drag on way too to end in third that needed more of a climatic finish.

1. V/H/S: 94 **

The trailer is 10x better than the film

1. Don’t Breathe 2 **

There are some ridiculous plot holes and illogical storytelling but it was entertaining to see in theatre.

1. A Classic Horror Story **

This is not a classic horror story. A Mediocre Horror Story would be more apropos.

1. Godzilla vs Kong **

Brian Tyree Henry deserved a lot better.

1. Young Justice season 3 **

The first two seasons of YJ thrived because they told a season-long story. Season 3 dropped this and instead is telling multiple sub-stories every 4 episodes.

1. Spell *

The only 1 star on the list and it’s well-deserved. Truly a bad horror film.