Welcome to MovieJawn’s first ever Sound & Vision Poll, where our writers share why they love their 10 favorite movies of all time! We will be running ballots all month, and sharing the full results at the end!

by Clayton Hayes, Staff Writer

I’m thrilled/nervous to be starting things off, but I think my list has a nice spooky bent that’ll ease the post-Halloween transition. To be completely honest, I’m not huge into lists or ranking when it comes to art and media. It’s my feeling that trying to force films into a hierarchy of artistic or cultural “value” does more harm than good. Still, I am tempted by the idea of creating my own “top ten” as an artifact of my interest and tastes at this particular point in time. I hope we continue to run these lists as the years go on because I’ll be excited to see how my/our regard for certain films does or does not change.

With all that out of the way, and in order of release (and nothing else), here is my 2022 Sound and Vision list!

Diabolique (dir. Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1955)

From my first viewing I’ve been absolutely entranced by Clouzot’s gothic masterpiece. I’ve written before about how engrossing it is, how it draws me in whenever I come back for a rewatch. Véra Clouzot and Simone Signoret are both perfect in handling the shifting power dynamics between their characters as the plot twists and turns. As someone whose tastes tend towards the outré (just keep reading), it also serves as an important lesson on the effectiveness of restraint in horror filmmaking. It displays a real mastery of atmosphere and creep factor, something I’ve come to appreciate more and more (and am thankful is starting to make a comeback) in horror.

Phantom of the Paradise (dir. Brian de Palma, 1974)

“Restraint” is not the term that comes to mind when considering de Palma’s work in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Phantom might even be the oddest entry in his filmography, which is saying a lot. But how else could you describe a horror/comedy/musical based on both The Phantom of the Opera and Faust? It’s incredible how well it works because it absolutely has no business doing so. The performances are fantastic across the board, the visuals are really pushed right from the get-go, and the music is great. It all adds up to one of the most unique, and most fun, watching experiences out there.

Deep Red (dir. Dario Argento, 1975)

I came to the giallo genre through Argento; it was kind of a shame because it left me with nowhere to go but down. And the best of Argento’s gialli is, without a doubt, this film. The plot can be read as either incredibly complex or incredibly simple, and it depends entirely on how much effort the viewer wants to put into making sense of things. But in Deep Red the plot exists as a bridge between some of the most memorable visual sequences in film. The chemistry between David Hemmings and Daria Nicolodi is just so much fun, and the Goblin score is so perfectly evocative that it’s hard to imagine they would surpass it just two years later.

Suspiria (dir. Dario Argento, 1977)

Two films by the same director? That’s right, both of these films are so important that they have to be on this list. We all know how much Argento loves an outsider protagonist, but in his other films this usually translates to at least a few scenes, some levity. Suspiria, on the other hand, is a movie about a woman stepping into a nightmare. The color palette, the visuals, the score, the production design, all of it is absolutely perfect, all of it in service of making the audience feel like they’re trapped in that nightmare with her. And look, I’m never not going to be excited to watch a movie about a coven of witches hiding out in an isolated dance school in the middle of the Black Forest.

The Thing (dir. John Carpenter, 1982)

Where can I even say about film? Carpenter is a fantastic director whose body of work is just so, so impressive, and I hope I’m not wrong in assuming that The Thing is the film of his that’s held in highest regard. I could see an argument for Halloween if you’re only considering cultural impact, but The Thing is more than just a well-made film, it’s an achievement. The cast is top to bottom fantastic, the plotting is perfect, and it’s arguably the peak of practical special effects in filmmaking. Anyway, who am I trying to convince here? Nobody can argue with this pick.

The Last Dragon (dir. Michael Schultz, 1985)

Of the films on my list this year, this is the one that’s been seen the least (at least according to Letterboxd), and it’s an absolute shame. I wrote about it for the Spring 2022 issue of MovieJawn (still available!), and I will not be silenced until it receives the recognition it deserves! It is a martial arts comedy(/musical?) set in Harlem with a black director and predominantly black cast. It features one of the most iconic film villains and some of the most inspired costume choices of all time. It is a criminally underseen movie that should be essential viewing for any genre fan.

Fright Night ( dir. Tom Holland, 1985)

No offense to fans of the Craig Gillespie-helmed 2011 remake, but it does not hold a candle to the original. Making a horror comedy that manages to both nail its lighthearted moments while still delivering genuine horror is not an easy task. A quick scroll through the endless attempts that populate the Amazon Prime nether realm and you’ll see what I mean. Tom Holland’s masterpiece never strays too far in either direction, gleaning perfect performances out of Chris Sarandon and Roddy McDowall (McDowall is especially delightful as a heightened version of himself) while featuring some of the best creature effects not associated with the names Baker, Bottin, or Winston.

Hard Boiled (dir. John Woo, 1992)

I wonder what John Woo’s reputation is like these days. His transition from Hong Kong to Hollywood in the early ‘90s was pretty rocky and he never really found lasting success in the U.S. I still remember him as a director with name recognition, though, and in hindsight it’s easy to see why. As much as the doves might have become parody fodder, he’s always been a director with an undeniable mastery of action. Hard Boiled was his last Hong Kong film before heading to Hollywood and it puts all of his skills on display. Chow Yun-fat and Tony Leung Chiu-wai are an incredible one-two punch in leading roles, and the hospital shootout remains one of the high points of action cinema.

Mad Max: Fury Road (dir. George Miller, 2015)

Did somebody mention staggering achievements in action cinema? I can still barely believe this film exists. I can’t think of another action-oriented film that looks as good as Fury Road does, which is wild because it’s like putting an audience on a two-hour rollercoaster ride that also, improbably, features some of the most captivating landscapes ever caught on film. It is so incredibly focused, too, it’s clear that Miller knew exactly what he wanted to do and exactly how to do it. It’s rare to see a director’s vision translated so clearly to the screen. The discourse around the plot when it was released was such an unfortunate distraction from such a purely beautiful work of cinematic art.

Sorry to Bother You (dir. Boots Riley, 2018)

It is so wild to me that this film doesn’t get more love. A first time writer-director makes one of the most original films in decades on a tiny budget starring a just-on-the-verge-of-breaking-through LaKeith Stanfield (and an already-broken-through Tessa Thompson doing some of her best work) with themes that have only grown in relevance since its release, what more are people looking for? I’m just over here counting down the days until we get to see a reassessment because it will happen sooner or later. Mark my words.