As the holidays approach, it is time to reflect. On how we’ve spent the year? On how we want to better ourselves or the world in the year ahead? Uh, sure. But I meant on which horror movies hit us the hardest.
2025 was a booming time for horror. Cinema titans like Ryan Coogler, Danny Boyle, and Guillermo del Toro brought fresh excitement to the genre, by bending it with tales twisted and compelling that went beyond the staunch idea of “horror.” Indie filmmakers brought out grisly tales of grief, love, and codependency, bringing fresh blood to subgenres like psycho-biddy thrillers, body horror, and haunted house stories.
Remakes of The Hand That Rocks the Cradle and Wolf Man reimagined classics, while sequels like Final Destinations Bloodlines, I Know What You Did Last Summer, M3GAN 2.0, The Black Phone 2, The Conjuring: Last Rites, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, and 28 Years Later invited us back into frightening yet familiar realms. Simply put, so many horror movies came to theaters and streaming that even with a list of 25 of the best, a bunch of solid entries didn’t make the cut. But did your frightening faves?
Here are Mashable’s top 25 horror movies of 2025, and where to see them.
25. Together
My expectations were sky-high for Together, as critics began buzzing about it out of Sundance last January. Real-life spouses Dave Franco and Alison Brie star as a couple on the brink of breaking up in this body-horror offering. He’s a musician, struggling in drive and follow-through. She’s a teacher whose work pulls them away from the city and the friends they know. So, while she’s got a new job and new friends, he’s spiraling, freaking out about their future — and a bizarre and very local missing persons case.
‘Together’ review: Dave Franco and Alison Brie get grossly close in a body-horror nightmare
If you’ve seen the teaser posters or the trailers, you know that writer/director Michael Shanks takes the fear of codependency to a flesh-melting place. Yup, these two are drawn to each other in ways deeply gross. But for all the critics’ praise, Together felt tame coming in the wake of the truly audacious body horror that was The Substance. Still, if you’re craving something sick and sickening, it should entertain.
Starring: Dave Franco and Alison Brie
How to watch: Together is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.
24. Shelby Oaks
Watching writer/director Chris Stuckmann’s Shelby Oaks, horror lovers will easily spot influences from The Blair Witch Project, Lake Mungo, Barbarian, and more. But rather than making this religious horror film feel derivative, it gives its lore a meta echo of authenticity. In a sense, Shelby Oaks feels like it exists in the same world as those movies without ever directly referencing them.
The film centers on a determined woman named Mia (a riveting Camille Sullivan) who’s been searching for her missing sister Riley (a haunted Sarah Durn) for 12 years. Shelby Oaks plays at times like a faux documentary recounting the clues of the case, but soon slides into a more traditionally narrative film as Mia’s quest to find Riley reignites after an inexplicable visit and resulting violence. As she follows her sister’s last known steps in the ghost town of Shelby Oaks, things get darker and more twisted. And it’s a devilish final act that will have horror lovers giddy.
In his review out of the Fantasia International Film Festival, Mashable contributor Jason Adams wrote, “It’s twisty as hell, bears some ace performances, and truly gifts audiences with some very sticky and very spooky images. Most of all, it marks the emergence of a horror filmmaker worth keeping an eye on.”
Starring: Camille Sullivan, Brendan Sexton III, Keith David, Sarah Durn, Derek Mears, Emily Bennett, Charlie Talbert, Robin Bartlett, and Michael Beach
How to watch: Shelby Oaks is now available for rental or purchase on Prime Video.
23. Death of a Unicorn
The directorial debut of writer/helmer Alex Scharfman presents a deranged reimagining of unicorns. Instead of portraying them as glorious, glittery creatures of light and innocence, Death of a Unicorn presents them as bloodthirsty, beefy beasts, capable of mind-blowing violence. But to be fair, they have their reasons.
Paul Rudd stars in this horror comedy as a Elliot, sniveling lawyer desperate to reconnect with his college-attending daughter (Jenna Ortega). But on their way to visit the mountain estate of the Leopolds — a family dynasty of wealthy pharmaceutical execs — Elliot accidentally hits a baby unicorn with his car. Before you can say “Sackler,” the Leopolds are scheming a way to turn baby unicorn blood into a profitable new product. And let’s just say the unicorn’s parents are not pleased. A gruesome rampage will follow.
Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega and the ‘Death of a Unicorn’ cast reveal when their minds were utterly blown
While critics were mixed on this wild ride, I wrote in my review, “Death of a Unicorn is a monster movie that is riotously funny, unapologetically dark, and ultimately heartwarming.”
Starring: Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega, Will Poulter, Téa Leoni, and Richard E. Grant
How to watch: Death of a Unicorn is now streaming on HBO Max.
22. Queens of the Dead
Tina Romero struts in the footsteps of her late father, George A. Romero, by creating a zombie movie that pays tribute to his Night of the Living Dead movies, but through a determinedly comedic and queer lens.
Queens of the Dead follows the hilarious mayhem that breaks out when a zombie contagion hits Bushwick’s queer night club scene. Katy O’Brian headlines as a party promoter who’s given her blood sweat and tears to build a safe space to dance, flirt, and revel. But when an undead drag queen hits the dance floor, her life is also on the line. Offering a mindful and willfully silly array of queer archetypes, Queens of the Dead is a movie by queer horror fans for queer horror fans. Or as I put in my review, “Drenched in neon, steeped in attitude, and radiant with queer joy, this movie is beyond fine; it’s fierce, funny, and fabulous.”*
‘Queens of the Dead’ director Tina Romero reveals why Santa scares her more
Starring: Katy O’Brian, Jaquel Spivey, Riki Lindhome, Jack Haven, Cheyenne Jackson, and Margaret Cho
How to watch: Queens of the Dead comes to Shudder on Dec. 19.
21. Lurker
Written and directed by Alex Russell, Lurker is All About Eve for the influencer generation. This psychological thriller follows a young man named Matthew (Théodore Pellerin) who works retail in L.A., but dreams of fame and fortune. So, when he crosses paths with rising music star Oliver (Archie Madekwe), he weasels his way into Oliver’s entourage. This gives him a taste of the good life he covets. And he’ll do anything to keep it.
While many movies on this list are celebrated for how surprising they are, Lurker offers a different kind of terror. It’s not that the movie is predictable. It’s that Russell never hides from how dark his anti-hero’s heart is or how blind his ambition. Pellerin is chilling as a sociopathic social climber. So when his eyes lock onto something, it’s like watching a shark close in. You know the bite is coming, and your whole body braces for impact.
A gnarly thriller with a keen awareness of the double-edged sword of social media, Lurker will lock you in and leave you sweating.
Starring: Théodore Pellerin, Archie Madekwe, Zack Fox, Havana Rose Liu, Wale Onayemi, Daniel Zolghadri, and Sunny Suljic
How to watch: Lurker is now streaming on MUBI.
20. The Monkey
The first of two horror movies that Osgood Perkins unleashed this year, The Monkey saw the Longlegs director adapting a Stephen King short story into a bloody cinematic spectacle.
Theo James stars as twin brothers whose lives were drastically changed when they found a toy monkey with a little motorized drum in their missing father’s things. It turns out that if you wind the crank, the monkey will kill. But who and how are not for the turner of the crank to control. Many, many, grisly deaths will follow — including one that gives Perkins an unhinged cameo. But there’s more to The Monkey than mindless violence. Perkins also weaves dark humor and an engaging message about the unpredictability yet inevitability of death.
As I summarized in my review, “All in all, it’s a vicious and hysterical spectacle of blood and brain matter that’ll make you laugh, gasp, gag, and even think.”
Starring: Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, Christian Convery, Colin O’Brien, Rohan Campbell, Sarah Levy, Adam Scott, and Elijah Wood
How to watch: The Monkey is streaming on Hulu, and available for rent or purchase on Prime Video and Apple TV.
19. Final Destinations Bloodlines
Is this an okay place to admit I’ve never cared much for the Final Destination movies? Yes, the bizarre death sequences are scary, and that lumber truck one is truly the stuff of nightmares. But the movies themselves got so mean, actively rooting for pretty young people to be stabbed, exploded, or eviscerated, that it got too grim for me.
But when the praise for Final Destinations Bloodlines came flooding in, I reluctantly gave this franchise another shot. And I’m glad I did. Directing duo Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein have been delivering thrills since their underseen sci-fi gem Freaks in 2018. With this franchise, they brought in fresh life with new lore, characters actually worth caring about, and some practical effects that make the requisite death scenes truly eye-popping. Next, they’ll be working with Chris Columbus on Gremlins 3. So, expect a new batch of wild sequences gift-wrapped with scare-crafting skills.
Starring: Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Teo Briones, Richard Harmon, Owen Joyner, Anna Lore, Brec Bassinger, and Tony Todd
How to watch: Final Destinations Bloodlines is streaming on HBO Max.
18. Sketch
Inspired by his sister’s childhood penchant for doodling creepy things, writer/director Seth Worley created a horror movie that’s great for getting kids into the genre.
Sketch follows 11-year-old Amber (Bianca Belle), who channels her rage over the death of her mother into a notebook, which she fills with drawings of menacing monsters. When a magical twist of faith brings these carnage-creating critters to life — crayon scribbles, googly eyes and all — it’s up to her, her family, and her friends to save the day. And don’t fret, comedic character actors Tony Hale and D’Arcy Carden keep things light, playing Amber’s bewildered dad and impressed aunt.
Tony Hale plays ‘Say Action,’ monster movies edition in honor of ‘Sketch’
For more on Sketch, you can check out my review. Or you can consider that I took my nieces to see it in theaters, and they had an absolute blast, happily recounting its jokes and jump scares to anyone who crossed their paths.
Starring: Tony Hale, D’Arcy Carden, Bianca Belle, Kue Lawrence, and Kalon Cox
How to watch: Sketch is now available for rental or purchase on Prime Video.
17. Heart Eyes
If you like your slashers silly, you’ll appreciate Heart Eyes, the latest horror comedy from Josh Ruben (Scare Me, Werewolves Within).
This slasher parody is set on Valentine’s Day, when, for three years running, the Heart Eyes Killer has stalked cute couples for bloody ends. That shouldn’t be a problem for Ally (Olivia Holt), as she’s spending this could-be date night on a business dinner with her office rival, Jay (Mason Gooding), and she hates him. But their chemistry is so apparent that even the Heart Eyes Killer clocks it. So to stay alive, they’ll need to work together. But can they work against the deadly sexy enemies-to-lovers trope?
As I praised in my review, “Heart Eyes simultaneously has a mean streak and a soft heart, which is rare enough for an entry in the horror genre to feel a little special. Ally and Jay — and Holt and Gooding — are good together, and you’re rooting for them not just to survive the night but to make it as a couple. This isn’t a swooning romance (unless you’re easily grossed out and likely to faint), but it’s sweet enough when it counts to balance out the ickier bits.”
Starring: Olivia Holt, Mason Gooding, Gigi Zumbado, Michaela Watkins, Devon Sawa, and Jordana Brewster
How to watch: Heart Eyes is now streaming on Netflix.
16. Keeper
Osgood Perkins delivered a double whammy to horror fans this year, offering not only his wild adaptation of Stephen King’s The Monkey but also the original horror film Keeper.
Tatiana Maslany stars in this trippy thriller as a painter who reluctantly agrees to go on a weekend getaway to the family cabin of her boyfriend Malcolm (Rossif Sutherland). But shortly after they arrive, she senses something is just off. Maybe it’s the creepy cousin (Birkett Turton) who drops by with a bored party girl (Eden Weiss). Perhaps it’s the strange chocolate cake that just appeared on a table, inviting yet off-putting. Where this story — from Dangerous Animals screenwriter Nick Lepard — will go is impossible to predict. But that’s part of the fun.
As I declared in my review, “Perkins walks us into a nightmare, baking tension and unhinged treats with sickening sound effects, spectacular creature design, and a smartly savage script. Maslany is our guide, trusted and terrific, radiating strength and vulnerability in a rapturous performance. In a year of killer horror like Sinners and 28 Years Later, Perkins has made his mark with this sly, sickening, and sophisticated thriller.”
Starring: Tatiana Maslany, Rossif Sutherland, Birkett Turton, and Eden Weiss
Mashable Top Stories
How to watch: Keeper is now available for rental or purchase on Prime Video and Apple TV.
15. Dust Bunny
After giving audiences such sensational (and sensationally twisted) shows as Dead Like Me, Pushing Daisies, and Hannibal, Bryan Fuller makes his feature directorial debut with a monster movie that feels like Amélie meets Léon: The Professional.
The story centers on a young girl (Sophie Sloan), plagued by the monster (a massive dust bunny) under her bed. So, naturally, she looks for a hitman to take care of the creature. Lucky for her, there’s one living in her building. And he’s played by Hannibal‘s Mads Mikkelsen. The result is a monster movie that is whimsical, gnarly, thrilling, and fun.
In my review, I wrote, “Dust Bunny is exactly the kind of movie fans should expect from Fuller, but it’s also wildly surprising. As soon as it ended, I wanted to watch it again — not just for the fun of it, but to assure myself it was real and not some strange dream sparked from too much sour candy.”
Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Sophie Sloan, Sheila Atim, David Dastmalchian, and Sigourney Weaver
How to watch: Dust Bunny is now in theaters.
14. Companion
Written and directed by Drew Hancock, Companion is a horror movie, and much, much more. For one thing, it begins like a romantic comedy, with Iris (Sophie Thatcher) recounting her meet-cute with her beloved boyfriend Josh (Jack Quaid). But the tone changes when this couple joins his friends for a weekend getaway at a remote mountain cabin. There, one friend snarls at Iris, while another pushes her well out of her comfort zone. When a misunderstanding leads to a corpse, a big reveal pitches Companion away from romance (but not comedy) and well into horror terrain, with some sci-fi flair.
As I declared in my review, it’s “a deranged delight,” and it just might be perfect for date night… as a litmus test.
Starring: Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, Lukas Gage, Megan Suri, Harvey Guillén, and Rupert Friend
How to watch: Companion is now streaming on HBO Max.
13. The Rule of Jenny Pen
Psycho-biddy thrillers have long been the domain of women, specifically mad women whose tenuous grip on reality and penchant for violence made them icons of psychological horror. But now, joining the ranks of films like What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte, and Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? — comes The Rule of Jenny Penn, fronted by two formidable leading men.
John Lithgow and Geoffrey Rush reveal their character inspirations for ‘The Rule of Jenny Pen’
Set in a retirement facility, this nerve-wrenching film stars Geoffrey Rush and John Lithgow as two residents in a vicious game of power. For decades, Judge Stefan Mortensen (Rush) was respected, even feared. But following a near-fatal stroke, he’s as threatening as a kitten. For Dave Crealy (Lithgow), this makes the feeble judge little more than a plaything for his sick bullying, enhanced by a creepy baby doll he calls Jenny Pen.
Beyond an intense battle of wills, The Rule of Jenny Pen is a horror movie about the indignities of aging. As I wrote in my review, “Like in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? someone will lose this battle of wills, but no one will win. And in that, The Rule of Jenny Pen leaves us with a harrowing final image, simple yet unforgettable. In the end, The Rule of Jenny Pen becomes not just a frightening warning but also a haunting call for empathy — a memento mori of sorts, reminding the viewer, ‘As I am, you will be.'”
Starring: John Lithgow, Geoffrey Rush, and George Henare
How to watch: The Rule of Jenny Pen is streaming on Hulu, AMC+ and Shudder, and available for rental or purchase on Prime Video and Apple TV.
12. A Useful Ghost
One of the most surprising films I saw in 2025 was this treasure out of Thailand. The premise amused me: A ghost tries to be of use by possessing a vacuum cleaner. But I could not imagine how writer/director Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke would spin that kooky setup into something hilarious, heartfelt, and thought-provoking.
Far from a scary story, A Useful Ghost is a comedy with some deeply dark turns. It begins when a self-proclaimed “Academic Ladyboy” (Wisarut Homhuan) realizes his new vacuum is coughing up dust at night. He calls a repairman, who instead of just fixing the machine, explains there’s a ghost in it. What follows is this hot repairman named Krong (Wanlop Rungkumjad) unfurling a complex saga of two ghosts who’d thrown themselves into vacuums to stay close to their lovers. Within this, a story of love, manipulation, politics, and historical tragedy unfold.
In my review out of the Toronto International Film Festival, I wrote, “With A Useful Ghost, Boonbunchachoke delivers a a delirious vision, a hilarious and thought-provoking comedy that demands to be seen and adored. It’s just phenomenal.”
Starring: Davika Hoorne, Witsarut Himmarat, Apasiri Nitibhon, Wanlop Rungkumjad, and Wisarut Homhuan
How to watch: A Useful Ghost opens in theaters on Jan. 16.
11. Bone Lake
At first glance, Bone Lake looks pretty stupid. The title could either mean a lake full of the remains of the dead, or a scenic place for sexual shenanigans. And in director Mercedes Bryce Morgan’s randy thriller, it is both, and giddily and gruesomely so.
Bone Lake is a slasher movie with a pitch-black sense of humor. It opens with the merciless slaughter of a couple running totally nude through a forest. It’s a cold open that doesn’t play coy with the unapologetically graphic nature of the film. But the script from Joshua Friedlander proves smarter than you might expect. For one thing, vacationing couple Sage (Maddie Hasson) and Diego (Marco Pigossi) aren’t dummies. When they realize their rented lake house has been double-booked with the young and flirty Will (Alex Roe) and Cin (Andra Nechita), the possibility of infidelity and waves of relationship issues is clear from the jump. But the drive to be polite and feign cool is so strong that it’s easy to fall into the flow of this slippery-slope thriller.
As I pointed out in my review, “Bone Lake is the rare horror movie that relishes in the trashier aspects of the genre, swooning over sordid sex and grisly violence, but also manages to be cheeky and smart. It’ll pull you to the edge of your seat and have you cackling, yelling at the screen, and gasping in delicious shock. Hot, horrifying, funny, and surprising, Bone Lake is a total banger.”
Starring: Maddie Hasson, Marco Pigossi, Alex Roe, and Andra Nechita
How to watch: Bone Lake is now available for rental or purchase on Prime Video.
10. Hallow Road
One of our favorites out of SXSW, Hallow Road is a sickeningly tense thriller that preys on your imagination with its clever conceit. Presented in real time, this film from Babak Anvari (Under the Shadow and Wounds) centers on a couple of parents piling in a car and racing to their child in need. Rather that cutting between their crying 18-year-old daughter Alice and her frantic mother (Rosamund Pike) and father (Matthew Rhys), the screenplay by William Gillies keeps us planted firmly in their car. The only contact we have with the girl is over the phone.
I walked into this movie at SXSW with little idea of what was in store. And that was a terrific way to experience Hallow Road. So, rather than reveal anything else about the plot or why it’s so damn scary, I’ll just share this from my review, “I can tell you without spoilers that Anvari’s direction is masterful. Though confined to the car, the cinematography of Kit Fraser brings energy through whip pans between parents, and a very tight close-up hovering over a wide-eyed stare of horror, as they can see only the road ahead of them but can hear something strange on the other end of the line. Pike and Rhys lean into this claustrophobic energy, guzzling up all the air in the car with their combativeness, resentments, and agony. And the soundscape of Alice’s tinny voice over the phone colliding with curious sounds in the forest around her are so genuinely frightening that I full-on screamed. Twice.”
Starring: Rosamund Pike, Matthew Rhys, and Megan McDonnell
How to watch: Hallow Road is coming soon to digital.
9. Dangerous Animals
A deliciously biting thriller. Dangerous Animals reimagines action hero Jai Courtney as a menacing serial killer whose weapon of choice is sharks. You read that right. Sharks.
Say More: Jai Courtney on ‘Dangerous Animals’ and how his career led here
Penned by Nick Lepard (Keeper) and helmed by Sean Byrne (The Loved Ones), Dangerous Animals follows a free-spirited surfer named Zephyr (Hassie Harrison), who is thrown into mortal peril when she crosses paths with a shark tours captain named Tucker (Courtney). A sadistic game of cat and mouse follows, as she seeks a way off his boat that won’t end with her in a shark’s jaws. And while the plot can get a bit convoluted, Courtney’s sublimely scary performance makes this one a must-see.
As I noted in my review, “Jai Courtney is a rip-roaring force of nature in Dangerous Animals.”
Starring: Hassie Harrison, Josh Heuston, Rob Carlton, Ella Newton, Liam Greinke, and Jai Courtney
How to watch: Dangerous Animals is now streaming on Shudder.
8. Good Boy
The premise of Good Boy is downright brilliant: a dog in a haunted house. The scares we’ve come to expect from ghost movies, but the tension cranked up by putting a sweet dog at the center of the story, threatened by a supernatural viciousness.
Married collaborators Ben Leonberg and Kari Fischer created Good Boy by building a movie around their lovable dog, Indy. In my review out of the film’s SXSW premiere, I raved, “Beyond being a scary-as-hell watch for dog lovers, Good Boy has a built-in allure as Indy is just a star from his first frame. His dark eyes, floppy ears, and sweet expression make him instantly lovable. But more than that, he is so game for whatever Leonberg directs him to do. Staying and staring into an eerie abyss? Jumping into action? Reacting to a burst of blood? Racing to Todd to protect him? Indy is a good boy, through and through.”
This is smart and skillful indie (and Indy) filmmaking you don’t want to miss. And hey, if you need to know before you hit play if the dog dies, we’ve got you covered.
Starring: Indy, Shane Jensen, Arielle Friedman, and Larry Fessenden
How to watch: Good Boy is now streaming on Shudder.
7. Bring Her Back
First, filmmaking duo Danny and Michael Philippou awed critics and horror fans with their haunted-hand hit Talk to Me. Next, they returned with this gnarly psycho-biddy horror offering starring two-time Academy Award nominee Sally Hawkins. This nail-biting film is so intense that it might well have you gagging, covering your eyes, or experiencing some hard-won catharsis. Probing further into grief, the Philippou brothers explore how the unmooring feeling of mourning can make the world around us feel unreal, hostile, and strange.
Say More: Danny and Michael Philippou on ‘Bring Her Back’
In Bring Her Back, Hawkins stars as a foster mom named Laura, who takes in orphans like Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips), and siblings Piper (Sora Wong) and Andy (Billy Barratt). But despite Laura’s chipper mumsy demeanor, 17-year-old Andy realizes something is off in her remote forest home. But can he stop the hell that’s coming?
In my review for Mashable, I wrote, “Bring Her Back is extraordinary. For those who found Talk to Me sensationally scary, this follow-up will thrill with its deeply deranged tale of heartache and body horror. But the Philippous went deeper, presenting a character-driven drama with flares of psycho-biddy and religious horror. That heady combination not only makes for a satisfyingly scary as hell movie, but also a profound one.”
Starring: Sally Hawkins, Billy Barratt, Sora Wong, Jonah Wren Phillips, and Sally-Anne Upton
How to watch: Bring Her Back is now streaming on HBO Max, and available for rental or purchase on Prime Video and Apple TV.
6. Presence
Steven Soderbergh’s Presence had me hooked from its first shot. Reteaming with Kimi screenwriter David Koepp, the celebrated director and cinematographer tackled a fascinating idea: What if a ghost story was told from the POV of the spirit?
Shot by Soderbergh in first-person perspective, Presence puts audiences in the floating shoes of a ghost that’s haunting a suburban house, with no idea why. Through this lens, we watch a family drama unfold, where a workaholic mother (Lucy Liu) coddles her bratty jock son (Eddy Maday), while a concerned father (Chris Sullivan) struggles to connect to his teen daughter (Callina Liang), who is grieving the unexpected death of a friend.
‘Presence’s Steven Soderbergh and David Koepp on ghosts, horror, and hating winks
“Presence is a remarkable union of a clever concept and a superb execution,” I wrote in my review, “Soderbergh’s steady hand is so mindful in its performance that you can practically feel the expressions of a face you cannot see. The cast expertly builds a believable and complex family bond while effortlessly completing choreographed blocking. And Koepp delivers a final act that is stomach-churningly tense yet tender. All of this collides to make a sublimely realized ghost story that is easily one of the best films of the year.”
Starring: Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, Callina Liang, Eddy Maday, West Mulholland, and Julia Fox
How to watch: Presence is now streaming on Hulu.
5. Weapons
Like Jordan Peele before him, Zach Cregger took a hard turn from sketch comedy — as a member of Whitest Kids U’ Know — to horror director with a jaw-dropping vision of terror. In 2022, he gave us the deeply twisted Barbarian. And this year, he gifted us the perfectly witchy icon in Weapons’ Gladys (Amy Madigan).
In this deeply creepy tale of 17 children vanishing into the night, the focus leaps from one character to another, eerily unfolding the mystery at the heart of this missing persons case. A tormented teacher, a furious father, a bewildered principal, a cranky cop, and an unhoused goofball will collide in ways wild and unpredictable.
As Belen Edwards wrote in her review of the film, “Elsewhere, elements of body horror and the psycho-biddy subgenre surface, with Cregger happy to alternate between heart attack-inducing jump scares and slower burn frights at a moment’s notice. Occasionally, Weapons undercuts its own terrors with well-placed comedic beats, offering us catharsis amidst the ever-escalating mayhem. When Josh Brolin yells, ‘What the fuck?’ after an especially distressing encounter, we’re right there with him.”
Starring: Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Cary Christopher, Toby Huss, Benedict Wong, and Amy Madigan
How to watch: Weapons is now streaming on HBO Max.
4. The Ugly Stepsister
2025 kicked off hard for horror offerings with The Ugly Stepsister, which scored rave reviews out of the Sundance Film Festival. A fractured fairytale, the film from writer/director Emilie Blichfeldt plays like the grubby baby of Wicked and The Substance.
Cinderella is reimagined as a gnarly body-horror movie that focuses on the heroine’s much-maligned stepsister Elvira (Lea Myren). Within this twist in perspective, Blichfeldt delivers not only a deeply empathetic tale of a young girl grappling with a princely crush, sibling rivalry, and crippling societal pressures to conform to cruel beauty standards, but also the grisly scenes to back up its social critique. Be warned: This one isn’t for the faint of stomach.
‘Sinners,’ ‘Black Mirror,’ and ‘The Ugly Stepsister’: Film critics weigh in on what’s worth watching and what’s skippable
In my review for Mashable out of Sundance, I cheered, “The Ugly Stepsister is a deranged and dizzying achievement, folding in a classic story with a bitingly modern satire and bold body horror. Blichfeldt weaves these elements together to make a film that feels both of this moment but aesthetically nostalgic… And yet, her journey, as gross and grim as it is, is threaded with a ribbon of exhilaration, rebellion, and even defiant joy. Simply put, The Ugly Stepsister is savagely brutal and yet strangely beautiful.”*
Starring: Lea Myren, Thea Sofie Loch Næss, Ane Dahl Torp, Flo Fagerli, Isac Calmroth, and Malte Gårdinger
How to watch: The Ugly Stepsister is now streaming on Shudder.
3. Frankenstein
Frankenstein is the monster movie Guillermo del Toro was born to make. The heralded filmmaker behind Pan’s Labyrinth, Pacific Rim, Crimson Peak, and the Oscar–winning wonder of The Shape of Water poured his heart and soul into this stirring adaptation of Mary Shelley’s landmark 1818 novel. Pulling from his passion for monsters and from his personal life, del Toro makes this not just a story of mankind and monsters but also fathers and sons.
Oscar Isaac stars as the titular doctor, a mad scientist determined to overcome his childhood trauma of losing his mother (Mia Goth) by resurrecting an exquisite corpse (Jacob Elordi). However, this creature proves more than a science project or a pet. He yearns to grow, learn, and love. But in a world that cannot understand him, his quest will be violent and heartbreaking.
In my review out of TIFF, I proclaimed, “As a whole, del Toro’s Frankenstein is a marvel. His vision is clear and mesmerizing. His ensemble is electrifying. His adaptation is unique, soulful, and unforgettable. The man who loves monsters has just made his masterpiece: It’s rich, rapturous, and ruthlessly interrogates what it means to be human, with all of our glory and our flaws.”
Starring: Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Felix Kammerer, Lars Mikkelsen, David Bradley, Charles Dance, and Christoph Waltz
How to watch: Frankenstein is now streaming on Netflix.
2. 28 Years Later
23 years ago, director Danny Boyle rewrote the rules of zombie movies with his hit thriller 28 Days Later. This year, he reteamed with the first film’s screenwriter, Alex Garland, to resurrect this frightening franchise with a sequel that basically shrugs off Juan Carlos Fresnadillo’s schlocky follow-up 28 Weeks Later. And we’re elated for it.
28 Years Later evolves this film series in ways both epic and gloriously horrifying. Centered on the coming-of-age of an adolescent boy named Spike (Alfie Williams) in a post-apocalyptic Scotland, this sequel delivers heart-wrenching family drama, intriguing lore, and a harrowing evolutions of the infected persons, including monstrous beasts known as Alphas. Perhaps the scariest single sequence of 2025 is when this towering terror races after Spike and his desperate dad (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), while a gorgeous twilight shines behind them. Its beauty in contrast to their peril reflects the indifference of the wider world, which has left the UK to fend for themselves against these marauding monsters.
Rich with earnest and intense performances, jaw-dropping gore, and nerve-shredding tension, 28 Years Later isn’t just an epic horror film — it counts as cardio.
Starring: Alfie Williams, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, and Jack O’Connell
How to watch: 28 Years Later is now streaming on Netflix.
1. Sinners
Not just one of the best horror movies of 2025, but one of the best movies of 2025 full stop, Sinners is a celebration of genre and cinema. Writer/director Ryan Coogler reimagined vampire lore as a way to explore what it means to be young, Black, and gifted in America.
Michael B. Jordan stars as the Smokestack Twins, Black gangsters turned juke joint proprietors whose opening night is crashed by a vicious white vampire (Jack O’Connell) thirsty for the blood of their magical bluesman, Sammie (Miles Caton in a jaw-dropping debut). The character-building in this 1932-set period piece is rich, developing emotional plotlines of love, loss, and injustice. Supporting cast like Hailee Steinfeld, Wunmi Mosaku, Omar Miller, and Delroy Lindo had audiences cheering — in packed 70mm IMAX audiences and online. So, by the time O’Connell shows up, you might have been so entranced by this deep Southern drama you’d forgotten vampires were even going to be a part of it. But he proves to be a unique and mesmerizing monster, earning awe and screams in equal measure.
Critics praised the epic scope Coogler applied to his genre-fluid drama — which might be a horror musical. In my review of the film, I wrote, “Sinners is more than a hell of a thrilling vampire movie. Like Black Panther, it expands beyond the expectations of its genre to become a magnificent film, emanating with spirit, power, and purpose. Smoothly blending vampire horror into a unique tale of regret, resilience, and redemption, Coogler and Jordan have made a cinematic marvel that is terrifying, satisfying, and unforgettable.”
Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Omar Miller, Li Jun Li, Yao, Lola Kirke, and Delroy Lindo
How to watch: Sinners is now streaming on HBO Max, and available for rental or purchase on Prime Video and Apple TV.
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