100 Best Horror Movies & Thrillers of 2025
From Sinners and 28 Years Later to Silent Night, Deadly Night and Hag, we’ve got it all!
It’s hard to imagine better watershed modern years for horror than 2022 and 2024—but 2025 seriously said: “Hold my beer.” Big theatrical moments like Sinners, Weapons, and The Black Phone 2 once again proved that you can always trust that horror will draw big crowds. Others, from Bring Her Back to The Ugly Stepsister and Good Boy, showed that mainstream-leaning films could still take risks. And that says nothing about the phenomenal work being produced on the indie scene.
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When considering my picks for 100 Best Horror Movies of 2025, I carefully and meticulously examined plenty of blockbuster releases, of course, but I wanted to make sure I upheld my mission to champion the little guys. As you’ll see, most of my picks are independent films. I typically gravitate to the smaller, low-budget offerings because more often than not, indie writers and directors make bolder moves with their scripts and direction than 90% of Hollywood’s output these days.
Without further ado, here’s the rundown of the year’s best and most daring horror films.
Find my selections on this handy-dandy year-end Letterboxd list
Honorable Mention: Fréwaka
Directed by Aislinn Clarke
After the death of her estranged mother, a young woman, a primary care nursing student, receives a new role in a small Irish town. She is tasked with taking care of an elderly woman, who grows increasingly paranoid with each passing day. Wrapped in folk horror, Fréwaka invites the viewer down into a dark and dank rabbit hole of the twisted and deranged. Writer/director Aislinn Clark plasters the screen in a remarkable dissection of tragedy and death that seems to consume everything, whether you want it to or not. It crackles like the soft embers of a blisteringly red and orange campfire. If you inhale its smoke, you just might die.
100. Eat the Night
Directed by Caroline Poggi and Jonathan Vinel
Directors Caroline Poggi and Jonathan Vinel hook you into our collective desperation for human connection with their second feature. Eat the Night mixes virtual reality and real life into a stunning slice of modern existence. Through social media and online gaming, we all wear masks to conceal the most authentic parts of who we are. Instead, we swap what we think people will like and toss the rest. With the film’s reality-hopping structure, Piggi and Vinel’s sophomore effort explores relationships, the disjointed nature of our reality, and how we seek refuge in digital spaces. [Full Review]
99. A Desert
Directed by Joshua Erkman
Joshua Erkman’s A Desert doesn’t receive nearly enough praise for its disturbing, chaotic story about a photographer who heads to the American Southwest to recapture his creative glory days. During his trip, he befriends a reckless, strange couple and quickly tumbles down into a neo-noir spiral that seeks to rip him apart. Equal parts beautiful and devastating, the film explores how posthuman photography mirrors human existence itself. There’s a raw, disturbing quality to the desert, once occupied by families and now abandoned, with ramshackle shelters scattered across an eerily serene wasteland. Erkman lets images sear onto your brain and linger in your nightmares like a 35mm roll of film.
98. Grafted
Directed by Sasha Rainbow
In her feature directorial debut, Sasha Rainbow pulls out The Substance-coded Grafted. When a young woman goes off to college, she revisits her late father’s extensive research into skin grafting. His attempts to cure an inherited familial birthmark went off the rails, but Wei (Joyena Sun) believes she can crack the code to make it work. She goes to live with her aunt in New Zealand, and her cousin Angela (Jess Hong) is less than accommodating. But Wie pours herself into the work after becoming a lab assistant to her professor. As things spiral out of control, Wei seeks beauty in dangerous ways. It all leads to a finale that may make you experience Deja vu (in the best way possible). With its underlying messaging about beauty standards, Grafted wastes no time in getting to the good stuff – the bloody chaos and mental gymnastics. While there is evidence of CGI for some of the more intricate skin grafting, it marries those moments with graphic practical effects to balance the scales. It hits its punches every single time, leading into a climax that’s well worth a couple of viewings.
97. Livestream
Directed by Victor Soares
Influencer horror isn’t a new concept. From Influencer to Superhost and Deadstream, influencers have been plopped down in terrifying circumstances. They must survive while also streaming for their millions of fans. Writer/director Victor Soares places a bid for one of the genre’s best with Livestream, which follows an influencer named Mia (Sarah Moliski) and her friends when they take a sponsored trip to a secluded house in the woods. When Mia meets an obsessed fan (Savannah Schakett), the livestream quickly takes a dark turn, setting off a series of deadly consequences. What’s most interesting about the film is its incisive exploration of para-social relationships between fans and celebrity. In real life, many superstars have had to ward off super-fan stalkers, often leading to restraining orders and jail time. While it’s not necessarily reinventing the genre, the ensemble piece exposes the slimy underbelly of the industry. Livestream is thrilling, bloody, and should scratch that found footage itch.
96. Dorothea
Directed by Chad Ferrin
Based on real-life serial killer Dorothea Puente, dubbed “The Death House Landlady,” Chad Ferrin’s Dorothea achieves a delicate balance between the seriousness of her crimes and her sly humor. The film never excuses what she did, but it offers a glimpse into her life and who she was. The story captures the end of her reign of terror in a Sacramento boarding house. She’d murder someone who no one would miss and then continue cashing their welfare or social security checks. Ferrin takes great care with her many victims, reminding the audience that they were real people with lives, dreams, and ambitions. It’s essential for any true crime fan.
95. Bone Lake
Directed by Mercedes Bryce Morgan
Salacious and seductive, Mercedes Bryce Morgan’s Bone Lake certainly lives up to its provocative name. The horror/thriller features plenty of horniness and tantalizing bloodlust worthy of Netflix’s You. With its familiar storyline, you might head into the film with a set of expectations about what will happen, but writer Joshua Friedlander fuels his script with enough camp to shoot adrenaline straight into the veins. The fun lies in how the characters, unassuming at first, realize what’s happening and choose to fight for survival. [Full Review]
94. The McKinney Family Home Videos Volume 2
Directed by Nick Cotrufo
In Nick Cotrufo’s The McKinney Family Home Videos Volume 2, another tape is uncovered documenting The Church of the Holy Mother, its leader Diana, and the God head Lilith. It’s a diabolical collection of images that will haunt all the rest of your days. It’s an erratic patchwork that makes for an uneasy (and queasy) experience, but such editing and pacing drive home the unsettling dread that grows in your stomach. There’s nothing else quite like it in 2025, and for that, it’s pretty special.
93. Bone Face
Directed by Michael Donovan Horn
The best way to experience Michael Donovan Horn’s Bone Face is to go in totally blind. Do not watch the trailer. For the sake of not spoiling anything, let’s just say: it’s an unconventional slasher. It lives in the same realm as Marshmallow (also on this list) regarding how it flips everything you know about slashers on its head. It’s a guaranteed good time.
92. What Happened to Suzy
Directed by James Ersted
The thing about What Happened to Suzy? is it’s so enticing that you’re left wanting more. As far as mockumentaries go, it’s good. Like really good. Director James Ersted stages his story in typical true crime fashion: a relative cracks open a decades-old cold case to discover the truth. What they happen across, as in the case of a similarly-themed and structured Hunting Matthew Nichols (2024), is far more sinister than they imagined. [Full Review]
91. Coyotes
Directed by Colin Minihan
From The Masque of the Red Death to Ready or Not and The Menu, horror has a long tradition of eating the rich. And who doesn’t love an epic mangling of the excesses of the elite? Out of Fantastic Fest, Coyotes (written by Nick Simon and Tad Daggerhart, who both conceived the idea with Daniel Meersand) is the latest addition to that storied history. With its bonkers premise of Attack of the Coyotes, the feature film (directed by Colin Minihan) treats the audience to wacky setpieces, deliciously dark humor, and a razor-sharp message perfect for 2025. [Full Review]
90. Freelance
Directed by John Balazs
“It takes goddamn forever to get paid,” an exasperated Katie (Nicole Pastor) tells a coffee shop barista after failing to have enough money for a red latte. She’s down on her luck and just needs a little pick-me-up to get through her day. We’ve certainly all been there. With a script written by Mike Gerbino, John Balazs’ Freelance focuses on the draining and thankless job of freelancing in a world where anyone could be a competitor, fracturing relationships, and leading to questions of self-worth. As the film revels in its mystery, the thematic underpinning keeps the audience riveted and emotionally invested in the story. [Full Review]
89. Head Like a Hole
Directed by Stefan MacDonald-Labelle
Head Like a Hole serves as writer/director Stefan MacDonald-Labelle’s feature directorial debut. An existential, one-location setpiece, the super gay film follows Asher (Steve Kasan) after he answers an ad for a researcher position at a mysterious company. When he interviews for the role, he’s told that everyone there is mostly in the dark about what kind of work they’re doing. All they need Asher to do is watch a hole in the wall in the basement, take on-the-hour measurements, and record his findings. That’s it. The hours tick on for years, and each day feels longer than the last. But Asher perseveres until he gets a raise. Emerson (Jeff McDonald), the guy in charge, urges Asher to give the hole (or “anomaly”) a name. Once he confesses some of his darkest yearnings, he does give the oblivion a moniker that seems to trigger something inside of it. From there, all bets are off. Head Like a Hole is a character-driven horror that relies on Kasan’s onscreen presence to keep the viewer invested – and he does wonders. You might think you know where MacDonald-Labelle is headed, but you have no clue. The finale is more than earned, and a little insanely repulsive.
88. For Sale by Exorcist
Directed by Melissa LaMartina
Looking for campy satire? Melissa LaMartina’s For Sale by Exorcist should scratch that itch. Borrowing tricks from the exorcist lexicon, the sometimes silly film goes for punch-in-the-gut laughs and doesn’t let up until the end credits. Emily Classen plays Susan Price, a real estate agent with a knack for closing deals… and closing portals to the underworld. Susan invites you along on the search for a home and maybe a few ghosts. The film would absolutely not work without Classen’s razor-sharp comedic timing and her ability to captivate the camera. It’s not trying to make a bold statement about anything, and sometimes, all we need is a good time with a bucket of popcorn.
87. Don’t Peek
Directed by Kyle Tague
You can count Kyle Tague’s Don’t Peek as one of the biggest surprises of the year. As a YouTube-ing couple stumble upon videos of a previous tenant, who happened to be a serial killer, reality and fantasy blur together to create one of the year’s most frightful films. Tague plays with perception and delivers some truly ghoulish images. It feels almost too real, in a very Blair Witch kind of way. It’s best experienced in the dark and turned all the way up. Don’t you dare sleep on this one.
86. Lucid
Directed by Deanna Milligan and Ramsey Fendall
Lucid exists in the same universe as Bliss, a similarly themed indie that deconstructs art and the artistic process. With Lucid, co-directors Deanna Milligan and Ramsey Fendall send the viewer into a hypnotic spiral. Mia (Caitlin Acken Taylor) struggles with finding inspiration for her latest piece. She’s thrown everything at the canvas, and her creativity refuses to spill out. Close friends suggest going to a psychic, who just might have the trick to unlock the block stopping her from reaching her full potential. She’s given a heart-shaped drug called lucid that promises to wipe the mind clean. But Mia is tossed into a fever dream of nightmarish proportions. Lucid is stylish, grungy, and punk af – a dream from which you may never wake.
85. Dead Mail
Directed by Kyle McConaghy and Joe DeBoer
Co-directors Joe DeBoer and Kyle McConaghy supply the thrills and chills with Dead Mail. When a synth engineer gets kidnapped, it’s a cat-and-mouse game as he tries valiantly to escape the clutches of his kidnapper. When Josh (Sterling Macer Jr.) momentarily escapes, he’s able to slip a blood-soaked note into a nearby public mail receptacle. The cry for help eventually reaches the local post office, where a letter investigator discovers the note and begins searching for Josh’s location. Dead Mail packs on the suspense and offers an insightful character study of Trent (John Fleck), the kidnapper, and how loneliness and desperation can drive people to do the craziest things. With its throat-gripping tension, Dead Mail takes no prisoners.
84. The Surrender
Directed by Julia Max
As Jud says in Pet Sematary: “Sometimes, dead is better!”
In Julia Max’s The Surrender, grief and desperation tangle as one. A mother and daughter witness the death of the family patriarch and struggle to cope. As they fall deeper into a plan to bring him back to life, their own lives become targets of the unknown. The film is unlike most grief-horror in that Max transmits a visceral, pulsating quality through the camera lens. The story feels raw, honest, and grounded in the cast’s performances – Kate Burton’s is particularly soul-rattling.
83. Violence
Directed by Connor Marsden
The past never really stays dead. Just ask Henry Violence. In his feature film debut, writer/director Connor Marsden takes the viewer into a punk-fueled, neon-soaked underworld of the 1980s. Violence doesn’t only feel gritty but like a beautiful hellscape, an alternate reality far removed from our own. Marsden, who co-wrote the script with Devin Myler and William Woods, crafts a hypnotically slimy wonderland that goes from zero to 100 in the blink of an eye. It’s 84 relentless minutes slathered in blood, with Rohan Campbell delivering one of his best performances to date. [Full Review]
82. The Mother, the Menacer, and Me
Directed by Jon Salmon
James Austin Kerr stars as Eddie Matthews, an aspiring filmmaker who has just moved in with his mother-in-law. Eddie is down on his luck, but he hasn’t let his passion for filmmaking fade. His 9-to-5 grind can be quite soul-sucking, but he funnels that frustration into his work in extraordinary ways. His film, Killing Karens, is all he ever thinks about. He lives, breathes, sleeps, and eats the story. While his mother-in-law clearly doesn’t understand his ambitions, Eddie, like many millennials, is used to being denigrated for what others see as frivolous dreams. With his villainous imaginary companion in tow, Eddie gets the break of his life, which could lead to the film’s most epic kill. The Mother, the Menacer, and Me feels very Dead Like Me coded, and it’s always nice to see Leah Remini onscreen.
81. A Woman Called Mother
Directed by Randolph Zaini
Single mother Yanti (Randolph Zaini) has never recovered from her husband abandoning the family. After moving to a rural neighborhood with her two children, Vira (Aurora Ribero) and Dino (Ali Fikry), she hopes for a fresh start and opens a salon. But something sinister attaches itself to Yanti and changes her personality, leading to strange occurrences around the property. Vira and Dino, who film scary videos for their plans to launch a YouTube channel, are caught in a spider-like web and must figure out the truth before Yanti turns her attention to them. A Woman Called Mother, based on a story by JeroPoint, makes great use of empty space and shadow, offering some of the year’s creepiest moments. Possession movies are a dime a dozen, but co-writer and director Randolph Zaini injects some life into a tired genre through great attention to mood and atmosphere.
80. Alan at Night
Directed by Jesse Swenson
If you’re an avid found footage fan, I don’t need to tell you that the genre is thriving these days. With his new film, Alan at Night, writer/director Jesse Swenson injects the subgenre with enough adrenaline to get the blood coursing in your system. It packs in peculiar twists and turns while never sacrificing good, old-fashioned, bone-chilling scares. The film fits comfortably in the realm of Digging Up the Marrow for its grotesque and gooey imagery and keeps the surprises going until the very last frame. [Full Review]
79. Get Away
Directed by Steffen Haars
Throw out every expectation you have about Steffen Haars’ Get Away. The director masks the story beneath a Midsommar-like cult tale about a family who takes a holiday to Sweden and visits a mysterious commune. But things are never as they seem when the happy-go-lucky family discovers a serial killer lurking on the island. What transpires next is a bloody romp that flips every single convention on its head, leaving you aghast and chortling. [Full Review]
78. Companion
Directed by Drew Hancock
We, as a society, deserve what’s coming to us. In Drew Hancock’s Companion, starring Jack Quaid, Sophie Thatcher, and Lukas Gage, a young man named Josh (Quaid) takes his girlfriend Iris (Thatcher) to a weekend getaway at a friend’s extravagant estate. From the start, Hancock dresses up the story with an overwhelming aura of tension and peculiarity. Something’s just off. As the writer/director peels back the layers, it’s revealed that one among them is an android meant for human companionship, and it’s gone haywire. What transpires next is nothing short of looking in the mirror. Much like Black Mirror, Companion is not some distant fantasy; it’s reality and happening right before our eyes. Do we stop it? Or are we too far gone?
77. Rounding
Directed by Alex Thompson
With Rounding, writer/director Alex Thompson sculpts a harrowing analysis of the human condition, trauma, and desperation. When young resident doctor James Hayman (Namir Smallwood) moves to the country, he takes up residence at a local hospital. What begins as a much-needed fresh start, after a nervous breakdown, turns into a dark and twisted tale about a young patient’s presumed severe asthma. As things begin to collapse around him, James finds himself spiraling out of control again. This time, he sees monstrous visions that seek to bleed him dry. Thompson rips horror from real life to puncture the wind from your lungs. The hallucinations are wholly unnecessary, yet the true terror stems from the actions of human beings and their need to feel wanted. Rounding is a devastating watch that buckles the knees in more ways than one.
76. Stay Online
Directed by Eva Strelnikova
The importance of technology in wartime can not be overstated. Eva Strelnikova’s Stay Online, a war/thriller filmed during the ongoing Russian invasion, strikes a harrowing, resonant chord. The story follows a volunteer who receives a laptop and finds herself helping a young boy find his father. With bombs going off in the distance and frequent air radar alarms, the film arrives as one of the most compelling and necessary films of 2025. It’s decidedly a hard watch, but to understand what’s going on, everyone needs a glimpse behind news headlines and wartime propaganda. The Ukrainian people are nothing short of brave, that’s to be sure. Strelnikova doesn’t skimp on the graphic nature of events, often showing dead bodies and relentlessly exposing the stakes for those on the front lines. It’ll make you think very differently about the war.
75. Strange Harvest
Directed by Stuart Ortiz
In true mockumentary fashion, we have talking heads as they share one of the most frightening serial killers to ever exist. Two detectives walk the viewer through the remarkably terrifying history of a killer who calls himself Mr. Shiny and his many victims. As they untangle the mystery, they stumble upon some truly unsettling truths. Mr. Shiny, who wears a creepy mask, naturally, shows up through various computer screens and surveillance footage—and his visage is downright chilling. The puzzle pieces don’t initially make much sense to law enforcement, but they’ll learn about the gravity of the crimes soon enough. If you’re a fan of true crime and TV shows like Monsters, you’ll find plenty to like about Stuart Ortiz’s Strange Harvest. Its suffocating use of tension, story reveals, and Mr. Shiny’s many letters make for long, sleepless nights as you double-check if you’ve locked your doors and windows.
74. Sleep Stalker
Directed by Justin Shilton and Rob Zazzali
With Sleep Stalker, co-writers and co-directors Justin Shilton and Rob Zazzali stage a simple, all-too-familiar premise and flip it on its head. When a video influencer couple moves into a new home, Shane (Josh Gilmer) starts sleepwalking. As the nights tumble like dominoes into the next, his nighttime scavenging turns violent, putting Abby’s (Gabrielle Montes de Oca) life at risk. They turn to a sleep study for answers, but it just makes the spirits, or demons, or whatever, increasingly angry. The film builds rather nicely, with plenty of suspense and a rich, fascinating character dynamic.
73. Hellcat
Directed by Brock Bodell
There’s something to be said about the power of one-location horror. The story becomes pressurized, contained to the talent in front of and behind the camera. Actors must rely on the potency of the script, which they then wield with their own devices. Writer/director Brock Bodell sells you a confined story about an animal bite and a disease, wrapped inside a test of human endurance and willpower. Hellcat neither reveals its hand too early nor overstays its welcome. It’s cooked to absolute purrfection as it works as both a ferocious horror flick and a tense, nail-biting thriller. It teeters along genre lines, allowing Bodell to always toy with the audience’s perception of events. [Full Review]
72. Bleeding
Directed by Andrew Bell
Vampire tales as allegory isn’t a new conceit. Whether drawing parallels to lust, greed, or addiction, vampires in literature and cinema serve as vehicles for larger conversations about human existence. From Daughters of Darkness to Salem’s Lot, these stories resonate across decades by exposing deeper layers of living and dying. More modern fare like Abigail, Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person, and Slay infuse their blood-encased sagas with prickly and poignant ideas about what it means to survive contemporary society while remaining rooted in tradition. With Bleeding, writer/director Andrew Bell bends vampiric conventions to tell a harrowing account of addiction. [Full Review]
71. Drop
Directed by Christopher Landon
Christopher Landon’s tech-thriller Drop is full of surprises. Meghann Fahy plays Violet, a young woman finally taking the plunge to see people again. Her date Henry (Brandon Sklenar) is a dashing gentleman and by all accounts, not a serial killer. When Violet receives a disturbing message from someone inside the sky-top restaurant, she must keep it quiet or the unknown person might kill her son Toby (Jacob Robinson). Landon keeps the tension taut, always on the verge of snapping in two. And when it does snap, all bets are off. Fahy gives the performance of her career, oscillating between bug-eyed fear to rage. When it comes down to it, what are you willing to do for those you love?
70. Pins and Needles
Directed by James Villeneuve
Chelsea Clark leads James Villeneuve’s new film, Pins and Needles. Playing diabetic biology grad student Max, Clark delivers a deeply layered character who finds herself going up against a pair of psychopathic bio-hackers. That’s the fancy term for cannibals. When Max and her friends bust two tires on a spike strip, they find themselves in the middle of nowhere. Their only hope is a nearby secluded house, but the homeowners have something far more sinister in mind. A lean and mean story, Pins and Needles never fusses over the story or holds its cards too close to the vest. It’s a straightforward survivalist story that serves as a proper vehicle for Clark to be as badass as possible. On a meager budget, Villeneuve uses the one location to his advantage—allowing a claustrophobic feeling to push up against the viewer. It’s easily one of the year’s biggest indie treats.
69. Dangerous Animals
Directed by Sean Byrne
Sean Byrne’s Dangerous Animals is a rare aquatic horror that brings the thrills, chills, and twists. So often with these types of movies, you get flooded with bad CGI, half-baked characters, and a tired plot. Nick Lepard’s script turns the tables on expectations and injects the subgenre with much-needed voltage that kicks you right in the stomach. When young surfer Zephyr (Hassie Harrison) gets abducted by a serial killer with a love of sharks, it becomes a battle of wits and instinct to survive. Dangerous Animals doesn’t adhere to any preconceived ideas and carves out its place in the long lineage of shark movies. It’s just as exciting as Jaws was so many years ago. It’s a real bucket of chum (complementary).
68. M3GAN 2.0
Directed by Gerard Johnstone
M3GAN 2.0 is really that bitch. Despite its lackluster reception and disappointing box office performance, the return of everyone’s favorite android doll proved to be even more exciting than the original. That’s in large part due to its total genre swerve, shifting from sci-fi/horror to straight action/horror in a Terminator kind of way. It’s comparable to another Blumhouse IP, Happy Death Day and its sequel, which veered away from slasher territory into sci-fi land. Packed with throat-throttling fight scenes, as M3GAN fights another android with the same programming, the film ups the ante in every possible way. If you weren’t rooting for M3GAN before, you sure will now. “Hold onto your vaginas” is one helluva zinger. Iconic.
67. V/H/S/Halloween
Directed by Bryan M. Ferguson, Casper Kelly, Micheline Pitt-Norman, R.H. Norman, Alex Ross Perry, Paco Plaza, Anna Zlokovic
In these trying times, it’s nice to have something we can count on. With frequent installments of the V/H/S franchise, we’re treated to ghoulish scares and tasty gore to satiate our appetite and alleviate our anxieties. V/H/S/Halloween is a frighteningly good time. The wrap-around story (titled “Diet Phantasm”) sets the weird and wild tone for the packaged anthology you’re about to behold. The essential standalone segments “Kidprint” and “Home Haunt” (one for the books!) are certified bangers with real terror threaded throughout their bizarre and disturbing tapestries. But other must-see chapters (particularly “Coochie Coochie Coo” and “Fun Size”) serve up plenty of tricks and treats of their own, boosting a top-notch entry in an ongoing series. Ultimately, V/H/S/Halloween is a deliciously creepy film that’ll enter into anyone’s scary yearly rotation.
66. Hell House LLC: Lineage
Directed by Stephen Cognetti
When it was announced that Hell House LLC‘s concluding chapter would not be found footage, I was skeptical. I wasn’t sure a traditionally shot film could work. I’m glad I was wrong. Stephen Cognetti’s Hell House LLC: Lineage surpasses every expectation – and then some. While expanding upon what came before, it also does a nice job of tying up all the loose ends, connecting the dots between characters, and offering a reason behind all the bloodshed. The filmmaking might be crisp, too clean – but Cognetti still packs in all the thrills and chills you could want. [Full Review]
65. The Serpent’s Skin
Directed by Alice Maio Mackay
Alice Maio Mackay is a visionary. Her work celebrates trans power through confessional stories that speak to real-world horrors. The Serpent’s Skin, her second best behind Carnage for Christmas, sees a filmmaker’s craft aging like fine wine. Her visual storytelling has always been the hook (in addition to the deeply personal trans stories) for watching her films. Here, it’s among the best examples of how to deliver blood-chilling illustrations that further boost the plot. After escaping her homophobic hometown, Anna (Alexandra McVicker) befriends a tattoo artist named Gen (Avalon Fast), and their love is quick and hot. But as they grow closer, one of Gen’s creations takes root in their lives. Mackay unleashes one of her most monstrous stories. If it hasn’t been clear up to this point, she’s the leader of the new generation of queer filmmakers.
64. Damned If You Do
Directed by Evan Metzold and Jake Rubin
Damned If You Do is an absolute blast. Co-directors Evan Metzold and Jake Rubin take a gleefully irreverent script (penned by Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde) and stylize it with a bit of polish and bite. When you have Kate Siegel, Beth Dover, and Harvey Guillén in your cast, you better work. 25 years after a group of teens sells their souls to Satan to get whatever they desire, they reunite at their high school reunion and face a ticking clock before their doom. If we’re being honest, it’s really Guillén’s world, and we’re all just living in it. His performance is legendary. Playing Satan, he brings a joyous flamboyancy to his role that’ll knock your socks off. The film operates as a campy ensemble piece, with everyone holding their own. It’s a downright hoot!
63. The Beldham
Directed by Angela Gulner
Fitting somewhere between Relic and Goodnight Mommy, writer/director Angela Gulner’s The Beldham taps into mental decay, a mother’s primal senses, and postpartum psychosis. Its effectiveness relies heavily on Gulner’s taut, character-driven script that uncovers the insidious fear stemming from memory loss and the cruelty of human existence. The cast, which includes Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond) and Katie Parker (The Haunting of Hill House, The Fall of the House of Usher), digs their teeth into the material with remarkable urgency. [Full Review]
62. Affection
Directed by BT Meza
Time resetting, repetition, and bending have been common setups in horror for years. From Dead End to Lucky and Happy Death Day, the genre obsesses over the merciless hand of time. Rearrangements and varied iterations keep the subgenre fresh and exciting. Writer/director BT Meza mixes time and human memory into a twisty and unexpected elixir with his debut feature, Affection. It’s a difficult film to discuss without veering into spoiler territory, but what can be said is that Jessica Rothe makes an unbelievable splash in a role that relies heavily on her physical performance. [Full Review]
61. Frankenstein
Directed by Guillermo del Toro
Over the last 200+ years, many filmmakers have taken a stab at interpreting Mary Shelley’s iconic 1818 novel, Frankenstein. From Young Frankenstein to Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein and camp classics such as Frankenhooker, some adaptations are better than others. But it’s a testament to the story that it has endured this long and invited countless perspectives. With Guillermo del Toro’s new version, starring Jacob Elordi as Frankenstein’s monster, the filmmaker breathes life into the source material. The set design, costumes, and performances all conspire together to create a cinematic masterpiece that just might surpass 1931’s Frankenstein.
60. The Ugly Stepsister
Directed by Emilie Kristine Blichfeldt
Writer/director Emilie Blichfeldt takes a claw hammer to the classic Cinderella story and makes it into mince meat. The Ugly Stepsister focuses not upon Cinderella but one of her “evil” stepsisters. In this version, Elvira (Lea Myren) only wants to be seen for her beauty. She’s a mockery of everyone around her, with her braces, knob-nose, and pale skin. Her mother opts to get her surgery from a local physician, who first removes her braces and then performs a gruesome procedure to straighten her nose. What transpires next is a slow mental collapse, as Elvira seeks to woo Prince Julian. Agnes (Thea Sofie Loch Næss), often chided as “Cinderella,” turns her attention to a fairy godmother who turns her chariot into a pumpkin and conjures up a beautiful dress. The story progresses just as you might expect, dabbling a bit in Grimm’s original story for grotesque, nauseating imagery. The Ugly Stepsister is well worth the wait, as it devolves from a charming, magical story into a macabre yarn about desperation, body image, and jealousy.
59. Bring Her Back
Directed by Michael Philippou and Danny Philippou
The “feel bad” movie of the year, The Philippou Brothers’ Bring Her Back is a one-way ticket to depression. After their father dies, siblings Piper (Sora Wong) and Andy (Billy Barratt) are sent to live with Laura (Sally Hawkins). She’s a well-meaning former counselor and wants to do right by her new foster children. When she introduces Andy and Piper to Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips), another foster kid, something seems off—to put it mildly. Laura grows increasingly protective of Piper and pushes Andy away, even going as far as to pit the brother and sister against one another. Bring Her Back follows Talk to Me, further proving that the filmmakers are unafraid to take big risks and push the genre forward.
58. The Decedent
Directed by Andrew Bowser
Andrew Bowser’s The Decedent is the love child of The Autopsy of Jane Doe and “The Empty Wake” segment from V/H/S/94. It’s yet another example of what indie filmmakers are doing with found footage this year. And who said the subgenre was dead?!? Far from it. One dark, lonely night, young mortician Bella (Zoe Graham) makes a tutorial video on how to mold part of the body’s missing face using clay for those interested in working in a funeral home. She uses a fresh corpse as a model for the video. As she sculpts to make the victim’s face as close a likeness as possible, a dark presence seeps out and haunts her. Duncan (Bowser) arrives to install security cameras at Bella’s father’s behest to capture the culprits stealing medical equipment and drugs. But they capture far more than intended. Bowser’s inventive script and direction are impressive, working within the found footage constraints but also painting outside those lines whenever appropriate. There are some images here that’ll stick with you forever.
57. Mother of Flies
Directed by The Adams Family
It’s hard to fathom that The Adams Family has managed to craft numerous harrowing and brutally eerie horror films, but their dedication to the work results in nary a dud in the bunch. With their new film, the filmmaking family delivers one of their best yet. Mother of Flies is a deeply personal piece that scrapes the skin of humanity, uncovering swollen membrane and the line between life and death. It’s a ticking time bomb, and you’re waiting with bated breath for it to explode in your hands. [Full Review]
56. Locked
Directed by David Yarovesky
David Yarovesky’s Locked is an explosively timely story about a boomer torturing a millennial over a rigged system they literally built against the younger generations. William (Anthony Hopkins) then spends the entire runtime complaining and blaming Eddie (Bill Skarsgård) and millennials, in general, for being entitled and not working hard enough. A rich white man claims moral superiority without doing a damn thing to actually make the world better, except to torment the younger generations for being desperate to do anything they can to survive. Locked captures the collective millennial and Gen Z hatred and exhaustion over the boomer generation acting like they didn’t climb the ladder and pull the ladder up behind them. The film also tackles accountability and backwater bigotry over anything or anyone who scares the older generations. Despite largely negative reviews, Locked is an essential timepiece for 2025.
55. No Tears in Hell
Directed by Michael Caissie
Michael Caissie’s No Tears in Hell takes cues from the true story of Russian serial killer Alexander Spesivtsev. Luke Baines plays Alex, a deranged psychopath, who learned the ways of torturing and killing innocent young victims from his mother (Gwen Van Dam). The mother-son duo has created a house of horrors, to which they lure unsuspecting victims to their death. On one occasion, the mother convinces two women to help carry groceries back to her apartment—and it ends in one of the most gruesome scenes in any horror movie this year. No Tears in Hell exposes one sick monster for the person that he truly is. It’s tailor-made for true crime enthusiasts.
54. There’s a Zombie Outside
Directed by Michael Varrati
Taking self-referential and genre cues from the likes of 1985’s The Return of the Living Dead, filmmaker Michael Varrati delights with a uniquely gay zombie spin in his brand new feature. There’s a Zombie Outside finds the writer/director shoveling out loads of sticky, flesh-dripping images with a deft horror pen that excavates apocalyptic graves in a way that pays tribute to the past while not getting lost in its meta treatment. In the way Scream reconfigured slashers, Zombie reassesses the walking dead lore on its own terms. Varrati isn’t concerned about retreading conventions. He exchanges tropes and cliches for an emotionally rich currency that makes viewers fall in love and relish the tragic beauty. [Full Review]
53. Eenie Meanie
Directed by Shawn Simmons
Samara Weaving instantly makes everything better. In Shawn Simmons’ action-packed thriller, Weaving plays a young woman with a storied past trying to do better for herself. She works a full-time job while going to school, but a blast from the past sends her careening back to her old life. What ensues next is 0 to 180 (and back again) whiplash getaway. Through a crisp lens, you see every crash and piece of flying debri in flashing color and explosion. Despite many disparaging reviews, Eenie Meanie is a full-throttle chase not only literally through the city but through Edie’s (Weaving) past life. There are few talents as remarkable as Weaving, and this film serves as a real reminder.
52. The Rebrand
Directed by Kaye Adelaide
We all know at least one YouTuber or TikTok star who’s been canceled. For whatever reason, their legion of adoring fans turns on them. There’s usually no way coming back from that, but a well-meaning comeback tour typically includes a staged apology. Fans scoff, and the brand goes under. Thistle (Nancy Webb) and her partner Blair (Andi E. McQueen) undergo a similar situation in Kaye Adelaide’s The Rebrand. Adelaide, who co-wrote the script with Webb, manages to craft a glaring glimpse into the lifestyle of fake influencers who’ll do anything for views and likes. It’s most effective in its earnest performances from its central cast, giving way to a character collapse in plain view. [Full Review]
51. The Wild
Directed by Jessica Kozak
The Wild bears a striking resemblance to Birdeater (also on this list) tone and mood. After the tragic death of their friend Bea, Emilia (Sunita Mani) and her friends Finn (Kate Easton) and Lucey (Kayla Foster) head out on their annual camping trip. Despite the psychological toll Bea’s death still carries, the group attempts to have a good time. But as emotions explode, secrets come out and more death follows. It’s like a spectre, hanging around and dragging all their baggage along. Jessica Kozak yanks the rug from under your feet at the last possible second, surprising you and keeping you glued to the screen. A truly unexpected treat.
50. Birdeater
Directed by Jack Clark and Jim Weir
In Birdeater, Louie (Mackenzie Fearnley) invites his bride-to-be Irene (Shabana Azeez) along for his bachelor’s party – which is weird, right? It’s far more than a bachelor’s party; it’s a gathering of Louie’s closest friends for an entire weekend of fun. Well, fun isn’t the word Irene would eventually describe it. Featuring one of the most awkward dinner scenes ever, Birdeater tests your patience, but I promise you it’s totally worth it. As things unwind and screws come loose, the film nose-dives into a psychological prison that threatens to tear Irene apart.
49. Marshmallow
Directed by Daniel DelPurgatorio
Two years ago, I wrote about the slasher renaissance and how things had shifted away from the paranormal to something more visceral. Terrifier 2, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween Ends. Then, there were countless indie offshoots, from Haunt to A Classic Horror Story. Slashers were all the rage. In 2025, the genre exploded further, with slashers becoming a hot ticket item once again. For better or worse, slashers are here to stay. With a script written by Andy Greskoviak, Daniel DelPurgatorio’s Marshmallow offers a fresh coat of paint to usual slasher standards. In coloring outside the lines, the film delivers charming characters, stunning cinematography, and, of course, plenty of ghost-like frights. [Full Review]
48. Weapons
Directed by Zach Cregger
Zach Cregger’s Weapons is a heavy hitter, coming in second to Sinners this year. There’s a moment when Josh Brolin’s character dreams he’s following his runaway son through the neighborhood. When he looks up, he sees an AR-15 floating in the dark, gloomy sky, with an analog clock’s blinking time piercing through the clouds. Intentionally or not, that brief image captures the film’s central metaphor: a school shooting. With Aunt Gladys (Amy Madigan) at the center, Weapons is a whirlwind of emotion, wrapped tightly around non-linear storytelling. It’s easily one of the year’s most remarkable and poignant theatrical releases.
47. Influencers
Directed by Kurtis David Harder
In the era of influencer horror, there are few able to deftly walk the fine line between horror and satire. Kurtis David Harder masters the subgenre with sly ease with Influencers. As the follow-up to his splashy 2022 film, Influencer, the sequel winds up the social commentary, preposterous insanity, and the ever-expanding world-building like the Energizer Bunny. Cassandra Naud returns as the enigmatic CW and delivers a career-making performance that is even more unhinged than you can imagine. [Full Review]
46. Sweetness
Directed by Emma Higgins
Horror has long been fascinated by pop music, particularly in terms of celebrity and fan interaction. Over the past year, two of the genre’s biggest releases—Smile 2 and Trap—have delved further into the dark underbelly of fame and parasocial relationships. For her first feature film, Emma Higgins delves even deeper into fan psychology and the strange, obsessive behavior that connects musicians with their listener base. Playing this year’s Fantasia Fest, Sweetness, akin to this year’s indie found footage film Livestream, takes things to the next psychotic level with a fang-toothed script and one of the year’s most unnerving performances. [Full Review]
45. Lurker
Directed by Alex Russell
Lurker is not quite what you’ll expect. Archie Madekwe (Oliver) brings the popstardom, and Matthew (Theodore Pellerin) brings the obnoxious obsession. With dreams of fame, Matthew befriends Oliver after he randomly comes into Matthews’ clothing shop one afternoon. Oliver invites him to a show, and thus begins a twisted story about interpersonal dependence, manipulation, and mania. Matthew doesn’t know when to stop, immediately worming himself into Oliver’s life. Things start innocuously enough, with Matthew hired to film a documentary about the rising star. But little things tease that Matthew just might be more dangerous than meets the eye. Alex Russell focuses on the intimacy of their blossoming relationship, bending its thriller sensibility into a dual character study.
44. 213 Bones
Directed by Jeffrey Primm
In the age of inescapable nostalgia, everyone obsesses over the ’80s, ’90s, and early aughts these days. From Totally Killer and Lisa Frankenstein to Fear Street: 1994, current horror leans into that social trend by dipping audiences back into their heyday. The late director Jeffrey Primm leads the audience into the late ’90s with his debut and final feature, 213 Bones, which he co-wrote with Dominic Arcelin. Fitting comfortably next to Urban Legend and 2001’s Valentine, the slasher succeeds in its throwback sentimentality, genre thrills, and sense of fun. [Full Review]
43. Kill Me Again
Directed by Keith Jardine
Kill Me Again is a murderous Groundhog Day. When serial killer Charlie (Brendan Fehr) enters a diner one night, he unwittingly triggers a loop that requires him to confront his past. As he’ll come to learn, waitress Ana (Majandra Delfino) plays an integral part in that journey. Writer/director Keith Jardine crafts an incredibly compelling story. While the conceit is far from new, he offers a unique viewpoint that we just haven’t seen. Fehr delivers a menacing performance that slowly crumbles as his character learns the truth about why he’s in that diner. It’s everything you could want in an indie thriller.
42. Fear Street: Prom Queen
Directed by Matt Palmer
Fear Street: Prom Queen was raked over the coals upon release. Many claimed it didn’t hold a candle to 2021’s Fear Street trilogy, all set in different eras (1666, 1978, 1994). But Prom Queen falls in line next to ’80s classic slashers like The Dorm That Dripped Blood, Prom Night, and Happy Birthday to Me. There’s a silliness to Matt Palmer’s film that’s just downright charming. In the lead-up to prom night, the girls running for prom queen are unceremoniously killed off in increasingly gruesome ways. There’s decapitation, leg and hand severing, and electrocution! There’s even a little Carrie moment in the third act that’s a real treat. Despite scathing reviews, it’s a fun time.
41. All Alone Together
Directed by Maximus Jenkins
Throughout cinematic history, mental illness has been explored as a conduit to conversation. The more we talk about it, the easier it is to understand. In the vein of Daniel Isn’t Real, Maximus Jenkins’ All Alone Together serves as a character study into the mind of a promising filmmaker as he loses his grip on reality and succumbs to those chain-rattling inner demons. With a script written by the film’s central star, Alex Nimrod, the story feels wholly personal, raw, and vulnerable in a way few others are. Shoestring budget be damned; the film never feels confined to its meager resources, and by all accounts, exceeds expectations in every possible way. [Full Review]
40. Párvulos: Children of the Apocalypse
Directed by Isaac Ezban
According to Isaac Ezban’s Párvulos, there are only two constants in nature: family and change. Those concepts lie at the center of a post-apocalyptic tale about how a haphazardly released vaccine led to the Omega pandemic. With a slowly fading humanity, survivors must navigate a sea of flesh-eating zombies and learn what it means to live again. From the rich characters to the cinematography, Ezban’s latest offering keeps you gripped and locked into the story. Despite hitting two hours, there’s little meat on the bone that doesn’t actually mean something. [Full Review]
39. Bark
Directed by Marc Schölermann
Director Marc Schölermann invites the audience into a low-scale, single-location horror/thriller with an eye for intimacy, mood, and atmosphere. His new film, Bark, arrives as a survivalist tale, focused on a man named Nolan Bentley (Michael Weston) tied to a tree. With woodlands surrounding him, the stakes could not be higher. Every passing day could be his last. When starvation and dehydration set in, it’s only a matter of time before nature takes over. Steve Fauquier’s script excels in keeping the tension as tight as the rope binding Nolan to a cedar, with Schölermann pulling the viewer into his precarious position. What transpires over the 90 minutes is a grueling journey into one man’s past, eventually revealing what led him to be tied to a tree. It’s not what you expect, leading to a bloody, tragic ending.
38. Heart Eyes
Directed by Josh Ruben
It’s true that Josh Ruben’s Heart Eyes is Sleepless in Seattle meets Jason Lives. It’s the perfect amount of cornball cheese, charm, and carnage. Mason Gooding and Olivia Holt star opposite one another as two could-be, should-be, maybe lovers who meet on Valentine’s Day while getting coffee (they drink the same overly-complicated beverage, obviously). The Heart Eyes Killer (or HEK for short) has been ravaging various cities across the country for a few years now, and this holiday is shaping up to be another bloodbath. Gooding and Holt turn in strong performances, sometimes goofy but always endearing. With an on-point killer design, the film slips right in next to the My Bloody Valentine remake and Valentine as instant yearly watches. A slasher classic in the making? Absolutely! As far as I’m concerned, Josh Ruben is three-for-three.
37. The Devil and the Daylong Brothers
Directed by Brandon McCormick
Do you like thrillers? How about musicals? If you answered yes to both, try The Devil and the Daylong Brothers on for size. Directed by Brandon McCormick, the 2025 indie gives the rowdy spirit of O Brother Where Art Thou? with a bit more grit and foot-stomping blues. With music by Nicholas Kirk, who masterfully composes songs that worm into the brain (it’s easily the second-best soundtrack of the year, behind only Sinners), the film tells the story of three brothers who journey across the country killing people in their search for their souls. It’s got plenty of soul, a whole lotta heart, and bangers for days.
36. Cannibal Mukbang
Directed by Aimee Kuge
Aimee Kuge’s directorial debut, Cannibal Mukbang, emerges as a delectable piece of cinema. When Mark (Nate Wise) falls in love with Ash (April Consalo), things seem too good to be true. Ash hides parts of herself behind a bubbly personality and her red locks. As the two grow closer, she soon reveals her taste for human flesh. Mark is surprisingly okay with it. He doesn’t date much and seems perfect for Ash. The couple balances each other out. Kuge peels back the layers of skin, extracting eyes from their sockets and picking membrane from bone. It’s wonderfully graphic, with ghoulish practical effects that’ll make you squirm. We’ve seen this sort of premise many times before, but Kuge’s foray into the macabre might just warm your heart right up.
35. Bystanders
Directed by Mary Beth McAndrews
Dread Central EIC Mary Beth McAndrews throws her proverbial hat into the rape/revenge arena with her feature directorial debut. Bystanders, written by Jamie Alvey, veers away from your typical exploitation (I Spit on Your Grave, Ms .45) for something far less triggering (in a Revenge way). Rather than soak in the assault, Alvey and McAndrews hyper-focus on the revenge – blood-soaked, mutilated bodies of rapists will give you the thrill you crave. When a trio of young women attend a party, they encounter the worst men you’ve ever known on the planet, leading to a savage (offscreen) assault that ignites a streak of unholy (but totally rad) revenge. When a young couple crosses the young men’s paths, they meet something they never anticipated. Bystanders is a wildly refreshing reinvention of the genre that packs on the humor and twists.
34. Borderline
Directed by Jimmy Warden
It’s uncanny how much Ray Nicholson looks like his father in full-blown terror. Portraying delusional superfan Paul in a clingy para-social relationship with his favorite popstar (Samara Weaving), Ray ascends to his father’s throne with a performance nearly as unhinged as Jack in either The Shining or One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. After Ray’s breakout role in Smile 2, Borderline is the perfect launching pad for his superstar career. And he couldn’t have found a better onscreen playmate than Samara, whose career has been built on knockout roles after another. When Paul breaks into the popstar’s extravagant mansion, a cat and mouse game ensues – with each actor delivering the necessary electricity to super-charge the other. Borderline is a sly performance piece that both continues Samara’s career homestretch and fortifies Ray’s star status. They’re an unstoppable duo.
33. The Rule of Jenny Pen
Directed by James Ashcroft
Move over Longlegs, we have another weirdo in town. In The Rule of Jenny Pen, John Lithgow plays Dave Crealy, who has an obsession with a baby doll named Jenny Pen he wears on his hand. Set in a nursing home, the film wallows in cruelty (in an I Care a Lot kind of way) to make an uncomfortable (maybe even infuriating) watch. But that’s not to say the film isn’t stunningly sinister and terrifying. Because it is. Lithgow, known for performances onstage and on TV, slips into the role with devilish precision. When the lights go out at night, Dave terrorizes the other residents. When lawyer Stefan Mortensen (Geoffrey Rush) suffers a debilitating stroke, he becomes a resident and a new target for Dave. Writer/director James Ashcroft languishes in the misery, forcing the audiece to sit front row in a psychologically strenuous exercise. The fictional terror is puctuated with the real-life horrors of late-life residency. Elder abuse is ripped from real lilfe, and perhaps, that’s most horrifying.
32. Reflection in a Dead Diamond
Directed by Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani
Mix a spy thriller with a Giallo, and you get Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani’s Reflection in a Dead Diamond. It’s a psychedelic acid trip that doesn’t make much sense, narratively — and that’s coming from a huge Giallo fan — but the commitment to the mystery and hyper-stylized visual flairs and immersion carry the experience. While staying at a posh luxury hotel, 70-year-old John Diman (Fabio Testi) finds himself trapped in the past when he must finally confront demons he’d long locked away. But a mysterious woman, known only as Serpentik, has a way of hypnotizing their prey in a way that blurs the lines between reality and fiction. It’s a stunning visual feast, and while the story might require a bit of patience, it’s essential viewing for any film fan.
31. Good Boy
Directed by Ben Leonberg
If horror films have taught us anything, it’s that you always trust your pets when it comes to the supernatural. Films like Paranormal Activity 2 and The Conjuring feature dogs warning their humans that there’s danger afoot. Filmmaker Ben Leonberg takes it a step further and puts the audience directly into the perspective of his dog, Indy. It’s an innovative approach that busts genre expectations and opens genre filmmaking to a whole new way of doing things. You may even wonder: Why didn’t this happen sooner? [Full Review]
30. The Brooklyn Butcher
Directed by Joshua R. Pangborn and Stuart Kiczek
Anthology horror is a tough sell. Often hit or miss, the well-mined genre rarely sticks the landing across the board. But then there are the gems (Trick ‘R Treat immediately comes to mind) that prove it can be done and done well. Co-directors Joshua R. Pangborn and Stuart Kiczek take the audience through an apartment building of interconnected stories and characters whose lives are tangled by a common thread. The Brooklyn Butcher weaves an intricate tale about a serial killer’s rampage. Through various chapters, separated with apartment number title cards, the filmmakers slice up a murder mystery during which viewers must piece together various clues to figure out the culprit. Everyone has secrets buried in their closet, some more bloody than others, and in eye-popping glimpses, the audience learns of their wants, needs, and desires. The Brooklyn Butcher is a slice of perfect queer horror that embraces all body types and identities. And it’s worth way more than its price of admission.
29. Lifeline
Directed by Feras Alfuqaha
We don’t talk nearly enough about how great Judah Lewis is. From The Babysitter to Suitable Flesh and now Feras Alfuqaha’s Lifeline, he’s a star who’s always flexing those acting muscles. Starring alongside Josh Stewart (they don’t share any scenes, but is still a powerhouse duo), the film proves to be a vehicle for monster performances. Suicide hotline operator Steven Thomas (Stewart) works a late-night shift when he receives a call from someone (Lewis) who claims to be him, revealing deeply personal details only he would know. The caller vows he’ll kill himself within the hour, and Steven finds himself cast into a suspenseful race against time, as he attempts to put the puzzle pieces together and unwittingly help this unknown person. Alfuquaha crafts an incredibly visceral, depressing journey into what it feels like to watch to kill yourself. The film transmits a great deal of empathy for both leading characters, forcing the viewer to understand what it’s like navigating a world afflicted with depression and suicidal ideation.
28. Crossword
Directed by Michael Vlamis
The depiction of grief in horror has a longstanding tradition. From such classics as Don’t Look Now and The Haunting of Julia to contemporary masterpieces like The Babadook and Midsommar, the genre remains a rich tapestry for one of life’s most brutal experiences. Through writer/director Michael Vlamis’ disturbed mind, Crossword emerges as the cream of the crop. He tinkers with grief just enough to make it a surefire standout, enticing the audience into its dark, hypnotic storytelling that goes for the gut. [Full Review]
27. Clown in a Cornfield
Directed by Eli Craig
Based on Adam Cesare’s 2020 novel of the same name, Eli Craig’s film adaption, Clown in a Cornfield, expertly crafts a modern slasher classic, or slashic. It’s polished and crisp, and doesn’t skimp on the blood, guts, and gore. When Quinn (Katie Douglas) and her father Dr. Glenn Maybrook (Aaron Abrams) move to a tiny town in the middle of nowhere U.S.A., it seemingly lies outside the modern, progressive world. But Quinn is quick to make friends after she meets Cole (Carson MacCormac) and his group. They’re blamed for Baypen Corn Syrup Factory burning down and generally labeled miscreants. The story about a killer clown named Frendo might not be just an urban legend after all. During a late-night, booze-fueled rave out in the cornfield, Frendo emerges and begins staking up bodies. The tale Cesare has created is a fabulously self-ware, post-Scream addition to the slasher pantheon, with Craig’s direction some of the best of the year.
26. We’re So Dead
Directed by Ken MacLaughlin
We can always use more Christmas-themed horror movies, especially if they’re slashers. Writer/director Ken MacLaughlin spreads the holiday cheer with his brand new feature, We’re So Dead. Set in a restaurant on Christmas Eve, the indie slasher (made by service workers for service workers) shines a spotlight on the Karens of the world, who so often treat servers like their personal butlers. MacLaughlin takes things to murderous extremes and delivers a cult classic in the making. With a sketch comedy approach, the film doesn’t skimp on the bloody violence. [Full Review]
25. Meat Kills
Directed by Martijn Smits
Martijn Smits’ Meat Kills brings the horrors of the meat industry front and center. Equal parts slasher and home invasion, the film (written by Paul de Vrijer) emerges as a surefire crowd pleaser with gnarly, Saw-like torture. With the subtlety of a two-ton anvil, the creative team presents both sides of the argument that human beings shouldn’t eat meat. But the confrontational thematic material is best served with a pipe to the knees. A grimy feel to the production bathes the camera and further highlights the grotesque nature of the story. [Full Review]
24. The Cursed Tapes
Directed by Michael Crum
Michael Crum delivers a bone-chilling creature design and unsettling light and shadow play with his new film, The Cursed Tapes. Striking camera work is just scraping the surface of what Crum’s latest has to offer. When a young man discovers a box of old home movies, he learns that his father had kept the darkest and most sinister of secrets in the basement of his childhood home for decades. Where Crum’s previous film, The People in the Walls, failed to take off, The Cursed Tapes fulfills the filmmaker’s full potential. Jump scares and subtle background scares mix to create suffocating dread and nightmarish disaster (complementary). The film feels like a remix of Lights Out and Cobweb, with plenty of frights of its very own.
23. Together
Directed by Michael Shanks
Body horror is having a moment. On the heels of The Substance‘s massive success, Michael Shanks delivers his own horrifying transformation upon a silver platter. Together follows a young couple who head out to a small town where Millie (Alison Brie) takes a schoolteacher job. Tim (Dave Franco) has very different feelings about the move, as he’s had to give up his musician life behind in the city. A relocation to the country could do their relationship good… or so they think. After a supernatural encounter, they begin to grow closer, literally and metaphorically, and their flesh is about to stick together. Shanks crafts a nauseating experience that has shaken up the horror genre this year. It might not come with a commentary tag like The Substance, but it matches some of the gooey mutations.
22. 28 Years Later
Directed by Danny Boyle
With the return of director Danny Boyle, 28 Years Later already had a leg up. The apocalyptic nightmare feels like a natural progression to what came before while also doing its own devastating thing. A young boy and his very ill mother make a trek to find her medical assistance, but what they endure forces them further into the dark abyss of human nature. If you needed a reminder of how tremendous Boyle is as a filmmaker, look no further. He invites the audience into a hellish wasteland that might make you appreciate life in a new way.
21. Et Tu
Directed by Max Tzannes
Writer/director Max Tzannes’s Et Tu brings the house down. Starring Lou Diamond Phillips and Malcom McDowell, the horror/thriller follows theatre director Brent (Phillips) as he mounts a production of Julius Caesar. With the show getting up on its feet, Brent descends into a dark, frightening madness that results in the bodies of cast and crew hitting the floor in gruesome ways. The film is equally charming and nasty and serves as quite an acting showcase for Phillips. McDowell, likewise, delivers a career highlight as The Janitor, who guides Brent through a murderous rampage. Et Tu slid under the radar this year, but deserves far more recognition for being a damn good time.
20. The Plastic Men
Directed by Samuel Gonzalez Jr.
Samuel Gonzalez Jr.’s The Plastic Men packs a wallop on the noggin. More often than not, monologue-driven horror feels perfect for the stage. The writer/director forges a powerful looking glass into senseless war, untreated PTSD, and believing you deserve to die for the things you were brainwashed to do. Thoughtfully drawn characters shine from the television screen, with Gonzalez Jr.’s intention delivering tremendous impact in the post-war conversation. Few films come along that tackle themes as honestly as The Plastic Men. It’s a shame more folks aren’t talking about this one.
19. Went Up That Hill
Directed by Samuel Van Grinsven
Dacre Montgomery is a goddamn national treasure. In Samuel Van Grinsven’s Went Up That Hill, Montgomery plays Jack, a young man who travels to a remote town in New Zealand for the funeral of his estranged mother. He meets her widow, Jill (Vicky Krieps), and the two bond over their grief. What transpires next, neither could have expected. Jack’s mother inhabits both their bodies at various intervals, culminating in a mournful march of the bleak and subdued. Montgomery and Krieps deliver some of the best acting of 2025, with each performer digging deep into their chests for nuance and care. It’s an extraordinary showcase for everyone in front of and behind the camera.
18. Eye for an Eye
Directed by Colin Tilley
With his directorial debut, Colin Tilley trades in expectation for a frightening horror experiment. Eye for an Eye feels familiar on paper, but its execution delights with a creepy monster design (think: Pumpkinhead and Dark Harvest), a lead character you deeply care about, and jolts of scares that’ll keep you up at night. It’s not enough these days to be a well-made indie. It must positively answer these questions: Does it frighten you? Does it leave you heaving in panic? And does it close with a satisfying conclusion? Tilley, known for directing music videos for Nicki Minaj, Britney Spears, and countless others, checks all the right boxes for something truly special. [Full Review]
17. Hag
Directed by Sam Wineman
Obsession runs in horror’s blood. From The Fan and The Hand That Rocks the Cradle to Creep, Ma, and Be My Cat: A Film for Anne, the genre frequently twists the knife to unleash horrifying stories about diabolical villains who have boundary issues and a hunger for attention. With his feature directorial debut, Hag, writer/director Sam Wineman rips you into a maddening world of deception and murder. It’s as though he’s tossed the popular ’90s sitcom Will & Grace and films such as The Roommate and Influencer into a blender. Wineman’s concoction is a bedeviling and charming addition to the classic obsessive thriller subgenre. [Full Review]
16. The Man with the Black Umbrella
Directed by Ricky Umberger
The writer/director behind The Fear Footage trilogy returns in fine form with his latest found footage film. The Man with the Black Umbrella sees filmmaker Ricky Umberger doing what he does best: scare the hell out of you. While the film is a bit slow going initially, it supplies the goods when it matters most. Umberger builds suffocating tension through anticipation of the unknown and keeps the mysterious man with the black umbrella mostly in shadow, always lurking around the next corner. What transpires over 90 minutes will fuel the worst nightmares. [Full Review]
15. Saint Clare
Directed by Mitzi Peirone
Bella Thorne dazzles onscreen in Mitzi Peirone’s Saint Clare. Peirone, behind the cult classic Braid, returns with a sophomore effort to die for. Thorne plays Clare, a troubled young woman who suffers from hallucinations and harbors bloodthirsty tendencies. As we learn through a series of flashbacks, she’s always possessed a darker, more killer side. When she gets a ride home one afternoon from a stranger, her heart-pounding instincts are put to the test. The incident supplies a host of new problems and new dead bodies. Much like Clare (Jamie Alvey) in Bystanders, Thorne’s Clare slaughters the worst kinds of men. Her latest crusade leads her down a winding path that’ll prove to reveal something dangerous about a classmate. Saint Clare mangles man flesh, and carnal revenge will allow the viewer a necessary cathartic release. Much like her previous feature, Peirone’s new film spotlights a knack for visual storytelling, even ripping a particular trick from Braid to accentuate the underlying messages about vigilante justice and accountability.
14. The Red Mask
Directed by Ritesh Gupta
In a post-Scream world, conventional slashers don’t cut it. Today’s most effective slashers subvert standards and tropes. From The Final Girls to Totally Killer and Sick, slashers need to comment on the modern world (There’s Someone Inside Your House, Initiation, Clown in a Cornfield), flip the perspective (In a Violent Nature), or blend genres into a fruity cocktail (Freaky, Happy Death Day, Time Cut). Now, you can add Ritesh Gupta’s The Red Mask into the conversation. While self-referencing The Strangers, Funny Games, and Scream, the meta-slasher takes cues from the past but carves out its own way forward. [Full Review]
13. Queens of the Dead
Directed by Tina Romero
In 2025, we need as many unapologetically queer films as possible. With her debut directorial feature film, Tina Romero (yes, the daughter of the George A. Romero!) makes an impressive splash. Queens of the Dead adheres to the zombie lore her father perfected while tossing in some necessary, very queer razzle-dazzle for good measure. Tina, who co-wrote the script with Erin Judge, navigates the tumultuous waters of the queer drag scene, anchoring the story with real people with real problems. The film presents a powerful, timely message about queer folx banding together in times of trouble to fight a common enemy and echoes a similar sentiment put forth in Jem Garrard’s Slay, which coincidentally shares a story structure and setup but with vampires. [Full Review]
12. Above the Knee
Directed by Viljar Bøe
Criminally overlooked, Viljar Bøe’s Above the Knee bases its story on a mental health condition, body integrity dysphoria, in which a person believes a body part should be amputated or doesn’t belong on or in their being. Young man Amir (Freddy Singh) sees his left leg as a rotten extremity. When he meets a woman named Rikke (Louise Waage Anda), who regards herself as blind, his life is turned topsy-turvy. With her help, he plans how he’ll stage an “accident” that’ll require amputation. Much like his previous film, Good Boy, Bøe sure knows how to craft uncomfortable stories that stick in your brain. This one will stay with you for a very long time.
11. Fey
Directed by Madeline Doherty
There are few found footage films that feel as real and raw as writer/director Madeline Doherty’s Fey. The indie feature, clocking in at just 53 minutes, wastes no time getting to the good stuff. The world-building and character development happen in tandem with the chilling scares. You don’t have to wait to be creeped out; Doherty pens a taut, frightening script that immediately begins seeping out of the screen. Who said found footage was dead? The filmmaker proves that there is still plenty to tell in this format and delivers a film that will make you sleep with all the lights on. [Full Review]
10. Body Blow
Directed by Dean Francis
It takes a keen eye and a deep understanding of noir to craft a film worthy of the genre. Writer/director Dean Francis offers a very queer take with his brand new film, Body Blow. With a highly volatile mix of sex and murder, the neon-soaked indie entices the viewer into the dangerous underbelly of the gay club scene. It manages to balance tension and untethered, heart-pounding queerness with agility, while carrying a few surprises up its sleeve. [Full Review]
9. Horror in the High Desert 4: Majesty
Directed by Dutch Marich
Writer/director Dutch Marich remains at the top of his game. Horror in the High Desert 4: Majesty illustrates that the cursed series is not running out of steam anytime soon. Featuring two returning characters, including Gal Roberts (Suziey Block), the fourth installment ratchets up the tension, mood, and scares. There’s something to be said about a filmmaker who knows how to get under your skin during the talking head interviews as much as the terror-fueled night scenes. Music and camera work conspire to create a horrifying extension that just might be the best yet. [Full Review]
8. Abigail Before Beatrice
Directed by Cassie Keet
From The Seventh Victim (1943) to Rosemary’s Baby (1968) and Candy Land (2022), cults have been a staple in the horror genre since the dawn of cinema. There’s not much that hasn’t been tapped to elicit chills and thrills. A film needs to be truly exceptional to stand out these days. With Abigail Before Beatrice, writer/director Cassie Keet excels in bringing a fresh perspective to the classic cult template. Where her previous film, Scream Therapy, which also dealt with a cult, went full-on camp, Abigail Before Beatrice offers a raw and grounded examination of the psychological impact that surviving a cult can have on its victims. [Full Review]
7. The Restoration of Grayson Manor
Directed by Glenn McQuaid
We can always use more queer horror. Glenn McQuaid’s The Restoration of Grayson Manor dishes up delights and frights on a silver platter. McQuaid, who co-wrote the script with Clay McLeod Chapman, examines how queer identity is “so often framed through the lens of procreation,” he shares in his director’s statement, and honors horror’s long tradition of the evil hand. High servings of soap opera theatrics and camp balance with the film’s more horrifying elements. [Full Review]
6. Foreigner
Directed by Ava Maria Safai
Ava Maria Safai’s Foreigner could not be more timely. This moment in time is corkscrewed with blatant racism, micro-aggressions, and the idea that immigrants are less than. Safai takes great care in exploring Iranian culture and how one young teen assimilates to whiteness when her father and grandmother move her to Canada. Real-life horrors lie at the heart of this bizarre piece of disturbia that takes cues from Mean Girls and Heathers. Safai doesn’t skirt around the issues that still plague modern society; she instead leans into them and offers a startling tale of fitting in and losing oneself to societal pressures. [Full Review]
5. Silent Night, Deadly Night
Directed by Mike P. Nelson
1984’s Silent Night, Deadly Night is exactly the slasher trash that’s needed a more modern, fresh update. While there’ll always be room for Charles E. Sellier Jr.’s original, it hasn’t aged well—particularly for its treatment of women. Mike P. Nelson, the man behind a V/H/S/85 segment (“No Wake/Ambrosia”), the long-awaited Jason Voorhees return (Sweet Revenge), and the criminally underrated Wrong Turn (2021), turns in a thematically timely script with obvious references to a certain political corner that thrives on hate. In his hands, the film yanks the source material into 2025 with a focus on pushing the genre forward. It leaves behind misogynistic tropes (such as a young topless woman answering her front door), cringy gay jokes, and the general ickiness of many 1980s slashers for something far more progressive. [Full Review]
4. Redux Redux
Directed by Kevin McManus and Matthew McManus
Revenge thrillers are as old as time itself. From genre benchmarks Virgin Spring and I Spit on Your Grave to modern fare like Revenge and Violation, revenge has always been an essential storytelling mechanism. These days, you must do one of two things: perfect conventions or flip the script. Filmmakers Kevin and Matthew McManus position their collaborative release, Redux Redux, firmly in the latter category. With a universe-hopping trick, the film infuses revenge with a necessary dose of grief that feels both grounded and earnest, yet out of this world. [Full Review]
3. The Long Walk
Directed by Francis Lawrence
In Francis Lawrence’s The Long Walk, Mark Hamill plays The Major, an old MAGA bro who’s been crucial in building an oppressive system and banning the “old ways” of thinking. Since an unknown war long ago ripped the country apart, the long walk was established to bring solidarity and spirit back to the nation, alongside a salve to the so-called laziness of modern life. The time period is never mentioned, and even though it appears to take place in the 1950s or ’60s, it’s surreally relevant to America right now. Raymond Garraty (Cooper Hoffman) and Peter McVries (David Jonsson) immediately connect, soon forging The Four Musketeers with two others. Each character feels different, full of their own life, and stands out from the others. As 50 young men walk for hundreds of miles, they slowly punch their ticket along the way. Some succumb to health issues, and others are pushed to their mental breaking point. Needless to say, it’s quite devastating. You’ll need a full stock of tissues for this one.
2. Sinners
Directed by Ryan Coogler
Sinners serves as a colossal cultural shift for horror. The impact of Ryan Coogler’s vampire tale can not be understated. It’ll be felt for years to come. With Michael B. Jordan playing double duty as Smoke and Stack, the film explores the rich music tapestry of Black musicians over the centuries, with one particularly awe-inspiring sequence, which bends time itself to show the roots of Black music to the rhythm and blues to hip-hop and beyond. Mile Canton delivers a mesmerizing, star-making performance as Sammie Moore, a young man who dreams of making it big. His voice alone melts even the coldest heart and signals he’s destined for greatness. Coogler offers a remarkable film that’s both evergreen and timely, and just a downright blast!
1. Burning
Directed by Radik Eshimov
Perception is everything. What you see is not always the truth. Scriptwriters Aizada Amangeldy and Dastan Madalbekov tinker with perspective in astonishing ways with Burning. In his very capable hands, director Radik Eshimov takes the material and squashes it in his knuckles. Cut into three chapters, each layer flakes off like decades-old paint, revealing an even darker reality lurking beneath the surface. The film uses cliches as a driving force behind the real horror, confusing the viewer as the story unravels. In doing so, it conceals one helluva surprise in the third act. [Full Review]
