2025 was a robust year for horror movies, both in terms of the nonstop release schedule and numerous box office hits. From monster openings for features like “Sinners” and “Final Destination Bloodlines” to word-of-mouth streaming debuts like “Dead Mail” and “Best Wishes to All,” there are so many standouts that any genre fan has their work cut out for them to catch up. Below, take a look at Variety’s list of the Best Horror Movies of the Year, a selection that hopefully invites spirited debate and encourages adding some new titles to your Letterboxd Watchlist.
First, some honorable mentions, in alphabetical order:
“Bring Her Back” (A24) — Danny and Michael Philippou’s “Talk to Me” follow-up is handsomely shot and features a great Sally Hawkins performance, but is stuck in one wildly depressing gear.
“Clown in a Cornfield” (RLJE Films and Shudder) — More clever than the name implies, a mid-film twist plays well at upending genre conventions.
”Drop” (Universal Pictures) — In one of the year’s best popcorn movies, Meghann Fahy has to squeeze out of one sticky situation after another in this dynamically filmed low-budget thriller.
“Predator: Killer of Killers” (Hulu) — This impressive triptych delivers some of the most epic Predator battles ever, with animation acting as a wonderful canvas for prohibitively expensive fight scenes.
”Sweet Revenge” (Horror Inc. and Jason Universe) — It may be a short, but this brief Jason tale does a great job of delivering some bloody action with a retro feel, and gives the legendary killer a formidable foe. Here’s hoping it gets turned into a feature-length film, as it seems like writer and director Mike P. Nelson really understands what makes the “Friday the 13th” universe tick.
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The Toxic Avenger
Image Credit: Yana Blajeva Cineverse
Writer and Director Macon Blair amps up the heart — but keeps the splattery violence and satire — in this reimagining of the signature Troma movie. Peter Dinklage is empathetic as the man behind Toxie, a humble janitor, while Kevin Bacon is wonderfully evil as a billionaire asshole, with Elijah Wood and Taylour Paige also in on the fun. Frantic, bizarre and loaded with love for the original, “The Toxic Avenger” will keep fans happy and bring joy to new devotees.
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Presence
Image Credit: Neon Neon
Steven Soderbergh’s unique take on a ghost story finds his camera roaming a house in a spectral first-person mode. The family inside can certainly feel the spirit roaming around the home, but why? There’s certainly more going on in the story than unfinished business, and Soderbergh can land the plane on the murder mystery penned by his frequent collaborator David Koepp. For experimental work, it’s a rousing success.
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Heart Eyes
Image Credit: ©Sony Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection Screen Gems
Josh Ruben directed a tricky piece of pop culture, mixing a perfectly charming rom-com with the DNA of a “Scream”-esque whodunit. Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding are endlessly charming as a new couple with the most conventional meet-cute of all time. But what happens when their first evening together turns into a one-crazy-night movie where they’re pursued by a serial killer? The laughs ultimately outweigh the scares, but it’s a great genre twist for slasher fans, elevated by a supporting cast that includes memorable turns from Gigi Zumbado, Michaela Watkins, Devon Sawa and Jordana Brewster.
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Best Wishes to All
Image Credit: Shudder / Courtesy Everett Collection Shudder
This Japanese horror movie is filled with some of the most indelible imagery put on screen this year, nightmare fuel for those able to keep their eyes open. Kotone Furukawa plays a young woman visiting her grandparents who stumbles upon a very shocking — and seemingly normalized — part of their family history. Telling a larger story about happiness and class culture, Yuta Shimotsu’s film is most impactful when it’s in gonzo family drama mode, making eye-popping sacrifices a family affair.
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Dead Mail
Image Credit: Courtesy of Dead Mail LLC Shudder
Joe DeBoer and Kyle McConaghy’s unique conspiracy mystery feels beamed out of the ‘80s, with production design and filmmaking that recalls a long-forgotten VHS relic. When a synthesizer expert is kidnapped, he’s able to get a desperate letter into the mail, and the amateur sleuths at the dead letter office start hunting. Things quickly get complicated for all parties involved, and the film’s visuals and soundtrack stick around even after the credits roll.
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The Monkey
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Neon
Osgood Perkins’ about-face after the success of “Longlegs” was this bloody dark comedy about a toy monkey who brings death and destruction wherever he goes. Theo James is a hoot playing identical twins trying unsuccessfully to keep this malevolent force buried, and some of the year’s freakiest deaths come courtesy of this furry fiend. A nasty, brutish piece of work that is sure to satisfy gorehounds.
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I Love You Forever
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Utopia
Not a conventional horror movie, this romantic drama ratchets up the suffocating tension slowly as rom-com trappings give way to an all-too-real-feeling story of a toxic and psychologically abusive relationship. Sofia Black-D’Elia plays a law student who gets love-bombed by the handsome and charming Finn (Ray Nicholson). He seems to be the perfect guy until his grip of control over her escalates from annoyingly frequent text messages to suicidal screaming fits over missed calls. Cazzie David and Elisa Kalani co-wrote and –directed this sharp film.
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Together
Image Credit: Courtesy of Neon Neon
Michael Shanks’ rip-roaring body horror love story stars real-life spouses Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple that grows increasingly close physically even as their relationship is on shaky ground. The film includes some of the year’s most talked-about “turn away from the screen” scenes (The saw! The eyeballs! The penis!) and some great visual nods to other horror classics. It’s a lean, mean, thrilling machine and a great way to get introduced to body horror, for those interested in taking the disgusting plunge.
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28 Years Later
Image Credit: Everett Collection Sony Pictures Releasing
Director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland’s return to the zombie franchise is bold, divisive, gory and a hell of an adventure. Reuniting with “28 Days Later” cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle, who shot much of the film on complex iPhone rigs, the stylish colors and editing keep things eye-popping. The stylish look underlines the disturbing gore and the heart-pounding pursuits, as young Alfie Williams learns to become a man by sneaking off to shoot zombies in an infected zone. Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes add grit to their supporting roles, and it’s hard to believe another sequel will be released in a matter of months.
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Companion
Image Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures
Drew Hancock’s twisty sci-fi thriller stars Sophie Thatcher as a love robot who is manipulated into murder while on vacation with a devious group of friends. Thatcher is terrific, coming to terms with not only her gaslighting boyfriend (a delightfully smarmy Jack Quaid) but also the fact that she’s not human after all, and the bloody twists keep amping up the stakes. Undervalued theatrically, “Companion” is sure to become a cult favorite once discovered on streaming.
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Final Destination Bloodlines
Image Credit: Everett Collection Warner Bros. Pictures
Who would have thought that the sixth film in this beloved franchise — one that comes after a 14-year gap since the previous chapter — would be such a nimble crowdpleaser? “Bloodlines” has many of the same beats as previous installments while making some key changes: The group of people avoiding Death’s cruel fate are all family members instead of random strangers; the opening dream setpiece was a flashback, allowing for the main film to be filled with new characters that hadn’t died yet; and the movie felt bigger in scope overall. But ultimately, what worked very well were the ooey gooey kills, which were a perfect blend of funny and cringey. Mix in a heartfelt goodbye from franchise fixture Tony Todd, and it’s no surprise why this was such a critical and commercial success.
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The Shrouds
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Janus Films
David Cronenberg’s latest film is about the living who haunt graveyards, namely Karsh (Vincent Cassel), a man who builds in-tomb cameras so that mourners can watch their loved ones rot in real time. It’s a downer logline that morphs into a thorny story of corporate intrigue, complete with body horror flourishes and romantic moments as horny as they are vulnerable. An odd chapter in an unparalleled career, “The Shrouds” is a must-watch as Cronenberg ponders death with a great troupe of actors, including Diane Kruger, Guy Pearce and Sandrine Holt.
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Weapons
Image Credit: Everett Collection Warner Bros.
Zach Cregger’s ambitious examination of evil taking hold of a small town succeeds by putting interesting, complicated characters at the forefront. When a classroom of kids runs away in the middle of the night, troubled townspeople played by Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich and Austin Abrams are among those searching for (and stumbling on) answers. Well-directed setpieces, sinister twists and an outrageous ending make “Weapons” a must-see.
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Sinners
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Pictures
An unbelievably confident work stuffed with imagination, writer-director Ryan Coogler delivered his best film yet with this music-filled horror story. Led by a career-high Michael B. Jordan playing the Smokestack twins, each character in this rich work — which swerves into the supernatural once an Irish vampire starts infecting the clientele of the twins’ new juke joint — could anchor their own movie. The blend is sexy, surprising and gorgeously shot, and an unforgettable twist to well-trodden bloodsucker lore.