2025 has already seen its fair share of excellent horror movies, including the Oscar hopeful Sinners, Bring Her Back, and the long-awaited 28 Years Later, but there are a few upcoming releases that could surpass the zombie sequel and vie for the title of 2025’s best. With production engines like Neon and IFC Films/Shudder proving how profitable truly excellent horror movies can be, Hollywood has undergone a bloody renaissance.
Some of Hollywood’s most talented up-and-comers, along with a number of Hollywood’s most celebrated names, have put their best foot forward in the horror genre, as it’s come to be recognized as a powerful lens through which to tell real human stories. The quality and prestige of horror movies is improving every year; horror fans are eating good these days, as they say.
Despite some absolute triumphs already slashing and biting their way through the box office in the first half of 2025, there are a few well-hyped movies still coming down the pipeline. We’ve picked out seven movies that horror fans simply can’t miss in 2025, and any of them could wind up being just as good, if not better than 28 Years Later.
7
Together
Dave Franco And Alison Brie’s Highly-Touted Body Horror Nightmare
- Release Date
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July 30, 2025
- Runtime
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102 minutes
From director Michael Shanks, Together was one of the most talked-about movies coming out of the Sundance Film Festival in 2025. The supernatural body horror movie stars real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a young couple who move to the country and soon find their bodies beginning to change and morph together thanks to an unknown force.
The real-world connection between Franco and Brie reportedly helps drive the excellent and twisted narrative. There is a clever balance between body horror, comedy, and emotional attachment that many couples will find entirely relatable.
Given that it debuted at Sundance way back in January 2025, there are plenty of critic reviews available ahead of its July 30th release date. Amazingly, the film boasts a 100% Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score with 53 verified critic scores in. While that number will likely drop as more critics see it in theaters, Together seems destined to be one of this year’s very best.
6
Weapons
Zach Cregger’s Mystery Horror Follow-Up To Barbarian
- Release Date
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August 8, 2025
- Runtime
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128 minutes
Following in the footsteps of 2024’s surprise runaway horror hit Longlegs, the marketing campaign behind Zach Cregger’s upcoming mystery horror Weapons has preserved the mystery that lies at the heart of the movie’s narrative. Despite trailer releases and a swiftly-approaching release date, very little is known about what transpires in Weapons.
The core concept is that an entire classroom of children goes missing from a small town–but ONLY the kids from a single classroom. As their parents seek answers, their wrath begins to fall on the class teacher (Julia Garner), which is the only thing that the children seem to have in common.
Barbarian – Key Details
Release Date
Budget
Box Office Gross
RT Tomatometer Score
RT Popcornmeter Score
September 9th, 2022
$4.5 million
$45.4 million
92%
70%
Cregger is responsible for the 2022 horror thriller Barbarian, which debuted to rave reviews. Weapons appears to be tied to the plot of Barbarian somehow based on the movie’s promotional, fictional town website, MaybrookMissing.com, although exactly how remains unclear. If Cregger’s past work, the talented cast, and the enigmatic marketing campaign are any indicator, Weapons should be an incredible horror ride.
5
Strange Harvest
A True Crime Horror Mockumentary That’s Already Earned Rave Reviews
Festival darling Strange Harvest carries a much lower profile than the previous two movies on this list. Stylized as a horror mockumentary, Strange Harvest follows the typical modern true-crime documentary format as its two central detectives investigate a serial killer named “Mr. Shiny”, who has begun killing in California again after a 20-year hiatus.
It debuted in September 2024, so there are a few reviews already available to investigate from the minor festivals it screened at. So far the reception has been overwhelmingly positive, as critics have praised it as a gory, intriguing fusion between true crime and horror. It currently holds a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, and will be released in U.S. theaters on August 8th, 2025.
4
The Toxic Avenger
Peter Dinklage Stars In The Splatter Cult Classic Remake
The previously unprecedented success of ultra-gory movies like Terrifier 3 has paved the way for a resurgence in splatter films. One of the most beloved films from the 1980s will get an update when The Toxic Avenger hits theaters at the end of the summer.
Starring Peter Dinklage as the superhero colloquially known as “Toxie”, The Toxic Avenger combines splatter horror with black comedy as it follows a beaten-down janitor who falls into toxic ooze and transforms into a hideous mutant superhero.
Macon Blair’s reboot of The Toxic Avenger is actually the fifth film in the series, as there were two sequels to the original and a third, stand-alone sequel. It also spawned an environmentally-conscious animated series, Toxic Crusaders.
Featuring an all-star cast highlighted by Kevin Bacon, Jacob Tremblay, and Elijah Wood alongside Dinklage, The Toxic Avenger holds a 92% score on Rotten Tomatoes ahead of its August 29th, 2025 theatrical release.
3
HIM
A Jordan Peele-Produced Sports Horror Film
- Release Date
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September 18, 2025
- Director
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Justin Tipping
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Tyriq Withers
Benny Mathis
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Marlon Wayans
Connor Dane
-
-
From director Justin Tipping (Kicks), HIM centers around a young and talented football player who is poised to be the next big thing in pro football. He’s invited to the compound of an aging veteran quarterback, who leads him on a bloody and mind-bending descent into madness, all to discover what it takes to achieve fame, success, and power at the highest level.
Related
The 2 Best Horror Movies Of The Year Have 1 Star In Common
Sinners and 28 Years Later are the most successful horror films of 2025, and they each have the same actor elevating their respective stories.
Jordan Peele’s production company, Monkeypaw Productions, has rarely, if ever missed, and HIM seems like another surefire hit for them. While very little is known about the plot beyond the basic synopsis, its examination and satirization of professional sports culture (football in particular) is sure to help it find a large audience at the box office.
2
Black Phone 2
The Return Of Ethan Hawke’s Terrifying Killer Known As The Grabber
- Release Date
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October 16, 2025
- Director
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Scott Derrickson
Scott Derrickson returns with a sequel to his successful yet still underrated 2021 supernatural horror movie The Black Phone. Despite the supposed death of Ethan Hawke’s serial killer The Grabber at the end of the original movie, the first teasers for Black Phone 2 indicate he either survived or has found a supernatural way back from the dead.
Although the first movie was a surprise hit upon its release in 2021, it gained an expanded audience as it made its way to streaming platforms. Scott Derrickson’s decorated history as a horror director sets up a baseline expectation of quality. Likewise, Ethan Hawke’s return after a tremendous turn in the first movie should bode well for the movie’s overall quality.
If Hawke and Derrickson can bring the chills like they did with the original, Black Phone 2 could wind up one of the year’s best horror movies, and certainly one of its best horror sequels.
1
Bone Lake
Mercedes Bryce Morgan’s Pscyhosexual Nightmarish Spiral
- Release Date
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October 10, 2025
- Runtime
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94 minutes
While it likely has the least amount of hype of any movie on this list, Bone Lake could be one of the surprise hits of the year. The taut horror thriller sees two couples mistakenly double-booked in a rental house, and what begins as a relaxing getaway quickly descends into a feverish nightmare of deception and mystery.
Starring Maddie Hasson (Impulse, Elevation) and Alex Roe (Forever My Girl, Siren), Bone Lake has a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising its fun and engaging narrative, pointed and intentional use of gore, and exceptional climax. As it stands, it looks like the best scary date night option for horror enthusiasts in October, which is when it hits theaters nationwide.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes