Although you’d think that horror movies are something people save for Halloween, they’re actually an evergreen genre. No matter the time of year, no matter where people are in the world, no matter how old, folks always want to be scared.
And in recent years, Hollywood seems to be catching on to that in a big way. Not only have there been more horror movies coming out, but more of them have been good, and audiences have responded by turning out in droves. Superhero movies aren’t the reliable cash cow they once were, but it’s looking like horror films could replace them. Look no further than the raft of great horror movies we got this year.
Companion
Stream Companion on HBO Max
Warner Bros. got the year off to a great, twisted start with Companion, about a guy who buys a robot girlfriend who decides she doesn’t like being under his thrall. In an age when humanoid robot helpers seem just around the corner and people rely on chatbots for emotional support, Companion feels timely as well as scary. And at least one movie had to fulfill the “evil AI” quota for the year since M3GAN 2.0 was a disappointment.
Sinners
Stream Sinners on HBO Max
Coming out in April, Sinners was one of the year’s biggest success stories, an original story about a pair of twin brothers who encounter vampires in the Jim Crow-era South. Sinners has plenty of thrills on offer, but it also has something to say about the history of the United States. It’s a prestige horror movie that made a bundle at the box office, a great sign for anyone who expects more from their horror movies.
Final Destination: Bloodlines
Stream Final Destination: Bloodlines on HBO Max
2025 also had its share of franchise fare. Bloodlines is the first new Final Destination movie in over a decade, and it was released to best-of-the-series reviews and theaters full of fans ready to see people caught in increasingly complicated Rube Goldberg-like deathtraps. Twenty-five years on from the original Final Destination movie, the formula still works.
Bring Her Back
Stream Bring Her Back on Hulu
In late May, high-end indie studio A24 came out with Bring Her Back, a domestic nightmare about a pair of step-siblings who find themselves part of an occult ritual initiated by their new stepmother. Bring Her Back finds its horror in the home, making for a terrifyingly intimate experience you won’t soon forget.
28 Years Later
Stream 28 Years Later on Netflix
Back to franchises, director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland reunited for 28 Years Later, which came out over 20 years after their original zombie movie, 28 Days Later. The terrifying, super-fast rage zombies are still here, although 28 Years Later also takes time to get to know its deep bench of characters. They’ll return in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple this January, proving this series still has blood pumping through its veins.
Together
Rent or buy Together on Prime Video
We got another original film in July: Together, about a married couple (played by real-life marrieds Alison Brie and Dave Franco) who move to the country and grapple with a mysterious force that does disturbing things to their bodies. The movie is about codependency, visualized in the sickest way possible.
Weapons
Watch Weapons on HBO Max
For my money, the best horror movie of the year was Weapons, which was as unsettling as it was unexpected. When a classroom full of children goes missing, the people of a small Pennsylvania suburb try to figure out what happened. The movie kept me guessing the whole time, and included several big belly laughs along with the scares. I won’t reveal who Gladys is in case you haven’t seen the movie yet, but she’s already an icon, and a prequel about her younger days is in the works.
The Conjuring: Last Rites
Rent or buy The Conjuring: Last Rites on Prime Video
The Conjuring: Last Rites is the final movie in The Conjuring franchise, which is very, VERY loosely based on the lives of real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. It’s one more helping of ghosts, demons, and drama for the road, this time with a haunted mirror.
Last Rites is the worst-reviewed movie on this list, but it still packed people into the theater. If Hollywood is smart, they’ll get working on some new horror franchises as soon as possible.
Good Boy
Rent or buy Good Boy on Apple TV+
Good Boy, a movie told from the perspective of a dog watching his owner get harried by malevolent forces, came out in early October, officially kicking off Halloween month. Good Boy was made for less than a million dollars and made nearly $9 million at the box office, proving that budget need not prevent success when it comes to horror.
Black Phone 2
Rent or buy Black Phone 2 on Google Play
Teenage Finn struggles to recover after getting kidnapped by a serial killer in the first Black Phone movie, a killer who’s now come back from beyond the grave. Horror villains tend to do that.
Another hit made on a comparatively lean budget, maybe Black Phone is the new horror franchise Hollywood needs now that The Conjuring is over.
