Whether you’re looking for blood-soaked scares or old-school religious melancholy, 2025’s crop of films proved that the most terrifying things aren’t always what’s lurking in the dark – but also what’s standing right in front of us in the broad daylight. Here are my favorite 12 films of 2025…the 12 films that defined the year in fear and kept us screaming long after the credits rolled. As always, the order of the below films is alphabetical, not ranked…but if you absolutely MUST know, I will say at the end which 2025 horror film was my absolute favorite.
And away we go:
BEST WISHES TO ALL
Originally released in 2023 but hit the U.S. just this year, Best Wishes to All director Yuta Shimotsu asks what you’d be willing to pay for happiness. By the time the credits roll, you’ll be less concerned about the plot and more concerned about whether your grandmother’s cheerful demeanor is a result of baking cookies or something significantly more messed up…
BRING HER BACK
Danny and Michael Philippou clearly decided that the horror of Talk to Me wasn’t enough, so they’ve returned with Bring Her Back to ensure that none of us ever look at a family reunion the same way again. Sally Hawkins gives a masterful (dare I say it) “Toni Collette-esque” performance as the grieving Laura who should have listened to Jud Crandall when he said, “sometimes dead is better”.
CANNIBAL MUKBANG
So…a “mukbang” is a live-streamed video involving the host eating a large quantity of food while addressing the audience. Now, add the other word in the title to that. Yeahhhh. As off-putting as it sounds, this movie is a ton of fun. Here’s hoping that I never end up as the main course of someone else’s viral “cheat day” video.
COMPANION
Companion is one of those films that makes me remember why I do not watch trailers anymore (for the most part). Sometimes a film demands that you don’t know very much about it before going in and I feel like Companion would have suffered (for me) had I known “the twist”. Sophie Thatcher is a beast in the main role and I’m psyched to see what first-time writer/director Drew Hancock will serve up in the future.
THE DEVIL’S BATH
You know damned well that I love a period piece…especially one as dark and desolate as The Devil’s Bath (Des Teufels Bad). Filmmakers Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala seem to spend a lot of time on my “best of” lists with their previous entries Goodnight Mommy in 2014 and The Lodge in 2020 and if The Devil’s Bath is any indication, they’ll continue to be there for years to come.
PRESCENSE
I guess the only thing scarier than a haunted house is being the ghost yourself and being forced to watch a family make a myriad of awful choices. Oh yeah, and Lucy Liu! Yay!
THE SHROUDS
David Frickin’ Cronenberg! Need I say more?
SINNERS
What can I say about this century’s From Dusk Till Dawn that hasn’t already been said? But seriously, Ryan Coogler absolutely killed this, and Michael B. Jordan slays in a double role. If you haven’t seen it, what are you waiting for?
TOGETHER
Super-impressive body horror film from first-time writer/director Michael Shanks. Dave Franco (the cooler Franco) and real-life girlfriend Alison Brie are both fantastic in this story-first romantic body horror film (that’s a mouthful).
THE UGLY STEPSISTER
Another awesome first-time feature, this one from Norwegian writer/director Emilie Kirstine Blichfeldt. What in the blood-soaked tapeworm fairy tale? The Ugly Stepsister is absolutely nuts in such a fantastic way.
THE WAILING
Yes, there was a Korean The Wailing back in 2016 (which was incredible), this is not it. This The Wailing is a stylish, slow-burn nightmare that suggests that if you hear a strange sound, you shouldn’t investigate it; you should probably just leave your belongings and move out of the house.
WEAPONS
Zach Cregger followed up the awesome Barbarian by proving that if you give him a larger budget, he will simply use it to find even more creative ways to make you hold onto the edge of your seat in panic. Weapons is another film that I’m glad I went into completely blind as the less you know, the better.
That’s my Top 12 for 2025! Some others that I enjoyed that nearly cracked the list were Final Destination: Bloodlines (mostly for the tears I shed during Tony Todds scene), Dangerous Animals, The Dead Thing, Good Boy (the longest short film ever – great concept..just not enough there for a feature film), Fréwaka, and Heart Eyes (awesome up until the “twist” ending).
Also, I didn’t get to see The Plague, Obsession, or It Ends but I hear great things about all three. I have seen though that 28 Years Later, The Long Walk, and Del Toro’s Frankenstein made a lot of people’s “favorites” lists this year…just… no.
If I was forced to pick a favorite from my Top 12, it’d have to be Bring Her Back…I’m still not right after watching it.
Here’s to hoping that you’ll find a few films on this list that you haven’t seen yet and will maybe entertain and scare you for a few hours.
Stay gory my friends!
