We’re five months into 2025, which means two things: Halloween is closer than it feels, and horror has already had one hell of a year. From long-anticipated franchise returns to bold, nightmarish debuts, filmmakers have been swinging for the fences, and the results have been everything from stylish to gut-wrenching to outright deranged. With so much on offer already, it felt like the perfect time to take stock of the genre’s most memorable offerings so far. These are ten of the best horror films of 2025 so far – the ones still haunting us weeks (or months) later.
Final Destination: Bloodlines (Currently in theaters)
Against all odds, the Final Destination franchise came back with a vengeance this year. Bloodlines doesn’t just replay the hits – it reinvents them, delivering on the series’ signature Rube Goldberg deaths while playing with the mythology of Death’s design in a way that’s actually compelling. It’s nasty, funny, and incredibly, enjoyably tense, proving that even death itself can evolve. Here’s to plenty more from this morbidly wacky slasher franchise. READ OUR FULL REVIEW
Wolf Man (Currently streaming on Peacock)
Leigh Whannell’s long-gestating Wolf Man update finally howled into theaters to kick off this year, and it proved far more interesting than anyone might’ve expected. Anchored by a feral, wounded, and deeply committed performance from Christopher Abbott and shot with the kind of textured dread Whannell excels at, this take on the classic Universal monster feels both timeless and terrifying. The violence is brutal, the steady transformation is a showstopper, and the tragedy of the human drama is as potent as the horror. An inspired take on the creature feature, and another solid addition to Whannell’s excellent filmography in the genre space. READ OUR FULL REVIEW
Presence (Currently available on demand)
Steven Soderbergh’s ghost story is one of the most unique and effective hauntings in recent memory. Told entirely from the first-person POV of an unseen spirit, Presence traps the viewer inside a house full of mounting sadness, suspicion, and family tension. It’s minimalist horror at its most maximal, with vulnerable and moving performances, sharp editing, and sound design that could both raise the dead and slowly hypnotize you. Soderbergh may be experimenting, but this one lingers like a real possession. READ OUR FULL REVIEW
The Surrender (Currently streaming on AMC+)
Directed with steady confidence by Julia Max, The Surrender weaves a complicated tale of familial love and tension, as a grieving widow named Barbara (Kate Burton) makes a desperate plan to resurrect her recently deceased husband from the dead. Her daughter Megan (Colby Minifie) is completely against the idea, but is forced to resign herself to the bizarre ritual despite her misgivings and already-fraught relationship with her mother. What follows is an exceptionally messy and devastating descent into grief and despair as the two women struggle to cope with their joint loss, with horrific consequences. The performances are the real draw here, but Max proves to be capable of true movie magic once The Surrender reaches its third act – and this familiar horror premise turns into something genuinely special.
Ash (Currently available on demand)
Flying Lotus delivers another deeply unique and transfixing vision with Ash, a gory sci-fi horror trip that blends the thrills of the Alien franchise with a psychedelic, dreamlike structure. The film is visually relentless, often narratively ambiguous, and constantly unsettling. With a stellar pair of central performances from Eiza González and Aaron Paul, a spectacular visual style, and a mood that never breaks, Ash is bold and loud experimental horror at its finest – a whiplash-inducing whirlwind that links cosmic terror and personal oblivion.
The Rule of Jenny Pen (Currently streaming on AMC+)
A paralyzing representation of the fears of aging and elder abuse, The Rule of Jenny Pen is a frightfully compelling tale about how, in the absence of lions, hyenas will rule. Based on the terrifying short story by Owen Marshall, the film centers on Stefan (Geoffrey Rush), a brilliant man who finds himself trapped in a care home following a debilitating stroke. There’s little hope for a physical recovery, but he thankfully still has his mind, which makes him one of the only people aware of the facility’s resident menace, Dave Crealy (John Lithgow). Armed with a creepy puppet, Crealy bullies and terrorizes his fellow elders, with enough wits to outsmart the employees who only see him as a harmless and senile old man. Director James Ashcroft dives deep into the psychological horrors of Crealy’s twisted games, and the claustrophobic nightmare of Stefan’s situation, to tremendously unnerving success.
Sinners (Currently in theaters)
Ryan Coogler’s Sinners is a bold, genre-blending Southern Gothic horror set in 1932 Mississippi. Featuring Michael B. Jordan in twin roles – Smoke and Stack – the film follows their return from Chicago mob life to opening a Black‑owned juke joint in their hometown. When blues‑driven supernatural forces emerge, the story transforms into a vampiric siege that turns history’s exploitation of Black art into literal bloodlust. With lush cinematography, a haunting Ludwig Göransson score, and outstanding musical sequences, Sinners fuses gangster grit, racial allegory, and musical heritage into a visceral, culturally resonant supernatural thriller. It’s audacious storytelling that leaves a lingering echo of history and soul, and it’s not just one of the best horror movies of the year, it’s one of the very best movies of the year, period. READ OUR FULL REVIEW
Dead Mail (Currently streaming on AMC+)
A nasty little indie gem, Dead Mail blends noir and visceral horror with style to spare. The premise is pulpy – a mysterious bloodstained letter and the circumstances leading up to its discovery – but the execution is pure tension and atmosphere. There’s a grit and grime to this one that recalls early Fincher and similar works, but with a ghostly edge and a mean streak a mile wide. It’s a small film that cuts like a jagged knife, and firmly places directors Joe DeBoer and Kyle McConaghy as a filmmaking duo to keep an eye on.
Bring Her Back (Currently in theaters)
Bring Her Back is one of the year’s most emotionally intense horrors – a grieving mother’s descent into obsession, two traumatized children desperate for a place to call home, and a demonic, supernatural mystery that may or may not be real. It’s part psychological horror, part ghost story, and part domestic tragedy, anchored by fierce central performances and razor-sharp direction. This one hurts in the best way. READ OUR FULL REVIEW
The Ugly Stepsister (Currently streaming on AMC+)
Creepy fairy tale horror has been done before, but The Ugly Stepsister does it with such morbid wit and grisly visual flair that it feels brand new. A dark, feminist retelling that doesn’t flinch from gore or surrealism, the film is like a cursed storybook you can’t stop flipping through. Think The Substance meets The Witch or similar explorations of the horror of beauty standards and women’s roles in society. Beautifully grotesque and entirely its own beast, this Norwegian reimagining of the classic story features a downright astounding lead performance from Lea Myren, and establishes director Emilie Blichfeldt as an artist with plenty to say.
