It’s been another frighteningly good year for horror fans.
Movie theaters — still, by far, the best place to enjoy a proper fright night — have been absolutely loaded with quality offerings essentially all year.
They’ve come in all sorts of chainsaw-sharp shapes and sizes, from straight-up gorefests and slow-brewing supernatural thrillers to silly-scary sci-fi and disturbingly romantic body horror (if, indeed, there is such a thing).
Some of these films were grand cinematic achievements, while others were breathtaking indie-success stories. Some were sequels — or prequels — which turned out to be as good as, or better, than expected.
All in all, it’s been another banner year for horror, which continues to shine — in terms of breadth of creativity and implementation of vision — like no other genre in the film world over the last five-plus years.
Here’s our annual list of the top horror movies of the year so far, timed, of course, with the Halloween season. So, pick a few of these — or all of them — and get ready to have a few really fun nights of watching fright flicks. Most, if not all, of these titles are available to stream through multiple services.
We went with 13, for obvious reasons, and have listed them in order of greatness. (Also make sure to read our list of the five most disappointing horror movies of 2025.)
Here are the Top 13 Horror Movies of 2025:
1. “Weapons”
It’s as perfect a film — from any genre — as we’ve seen in 2025, a remarkably visionary piece that succeeds on so many levels and seems destined to be referred to as an all-time horror-movie classic for decades to come.
Director Zach Cregger — having already stormed the castle with the directorial-screenwriting debut of “Barbarian” in 2022 — takes his game to an even higher level with this follow-up epic that utilizes multiple interrelated storylines to tell the complex tale of a group of grade-school children who go missing one night.
Everything about the film pulls you in, as Cregger drops bombs that expose such universal fears — not being able to protect our loved ones, situations spinning out of control, etc. — in a setting that feels both right next door and completely out of this world.
2. “Good Boy”
Indy, star of the movie “Good Boy.” (Ben Leonberg/Independent Film Company/Shudder/TNS)
The list of great canine actors would, of course, include Rin Tin Tin, Lassie (played by Pal) and Benji (real name Higgins). And to that list we can solidly add Indy, who – like Rin Tin Tin – uses his own name in his film debut.
“Good Boy” is a revelation on so many fronts, not the least of which is how many emotions/thoughts/feelings we — as non-canines — assign to our four-legged friends. Director Ben Leonberg uses that to his advantage as he juxtaposes menacing imagery with scenes of his own dog to build a story that is just brimming with dread.
Our own thoughts and fears carry the storyline, while Indy eats up the camera like he would a box of treats. This is nothing short of a master class in filmmaking.
3. “Bring Her Back”
Sally Hawkins, left, and Jonah Wren Phillips in “Bring Her Back.” (Ingvar Kenne/A24/TNS)
What do you do for an encore after crafting the greatest horror film of the 21st century? Well, if you’re Australian twin filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou, you drop another classic. No, “Bring Her Back” isn’t as excellent as 2022’s “Talk to Me” — but, then again, only a very small handful of films in horror movie history have been. Yet, it’s definitely a supernatural freakfest that will stick to your bones long after you leave the theater.
4. “Final Destination: Bloodlines”
“Final Destination” is one of the two most consistently entertaining franchises in all of horror, with the other being, of course, Chucky/“Child’s Play.” Yes, that’s taking into account the 2009 FD outing, which even the horrible CGI couldn’t dissuade us from watching multiple times. This sixth edition, which is a prequel to the original 2000 masterpiece, hits all the notes that make this series so worth fans’ time — the memorable ensemble casts, the no-frills storylines, the fun twists and turns and, most significantly, the crazy-clever death scenes.
5. “The Monkey”
Is it the best Stephen King adaptation that the horror film genre has ever seen? No. That title still goes to the original “Carrie.” But “The Monkey” might just be the most fun King adaptation, taking fans on a wildly enjoyable roller coaster ride of blood and guts that will have gorehounds howling like there is no tomorrow. If crazy, elaborately orchestrated death scenes are what draws you to horror then this tale of an evil monkey creature — don’t call it a toy! — is definitely for you.
6. “Heart Eyes”
We’ve had plenty of romantic subplots set in the middle of horror films, with Christopher Landon’s “Happy Death Day” and “Freaky” being two excellent examples. Yet, Josh Ruben’s “Heart Eyes” is really a first-rate romantic comedy that manages to draw on so many of the genre’s tropes — the initial attraction, the work conflict, the undeniable chemistry that one or more parties wants to deny, the second/third chance at real romance, and so on. Into that equation comes a masked killer — The Heart Eyes Killer, a.k.a. H-E-K — to bust the formula wide open and create something that feels refreshingly new.
7. “Together”
Body horror, the subgenre often defined by mutilations of the human form, is one of the most maligned areas of horror. And, usually, for good reason. Yet, when it’s done right — such as in last year’s Oscar-nominated “The Substance” — it can serve as wicked commentary on the state of human affairs. “Together” is another such keeper, using plenty of hard-to-watch moments to train a microscope on what it means to lose yourself in a relationship.
8. “Presence”
Who went into 2025 having Steven Soderbergh on their bingo card as the director of the first great horror movie of the year? Well, turns out the Oscar- and Palme-d’Or-winning director — known for such milestone movies as “Traffic,” “Erin Brockovich” and “Sex, Lies, and Videotape” — can also dish out convincingly low-key chills with the best of them. “Presence” (which hit theaters in January, after debuting at the Sundance Film Festival one year prior) is a ghost story with a twist that we absolutely didn’t see coming. The less you know going in, the better.
9. “Sinners”
This will be the first horror film that many will think of when it comes to 2025 — and, for good reason, since the Ryan Coogler-directed epic was quite good, made a ton of money and, perhaps most importantly, helped introduce blues music to many new listeners. We wouldn’t be surprised if this vampire tale, which finds mighty Michael B. Jordan doing double duty as twin brothers, even ends up being the very rare horror film that scores a best picture Oscar nomination.
10. “The Ugly Stepsister”
There have been so many dark reimaginings of fairy tales and other children’s tales lately – including this year’s “Steamboat” (based on the legendary 1928 Walt Disney animated short “Steamboat Willie”) and the “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” travesties — and most haven’t been anything other than a complete waste of time. Not so for this Norwegian folk-horror triumph that uses the Cinderella storyline to outline the dangers of chasing beauty.
11. “Dangerous Animals”
When filmmakers want to do something different in the overplayed shark genre, they usually either make the creature bigger (“The Meg”) or give it more heads (just Google around a bit) – neither of which, of course, makes it different. Yet, director Sean Byrne manages to deliver something that feels strikingly new and novel with “Dangerous Animals,” a thriller that is equal parts “Jaws,” survival horror film and serial killer tale. It’s a blend that we didn’t see coming. And it’s completely fin-tastic.
12. “M3GAN 2.0”
We went into this with wildly low expectations — which, face it, never hurts — given that the advance trailer made it look like the filmmakers had abandoned everything that made the first “M3GAN” so enjoyable in favor of a third-tier superhero approach. Yeah, well, there’s some of that. But this sci-fi/superhero/horror hybrid works surprisingly well, thanks to quality writing, great effects and a tight focus on the wit and — for lack of a better term — humanity of this hi-tech killer doll.
13. “Companion”
Need even more bloody AI humanoid fun after watching “M3GAN”? Well, just roll right into a double feature with this well-made tale of the possible pitfalls that lay ahead as technology continues to replace human interaction/connection in so many wrong ways. Thematically, it reminds us of some of the zombie flicks that leave one questioning who the real monster is in the equation.’
Top 13 horror movies of 2025: Do you agree with our No. 1 pick?
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