The scariest looking 2025 horror movies
DexertoTo put this list together, we did what we always do when working out lists. We slaughtered a goat as a sacrifice to honor the great Movie-o the deity who presides over all film and TV listicles. Once this was done, Movie-o’s chosen vessel was blessed with the eldritch knowledge to write the list… well, we planned on doing that but then the conference room freed up so we just worked it out in there as a team.
Also, as a quick note, we haven’t ranked these films; they’re just listed in release date order. Why? Well Movie-o hates it when we rank things we haven’t seen… and honestly, it didn’t seem fair to these films to say one was better than the other before we’d seen it. Anyway, enjoy and praise Movie-o!
Wolf Man
- Release Date: January 17, 2025
- Genre: Horror
- Director: Leigh Whannel
- Cast: Julia Garner, Christopher Abbott, Matilda Firth
What it’s about: Jake inherits a remote farmhouse in the Oregon woods and heads there with his wife and daughter. But on the way, they’re attacked by an unseen animal, which chases the family to the house and then starts prowling the perimeter. But while they are trapped inside, Jake himself starts to change.
Why we’re excited: Leigh Whannell is why we’re excited about this one. As the brain behind Saw and Insidious, he’s a modern master of horror. When Whannell tackled a Universal Monster Movie, the result was a truly terrifying take on The Invisible Man. Now Leigh’s heading back to that source by putting his own spin on the Wolf Man, one that combines hair-raising myth with cabin-in-the-woods action and horror.
Words by Chris Tilly
Presence
Sundance Institute- Release date: January 17, 2025
- Genre: Horror
- Director: Steven Soderbergh
- Cast: Lucy Liu, Julia Fox, Chris Sullivan.
What it’s about: When a family moves into a new suburban home, their idyllic life becomes an eerie nightmare as they realize they’re not alone.
Why we’re excited: When Steven Soderbergh makes a movie, you’re compelled to pay attention by law. Better yet, when Soderbergh wants to be scary, he goes for it; just look at Contagion and Unsane. Presence also has a brilliant concept: it’s a horror movie filmed entirely from the perspective of the entity, lingering and looming over the house as its occupants try to figure out what’s going on.
Words by Cameron Frew
Companion
- Release date: January 31, 2025
- Director: Drew Hancock
- Cast: Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, Lukas Gage
What it’s about: Little is known about the plot of Companion for now, other than it’s a horror that’s set to tell a new kind of love story.
Why we’re excited: Sophie Thatcher is quickly becoming our new leading scream queen, and she’s set to lean into that role even further with Companion, a violent, twisted new thriller produced by Barbarian director Zach Cregger. Let’s not forget The Boys’ Jack Quaid playing her on-screen partner in what’s set to be an unhinged love story. And if that doesn’t float your dark and scary boat, we can’t help you.
Words by Daisy Phillipson
The Monkey
- Release date: February 21, 2025
- Director: Osgood Perkins
- Cast: Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, Elijah Wood, Sarah Levy
What it’s about: Based on a Stephen King short story, The Monkey tells the tale of twin brothers Hal and Bill, who find themselves cursed by a killer toy monkey they discover in their father’s attic.
Why we’re excited: The marriage of Osgood Perkins and Stephen King seems like a pairing made in horror movie heaven (would that be hell?), so we’re very excited about this. From the trailers, it looks like this bloody story will strike a different tone from Osgood’s previous, more occult work. We’re not saying it looks like a laugh-a-minute comedy. Still, there’s definitely a degree of zaniness to the teaser that teases a slightly more irreverent tone than the super serious and somber Longlegs or The Blackcoat’s Daughter.
Words by Tom Percival
Sinners
Warner Bros. Pictures- Release date: March 7, 2025
- Director: Ryan Coogler
- Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Jack O’Connell
What it’s about: Two twin brothers return to their hometown after attempting to leave their past behind, only to find that a vampiric evil has taken over.
Why we’re excited: Michael B. Jordan teaming up with Ryan Coogler again? Playing twins? Who hunt vampires? Honestly, our expectations couldn’t be higher for this action-packed horror fusion, and if it’s anything like the other Jordan-Coogler collabs, then it could very well end up being one of the most fun vampire movies in years.
Words by Jessica Cullen
Drop
Universal Pictures- Release date: April 11, 2025
- Director: Christopher Landon
- Cast: Meghann Fahy, Brandon Sklenar
What it’s about: Violet is pleasantly surprised when she meets up with her first date since becoming a widow, but when she starts receiving threatening drops on her phone, she must follow a series of sinister instructions in a bid to keep her young son and sister safe.
Why we’re excited: It’s high time Meghann Fahy leads a horror, and Christopher Landon’s next ride is the perfect entry. Drop doesn’t sound particularly taxing or groundbreaking, but sometimes that’s all you want from a film. His Happy Death Day series was oh so much fun, and though his new movie deals with darker themes, it’s bound to deliver a mix of thrills and playful suspense.
Words by Daisy Phillipson
28 Years Later
- Release date: June 20, 2025
- Director: Danny Boyle
- Cast: Cillian Murphy, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes
What it’s about: It’s been 28 years since the Rage Virus turned millions of people in the UK into manic, rabid zombies, with only a few small communities protected from infection. In an effort to find help for his dying mother, a young boy sets out into no (hu)man’s land.
Why we’re excited: It’s been over a decade since 28 Weeks Later; god knows how many fake posters and reports we’ve endured since then. Next year, Danny Boyle is back at the helm for the long-awaited threequel, also penned by Alex Garland, the writer of the original film – which happens to be one of the best horror movies of all time. In short, this is an event.
Words by Cameron Frew
Him
Artisan Entertainment- Release date: September 19, 2025
- Director: Justin Tipping
- Cast: Julia Fox, Tierra Whack, Jim Jeffries, Tim Heidecker
What it’s about: A promising young football player joins an isolated compound to train under a dynasty team’s aging quarterback.
Why we’re excited: She’s everywhere, she’s so Julia… the horror version? People arguably haven’t taken her seriously since her turn in Uncut Gems, and I’m excited to see what she has to offer as a horror actress. On top of this, sports? Normally, I’d say no, but there’s something exciting about seeing footballers watch their own legs volley through the sky.
Words by Jasmine Valentine
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2
Universal Pictures- Release date: December 5, 2025
- Director: Emma Tammi
- Cast: Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Matthew Lillard
What it’s about: In line with the second game in the franchise, we’re expecting to see the fictional pizzeria return alongside the newly unmasked villain Springtrap.
Why we’re excited: I shouldn’t be looking forward to another helping of FNAF, but I am. The lore is delicious even for those who haven’t played the games, while I’m still rooting for Hutcherson to become the Katniss Everdeen of evil animatronics. Lillard’s Shaggy friendliness turned demonic child killer doesn’t hurt things either.
Words by Jasmine Valentine
Final Destination: Bloodlines
Dexerto- Release date: TBC
- Director: Zach Lipovsky, Adam Stein
- Cast: Tony Todd, Brec Bassinger, Teo Briones, Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Richard Harmon
What it’s about: While unconfirmed, it’s believed it will follow Stefani, an 18-year-old college student who keeps having a dream about dying in a horrific accident. It turns out that it was real, only that it happened to her grandmother – but she cheated Death, and her bloodline isn’t safe.
Why we’re excited: A busy flight, a log truck on a highway, a rickety rollercoaster, a Nascar crash, a collapsing bridge; the world is crying out for a new nightmare, and Final Destination 6 will deliver overdue guts and gore with a revamped formula, and a much-deserved curtain call for the late Tony Todd.
Words by Cameron Frew