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With Immaculate, Nosferatu, The Substance, Longlegs, and more, 2024 set a high bar for spooky stuff. But 2025 looks set to keep the scares going for another year. From big studio blockbusters to grimy little indies to interesting art films (don’t call it elevated), 2025 has something for everyone who needs a good scare in the new year.
Wolf Man (January 17)
Scary 2025 starts on a strong note with Leigh Whannell‘s return to the world of Universal Monsters. As he did with Invisible Man from 2020, Whannell promises to bring a kinetic visual style and social relevance to the classic monster. His werewolf update stars Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner as a married couple who get waylaid in the woods after a lycanthrope attacks the father. As father Blake (Abbott) struggles with his inner beast, it’s up to mother Charlotte (Garner) to protect their young daughter (Matilda Firth) and herself.
Presence (January 24)
Don’t let the big names fool you. Presence may come from director Steven Soderbergh and screenwriter David Koepp, with Lucy Liu and Julia Fox in the lead, but it falls firmly within the filmmaker’s experimental phase. Presence has a traditional haunted house premise, in which a family senses an entity in their new home. Soderbergh shoots the entire film in first-person perspective, hoping to follow in the footsteps of Nickel Boys in innovating the technique on the big screen.
Companion (January 31)
Between his affable demeanor and solid performances in The Boys and Star Trek: Lower Decks, Jack Quaid has become not only a good nepo baby, but also a Tom Hanks nice guy for Millennials. Writer and director Drew Hancock plans to test those feelings with Companion where Quaid plays a nice guy who kidnaps a young woman (Sophie Thatcher from Heretic) under romantic pretenses. So far, we don’t know much about the plot other than what the trailer shows. But the emphasis on Barbarian director Zach Cregger as a producer on Companion promises a couple of upsetting twists.
Heart Eyes (February 7)
Director Josh Ruben scored a surprise hit with his imminently likable Werewolves Within in 2020. His follow-up Heart Eyes sounds like Ruben’s moving into less pleasant territory. Heart Eyes involves a serial killer hunting victims on Valentine’s Day, a classic slasher premise. But it won’t be all doom and gloom. Ruben has cast former Disney player Olivia Holt in the lead, alongside Scream regular Mason Gooding and horror icon Devon Sawa.
The Monkey (February 21)
With last year’s buzzy Longlegs, director Oz Perkins fully moved out of the shadow of his famous father Anthony, aka Norman Bates himself. Perkins will continue that momentum with his second movie in eight months, one that goes just as weird as Longlegs. The Monkey adapts the Stephen King story about a cursed wind-up toy. Theo James of The White Lotus plays the owners of the toy in dual roles; Tatiana Maslany, Elijah Wood, and Halloween Ends‘ Rohan Campbell round out the cast.
The Woman in the Yard (March 28)
Hot off the deserved Netflix hit Carry-On, Jaume Collet-Serra has become one of our most reliable genre directors. Sure, he has a few misses like Black Adam, but House of Wax, Orphan, and Non-Stop stand as enjoyable crowdpleasers. Collet-Serra turns back to horror with The Woman in the Yard, a chiller about a mysterious figure who suddenly appears in a family’s front lawn. Collet-Serra has a strong lead in Danielle Deadwyler, who won attention for Till and The Piano Lesson.
Drop (April 11)
Christopher Landon made his name with great horror comedies Happy Death Day and Freaky, but he’s ready for something different. As he told Den of Geek, Landon wanted “a break from the horror/comedy world,” returning to the tone of earlier projects such as his Hitchcock riff Disturbia. With Drop, Landon takes on the world of social media and dating. Meghann Fahy of The White Lotus plays a single mom on her first date, with a man who may or may not be who he says he is. Laughs might be harder to come by in the Drop, but it sounds like the expected tension will be there.
Sinners (April 18)
One of the more heavily anticipated movies of the year comes from Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan. The duo have been turning out smart crowdpleasers since the director’s debut Fruitvale Station, through the first Creed and both Black Panther films. Sinners puts Jordan in a dual role as twin brothers saving their hometown from an onslaught of vampires. Between the period piece setting and strong supporting cast that includes Hailee Steinfeld and Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners seems poised for another blockbuster for Coogler and Jordan.
Until Dawn (April 25)
Until Dawn has been entertaining gamers for a decade thanks to its application of the Butterfly Effect concept to a horror game. David F. Sandberg of Shazam! and Lights Out fame, as well as Conjuring-verse mainstay Gary Dauberman, hope to bring the same mechanic to the big screen. It’s hard to say exactly how the Until Dawn movie will translate the player’s choice aspect that represents the Butterfly Effect mechanic. But at least the horror vets can guarantee some solid horror thrills.
Final Destination: Bloodlines (May 16)
The Final Destination series went out on top with the delightfully gnarly Final Destination 5, which perfected the franchise’s Rube Goldberg scares. Directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein make the jump from Disney Channel movies to the big screen to helm the latest entry, the first in 14 years. As with previous Final Destination films, Bloodlines doesn’t boast the biggest names in its cast, with Stargirl‘s Brec Bassinger in the lead. But the biggest draw remains the late, great Tony Todd, appearing one last time as the knowing mortician William Bludworth.
28 Years Later (June 20)
Few properties have more claim to the zombie resurgence of the 2000s than Danny Boyle‘s aggressive and innovative 28 Days Later in 2002. After sitting out the 2007 sequel 28 Weeks Later, Boyle returns to the franchise for 28 Years Later. To be honest, the first trailer for 28 Years Later doesn’t offer much we haven’t seen from the many, many zombie stories that followed Boyle’s first outing. However, Boyle and frequent collaborator Alex Garland have never been people who do the expected. Chances are that stars Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes will deal with some surprising twists, especially as the movie sets up another sequel, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, for 2026.
M3GAN 2.0 (June 27)
The first M3GAN became a hit thanks in part to Blumhouse‘s strong internet advertising campaign. The sequel M3GAN 2.0 doesn’t have that same element of surprise, but it does have the same creative team returning, with Gerard Johnstone directing, Akela Cooper writing, and James Wan producing. Also back are Allison Williams and Violet McGraw as an aunt and niece brought together after a tragedy leaves the latter orphaned, and Amie Donald and Jenna Davis as the body and voice of M3GAN as well.
I Know What You Did Last Summer Sequel (July 18)
I Know What You Did Last Summer never reached the heights of the Scream movies it aped, but it still had a healthy audience. That was enough to get two sequels about a vengeful fisherman chasing Jennifer Love Hewitt and her pals. Reportedly, Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. will show up in this latest entry, but not as the leads. Instead Madelyn Cline of Outer Banks and Glass Onion fame will be the beleaguered heroine this time around. Thor: Love & Thunder co-writer Jennifer Kaytin Robinson steps in to direct, with journalist Sam Lansky and Scrambled‘s Leah McKendrick also writing the script.
The Conjuring: Last Rites (September 5)
Unlikely as it seems, The Conjuring franchise has become one of the most reliable shared universes outside of the MCU, spinning off movies about Annabelle, the Nun, and La Llorona (they can’t all be winners). The mainline series returns for its fourth and supposedly final entry, The Conjuring: Last Rites. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson are back to put a lovable spin on real-world scam artists paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren and Michael Chaves, who helmed The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It and The Curse of La Llorona, directs.
The Bride! (September 26)
Speaking of shared universes, the MCU still pales in comparison to the monster movies that Universal Pictures made from the 1930s through the ’50s. Attempts to repeat the success of those first movies has failed (RIP Dark Universe), but the legacy of those classic characters will never stay in the ground for long. Thus enters Maggie Gyllenhaal, writer and director of The Bride!, which reimagines the original as a tale of woman’s liberation in 1930s Chicago. Jesse Buckley stars as a murdered woman, rebuilt as a mate for the Monster (Christian Bale). Penélope Cruz, Peter Sarsgaard and Annette Bening co-star.
Saw XI (September 26)
If you’ve only seen one or two Saw movies, you might think you know what to expect from the newest movie Saw XI. You might think it’s all just a bunch of torture and misery, nothing more. Saw XI will certainly have lots of nastiness, just like its surprisingly great predecessor, Saw X. But the Saw franchise is also about overly complex timelines and crazy twists, which director Kevin Greutert and writers Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan—all regulars for the franchise—will surely bring to Saw XI.
The Black Phone 2 (October 17)
After leaving Doctor Strange 2 and the world of big budget blockbusters, director Scott Derrickson got down to basics with the solid supernatural thriller The Black Phone. Derrickson and co-writer C. Robert Cargill return to the terror this year, building off the original short story by Joe Hill.
The Black Phone 2 continues the fight between child killer the Grabber (Ethan Hawke) and the one who got away, Finney (Mason Thames). In the first movie, Finney escaped the Grabber’s basement through the help of his psychic sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) and the ghosts of previous victims, who communicated via the titular telephone. They also seemed to welcome the Grabber straight into hell. Which raises questions about what could happen next.
Predator: Badlands (November 7)
Alright, we’re all a bit disappointed that the next Predator movie isn’t the one set in feudal Japan. Still, director Dan Trachtenberg earned a lot of good will with his last movie Prey, the best Predator film since the original. Trachtenberg’s back for Predator: Badlands, which stars Elle Fanning as a pair of twin sisters. The pair tries to survive a futuristic wasteland where they’re hunted by the titular monsters.
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 (December 5)
It didn’t make anyone’s top 10 lists, but no one can deny that Five Nights at Freddy’s was a bonafide hit, becoming the highest opening Blumhouse movie ever. So of course we’re going back to the pizza place in 2025. According to early reports, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 will adapt the second game in the series, with Matthew Lillard back as the primary villain. Game creator Scott Cawthon will be on hand again to ensure that fans of the original property are entertained, even if everyone else is a bit mystified.
Death of a Unicorn (TBA)
Death of a Unicorn almost sounds like a parody of an A24 movie, but rest assured it’s a real thing. Longtime producer Alex Scharfman writes and directs this story of a father and daughter (Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega), who crash into a unicorn on their way to a retreat hosted by their pharmaceutical company boss. The first trailer for the film promises surreal satire, anchored by a solid cast. Téa Leoni, Richard E. Grant, and Will Poulter all play rich people we’re sure to want to eat. Luckily, the unicorn(s) will be there to chow down for us.
Fear Street: Prom Queen (TBA)
The Fear Street trilogy has proven to be a true hit for Netflix, thanks to director Leigh Janiak bringing the energy of the R.L. Stine books to the screen. The series continues with Fear Street: Prom Queen, which doesn’t seem to be launching a new trilogy, but will surely continue the same themes of the original. Janiak isn’t directing this outing, but she’s got a solid replacement in Matt Palmer, who made 2018’s Calibre. He’ll be working with an interesting cast, which includes Ariana Greenblatt, Katherine Waterston, and Lili Taylor.
Frankenstein (TBA)
It’s not just about the Bride in 2025. The mad scientist and his monster will also stalk the screen. The master Guillermo del Toro writes and directs this latest adaptation of the Mary Shelley novel Frankenstein, with Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as the Monster he creates. Although del Toro’s making the movie for Netflix, that shouldn’t worry those concerned for his artistic integrity. The animated Pinocchio adaptation that del Toro did for Netflix remains one of the most beautiful and unique entries in his filmography.
King Spawn (TBA)
Spawn might be one of the most reliable indie characters in comics, but poor Al Simmons hasn’t fared as well on the screen. The schlocky 1997 movie has its defenders, but try as he might, creator Todd McFarlane hasn’t been able to get a new movie going. According to McFarlane, a hard-R movie called King Spawn is finally in production for Blumhouse. That said, no director or actor has been officially attached, but Jamie Foxx has expressed interest.
V/H/S/8 (TBA)
Anthology films are famously hit or miss, which makes the V/H/S series all the more impressive. Of course, the series has had some excellent creators involved, including Ti West, Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead, and Mike Flanagan.
No word yet on who will join on for the eighth entry, but each of the previous seven entries have had at least one excellent short, so we’re optimistic.
Wildwood (TBA)
One of the more interesting entries on this list, Wildwood comes from Laika, America’s answer to Aardman. Travis Knight (Kubo and the Two Strings) directs and Laika regular Chris Butler writes this adaptation of the children’s fantasy novel by The Decemberists frontman Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis. Before anyone grouches about including an animated adaptation of a kid’s book, keep in mind that previous Laika movies Coraline and ParaNorman are solid horror films, even if they’re aimed at a younger audience.
Eddington (TBA)
Here’s what we know about Eddington. It’s made by Ari Aster. And that’s about all we need to know to be excited by it. Okay, it does look like Aster has an impressive cast lined up, including Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, and Emma Stone. And Aster is coming off his very divisive comedy(?) Beau Is Afraid. And still, even those who hated that last film are at least curious about a new Aster project.
Hope (TBA)
It’s been nearly 10 years since Korean director Na Hong-jin released The Wailing, an excellent, moving exorcism film. But director Na’s finally back in 2025 with Hope, a thriller that mixes in some sci-fi elements. So far we only know that Hope takes place in a harbor town, and that Western actors Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender will appear alongside Hwang Jung-min and Zo In-sung.
The post Upcoming Horror Movies to Watch in 2025 appeared first on Den of Geek.
