With Halloween creeping closer, you’ve likely already started throwing on your favorite horror movies. While it’s a fun tradition to dabble in classic monster flicks and cheesy slashers, there are times when you feel the need for a change. There are only so many times you can rewatch Hocus Pocus and Beetlejuice before you find yourself longing for something fresher.
Thankfully, the horror genre has not died down a bit in the 21st century, and 2025 had a fine selection of new horror films to choose from. There were subversive mysteries, gory splatterfests, and even some Stephen King thrown in for good measure. Find new horror favorites this Halloween with these recent theatrical movies you can now watch at home.
10
28 Years Later
Many years after the zombie horror of 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later, director Danny Boyle returns to this horror saga to explore something more compelling about mortality. The young Spike (Alfie Williams) has grown up in an isolated island environment, raised by his zombie-hunting scavenger father, Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), and caring for his ill mother, Isla (Jodie Comer). When Spike makes his first trip to the mainland, infected by the Rage virus, he witnesses the inhumanity of the undead and his father while struggling to cure his sick mother.
For what could’ve been a standard return to more undead killings, Boyle took some wild swings with 28 Years Later—dating between intense scenes of brutal carnage, contemplative scenes of the somber nature of mortality, and even giddy scenes of absurd violence. There’s some massive tonal whiplash (especially in the third act), but it’s also expertly shot, slickly edited, and isn’t afraid to get grotesque and weird, going so far as to have the decades-old infected all be naked from years of their clothes ripping apart.
9
Death of a Unicorn
En route to a business meeting, Elliot and his daughter, Ridley, accidentally hit a unicorn. When taking the body to the estate of a wealthy businessman, they discover the unicorn’s blood has magical powers to heal everything from acne to cancer. But there’s more than one unicorn, and the humans soon find themselves under attack by the killer magical creatures.
Death of a Unicorn delivers precisely what it promises as a class satire where the mythical creature eats the rich. While the story may be simplistic in championing nature over capitalism, the kills are deliciously over the top and absurd (they’d have to be with killer unicorns on the loose). Adding to the giddily gruesome special effects is a solid comedic cast that includes Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega, Will Poulter, Téa Leoni, and Richard E. Grant.
8
Clown in a Cornfield
True to its title, Clown in a Cornfield is a slasher film where a clown emerges from the cornfield to slaughter. The legend of the slaughtering clown has led to the small town of Kettle Springs, Missouri, using the history of horror as a prank for viral videos. But the prank soon turns real as newcomer teen Quinn (Katie Douglas) must discover why teenagers are getting gutted in her new location.
Directed by Eli Craig (Tucker & Dale vs. Evil), there’s a playful nature to how Clown in a Cornfield toys around with the slasher genre. There are some solid punchlines, decent twists, and a fresh variety of kills are made with everything from crossbows to pitchforks. While not as subversive as Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, it’s still a fun dose of slasher hijinks, with some amusing performances by Kevin Durand (Abigail) and Will Sasso (MadTV) who never try too hard for a laugh.
7
The Monkey
Stephen King’s short story was once again adapted into a film, but director Oz Perkins took The Monkey in a more absurd direction. The story remains mostly faithful, as the brothers Hal and Bill Shelburn (Theo James) happen upon their father’s wind-up monkey toy. Somebody dies when the creepy monkey finishes its song, and they never know who the target is until it’s too late. The brothers grow up and struggle to deal with the fact that this monkey will always be in their lives.
The Monkey zooms straight into comedy with its premise, framing the kills as over-the-top, the editing perfectly timed for humor, and the acting hilariously tongue-in-cheek. The brutality is just too bombastic not to laugh at, featuring such deaths as a harpoon pulling out guts and bees crowding human innards. Along with some hilarious reactions from Theo James to all the ridiculous demises, The Monkey is a horror-comedy ripe for party viewing.
6
Companion
Iris (Sophie Thatcher) believes she has the perfect boyfriend with Josh (Jack Quaid), but isn’t sure about venturing off to a vacation cabin with his friends. She feels like more of an outsider, and as the trip progresses, she makes a horrific discovery about her identity and that her relationship has been manufactured. Uncertain of whom to trust, she soon finds herself fighting for her life among deceptive people.
Companion relies on a sci-fi horror twist that I dare not reveal here for those who don’t want it spoiled. What I will say is that it tinkers with the concept fairly well while giving Sophie Thatcher a juicy role as a woman who stumbles into a slasher scenario. It’s absurd and charming in how it feels like an extended episode of The Twilight Zone with way more violence.
5
Together
Tim (Dave Franco) and Millie (Alison Brie) are unsure where their relationship is going. Now in the countryside, they encounter a strange force that starts changing them in frightening ways. Their relationship takes a dark turn as the two of them find themselves physically fusing into each other’s bodies, as the picture takes a terrifying turn into body horror.
Written and directed by Michael Shanks, Together is as emotionally poignant as it is grotesquely pungent. Watching Tim and Millie merge is frightening, but the deeper questioning of devotion and identity is even more profound and intriguing. The result is a bizarre horror that is simultaneously romantic and disgusting—a rare cocktail of body horror made for those with a heart as strong as their stomach.
Together
- Release Date
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July 30, 2025
- Runtime
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102 minutes
- Director
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Michael Shanks
4
Final Destination Bloodlines
Despite being the sixth film in the Final Destination franchise, Bloodlines feels like a fresh take on this saga known for absurd kills. The opening brutality is gorgeously gory, as a 1960s revolving restaurant turns into an explosive nightmare, but the young college student Stefani Reyes (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) experiences this premonition in the present. Intrigued by this event that never happened, Stefani uncovers a history of her family that has managed to escape death’s grip for too long, leading her to try to solve the mystery and save her family.
The Final Destination films are best appreciated for their skillful displays of unfortunate deaths. Bloodlines has some eye-popping moments of characters getting crushed in garbage compactors and a faulty MRI machine. However, the nature of family legacy grounds this story with more surprises as Stefani connects the dots amid all the anticipation of who will die next. There’s heart and suspense to this film that makes the victims more lovable, in addition to featuring a fitting final role for series regular and horror legend, the late Tony Todd.
3
Bring Her Back
Siblings Andy (Billy Barratt) and Piper (Sora Wong) have endured the tragedy of their father’s death. After being placed in the care of counselor Laura (Sally Hawkins), they start noticing strange occurrences around the house, especially with Laura’s silent foster son harboring bizarre behaviors. Soon, the orphaned siblings unearth a disturbing ritual that places them both in danger.
Directed by Danny and Michael Philippou (Talk To Me), Bring Her Back is a darkly disturbing fusion of traumatic loss, fearful separation, dark magic, and gory torture. There’s some truly nightmarish stuff in this film that goes well beyond a spooky resurrection or the brutal effects of a kid munching on a knife. It’s a tense dose of truly frightening horror that should get under the skin of even the most hardened horror fans.
2
Sinners
Set in 1930s Mississippi, Sinners is a thrillingly alive tale about the Moore Brothers (both played by Michael B. Jordan) setting up their juke joint. Everything seems to come together when relying on the local community, ranging from the musical prodigy of Sammie (Miles Caton) to the eccentric elder Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo). But opening night turns deadly when a swarm of vampires threatens the establishment, making the pressures of Southern living more of a nightmare.
Directed by Ryan Coogler (Black Panther), Sinners is far more than a Southern historical horror with vampires. It’s infused with a spirituality for the power of music and a strong thematic core on the nature of culture being altered and co-opted under the scrutinizing pressures of American life. In addition to being a fantastic story, the ensemble cast is stellar, with Michael B. Jordan pulling off dual roles, Delroy Lindo making a meal out of his quirks, Jayme Lawson putting on stunning stage shows, and Jack O’Connell sinking his teeth into being a deceptive Irish vampire.
1
Weapons
Zach Cregger stunned audiences with his subversive horror film Barbarian and returns with an even stronger horror film, Weapons. The film follows various individuals in a small town who endure the mystery of how an entire school class went missing in one night. As the community struggles to figure out this strange occurrence, vendettas are made, and adults break down as they try to grapple with their issues and untangle this dark web of kidnapping and manipulation.
Weapons is a fascinating and twisty horror story told from different perspectives, and I dare not spoil its shocking conclusion, which explains everything. It’s thrilling to watch Cregger spin this tale and explore various characters while still finding just the right moments of tongue-in-cheek comedy. What’s remarkable is that Cregger doesn’t ground the film in a simplistic theme, and he experiments with so many creepy visions and flawed individuals that the atmosphere becomes highly engrossing. For an actor who started on the sketch comedy show The Whitest Kids U Know, Cregger has an incredible skill at creating mysterious, brutal, provocative, and sometimes funny horror.
The horror films of 2025 have been remarkable, ranging from big-budget studio pictures to smaller marvels by cunning directors. It doesn’t matter if you’re in the mood for a somber slathering of traumatic terror or a goofy picture of murderous unicorns. There’s a little something for every horror fan, and these titles are worth taking a chance on for their potential to be a new favorite in your Halloween watchlist.