Matthew Jackson’s Top 10 Horror Films of 2025

It feels like I say “Wow, this was an amazing year for horror” every year these days, but even with that in mind, 2025 was something of a whirlwind of new classics. The year had barely started when we got new genre films from Leigh Whannell and Steven Soderbergh, to name just two, and it only got better from there. 

That means that narrowing the year down to just 10 films is even harder than normal, but I did my best. I tried to take into account not just the craft involved, but also which films still haunt me when I close my eyes, particularly if they’re films I first saw nearly a full calendar year ago. The result is this list, my 10 favorite horror movies of 2025. 

#10 Heart Eyes

I’ve been a fan of Josh Ruben’s horror films ever since Scare Me, so I was eager to see how his sensibilities would translate to an all-out slasher, as well as how his sensibilities would merge with writers Phillip Murphy, Christopher Landon, and Michael Kennedy.

The level of talent alone attached to Heart Eyes was enough to get me excited, but I was not prepared for just how deftly this film would blend genres. Horror and comedy go hand in hand, of course, but horror and romance are trickier. And making a horror romantic comedy? Well, it’s doable, but it really takes commitment, and that’s where Heart Eyes truly won me over. Everyone involved in this film made a great slasher and a great romantic comedy. Throw in a fantastic killer design and some very inventive scares, and you’ve got my favorite slasher of the year.

#9 Good Boy

However much you think you understand about the high-concept nature of Good Boy, check those assumptions at the door. Yes, this indie darling is the story of a dark presence in an old house told entirely from the point of view of a dog, but it’s so much more than a gimmick designed to get you in the seat. 

The concept works, to be clear, but what’s special about Good Body is not its concept. It’s all in the execution, from the moody lightning to the slow-burn scares to the way the film unfurls its story of a family curse that, perhaps, only a dog can break. The real hero of the film, though, as you probably know by now, is Indy, the lead character, who delivers one of the most nuanced performances I’ve ever seen from an animal performer. He’s a star!

#8 The Ugly Stepsister

Emilie Blichfeldt’s updated take on the Cinderella story told from the point of view of the title stepsister is a lavish, fiendishly funny dark fairy tale anchored by two amazing performances from Lea Myren (in the title role) and Thea Sofie Loch Naess as the Cinderella character. 

These two young women are at odds with one another from the beginning, but The Ugly Stepsister doesn’t just upend the balance of power we’ve come to expect from this particular Brothers Grimm tale. It reinvents that balance entirely, telling the story of two young women who’ve been forced into competition by a society that considers them both expendable. All that and some of the best body horror of the year make it an instant classic.

#7 Queens of the Dead

Tina Romero’s tribute to her late father’s legacy as the king of the zombie movie is an immensely joyous experience to watch, and the more I think about it, the better it gets. The story of a group of queer friends just trying to put on a drag show in a world gone mad, Queens of the Dead is both a celebration of zombie cinema history and an effervescent display of perseverance and love within marginalized groups. 

It might sound weird to say that “joy” was always the operative word while I was watching what is ostensibly a horror film, but that’s what came across most strongly during Queens of the Dead. The scares are there, and so are the emotional stakes, but more than anything else, this movie is a beam of light cutting through the murk and the dark of this very upsetting year, and I’m so glad it exists.

#6 Together

Like Good Boy, Together is one of those movies with a big, juicy hook designed to get you in the door, which then pushes well beyond that hook’s initial offering. Co-stars and producers Alison Brie and Dave Franco step into Michael Shanks’ film not just prepared to get graphic, but to get intimate with their insecurities and fears, and all the little things that form a relationship. They truly throw themselves into this story of a struggling couple, and the film is better for it.

But that’s not to say the horror isn’t there, too. Together features some of the most striking body horror I’ve seen in years, from an ill-fated sex scene in a bathroom to, of course, a saw put to use on human skin. You might see these moments coming, particularly if you’ve seen the trailers, but Shanks’ direction means you also always feel the impact, and that’s the mark of a very well-made horror film.

#5 28 Years Later

Danny Boyle and Alex Garland’s much-hyped return to the 28 Days Later franchise takes the series into epic territory, while never losing the gritty, seat-of-your-pants feeling that made the original film so exciting. In examining the reshaping of human society in the wake of the rage virus’s rampage through the populace, they’ve built the grandest possible stage, and they make excellent use of it. 

It might not be the zombie movie riff longtime fans were expecting, but what 28 Years Later lacks in visceral, jump-scare-laced thrills it more than makes up for in grand scale storytelling. This is a film that not only asks you to imagine a bigger world amid the ashes of the old one, but also asks you to consider your own place in the crumbling world that’s here right now. Its emotional payoffs are staggering, and it still haunts me months after I first saw it.

#4 Frankenstein

Like Crimson Peak before it, Frankenstein often plays more purely Gothic than it does as outright horror, but that does nothing to dim the existential dread at the heart of Guillermo del Toro’s lavish adaptation. The result of decades of dreaming about the project, it’s one of those films that packs everyone del Toro loves into a single feature, and while that can make it feel overwhelming, I happily got lost in this stew of ideas and images. 

It helps, of course, that del Toro packed his cast with great performers, led by Oscar Isaac in the title role and Jacob Elordi as the Creature. When I look back on this film, I’ll think about the intricate anatomical visual effects, the gorgeous production design, and the sweeping score, but I’ll think about the performances most of all, especially Elordi’s. Not since Boris Karloff himself have I been so swept up in this Creature’s life and longing, thanks to del Toro and the actor he chose to embody it. It’s a great film already, but I think this is one of those horror epics that will only grow in esteem with time.

#3 Bring Her Back

Danny and Michael Philippou’s follow-up to Talk To Me was naturally one of the most anticipated horror films of the year, but I don’t think anything could have prepared me for just how shaken I was by watching it. The story of a foster mother (Sally Hawkins) with a dark secret and the two kids (Billy Barratt and Sora Wong) forced to figure out that secret is one of the most harrowing mainstream horror films I watched this year. 

Some of those harrowing moments, from the camcorder footage sprinkled through the film to one terrifying scene involving a kitchen knife, are easy to peg. Others, like what happens when these kids realize that they’re part of some larger game they don’t quite understand, sneak up on you. Bring Her Back is a more mature film than Talk To Me, bleaker, and a sign that the Philippou Brothers are just getting warmed up. I can’t wait to see what they do next, because this one knocked me through the back of the theater. 

#2 Weapons

I went into Weapons optimistic about what I would see. I came out feeling struck by lightning. Zach Cregger’s second horror feature is a level-up in just about every way from the already excellent Barbarian. Its concept feels more fully formed, its surprises are greater, and its nonlinear storytelling is more mature than its predecessor’s. 

But this is more than just a step up in a sophomore effort. What makes Weapons work is Cregger’s ability to give us such a barrage of upsetting images that it almost feels like we’re watching a collage, then tying it all together on a story scaffolding that was there in plain sight all along. Amy Madigan is rightfully getting a lot of awards buzz for her amazing performance, but Julia Garner and Josh Brolin are just as vital to paying off this supernatural mystery, and it all wraps up with my favorite horror movie ending of the year.

 #1 Sinners

I’m not sure what I can say about Ryan Coogler’s titanic historical vampire picture that hasn’t already been said, but I’m thrilled to add my voice to the chorus of people who love this film. In a job that encourages me to analyze the moving parts of the machine that is a movie, it’s hard sometimes to be swept away by something. I’m glad Sinners is now on home release, so I can watch it again, since the first time I was simply out of my seat. I was transported. 

From the performances to the music to the honey-gold cinematography to the simple conceptual hook of a white populace trying to literally suck dry the Black culture of the Mississippi Delta, everything about this film worked for me. I was moved, I had fun, and I still can’t stop thinking about it. I debated the placement of many other films on this list, but Sinners was always in the top spot. 

As I said, getting this list down to just 10 was tough, so I want to take a moment at the end to spotlight a few honorable mentions. Final Destination Bloodlines, Clown in a Cornfield, Companion, The Monkey, Black Phone 2, The Toxic Avenger, Best Wishes to All, The Plague, Dust Bunny, The Long Walk, and Rabbit Trap, to name just a few, all just barely missed out on this list. We were spoiled in 2025, and with festival favorites like Mother of Flies and Obsession hitting wide release in 2026, we’re about to be spoiled again. 

If you want to keep track of what I’m watching all year long, follow me on BlueSky.

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