The Best New Horror Movies Coming This Year: Your 2025 Watchlist

Update: Initially slated for a January 24th release, Screamboat has been pushed to an April 2025 release.

Public domain is running amok on the horror front, with the original version of Mickey Mouse hitting the public domain last year, folks were quick to jump on a Mickey Mouse horror movie. This one stars Terrifier‘s David Howard Thornton.

Per the Screamboat press release, the filmmaker is “promising buckets of blood.” The film will also feature a mix of practical creature effects, miniatures and “cutting edge virtual production.” Here's the official synopsis:

“A mischievous mouse stalks a group of New Yorkers on a late night ferry ride, unleashing murderous mayhem on a relaxing commute. Can the ship’s motley crew of travelers find a way to stop a killer creature who has developed a taste for tourists?”

*Horrifying whistling ensues* Catch the murderous mouse when Screamboat hits theaters  January 24.

Directed by Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day), Drop follows a widowed mother as she embarks on her first date in years. Things take a terrifying turn when she's bombarded with anonymous threatening messages on her phone, here's the full synopsis:

Emmy nominee Meghann Fahy(White Lotus, The Perfect Couple), plays Violet, a widowed mother on her first date in years, who arrives at an upscale restaurant where she is relieved that her date, Henry (It Ends with Us’ Brandon Sklenar) is more charming and handsome than she expected. But their chemistry begins to curdle as Violet begins being irritated and then terrorized by a series of anonymous drops to her phone.

She is instructed to tell nobody and follow instructions or the hooded figure she sees on her home security cameras will kill Violet’s young son and babysitting sister. Violet must do exactly as directed or everyone she loves will die. Her unseen tormentor’s final directive? Kill Henry.

Drop is in theaters April 11.

Ryan Coogler (Black Panther, Creed) made something amazing here and honestly, I'm still sitting with it, reeling with the electricity Coogler and Co managed to create in a way that jumps off the screen. Not to get too hyperbolic here, but this is why we go to the movies. It's a funny coincidence that two of my picks for the best new horror movies of the year were released on the same weekend.

Ryan Coogler (Black Panther, Creed) and Michael B. Jordan made a vampire movie, and so much more. Here's a brief synopsis: “Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers (Jordan) return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.”

The cast also includes Oscar nominee Hailee Steinfeld (Bumblebee, True Grit), Jack O’Connell (Ferrari), Wunmi Mosaku (Passenger), Jayme Lawson (The Woman King), Omar Benson Miller (True Lies) and Delroy Lindo (Da 5 Bloods).  The big-budget vampire movie includes Oscar-winning production designer Hannah Beachler, Oscar-winning composer Ludwig Göransson, and Oscar-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter.

See it in IMAX if at all possible.

Norwegian horror comedy The Ugly Stepsister is coming to Shudder at some point in 2025. The story is described as “a sinister take” on the Cinderella story and follows Elvira as she prepares to earn the prince’s affection at any cost. In a kingdom where beauty is a brutal business, Elvira will compete with the beautiful and enchanting Agnes to become the belle of the ball.

We were lucky enough to catch this one in a packed house at the Overlook Film Festival and it's easily one of my picks for best new horror movies this year.

The Ugly Stepsister  will be in theaters April 18 and streaming on Shudder in 2025.

Stranger Things‘ Finn Wolfhard makes his directorial debut with co-director Bily Bryk on this upcoming slasher. Hell of a Summer follows 24-year-old camp counselor Jason Hochberg (Hechinger), who arrives at Camp Pineway thinking his biggest problem is that he feels out of touch with his teenage co-workers. What he doesn’t know is that a masked killer is lurking on the campgrounds, brutally picking counselors off one by one.

Hell of a Summer is in theaters April 18.

David Cronenberg's The Shrouds is a title we have been eagerly awaiting since first learning about it. The film will get a wide release April 25th, folks in LA and NY will be able to see it a few days early on April 18. Cronenberg, who wrote The Shrouds after the passing of his wife, here's a look at the official synopsis:

In an eerie, deceptively placid near-future, a techno-entrepreneur named Karsh (Cassel) has developed a new software that will allow the bereaved to bear witness to the gradual decay of loved ones dead and buried in the earth.

While Karsh is still reeling from the loss of his wife (Kruger) from cancer—and falling into a peculiar sexual relationship with his wife’s sister (also Kruger)—a spate of vandalized graves utilizing his “shroud” technology begins to put his enterprise at risk, leading him to uncover a potentially vast conspiracy.

David Cronenberg's The Shrouds is in theaters April 25.

Wall Street stockbroker, Rosario Fuentes, returns to her grandmother's apartment after her sudden death. While sorting through her Grandmother's belongings, Rosario uncovers a horrifying secret—a hidden chamber filled with occult artifacts tied to dark generational rituals.

As supernatural occurrences plague her, Rosario must confront her family’s buried secrets and face the truth about the sacrifices and choices they made.

Adam Cesare's wildly popular 2020 horror novel is coming to screens this year! Adapted by Carter Blanchard and Tucker And Dale Vs. Evil director Eli Craig, Clown In A Cornfield follows Quinn and her father, who has just moved to the quiet town of Kettle Springs, hoping for a fresh start.

Instead, she discovers a fractured community that has fallen on hard times after the treasured Baypen Corn Syrup Factory burned down. As the locals bicker amongst themselves and tensions boil over, a sinister, grinning figure emerges from the cornfields to cleanse the town of its burdens, one bloody victim at a time. Welcome to Kettle Springs. The real fun starts when Frendo the clown comes out to play.

Starring Katie Douglas, Carson MacCormac, Aaron Abrams, Will Sasso, and Kevin Durand. Clown In A Cornfield  is in theaters May 9.

Final Destination: Bloodlines began filming in March of 2024, and marks the first entry in the series since Final Destination 5 arrived back in 2011. Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein (Freaks) are in the director’s chair for the sixth Final Destination film, with Jon Watts (Marvel’sSpider-Man trilogy), on board to produce. Lori Evans Taylor (Wicked Wicked Games) and Guy Busick (Scream VI) penned the screenplay.

Producer Craig Perry shared on Twitter: “2025 will mark the 25th anniversary of the release of the first installment in the franchise. To honor the occasion with another worldwide theatrical release (in IMAX, no less) is a rare and wonderful thing.”

Ready to face death in IMAX?Final Destination: Bloodlinesis in theaters May 16. Now, how do we get Devon Sawa back for this one?

Original 28 Days Later director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland are bringing us a new 28 Years Later trilogy. The first entry in the new trilogy is titled 28 Years Later, and stars Ralph Fiennes along with Jack O’Connell (Skins, Eden Lake), Jodie Comer (Alone in the Dark, Killing Eve), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kraven the Hunter, Nosferatu) and Erin Kellyman (The Green Knight).

28 Days Later star Cillian Murphy is executive producing and will also be returning “in a surprising way” for at least the first installment. More exciting news for the trilogy — Candyman‘s Nia DaCosta will be directing the second movie of the three.

In an interview with IndieWire, Fiennes revealed some plot points of 28 Years Later:

“Britain is 28 years into this terrible plague of infected people who are violent, rabid humans with a few pockets of uninfected communities. And it centers on a young boy who wants to find a doctor to help his dying mother.

He leads his mother through this beautiful northern English terrain. But of course, around them hiding in forests and hills and woods are the infected. But he finds a doctor who is a man we might think is going to be weird and odd, but actually is a force for good.”

28 Years Later is in theaters June 20.

M3GAN 2.0 kicked off production during the summer of 2024. Blumhouse's sequel to their 2022 box office beast sees M3GAN stars Allison Williams and Violet McGraw returning, as are director Gerard Johnstone and writer Akela Cooper. James Wan’s Atomic Monster and Jason Blum’s Blumhouse are also back as producers.

M3GAN 2.o is in theaters June 27.

The I Know What You Did Last Summer reboot is reportedly modeled on the 2022 Scream reboot, which saw members of the original cast mix it up with a cast of young up-and-comers. In this case, that cast includes Camila Mendes (Riverdale) and Madelyn Cline (Outer Banks, Stranger Things), leading the modern take on the '90s slasher classic.

Original cast members Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. are apparently in talks to join, the last time we spoke to Prinze Jr. he was game, but hadn't head from anyone involved with the new production just yet. Crossing our fingers that's changed. And while we're at it, Brandy sounded like she'd be in to revisit the universe after starring in I Still Know What You Did Last Summer.

I Know What You Did Last Summer reboot will slash into theaters July 18.

Thanks to a calendar shakeup at Warner Bros., Weapons, Zach Cregger's highly-anticipated follow-up to his 2022 horror hit Barbarian, will now release this year on August 8, instead of originally being scheduled for January 2026.

Described as a “multi-story horror epic” following the fallout of a group of kids who mysteriously disappear overnight, Weapons stars Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, Benedict Wong, Austin Abrams, Amy Madigan, and June Diane Raphael.

After catching Macon Blair's The Toxic Avenger at Fantastic Fest two years ago, we were on the verge of losing hope for this movie ever seeing the light of day. But we finally have an official release date, and you don't have to wait much longer to see the reimagined 1984 Troma cult classic for yourself.

Fans of the original have irreverent humor, clever kills, and copious amounts of gore to look forward to. Starring Peter Dinklage, Kevin Bacon, Elijah Wood, Jacob Tremblay, Julia Davis, and Taylour Paige. The Toxic Avenger is in theaters August 29.

The Conjuring: Last Rites, aka The Conjuring 4 is being billed as the final entry in the main franchise, with Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga returning for one last ride as paranormal investigators Ed and Lorriane Warren.

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It and The Nun 2 director Michael Chaves is back in the director's chair for the fourth and final Conjuring movie. Not a ton of details outside of cast and director, we know the film began filming in October of 2024, and we'll bring you more details as they roll in!

The Conjuring: Last Rites is set to hit theaters on September 5.

We haven't seen the last of John Kramer. Tobin Bell returns for Saw XI, which will be directed by Saw X and Saw VI director Kevin Greutert.  Saw X was set between Saw and Saw II, which made it possible to bring Kramer back after being killed off in Saw III. No word just yet on where Saw XI lands in the timeline, but we know this is not a sequel to Spiral.

For more Saw celebrations, check out our 20th-anniversary piece, and take a peek at the Las Vegas official Saw Escape Room, where Saw star Shawnee Smith stopped in for a major surprise.

Saw XI is set to hit theaters on September 26.

Scott Derrickson's The Black Phone 2 began shooting in October of 2024, just in time for a 2025 Halloween season release date. The Black Phone, stars Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw are set to return, as is screenwriter C. Robert Cargill. Jason Blum will also return as producer via Blumhouse.

The Black Phone 2 is in theaters Oct. 17.

Formerly titled Goat, this Jordan Peele-produced horror film is directed by Justin Tipping, starring Marlon Wayans, Tyriq Withers, Julia Fox, Tim Heidecker, Jim Jefferies and hip-hop stars Guapdad 4000 and Tierra Whack.

Written by Zack Akers and Skip Bronkie, the script made the Black List of best unproduced screenplays in 2022. Described as “an anti-sports horror movie,” Him centers on “a promising young football player who is invited to train at the isolated compound of a dynasty team’s aging QB1,” per the official synopsis. Wayans plays the legendary quarterback, with Withers as his protégé.

Described by Universal as “a blood-chilling journey into the inner sanctum of fame, power and the pursuit of excellence at any cost.” Him is in theaters September 19.

Five Nights At Freddy's director Emma Tammi  is back at the helm for Five Nights At Freddy's 2. Plot details are under wraps, but perhaps fans of the game can look there for clues. A poster released in October of 2024 gave us a peek at a character familiar to fans of the franchise, Toy Freddy. The antagonist was first introduced in the Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 video game, maybe the cinematic sequel will borrow more than just Toy Freddy from its video game counterpart. Of course, this is our speculation because at this point, clues are all we have!

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 hits theaters on December 5.

The sixth installment in the Insidious franchise is not to be confused with the Jeremy Slater-directed Thread: An Insidious Tale. Two different Insidious movies both likely coming in 2025. Considering the last installment was titled Insidious: The Red Door, the title for this sixth entry could change down the line, but for now, we're referring to it as Insidious 6.

Insidious 6 was originally slated to hit theaters August 29th of this year, but now it looks like we'll have to wait until 2026 to head back into the further.

Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, now that's music to our ears (eyes?). The filmmaker told Collider:

“I have been wanting to do for 50 years since I saw the first Frankenstein. I had an epiphany, and it’s basically a movie that required a lot of growth and a lot of tools that I couldn't have done 10 years ago. Now I'm brave or crazy enough or something, and we're gonna tackle it. It’s Oscar Isaac, Andrew Garfield, Christoph Waltz, Mia Goth, and we’re working on it.”

Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein does not currently have a release date, but it has wrapped filming and the Netflix film is currently listed as a 2025 release. Fret not; del Toro's Frankenstein will also get a theatrical release this November. More on that when the date is officially announced.

The Strangers and The Dark and the Wicked director Bryan Bertino is back with a new horror film this year! Starring Dakota Fanning with Kathryn Hunter (Poor Things),  Mary McCormack (The West Wing), Rachel Blanchard (The Summer I Turned Pretty), Devyn Nekoda (Scream VI), Klea Scott (Millennium), and Emily Mitchell (Ordinary Angels).

Vicious follows a young woman who, after being left with a strange present from a late-night visitor, must spend the night fighting for her existence as she slips down a disturbing rabbit hole contained inside the gift.

Originally slated for an August release before moving to a February 28 release date, Vicious is now TBD, but we're hoping we still see it in early 2025!

The public domain horror continues with an Avengers-style team-up, bringing us an entire Twisted Childhood Universe. This twisted universe will include several standalone films culminating in this crossover event titled Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble.

The folks behind the Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood and Honey movies are behind the Twisted Childhood Universe. No release date on this one just yet, but we knowPoohniverse: Monsters Assemble is coming in 2025.

Marlon, Shawn and Keenen Wayans, aka the Wayans Brothers, are set to return for the upcoming reboot of the Scary Movie franchise over at Miramax and Paramount. The Wayans Brothers developed the original Scary Movie series, with Keenen Ivory Wayans writing and directing the first two films, Scary Movie (2000) and Scary Movie 2 (2001).

Marlon Wayans and Shawn Wayans also wrote and starred in the first two films. A defining horror comedy of the early aughts, the Scary Movie franchise originally ran for five movies, grossing a grand total of around $896 million worldwide. The series spoofed everything from classic slashers like Scream to J-horrors like Ring and Ju-On. The sixth installment in the franchise is set to shoot in 2025; we're hoping for the return of Scary Movie stars Anna Faris and Regina Hall and maybe a Halloween 2025 release? We'll keep you posted.

Director Renny Harlin's second installment in his The Strangers remake trilogy debuted in May of 2024. All three chapters in the new The Strangers trilogy (based on Bryan Bertino's 2008 original) were filmed simultaneously, with Harlin also teasing that he might make a super cut of all three films that would run 4.5 hours.

The Strangers: Chapter 1 star Madelaine Petsch returns for The Strangers: Chapter 2. Written by Alan R. Cohen and Alan Freedland, The Strangers: Chapter 2 seems set to follow Maya's ordeal with the return of Scarecrow, Dollface and Pinup Girl, although specific details are still under wraps.

The Strangers: Chapter 2 does not yet have a release date, but we can expect it in 2025. Watch The Strangers: Chapter 2teaser right here.

Starring Odessa Young and Joe Cole, The Damned is a tense psychological horror film that follows a 19th-century widow who is tasked with making an impossible choice when a ship sinks off the coast of her isolated fishing outpost during the middle of an especially cruel winter. With provisions running low, Eva and her close-knit community must choose between rescuing the shipwrecked crew and prioritizing their own survival.

Facing the consequences of their decision and tormented by guilt, the inhabitants wrestle with a mounting sense of dread and begin to believe they are all being punished for their choices.

The Damned is in theaters January 3.

Leigh Whannell's Wolf Man originally had Ryan Gosling in the lead, before Possessor and Sanctuary star Christopher Abbot stepped into the role with Gosling staying on as an executive producer. Here's the official Wolf Man synopsis:

Blake, a San Francisco husband and father, who inherits his remote childhood home in rural Oregon after his own father vanishes and is presumed dead. With his marriage to his high-powered wife, Charlotte (Garner), fraying, Blake persuades Charlotte to take a break from the city and visit the property with their young daughter, Ginger (Firth).

But as the family approaches the farmhouse in the dead of night, they’re attacked by an unseen animal and, in a desperate escape, barricade themselves inside the home as the creature prowls the perimeter. As the night stretches on, however, Blake begins to behave strangely, transforming into something unrecognizable, and Charlotte will be forced to decide whether the terror within their house is more lethal than the danger without.

Ozark star Julia Garner stars alongside Abbot. The cast also includes Sam Jaeger (The Handmaid’s Tale), Ben Prendergast (The Sojourn Audio Drama) and Benedict Hardie (The Invisible Man), with newcomer Zac Chandler, Beatriz Romilly (Shortland Street) and Milo Cawthorne (Shortland Street).

Whannell co-wrote the screenplay alongside Corbett Tuck, Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo.

Read our Wolf Man review.

Wolf Man is in theaters January 17.

Sasha Rainbow's Grafted follows Chinese scholarship student Wei who travels to New Zealand to study medical research at a prestigious university. Shy, introverted, and hiding a genetic facial birthmark, Wei is shunned by her social butterfly cousin Angela and her glamorous friends.

Determined to change her fate, Wei immerses herself in her late father's research, working on a revolutionary skin grafting procedure that could cure her deformity. As her experiments take a dark turn, she becomes more dangerous and unhinged, willing to eliminate anyone who threatens her secret.

2024 Brooklyn Horror Film Festival Best Director Winner, and an Official Selection for 2024 Sitges International Film Festival and 2024 Chicago International Film Festival.

Looking for more? Check out our list of the best beauty horror movies.

Grafted is streaming on Shudder January 24.

Directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Jurassic Park’s David Koepp, Presence stars Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, Callina Liang, and Eddy Maday as a family who moves into a new suburban house only to become convinced they are not alone. West Mulholland (Dark Harvest) and Julia Fox (Uncut Gems) also star. The first-person perspective makes this a buzzy title, luckily we don't have to wait very long into 2025 to see it for ourselves. In the meantime, you can watch the Presence trailer right here.

Soderbergh's POV ghost story hits theaters January 24.

Sophie Thatcher is closing us out in 2024 with Heretic and kicking us off in 2025 with one of the first major horror releases of the new year, Companion. Barbarian director Zach Cregger is producing this one, described as “a new kind of love story” from writer/director Drew Hancock (My Dead Ex, Suburgatory).

Starring Sophie Thatcher (Yellowjackets) and Jack Quaid (Scream, The Boys), this “science fiction thriller” looks like we're in for a twisted, bloody and violent love story – the best kind! Watch the Companion teaser trailer right here. If you want to know more, you can text 978-878-5683 to find your Companion today.

Read our Companion review right here.

Companion  is in theaters January 31.

Chris Jericho stars in this tale of a small-time wrestling company that accepts a well-paying gig in a backwoods town only to learn, too late, that the community is run by a mysterious cult leader with devious plans for their match.

2024 Calgary International Film Festival  Audience Award Late Shift Feature Winner, and official selection 2024 Sitges International Film Festival and 2024 Fantasia Film Festival.

Dark Match is streaming on Shudder January 31.

Rom-com meets slasher in Josh Ruben's latest horror comedy. Ruben has said he likes to think of this as Sleepless in Seattle meets Friday the 13th VI: Jason Lives. The Valentine's Day horror stars Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding as the charming romantic leads. Devon Sawa and Jordana Brewster play a couple of hard-boiled detectives, and it's about as fun as you'd imagine it to be.

The Heart Eyes Killer targets couples on Valentine's Day, embarking upon a cupid-worthy killing spree. Written by Phillip Murphy, Christopher Landon, and Michael Kennedy, it is an absolute blast.

Heart Eyes is in theaters February 7. Check out our interview with Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding, and read our full review right here.

Elric Kane's erotic horrorThe Dead Thing centers on a young woman lost in a series of meaningless connections who falls in love with a charismatic and sensitive man who hides a dark secret that turns her affair into a dangerous obsession.

2024 Fantasia Film Festival – Official Selection and 2024 Brooklyn Horror Film Festival Best Actress Winner Blu Hunt.

The Dead Thing is streaming on Shudder February 14.

Osgood Perkins and Neon proved to be one hell of a pairing with Longlegs. They're joining forces again (with  James Wan's Atomic Monster producing), for an early 2025 supernatural horror movie, The Monkey, based on the short story by Stephen King.

When twin brothers Bill and Hal find their father's old monkey toy in the attic, a series of gruesome deaths start. The siblings decide to throw the toy away and move on with their lives, growing apart over the years.

Starring Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, Elijah Wood, Christian Convery, Colin O'Brien, Rohan Cambell, and Sarah Levy. Watch The Monkey redband teaser right here.

The Monkey is in theaters February 21.

Parasite director Bong Joon-Ho teams up with Robert Pattinson to ask the question: Would you risk your life for the good of humanity if you know you’d just be replicated if you die? Would you do it if there was money involved?

The film is set in a far-off colony world in the distant future, where Robert Pattinson’s Mickey Barnes has signed up to be an “expendable,” which involves being the guinea pig for all the dangerous tasks required to colonize a new world for humans to live on. When one Mickey dies, he’s simply cloned again and again, with most of his memories intact, but he’s threatened constantly not only by the world he’s attempting to help colonize, but also those around him, who want him dead for one reason or another.

Mickey 17 is in theaters March 7.

Fantastic Fest standout The Rule Of Jenny Pen follows arrogant Judge Stefan Mortensen after he suffers a near-fatal stroke, leaving him partially paralyzed and confined to a retirement home. Resistant to the staff and distant from his friendly roommate, Mortensen soon clashes with seemingly gentle resident Dave Crealy who secretly terrorizes the home with a sadistic game called “The Rule of Jenny Pen” while wielding his dementia doll as an instrument of cruelty.

What begins as childish torment quickly escalates into far more sinister and disturbing incidents. When Mortensen's pleas to the staff go unanswered, he takes it upon himself to put an end to Crealy's reign of terror.

Fantastic Fest 2024 Winner for Best Director: James Ashcroft and Best Actor: Geoffrey Rush. 2024 Sitges International Film Festival Winner for Best Actor: John Lithgow & Geoffrey Rush.

The Rule Of Jenny Pen is in theaters March 7.

Flying Lotus has a new sci-fi horror thriller coming our way. On the mysterious planet of Ash, Riya awakens to find her crew slaughtered. When a man named Brion arrives to rescue her, an ordeal of psychological and physical terror ensues while Riya and Brion must decide if they can trust one another to survive.

Starring Eiza González, Aaron Paul, Iko Uwais, Beulah Koale, Kate Elliott, and Flying Lotus, Ash is streaming on Shudder March 21.

Blumhouse is keeping the logline under wraps for now, but here's what we do know about The Woman In The Yard. The upcoming film stars Danielle Deadwyler (Till, The Harder They Fall), Okwui Okpokwasili (The Exorcist: Believer), Russell Hornsby (BMF, The Hate U Give, Fences), Peyton Jackson (American Refugee) and Estella Kahiha (Origin, Black Family Mafia).

We'll keep you posted as more news comes in!

The Woman In The Yard is in theaters March 28