Ignore what the normies have to say because when you’re a horror fan, every year is a great year for movies. But 2025 was especially strong, with three(!) terrific remakes/reboots, a couple of seriously impressive releases from one of the most exciting voices working in the genre right now, the first legitimately brilliant sharksploitation movie in almost a decade, and even a couple of flicks that are garnering Oscar buzz (not that the freak child of film needs that kind of recognition, but I digress). Truly, we were spoiled for choice this year, and no Art the Clown in sight. What a time to be alive!
Keeper
Oz Perkins may just be the hardest working man in horror. He dropped two movies in 2025, and although Keeper is the weaker of the two, the fact that it’s still among the best films of the year is nothing to sneeze at. For those who had to suffer through the weirdly transphobic Men, which was pitched as a feminist fable but was really just an excuse for yet another straight, white man to preach to us about our own experiences like we’re stupid, Keeper is what that movie wanted to be. The predominantly forest-set visuals are stunning, evoking folk horror without belaboring the point, and although Perkins doesn’t quite stick the landing, he still makes an impression. Keeper is vintage Oz Perkins, for better and worse. Heady and beautifully shot, it’s badly paced with several major lulls where the tension dissipates completely. But his unique voice is vital in modern horror regardless of hit rate. Again, I would much rather watch 100 more of these than a single Terrifier.
Drop
I have a soft spot for Drop because it was shot in Dublin but set in Chicago, so every time the camera took in the skyline, outside the restaurant where most of the action takes place, I was tickled. Meghann Fahy is fantastic as grieving widow Violet, whose violent past comes back to haunt her just as the single mother finally finds the courage to go out on a date. Drop owes an awful lot to Red Eye, and its single location setting sometimes holds the movie back from going as insane as it might have with more freedom to play around, but director Christopher Landon gets plenty of mileage out of the wacky premise regardless. And, crucially, the bottom never completely falls out of it. A pulpy, propulsive little treat, Fahy makes it work by sheer force of will, leaving her paramour (Brandon Sklenar) in the dust. Extra points for a great Baby Shark joke from a mom who’s grown to really love that song.
I Know What You Did Last Summer
I’m not the biggest fan of the original I Know What You Did Last Summer. Aside from that one great chase sequence with Helen Shivers, it’s kind of a slog and the ending, where everybody is stuck on a boat with nowhere to go, is a little too representative of the failures of the screenplay since the movie essentially writes itself into a corner. But the intensely negative reaction to the 2025 remake/reboot was surprising, given that it’s a perfectly serviceable slasher with visceral, nasty, and drawn-out kills, a few decent surprises, and a game cast. The original movie was hardly a masterpiece, and this new take is at least fun, with some genuinely funny jokes scattered among all the cringey, on-the-nose Gen Z references. There’s also great queer representation, and it does something that Scream has never had the guts to do, which is a big mark in its favor.
Companion
The marketing for Companion was very clever, not just because it heavily featured the movie’s connection to the mighty Barbarian, but because it teased that something was up with Sophie Thatcher’s protagonist without giving away what it was. And yet, Drew Hancock’s incisive movie immediately clues the audience in that Iris is a fembot, who’s been purchased by incel Josh (a slimy Jack Quaid, who’s quickly making these kinds of characters his bread and butter following this and Scream) to fulfil his fantasies. A flawless supporting cast made up of Harvey Guillén, Lukas Gage, Megan Suri, and Rupert Friend, provides ample support, especially in the hilarious yet still strangely poignant gay subplot, but, to quote the kids, Thatcher leaves no crumbs here. Companion also features the use of a kitchen utensil as part of a grisly kill that’s never been seen in a horror movie before, if memory serves (take that, cheese grater from Evil Dead Rise!). Given all that and the use of Goo Goo Dolls’ 1998 smash hit “Iris” during a pivotal scene, Companion broke the January curse.
The Toxic Avenger
Similar to the other reboots on this list, the original Toxic Avenger is best left fondly remembered rather than revisited. Offensive and cheaply made, the fact the movie is Troma’s best release isn’t as much of a brag as people seem to think. Happily, the 2025 reboot is endlessly entertaining, from the eye-gouging practical gore to the neon color palette and Peter Dinklage’s endearing performance as Winston (it is the titular role!). In fact, the only real false note in The Toxic Avenger is the lack of Sandy Farina’s “Body Talk” on the soundtrack – despite the fact that Bob’s (a winningly oily Kevin Bacon) evil company is knowingly named after it. At least “Night on Bald Mountain” features prominently, alongside actors credited solely by their single line from the movie. As such, Macon Blair’s Toxic Avenger is thoroughly modern, with a big, green heart that justifies the remake’s existence without being too much of a departure from what came before. If anybody was actually up in arms about their childhood being ruined over this reboot, the unlikely director – who most of us know from his moody work with Jeremy Saulnier – calmed their nerves in the first five minutes alone.
Influencers
Kurtis David Harder’s Influencer was a criminally unseen, devilishly dark little shocker about the lengths people go to just to make an impact, or forge a connection, in an increasingly disillusioned world. Scalpel-sharp, it took absolutely no prisoners, especially while introducing us to antiheroine CW, a crafty crusader who will stop at nothing to make influencers pay for their online crimes. Or maybe she just enjoys living a lavish life without having to pay for anything. The fact that the reason for CW’s machinations was left vague only made the movie more enjoyable. The idea of following it up with a sequel was fraught with danger because, much like the greatest horror icons, when we learn too much about them, we lose interest. Happily, Influencers does what all great horror sequels do; it ups the ante considerably, increases the body count, the kills are much more elaborate, and writer-director Harder cleverly, organically deepens the already-established mythology. Naud steals the show once again but, if this is the last time she plays CW, it’s a fitting end. Both on Shudder.
Silent Night, Deadly Night
It may be a cult hit, but the original Silent Night, Deadly Night is a total mess replete with confusing plotting, rampant misogyny, and terrible kills thanks to the infamous cuts the movie had to endure in order to obtain an R rating. Rebooting it, therefore, isn’t as much of a risk comparatively speaking because the only way you can really go is up. But Mike P. Nelson’s 2025 take, starring Rohan Campbell as the murderous Santa Clause at its dark heart, is a blast. Pacy and ultra-violent, but never mean or cruel, Silent Night, Deadly Night bounces from scene to scene with delightful alacrity, buoyed by Campbell’s inherent ruefulness as Billy, a young man trying to find his way in the world who is drawn to killing in a way he can’t resist, and Ruby Modine’s Manic Pixie Dream Girl from hell as the protagonist’s surprisingly ideal counterpart. One of the best decisions Nelson makes is to make Pamela an actual character this time around, rather than yet another woman who’s just there to perish in a state of undress. There’s even an all-timer kill sequence featuring Nazis being brutally slaughtered that’ll make those of us increasingly concerned about the state of the world cheer. Nelson’s Silent Night, Deadly Night redux is a masterclass in how to successfully reboot a franchise while paving a bloody path forward that is uniquely its own. Justice for Corey Cunningham!
The Monkey
If Keeper was a cerebral odyssey into the unknown, then The Monkey was a schlocky splatter-fest that put entertaining us above really making us think. And yet, Oz Perkins’s second release of 2025 (which actually came out first) also had a surprisingly sweet message about loss, grief, and the perils of fatherhood thanks chiefly to a scenery-chewing Elijah Wood at his slimy best (he also rocked in The Toxic Avenger, another surprising 2025 standout with similarly effective carnage offset by a visibly beating heart). Although its desert-dry humor has made the movie an unfair target of memeification online, real fans understand that everything Perkins does is deliberate, including his wildly hilarious, mutton-chop-clad cameo. Delightfully gory, laugh out loud funny, dripping with style, and uniquely bizarre in its execution, The Monkey proves just how much range Perkins has as a filmmaker – he’s an all-timer in the making and we’re privileged to witness his trajectory.
Dangerous Animals
True to form, the latest from accomplished Tasmanian filmmaker Sean Byrne (The Loved Ones, The Devil’s Candy) is as deliciously day-ruining as his previous films. It also just might be the next great sharksploitation movie, following Jaws, Deep Blue Sea, and The Shallows. So that makes four in total. It feels silly to declare that sharks are scary again, but for those of us who are obsessed with horror movies about them, it’s genuinely refreshing to sit in the cinema and pull your feet up off the floor out of fear once more. Truly, it’s only while watching a movie as masterfully done as Dangerous Animals that it becomes clear how tricky it is to present nature’s greatest predators accurately onscreen while also not necessarily making them the bad guys, especially since nothing is scarier than a straight, white man with a power complex. Hassie Harrison kicks some serious butt as wily protagonist Zephyr, while Jai Courtney clearly relishes playing against type as a serial killer with a penchant for shark conservation. Dangerous Animals is frequently terrifying, boasting the most realistic shark attack sequences perhaps ever committed to screen. Even taking a shower is scary after this.
Weapons
Following up the instant fan favorite Barbarian is no small feat, but Zach Cregger proved his debut wasn’t a one-off with one of the best horror movies of the year. Weapons builds the tension and intrigue organically through its many split perspectives, almost to a breaking point, but Cregger’s comedy background shines through in a handful of well-placed jokes that fortunately take nothing away from the horrors lurking just outside the audience’s periphery. Likewise, the killer synth-wave score, by Hays and Ryan Holladay, alongside Cregger himself, rattles the bones in perfect time with the jerky camerawork and fast-cut editing. Weapons is a clever, unique, and deviously involving take from somebody who clearly has a lot to say about the everyday terrors of American polite society. Weapons isn’t explicitly political, but the predominantly white, middle-class characters, along with how the movie handles violence, speak to the white picket rot that Cregger tackles so effectively. The devil is in the details, and she arrives in the full light of day, with a big, lipstick-smeared smile and reassurances that she can be trusted. In fact, Amy Madigan’s performance is so critically acclaimed that there’s a major campaign underway to get her recognized by The Academy.
Sinners
It could only have been Sinners. Not just the best horror movie of the year but the best movie of 2025, period. Ryan Coogler’s stylish, sexy, smart vampire flick was a moment in time that united everybody (aside from people weirdly obsessed with box office receipts). The writer-director shows real reverence for vampires, winningly playing with the idea of them having to be invited in, in particular. He takes his time setting everything up, but the movie is so handsomely shot and performed that it’s hardly a chore to wait for the blood to flow. Ludwig Göransson’s metal score for the back half of the movie, which expertly communicates both how Sinners mutates into a vampire story and how the humans turn too, is also the best of the year while Michael B. Jordan is utterly captivating, looking more gorgeous than ever in increasingly gorgeous suits (the costumes are the best of 2025 too!), in a dual role as twins Smoke and Stack, while Wunmi Mosaku, Hailee Steinfeld, and the always welcome Delroy Lindo provide ample support. Sinners is so good, in fact, I’m willing to overlook Jack O’Connell’s offensive “Irish” accent since this is otherwise a complete masterpiece.
