My 15 Most Anticipated Horror Movies For 2025
Looking Ahead to 2025!
2024 is almost complete and it’s time look ahead at what’s next. Here are my most anticipated horror movies for the coming year. Most are sequels or are based on a prior adaption. Only four are true originals.
This is unfortunate, but there are a couple of factors to consider. One, studios love to create franchise films because they have a built-in audience and an established brand. This generally makes them more likely to succeed commercially. Two, it’s much more difficult to build anticipation for a movie when it’s an unknown commodity.
For example, fans of Final Destination and Saw already know pretty much what to expect in the upcoming installments. As for, say, Companions? Not so much. Will there be an obscure horror movie that comes out of nowhere to become the sleeper hit of the year? It’s entirely possible, but it’s impossible to predict that in advance.
Here is my list of the horror movies that I’m most hyped for in 2025. Inevitably, some of these will turn out great, while others will be major disappointments. It promises to be another interesting year for horror!
15. I Know What You Did Last Summer
Halloween did in in 2018. Scream did it in 2022. Now it’s I Know What You Did Last Summer‘s turn. This series claimed significant, but brief, popularity in the late ’90s. Since then, it has struggled to regain relevance. There was an awful non-theatrical third installment, I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer (2006) and a short-lived streaming series in 2021.
Rumors are more plentiful than solid details about this installment, but it appears that it will bring back actors and characters from the first two movies while introducing a fresh young cast of victims for The Fisherman. Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. are reportedly back and Brandy might be as well.
I will be intrigued to see how this performs. I don’t think this series ever had the fanbase that Scream does, and it hasn’t been relevant in decades. This could be an entertaining revival or a complete disaster.
Release date: TBA – Expected to be summer 2025.
14. Sinners
This movie has a blockbuster lineup behind it. Ryan Coogler (Black Panther) directed. It stars Michael B. Jordan and Hailee Steinfeld in their first horror roles. Little has been revealed about the plot, but apparently it’s about twin brothers who return to their hometown and confront an evil force.
Does the plot even matter? Seeing Jordan and Steinfeld together in a horror movie will be fun. I think the famous and photogenic leads will make this movie a hit, regardless of whatever it is actually about.
Release date: March 7, 2025
13. Heart Eyes
Arriving just in time for Valentine’s Day, this slasher comedy is about a serial killer who targets couples. The main characters are co-workers who are stalked by the maniac because he mistakenly believes they’re in a romantic relationship.
The trailer looks fun. I like the costume that the killer wears. I’m always up for some Valentine’s Day horror, and I have high hopes for this one. It stars Olivia Holt, Mason Gooding, and Jordana Brewster.
Related: Five Essential Valentine’s Day Horror Movies
Release date: February 7, 2025
12. The Bride!
The Bride of Frankenstein is perhaps the most underused of the classic Universal Monsters. Now, she’s getting an updated version directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal and starring Jessie Buckley as the title character. Christian Bale is portraying Frankenstein’s monster.
It’s been awhile since The Bride was in a major movie. It’ll be interesting to see how Gyllenhaal portrays a modern version of the character. Bale is an interesting choice to play her beau. He doesn’t have the hulking physique of a traditional portrayal. But never underestimate Bale’s ability to portray creepy monsters.
Release date: September 26, 2025
11. Presence
This is one of the most mysterious movies on my list. The trailer does a nice job revealing as little as possible. It appears to be a ghost story about a family who moves into a new home. The main hook for this movie is that it’s directed by Stephen Soderberg. He’s made plenty of violent movies, but Soderberg isn’t a horror director per se. He’s known for doing work in numerous different genres.
There have been countless movies about a family moving into a haunted house, but none of those flicks were directed by Soderberg. I think he will present a fresh take on this haggard concept.
Release date: January 17, 2025
10. Wolf Man
The Bride of Frankenstein isn’t the only Universal Monsters character that’s getting revived in ’25! A new version of the Wolf Man is about to be on the prowl. This time, an Oregon dad gets attacked by a werewolf and gradually transforms into a hairy beast. This is the title character’s first feature film in 15 years.
Wolf Man is directed by Leigh Whannell, who has experience with Universal characters. He directed the critically and commercially successful The Invisible Man in 2020. I really enjoyed that movie, and I’m excited to see Whannell’s interpretation of the Wolf Man.
Release date: January 17, 2025
9. M3gan 2.0
The inevitable sequel to the 2022 smash hit is set to be released this summer. Plot details are surprisingly scant thus far, but it has been confirmed that Allison Williams and Violet McGraw will return. Will M3gan kill one or both of them this time?
My guess is that there are two main ways this story could go:
1. M3gan returns as a supercharged AI-enhanced version of herself to get revenge on the survivors of the first movie.
2. A new evil robot doll is created and goes on a rampage. M3gan is reprogrammed to fight it, turning her “good” similar to The Terminator in T2: Judgement Day.
#1 is way more likely, but #2 would be intriguing. It’s worth noting that Universal Pictures owns the Child’s Play franchise, meaning that a Chucky vs. M3gan showdown is a real possibility someday. Could everyone’s favorite Good Guy Doll be referenced in M3gan 2.0?
Release date: June 27, 2025
8. Companion
Like Presence, this movie is shrouded in mystery. It stars Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid as a troubled couple. The trailer doesn’t give much away, but it appears that they are involved in some sort of violent rampage, with a supernatural or sci-fi twist. Thatcher night be Quaid’s captive or his accomplice.
I’m hyped to see Quaid and Thatcher sharing the screen. They’re two of the better young actors out there today. This might be Sophie Thatcher’s first antagonist role. She would make a sexy villain.
Release date: January 31, 2025
7. Screamboat
Steamboat Willie, the original version of Disney’s Mickey Mouse, entered the public domain in 2024. Inevitably, this has resulted in a Mickey horror film. It won’t feature the modern version of Mickey, of course. Disney would sue the pants off anyone who tried that. What we’re getting instead is a deranged, bloodthirsty version of Willie who rampages through a ship. The villain will be played by David Howard Thornton of Terrifier fame.
This movie is probably going to get terrible reviews, but it looks like a brainlessly fun time. Maybe Willie will eventually team up with Winnie the Pooh from Blood and Honey for a crossover.
Release date: January 24, 2025
6. Saw XI
A couple years ago, the Saw franchise appeared to be creatively and commercially exhausted. Then Saw X stunned everyone, including me. Its success has spawned another installment.
Tobin Bell is back as Jigsaw, but little else is confirmed for this installment. It’s not clear what part of the timeline it will take place in, but I believe, and hope, that this will be a direct sequel to Saw X and feature a living John Kramer. I’m interested to see where they can go with a continuation of the Saw X storyline.
Release date: September 26, 2025
5. Final Destination Bloodlines
This is one of my favorite franchises (except for the horrible fourth movie) and I’m glad it is finally getting a fresh new installment. Specific story details have mostly been kept under wraps, but the film is said to focus on first responders, like EMT’s, firemen, etc., who are routinely surrounded by death as part of their jobs. It will feature the late Tony Todd in his last role.
Although the nature of the inevitable opening accident scene is not yet known, it’s a safe bet that it will involve people in their teens or twenties who somehow survive a dangerous event only to then die one by one in a series of freak “accidents” as they try to evade death’s plan. It’s a fun formula and having the characters be first responders is a cool idea.
Release date: May 16, 2025
4. The Monkey
Silly me! When I first heard about The Monkey, I thought it was a remake of Monkey Shines (1989). I wondered why anyone would bother rehashing that obscure movie. Instead, this is an adaption of an old Stephen King short story. The plot involves two brothers who are terrorized by a cursed, murderous monkey toy.
Stephen King adaptions have had mixed success, to say the least, over the years. So, what gives me hope for this one? Well, Osgood Perkins (Longlegs, The Blackcoat’s Daughter) is directing. You’d think that a movie like this would lean towards camp, but judging by Perkins’s previous films, this will likely have a somber, creepy tone. The Monkey has a real chance to scare the hell out of people.
Release date: February 21, 2025
3. Thanksgiving 2
Thanksgiving 2 will be directed by Eli Roth and will again star Nell Verlaque as Jessica. Roth has never really had a major franchise of his own (he tried with Hostel, but it fizzled out). He has a golden opportunity here if he can replicate or exceed the first film’s success. Thanksgiving was one of my favorite 2023 horror movies and I’m eager to see where the story goes next.
This could be the first Thanksgiving-themed horror franchise! Imagine a long-running series like Halloween. Maybe Verlaque will be the Jamie Lee Curtis of the series. Of course, Jessica will have to survive another Thanksgiving first!
Release date: November 2025 (exact date tba)
2. The Black Phone 2
This sequel to the creepy original film, which was adapted from a short story by Joe Hill (the son of Stephen King), is set for a Halloween season release. Ethan Hawke is back as The Grabber, a maniacal serial killer and molester who is haunted (literally and figuratively) by the ghosts of his victims. Scott Derrickson is back to direct. Mason Thames and Madison McGraw will reprise their role. I’m especially excited that McGraw is back. I really got a kick out of her spunky, foulmouthed character from the first movie.
Like Thanksgiving, there is potential for a long-running franchise here. The Black Phone 2 is made by the same group as the first, so hopefully it will be able to recapture its success.
Release date: October 17, 2025
1. 28 Years Later
Release date: June 20, 2025
28 Years Later is the long-anticipated third installment of the apocalyptic British horror series. They made 28 Days, then 28 Weeks, and there should have been a 28 Months, but that never happened. What’s next, 28 centuries later? This one is directed by Danny Boyle, who helmed the original. Cillian Murphy will return to reprise his role as Jim. It doesn’t appear that Naomie Harris is going to make it back. I wonder if there will be some mention of her character.
This third movie is set to examine the world long after the societal collapse depicted in the first two movies. The rage virus still runs rampant and people live in ramshackle quarantined communities. The specific storyline isn’t known yet, but this is an intriguing setup.
I’m a big fan of 28 Day Later, and I also enjoyed Weeks as well. The franchise’s universe is a fascinating world to explore, and I’m glad that we are finally getting to see more of it.
