Halloween season may be over (along with the year itself, soon enough), but that doesn't mean the stream of horror releases isn't ongoing! Not only is there a constant flow of genre releases throughout the upcoming 2025 movie schedule — on top of a never-ending stack of upcoming horror TV shows — but the ratio of “great to terrible” tends to swing in viewers’ favor. Now is the best time to dive into horror tiles. And the future is looking bright indeed, although it might just be the sun reflecting off of that masked psycho’s machete.
We’ve rounded up a mostly comprehensive list of all the slashers, serial killer thrillers, psychological chillers, creature features, sci-fi freakshows, and whatever else today’s horror filmmakers are throwing at us. Will any of the releases listed below eventually make our list of the best horror movies ever? Let’s take a look at all the worthy contenders on the way.
Nosferatu - December 25, 2024
Cast & Director: Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Emma Corin, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Ineson, Willem Dafoe, Simon McBurney, Robert Eggers (Director)
How to see it: In Theaters
What’s Nosferatu About? A remake of the seminal 1922 horror classic, the modern-day Nosferatu is described as a gothic tale of obsession between a terrifying bloodsucker and the young female at the heart of his infatuation.
Why We’re Excited: Nosferatu remains a classic for a reason, more than a century after its creation, and Eggers’ meticulous work on The Witch, The Lighthouse and The Northman make him an ideal filmmaker to take on such an ambitious reimagining.
Watch While Waiting: 1922’s Nosferatu, The Witch, Bram Stoker’s Dracula
The Damned - January 3, 2025
Cast & Director: Odessa Young, Joe Cole, Siobhan Finneran, Rory McCann, Turlough Convery, Lewis Gribben, Francis McGee, Thordur Palsson (Director)
How to see it: In Theaters
What’s The Damned About? The first theatrical horror movie release of 2025 follows a widow living in 19th century Iceland whose life is rocked when a ship sinks off the coast of her isolated fishing village and its shipwrecked survivors start using the community’s limited resources.
Why We’re Excited: The Damned looks like a super tense period horror film that challenges its audience regarding living for the survival of a few or all. It also looks like it brings out an especially great performance out of Odessa Young that will have us looking forward to more from her.
Watch While Waiting: The Lodge, The Lighthouse, The Nightingale
Wolf Man - January 17, 2025
Cast & Director: Christopher Abbott, Julia Garner, Sam Jaeger, Matilda Firth, Leigh Whannell (Director)
How to see it: In Theaters
What’s Wolf Man About? 2025 will kick off with a new Universal Monster movie, Leigh Whannell’s Wolf Man, a remake of the 1941 classic with Lon Chaney Jr. The modern iteration centers on a man protecting himself and his loved ones from a dangerous werewolf during a full moon.
Why We’re Excited: It was Saw and Insidious screenwriter Leigh Whannell’s success with 2020’s The Invisible Man remake that sparked Universal to ditch half-formed plans for a connected monster-verse in order to focus on tighter standalone features. And if Julia Garner said yes to it, it’s definitely a winner. Check out the Wolf Man trailer to get hyped with us.
Watch While Waiting: 1941’s The Wolf Man, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
Presence - January 24, 2025
Cast & Director: Lucy Liu, Julia Fox, Chris Sullivan, Callina Liang, Steven Soderbergh (Director)
How to see it: In Theaters
What’s Presence About? Presence follows a family who moves into a suburban house and becomes convinced there’s a presence among them. The movie premiered at Sundance Film Festival at the beginning of 2024 to rave reviews. It apparently had people walking out due to its intensity.
Why We’re Excited: Steven Soderbergh has an incredible reputation for making great movies in the past, from the Ocean’s movies, Contagion to Out Of Sight. We’re excited to see him join the current horror wave with this intriguing film, as if Lucy Liu in a horror film on its own isn’t exciting enough.
Watch While Waiting: Kimi, In A Violent Nature
Companion - January 31, 2025
Cast & Director: Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, Lukas Gage, Megan Suri, Harvey Guillén, Rupert Friend, and Drew Hancock (Director)
How to see it: In Theaters
What’s Companion About? This early 2025 release follows Quaid and Thatcher’s toxic relationship in the dystopian future that they live in. Quaid’s character in particular seems to be a psychopath to fear.
Why We’re Excited: After Zach Cregger had our mind blown with the twists in Barbarian, we’re excited and very scared to know he’s a producer on this movie. Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid have also had a solid run of horror flicks as of late as well, so we’re curious how they’ll do together as a toxic couple. The Companion trailer is absolutely wild, especially considering it starts with “From the studio who brought you The Notebook.”
Watch While Waiting: Barbarian, Fresh
Heart Eyes - February 7, 2025
Cast & Director: Olivia Holt, Mason Gooding, Gigi Zumbado, Michaela Watkins, Devon Sawa, Jordana Brewster & Josh Ruben (Director)
How to see it: In Theaters
What’s Heart Eyes About? There’s a famous criminal called the “Heart Eyes Killer” who has been murdering couples on Valentine’s Day for years. In the case of this movie, two co-workers who are working late on the holiday get mistaken for a couple and are hunted by the masked killer.
Why We’re Excited: While there’s been tons of horror movies attached to holidays, we’ve not really seen one that can go along with Valentine’s Day. This looks like a fun slasher for horror fans who aren’t into rom-com season.
Watch While Waiting: Happy Death Day, Freaky
The Monkey - February 21, 2025
Cast & Director: Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, Elijah Wood, Rohan Campbell, Sarah Levy, Christian Convery, Colin O’Brien, Osgood Perkins (Director)
How to see it: In Theaters
What’s The Monkey About? An upcoming Stephen King adaptation of his same-named Skeleton Crew short story, The Monkey film centers on twin brothers who find a vintage toy monkey in their father’s attic, leading to a string of horrific deaths. The brothers agree to go their separate ways as a means of stopping the curse, only to come together years later when more people start dying.
Why We’re Excited: It’s impossible not to be excited about a new Stephen King adaptation, even knowing how poorly some of them turn out, and the fact that this is Osgood Perkins’ follow-up to 2024’s breakout Longlegs makes it all the more promising. To say nothing of Theo James playing twins opposite Orphan Black’s Tatiana Maslany.
Watch While Waiting: The Devil’s Gift, Nightmares and Dreamscapes
Vicious - February 25, 2025
Cast & Director: Dakota Fanning, Kathryn Hunter, Mary McCormack, Rachel Blanchard, Devyn Nekoda, Klea Scott, Bryan Bertino (Director)
How to see it: In Theaters
What’s Vicious About? Dakota Fanning’s character will be left a strange present by a late-night visitor, per Variety, that will lead her down a “disturbing rabbit hole contained inside the gift.”
Why We’re Excited: Director Bryan Bertino made a fun horror movie back in 2008 with The Strangers, and we’ve been excited for more opportunities for Dakota Fanning to star in horror after The Watchers bombed at the box office. And, the premise seems intriguing.
Watch While Waiting: The Strangers, The Watchers
Sinners - March 7, 2025
Cast & Director: Michael B. Jordan, Delroy Lindo, Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Hailee Steinfeld, Omar Benson Miller, Li Jun Li, Lola Kirke, Ryan Coogler (Director)
How to see it: In Theaters
What’s Sinners About? In Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, two brothers return to their hometown to get a fresh start, but when they arrive they find a “greater evil is waiting to welcome them back,” per a Warner Bros. press release. It was previously reported that the horror movie may be an original vampire story interwoven with Jim Crow era racial turmoil.
Why We’re Excited: From Creed to the Black Panther films, Ryan Coogler is a must-watch filmmaker at this point, and that goes double when Michael B. Jordan is front and center, so having him make the jump to horror is huge for genre fans.
Watch While Waiting: Lovecraft Country, Ganja & Hess
The Woman In The Yard - March 28, 2025
Cast & Director: Danielle Deadwyler, Russell Hornsby, Okwui Okpokwasili, Peyton Jackson, Estella Kahiha, Jaume Collet-Serra (Director)
How to see it: In Theaters
What’s The Woman In The Yard About? This upcoming feature from Universal and Blumhouse is currently keeping its plotline buried beneath the titular yard, with producer Jason Blum describing it as “a film that’s ambitious in scope, but modest in budget,” per Deadline.
Why We’re Excited: Filmmaker Jaume Collet-Serra is versed in both action films and horrors, having helmed the 2005 House of Wax remake, Orphan and The Shallows, and it’ll be his second feature with Station Eleven’s Danielle Deadwyler following Netflix’s upcoming airplane thriller, Carry-On.
Watch While Waiting: The Woman in the Window, The Devil to Pay
Drop - April 11, 2025
Cast & Director: Meghann Fahy, Brandon Sklenar, Jeffrey Self, Gabrielle Ryan Spring, Violett Beane, Jacob Robinson, Ed Weeks & Christopher Landon (Director)
How to see it: In Theaters
What’s Drop About? Drop is about a single mom who is going on her first date in a year with a man who turns out to be just as charming as she hoped he would be. However, while on the date, she starts getting terrorized via her phone with a series of drops to her phone instructing her to follow its every whim or her kids will be killed.
Why We’re Excited: Drop has producers Michael Bay and Jason Blum collaborating to tell a timely thriller that has a woman on a goose chase set off by her phone. Plus, director Christopher Landon always has fun with his horror movies, whether it be Happy Death Day or Freaky.
Watch While Waiting: Unfriended, We’re All Going To The World’s Fair
Until Dawn - April 25, 2025
Cast & Director: Ella Rubin, Michael Cimino, Jo-young Yoo, Odessa A’zion, Maia Mitchell, Belmont Cameli, Peter Stormare & David F. Sandberg (Director)
How to see it: In Theaters
What’s Until Dawn About? The 2015 interactive horror game Until Dawn about a group of young adults whose lives are threatened while on a mountain retreat.
Why We’re Excited: The Sony computer game was a lot of fun for its use of the butterfly effect, where choices the players make decide whether each character lives or dies. We’re curious if and how this may be implemented in the movie. Plus, it’s great to see Lights Out and Annabelle: Creation director David F. Sandberg back in the world of horror after making the Shazam! movies.
Watch While Waiting: Cabin In The Woods, Silent Hill
Final Destination: Bloodlines - May 16, 2025
Cast & Director: Tony Todd, Brec Bassinger, Teo Briones, Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Richard Harmon, Anna Lore, Owen Patrick Joyner, Max Lloyd-Jones, Rya Kihlstedt, Tinpo Lee, Zach Lipovsky (Director) and Adam Stein (Director)
How to see it: In Theaters
What’s Final Destination: Bloodlines About? The sixth Final Destination movie reportedly centers around first responders who are suddenly hunted down by “Death.” Otherwise, we don’t know much about the plot.
Why We’re Excited: After over a decade without Final Destination movies, we’re curious how the franchise will be updated in the 2020s. Plus, following Tony Todd’s recent death, this could be one of his last performances.
Watch While Waiting: The first five Final Destination movies
28 Years Later - June 20, 2025
Cast & Director: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, Jack O’Connell, Cillian Murphy, Erin Kellyman, Edvin Ryding, Danny Boyle (Director)
How to see it: In Theaters
What’s 28 Years Later About? The third film set within this post-apocalyptic universe first crafted by Alex Garland, the long-awaited sequel 28 Years Later will show audiences where the world is at nearly three decades after the Rage virus helped eradicate much of the human population.
Why We’re Excited: 28 Days Later remains one of the most harrowing zombie-adjacent horror movies out there, and the sequel will be the first to bring back Boyle, Garland and Murphy. Since the first trailer came out, we already have theories rolling around about it.
Watch While Waiting: 28 Days Later, Sunshine
M3GAN 2.0 - June 27, 2025
Cast & Director: Allison Williams, Violet McGraw Jenna Davis, Brian Jordan Alvarez, Timm Sharp, Jemaine Clement, Aristotle Athari, Jen Van Epps, Ivanna Sakhno, Gerard Johnstone (Director)
How to see it: In Theaters
What’s M3GAN 2.0 About? This sequel to 2022’s surprise smash M3GAN will once again see its titular A.I. companion making life hell for those foolish enough to believe in her benevolence, which will probably include Cady and her Aunt Gemma again. A detailed logline has not yet been revealed by producer James Wan and others.
Why We’re Excited: For a PG-13 movie that initially seemed like a cheesy Child’s Play knock-off, the first film proved to be a self-aware joy, and it’s likely M3GAN 2.0 will go bigger and better with the evil robotics.
Watch While Waiting: USA/Syfy’s Chucky, Ex Machina
Untitled I Know What You Did Last Summer Sequel - July 18, 2025
Cast & Director: Madelyn Cline, Camila Mendes, Tyriq Withers, Sarah Pidgeon, Jonah Hauer-King, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prince Jr., Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Director)
How to see it: In Theaters
What’s I Know What You Did Last Summer’s 2025 Sequel About? This long-gestating big screen sequel to the hit ‘90s slashers was confirmed to be happening in 2023, though a proper plotline has yet to be revealed. That said, Robinson has confirmed on X that at least the first two films are canon, and screenwriter Leah McKendrick confirmed that social media and the Internet will factor into the story. The movie officially started filming in December!
Why We’re Excited: Though it’s only been a few years since Amazon’s attempt to turn IKWYDLS episodic, the upcoming feature sequel is worthy of hype due to the rumored returns of Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr., which would give the new take a Scream-esque approach.
Watch While Waiting: Do Revenge, the first two I Know What You Did Last Summer movies
Thread: An Insidious Tale - August 29, 2025
Cast & Director: Mandy Moore, Kumail Nanjiani, Jeremy Slater (Director)
How to see it: In Theaters
What’s Insidious 6 About? Rather than the sixth Insidious movie being a continuation, this will be a spinoff. Per Deadline, Thread: An Insidious Tale follows a wife and husband (Moore and Nanjiani) who try to use a spell in order to travel back in time and prevent the death of their young daughter.
Why We’re Excited: Following 2018’s lackluster sequel subtitled The Last Key, franchise star Patrick Wilson got behind the camera for 2023’s somewhat better The Red Door. Despite the franchise’s dwindling creative results, Insidious taking a new direction here could be interesting.
Watch While Waiting: The first two Insidious movies, Ouija: Origin of Evil
The Conjuring: Last Rites - September 5, 2025
Cast & Director: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga
How to see it: In Theaters
What’s The Conjuring: Last Rites About? The existence of this ninth Conjuring franchise film — the fourth of the mothership films — was first revealed back in October 2022, between the releases of 2021’s The Devil Made Me Do It and 2023’s The Nun II, whose director Michael Chaves has stated this fourth film will be the final Conjuring proper.
Why We’re Excited: James Wan’s Conjuring-verse is one of the most successful modern horror franchises, including its Annabelle and Nun spinoffs, so any new project is worth the anticipation. And the fact that Wan has already confirmed the returns of Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, and that they will be around to conclude the main series, is icing on the presumably haunted cake.
Watch While Waiting: The Curse of La Llorona, Evil Dead Rise
Him - September 19, 2025
Cast & Director: Marlon Wayans, Julia Fox, Tim Heidecker, Jim Jefferies, Guapdad 4000, Tierra Whack, Justin Tipping (Director)
How to see it: In Theaters
What’s Him About? Him is about a burgeoning football star who is invited to train alongside a famed team’s beloved quarterback at a mysterious compound, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Why We’re Excited: Between Jordan Peele being producer behind Him and the horror flick being released in time for spooky season, we have more reason to anticipate it.
Watch While Waiting: Tusk, Scary Movie
Saw XI - September 26, 2025
Cast & Director: Kevin Greutert (Director)
How to see it: In Theaters
What’s Saw XI About? While no details have been officially revealed for the latest Jigsaw-fueled sequel Saw XI, producer Oren Koules told SFX Magazine that the next movie will likely take place in the immediate aftermath of Saw X’s Mexico-set revenge story, hinting that the “doctor” Cecilia is still alive with Tobin Bell’s John and Shawnee Smith’s Amanda still below the border.
Why We’re Excited: Saw X marked an unexpected upswing in enjoyment within a franchise that many had long ago written off, thanks to much-needed changes in tone and location. Plus, we’re always eager to see where this bonkers timeline canon goes next.
Watch While Waiting: Saw, Beyond the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
The Bride! - September 26, 2025
Cast & Director: Jessie Buckley, Christian Bale, Penélope Cruz, Peter Sarsgaard, Annette Bening, Julianne Hough, Jake Gyllenhaal, John Magaro, Jeannie Berlin, Maggie Gyllenhaal (Director)
How to see it: In Theaters
What’s The Bride! About? Maggie Gyllenhaal’s second directorial feature effort (which she also scripted), The Bride! will be a non-Universal monster movie partially inspired by James Whale’s top-notch horror sequel Bride of Frankenstein. It follows the Monster traveling to Chicago to task the presumably mad doctor Dr. Euphronius with creating a female mate from the corpse of a murdered woman. Chaos ensues to the nth degree.
Why We’re Excited: With a zillion direct Frankenstein remakes already out there, we welcome anytime someone goes to bat for the Bride, and Maggie Gyllenhaal cast is a murderer’s row of talent that presumably wouldn’t have signed on if it seemed like a bad move.
Watch While Waiting: Bride of Frankenstein, Ed Wood’s Bride of the Monster
The Black Phone 2 - October 17, 2025
Cast & Director: Ethan Hawke, Madeleine McGraw, Mason Thames, Miguel Cazarez Mora, Jeremy Davies, Scott Derrickson (Director)
How to see it: In Theaters
What’s The Black Phone 2 About?: Currently, it’s unclear how the sequel will follow the events of the first film, but that the story likely came from an idea had by the short story’s author Joe Hill.
Why We’re Excited: Ethan Hawke entered the upper echelon of horror freaks as The Grabber, and we can’t imagine how the mask-adorning big bad will up the terror ante in the follow-up film, but we do know the actor will be back as The Grabber.
Watch While Waiting: The Black Phone, Sinister
Five Nights At Freddy’s 2 - December 5, 2025
Cast & Director: Unknown at the time of writing.
How to see it: In Theaters
What’s Five Nights At Freddy’s 2 About? No story details have come out regarding the live-action Five Nights at Freddy’s sequel, though the first film’s director Emma Tammi told CinemaBlend in October 2023 that the end-credits message teased what’s to come, likely indicating the arrival of the second FNAF video game’s Puppet/Marionette. Scott Cawthon’s company Scott Games has also teased new theatrical animatronics such as Toy Bonnie and Toy Chica, but no details otherwise.
Why We’re Excited: Love or hate the first film’s story, everything involving the animatronics from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop looked amazing, and there’s enough gaming and book lore to keep this franchise alive for at least the next decade.
Watch While Waiting: Willy’s Wonderland, 2008’s The Rock-afire Explosion documentary
SOULM8TE - January 2, 2026
Cast & Director: Lily Sullivan, David Rysdahl, Claudia Doumit, Kate Dolan (Director)
How to see it: In Theaters
What’s SOULM8TE About? Put simply, Blumhouse’s SOULM8TE is an R-rated version of the movie it’s spinning out of, M3GAN, following a widower who aims to ease his grief with the help of an A.I. companion. But his efforts to create a fully sentient mate are thwarted when the android turns into a nightmare of a significant other.
Why We’re Excited: Based on a story idea from producer James Wan, SOULM8TE doesn’t need to do much beyond its goofily creepy premise to excel with theatergoers. We can just hear the awkward pin-drops during any hypothetical sex scenes.
Watch While Waiting: Weird Science, Westworld
Weapons - January 16, 2026
Cast & Director: Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, Benedict Wong, Austin Abrams, Amy Madigan, June Diane Raphael & Zach Cregger (Director)
How to see it: In Theaters
What’s Weapons About? So far, we don’t know a lot about the plot of Zach Cregger’s Weapons movie, but it has been described as an "interrelated, multistory horror epic” in the vein of Magnolia.
Why We’re Excited: Did you look at that cast? As if we’re not excited enough for Josh Brolin to star in a horror movie, Zach Cregger also impressed big time back in 2022 with his wild debut, Barbarian.
Watch While Waiting: Magnolia, Barbarian
Scream 7 - February 27, 2026
Cast & Director: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Isabel May, Celeste O’Connor, Asa Germann, Kevin Williamson (Director)
How to see it: In Theaters
What’s Scream 7 About? Not much has been revealed about Scream 7, but we do imagine Ghostface will be back for another fun slasher whodunnit. Plus, Variety reported that the daughter of Sidney Prescott has been cast with Isabel May.
Why We’re Excited: After Neve Campbell decided to skip the sixth Scream movie, we’re excited about her return along with the screenwriter of the original ‘90s movie, Kevin Williamson, stepping up as director.
Watch While Waiting: The Scream movies 1-6
Mike Flanagan’s Exorcist Movie - March 13, 2026
Cast & Director: Mike Flanagan (Director)
How to see it: In Theaters
What’s Mike Flanagan’s The Exorcist Movie About? Rather than following in the footsteps of The Exorcist: Believer, Flanagan will be teaming with Blumhouse for the fourth time to craft what the studio calls a “radical new take” that will still be set within the franchise’s universe. Further details are yet to be revealed.
Why We’re Excited: With the underperformance of David Gordon Green’s legacy-quel imploding Blumhouse’s trilogy plans, the studios could have just bailed on the property for a while. Instead, one of Hollywood’s most consistently brilliant horror filmmakers stepped in. Mike Flanagan’s Exorcist movie could be half as good as the rest of his haunting filmography — from Absentia to The Fall of the House of Usher — and still probably slot in as the second-best exorcism movie of all time.
Watch While Waiting: Oculus, Prince of Darkness
Untitled Jordan Peele Movie - October 23, 2026
Cast & Director: Jordan Peele (Director)
How to see it: In Theaters
What’s Jordan Peele’s Untitled Movie About? One of the only things that’s publicly known about Jordan Peele’s follow-up to 2022’s Nope is that it’s his fourth film, and that its release date was pushed from Christmas Day 2024 to pre-Halloween 2026. It’s entirely possible, if not likely, that we won’t know what it’s actually about until its world premiere.
Why We’re Excited: Peele knows that his loyal fanbase doesn’t need or particularly want an endless deluge of plot details and casting news across the course of a production, and thus keeps things close to his unsettling vest for as long as possible. And, it works like a charm.
Watch While Waiting: All five seasons of Key & Peele, The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster
Upcoming Horror Movies Without A Release Date Set
Despite all the upcoming horrors that already have release dates, there are still plenty of impending projects that haven't yet locked one down. Here's a rundown of the high-profile frightfests that will hopefully get slotted onto the calendar soon.
- American Psycho Remake
- The Anaconda
- Blade
- Death of a Unicorn
- Dust Bunny
- Fear Street: Prom Queen
- Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein
- Hell Of A Summer
- Mouse of Horrors
- Orphan 3
- Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare
- Please Don’t Feed the Children
- Pinocchio Unstrung
- Rabbit Trap
- Ready Or Not 2
- Return to Silent Hill
- Scary Movie 6
- Send Help
- The Strangers: Chapter 2
- Thanksgiving 2
- They Follow
- The Haunting in Wicker Park
- Victorian Psycho
- Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 3
So many horror movies to be excited for in 2024, 2025, and years after! We’ll keep you in the loop on news and updates on these coming titles as the months go by.
