Horror enthusiasts, assemble—2025 promises to be a banner year for all-out scares, unapologetic storytelling, and ample helpings of popcorn-fodder nightmares. If you’re a slasher fan, a lover of supernatural thrills, or a fan of high-concept horror, the 2025 slate has something in store for every flavor of genre enthusiast. From legacy follow-ups to new nightmares—and even a couple of game-inspired chillers—here are 13 of the most eagerly anticipated horror movies to look out for in 2025.
1. Final Destination: Bloodlines
Death is back, and this time it’s going after the people who typically save lives. To celebrate the franchise’s 25th anniversary, Bloodlines focuses on first responders—EMTs, firefighters, and police—at the center of the chaos. Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein direct and Jon Watts produce the latest installment, which delivers a new spin on the Final Destination formula. Tony Todd again reprises the foreboding Bludworth, this time joined by Brec Bassinger, Teo Briones, and Kaitlyn Santa Juana. Prepare for original kills, nagging dread, and the reminder that destiny always catches up.
2. Fear Street: Prom Queen
Netflix’s surprise trilogy hit comes back with a new, brand-new tale set in 1988. Directed by Matt Palmer, the film tells the story of a group of high school “It Girls” whose prom fantasies become a gory reality when the students at their school begin to disappear. Not a continuation, but constructed in the same bloody, nostalgic universe that audiences adored. High school drama meets slasher thrills.
3. The Ritual
Al Pacino enters the realm of exorcisms in this character-driven horror based on fact. Starring Pacino and Dan Stevens as priests attempting to save a demon-possessed young woman (played by Abigail Cowen), The Ritual emphasizes emotional nuance in addition to traditional frights. Something more cerebral—and equally frightening—is promised.
4. 28 Years Later
Director Danny Boyle comes back to the series that revolutionized zombie horror. The lead film in a new trilogy, 28 Years Later, features Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, and Jack O’Connell. It is about a young man who struggles to lead his sick mother to safety in a world devastated by the infected. It’s been close to three decades since the rage virus initially spread, and it’s not showing any signs of slowing down.
5. M3GAN 2.0
The world’s favorite murderous AI doll returns—and she’s not alone. Gerard Johnstone is back behind the camera for this sequel, and he brings with him a fresh robotic foe in Amelia. Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, and Brian Jordan Alvarez reprise their roles, as does Ivanna Sakhno. Look for even sharper satire, more violent face-offs, and even further exploration of our increasing AI anxieties.
6. I Know What You Did Last Summer
This legacy sequel reunites Freddie Prinze Jr. and Jennifer Love Hewitt as they battle a new crop of adolescents. Directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, the movie brings a new generation of kids and a whole bunch of referential nods to the original. Sarah Michelle Gellar is not in front of the lens, but she is contributing her experience behind the lens to get the franchise’s tried-and-true combination of suspense and slasher frolic back.
7. The Conjuring: Last Rites
Ed and Lorraine Warren are back for one last case. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga are back in the fourth and last film of the main Conjuring franchise. Directed by Michael Chaves, the movie hints at the couple’s most perilous case to date, with newcomers Ben Hardy and Mia Tomlinson entering the mix. Get ready for high stakes, unsettling scares, and a sendoff fitting for horror legends.
8. Him
Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions presents a sports-themed psychological horror tale written and directed by Justin Tipping. His features Marlon Wayans as an aging sports icon who takes on a promising up-and-comer (Tyriq Withers) as a mentor. But what starts as a heartwarming drama in the end devolves into a sanity-blasting investigation of celebrity, power, and dominance.
9. The Strangers: Chapter 2
Renny Harlin’s trilogy continues with Chapter 2, digging deeper into the eerie town of Venus and the origins of the masked killers. Madelaine Petsch returns as Maya, still haunted by the events of the first chapter. With much of the cast still under wraps, expect surprises—and more of the bone-chilling atmosphere that made the first entry so unnerving.
10. Black Phone 2
Ethan Hawke reprises his role as the Grabber in this sequel to the 2021 blockbuster. Again directed by Scott Derrickson, the sequel reunites Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw as Finney and Gwen, following the spine-tingling tale of survival and paranormal connections. An adaptation of Joe Hill’s work, Black Phone 2 is set to delve deeper into its creepy world.
11. Five Nights at Freddy’s 2
The animatronics return in this sequel to the surprise box office hit. Blumhouse returns to produce, and though specifics are strictly under wraps, fans can anticipate additional creepy lore, jump scares, and disturbing late-night shifts. If the first film had you sleeping with the lights on in fear of pizza parlors, the sequel won’t let you sleep at all.
12. Phasmophobia
The popular multiplayer ghost-hunting game is coming to the big screen. With James Wan and Jason Blum on board for this production, get ready for a chilling combination of slow-burning tension and heart-pounding scares. With more than 23 million copies sold, the game’s popularity has already laid the ground for a wildly scary movie experience.
13. Until Dawn
Sony’s cult PlayStation classic receives its cinematic take from Annabelle: Creation helmers David F. Sandberg and Gary Dauberman. Cabin in the Woods meets Groundhog Day, with a bunch of friends finding themselves surviving one gruesome night in the mountains. The trailer guarantees chic frights and ample references to the game’s branching storylines.
From demonic dolls to haunted prom queens and everything in between, 2025 is shaping up to be a banner year for horror. With a mix of returning favorites, bold new concepts, and a few highly anticipated adaptations, the genre is more alive than ever, ironically, by scaring us half to death.