PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Happy New Year! We wanted to take an opportunity to pick some our favorite films of 2025. There are so many great ones to choose from. We had fun picking and while it is was difficult to narrow our choices down, here are our favorite horror films of 2025.
Jason Burke
Together stood out because of its combination of old school body-horror coupled with a strong message about relationship codependency.
Vicious is one of the most underrated horror films of the year because of its constant tension, with a wonderfully tortured performance by Dakota Fanning and a lot of well earned jump scares.
Christine Burnham
My choice is a documentary that looks behind the scenes of one of the most controversial films ever made. You will laugh at the wicked humor, but you may also come away with a new respect for the original film too. My favorite movie of 2025 is: A Serbian Documentary. You may read my review ‘A Serbian Documentary’ Is The Doc Of The Year! – Review – PopHorror.
Tyler McNamer
As far as films released for 2025, The Toxic Avenger is the best. Since it was announced 15 years ago, the remake has been a long time coming, and it was worth the wait! This reboot of the classic 1980s franchise did the impossible – It made Troma mainstream. For Tromaniacs, Troma simply cannot co-exist with mainstream tastes and modern sensibilities. The Toxic Avenger brought Toxie to the big screen in a fun and refreshing way that makes it (slightly) less intimidating to introduce to your friends and family. The cast was stacked with shockingly prestigious actors, and they elevated the film to a B+ quality. Additionally, it kept the true-to-Troma spirit of extreme violence and stupid humor.
Wade Wainio
Zach Cregger’s Weapons was a bit of a phenomenon for 2025. It has a spark of mystery, interesting characters, and memorable deaths. Just as importantly, it has a truly memorable villain: Gladys (Amy Madigan). Julia Garner also earns more “scream queen” cred. What’s it about? Well, it’s hard to pin down, at least for some of us. However, some say it’s about blame-shifting regarding societal violence, as exemplified by Josh Brolin’s character who wrongly assigns blame for his missing child. There is more subtext one can latch onto, but it could just be watched as a bizarre, entertaining ride. Check it out!
Kenn Hoekstra
I think 2025 was a really good year for horror, but I freely admit there are still quite a few films still on my “to watch” list. That said,.I want to give some love to a few of the films I did manage to catch this year that stuck with me. HEART EYES, first of all, was a tremendously entertaining modern slasher (my review: I Heart ‘HEART EYES’ (2025) – Movie Review – PopHorror ). It was thoroughly enjoyable, and I personally can’t wait for the sequel. I’m also looking forward to adding it to my annual Valentine’s Day horror rotation in the very near future.
BRING HER BACK was another film that stuck with me in 2025. The directors of TALK TO ME did not disappoint with their sophomore feature film effort. It was creepy and unsettling and felt particularly powerful to me, speaking as a parent. It’s one of those films that really makes you ask what you’d be willing to do for someone you love, particularly your child. Terrifying.
Not strictly horror, but horror adjacent, PREDATOR: BADLANDS was the most fun I had at the theater this year. Perfect? Not by a long shot, but it’s a visual feast and a wonderful popcorn flick. There are a lot of breadcrumbs here that could easily lead us to a new ALIEN VS. PREDATOR film, and if Dan Trachtenberg is at the helm, I’ll be first in line to hand over my money. Turn your brain off, press play, and enjoy the ride.
Jazmine Hiller
Good Boy. A unique film and I LOVED it! (My review is here).
Craig Lucas
My favorite movies from 2025 were hard to think up of because there has been so many great movies this year. Between unlimited gore, creepy found footage movies, and terrifying story lines, I think it was a great year for the horror genre in general.
The Strangers Chapter 1: I happen to be a big fan of this franchise, I think the realism of the franchise is terrifying in its own way. Home invasion is a very real situation. I mean it doesn’t take a genus to figure that out, but what if you just become a play toy for serial murders in terrifying masks?
825 Forest Road: This is easily in my top 2 movies for the year. I absolutely loved it all around. The weird mannequin, and a possession that defines the word terror. I suggest everyone watch this on Shudder, you wont be disappointed. I thought it was a pretty original story, but also sticking to the dark thoughts you wouldn’t think of.
The Woman In The Yard: I am not gonna lie, though I didn’t understand the story at first, the woman is what creeped me out, and that’s pretty hard to do. I love that even though the story and confusion, they were able to pull off an almost completely pure bred horror, all because of a woman in a chair.
Jennifer Bonges
I still have many films from 2025 to watch, however these films stuck with me.
The Monkey: This one is so much fun. It blends dark humor with some truly terrifying and horrific moments. The death scenes are fresh and creative.
Night of the Reaper: If a film is set in the 1980s, I am so in. This one is a slasher film with a twist, I didn’t see coming. Be on the lookout for nods to some classic films too.
The Surrender: This one may not be on your radar. I highly recommend this film. It’s film to add to the list of why you shouldn’t try and bring people back from the dead. The dread in this film! The tension is intense and it will disturb you.
The Home: This film has a lot of tension. It is also completely bonkers throughout to the very end. A great twist, that I promise you won’t see coming.
There you have it, the PopHorror staff’s favorite horror films of 2025!
How do our picks stack up to yours? Let us know your favorites of 2025!
