Horror Dominates 2025: A Record-Breaking Year For The Genre

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2019 was a fantastic year for movies, largely thanks to a wealth of great horror films. Filmmakers like Ari Aster, Jordan Peele, and Robert Eggers all released uniquely creative and impactful horror movies that year. Now, it feels like we’re experiencing a similar surge in quality horror, and possibly even a more impressive one.

Recent horror films released around Halloween 2025 have added to an already strong year for the genre. Directors like Guillermo del Toro, Zach Cregger, and the Philippou Brothers have made 2025 a standout year, with audiences consistently turning out for the latest scary movies.

As a horror fan, I’ve been really excited to see so many movies in the genre hit the $50 million mark at the domestic box office this year! It’s pretty unusual, honestly. Horror often gets a reputation for being either ‘lowbrow’ or being too independent and niche to really break into the mainstream. What’s even cooler is that some of the best horror releases actually got two theatrical runs because they were doing so well on streaming. It’s a great time to be a horror movie lover!

An Impressive Number Of Original High-Concept Horror Movies Came Out In 2025

When discussing horror films slated for 2025, Ryan Coogler’s Sinners is a standout. Released and re-released in IMAX, this vampire movie uses the genre to explore racial tensions and the dangers of forced conformity and cultural erasure. Another notable film, The Long Walk, tackles the increasing public concern about how the media can desensitize people to violence.

This year saw the release of several inventive films. One standout, Companion, excelled in the increasingly popular “Good For Her” horror subgenre, offering a fresh take on the scary AI trope while focusing on female empowerment. Meanwhile, Together, a romantic horror film directed by Michael Shanks, explored the complexities of relationships—specifically codependency and power imbalances—with Dave Franco and Alison Brie playing a couple, both on and off screen.

This year saw strong original horror films, even those without a flashy premise. Zach Cregger’s Weapons demonstrated horror’s power to entertain, achieving both commercial and critical success as a visually driven film. A24’s Bring Her Back and Death of a Unicorn also captivated audiences, with Bring Her Back particularly highlighting the directing talent of the Philippou brothers.

Two Major Horror Franchises Were Revived With Resounding Success In 2025

It feels like most movies these days are sequels, spin-offs, or reboots – we’re seeing a lot of familiar stories instead of new ones. In fact, most of the top-grossing films this year weren’t original ideas. However, two successful horror movies proved that even films based on existing franchises can be good if they’re made with creativity and fresh thinking.

Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later proved to be a hit worldwide, performing well even on streaming platforms, despite being a sequel released years after the 2007 film and changing some established details from 28 Weeks Later. However, the biggest surprise success was Final Destination: Bloodlines, a strong new installment in the series that cleverly references beloved moments from previous films and expands the franchise’s backstory, ensuring its future.

2025 Has Also Had Amazing Hits Outside Hollywood

Julia Ducournau’s latest film marks her second time competing for the Palme d’Or, following her 2021 win with Titane. While critics have differing opinions on the new movie, Alpha‘s performances are being widely praised. Another popular film at the festival was the Norwegian take on Cinderella, The Ugly Stepsister, which offers a darker reimagining of the classic story.

While vampire movies like Thamma and Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra did well at the box office in India, the most critically acclaimed horror film came from director Rahul Sadasivan with Diés Iraé. This continued his impressive run of horror films, following the success of Bhoothakaalam (2022) and Bramayugam (2024). More broadly, horror has proven to be a successful genre worldwide, earning both commercial revenue and critical praise beyond just Hollywood.

A Potential Best Picture Winning Horror Movie Was Released In 2025

Horror movies have become a major focus for Hollywood recently, with several big releases and surprisingly strong independent films. But the real sign that 2025 will be a huge year for the genre is the anticipation surrounding Ryan Coogler’s new film, Sinners.

Throughout the Academy Awards’ history, only seven horror films have ever been nominated for Best Picture, and just one has actually won. With “Sinners” now receiving a Golden Globe nomination for Best Picture – Drama, and being predicted to earn a Best Picture Oscar nomination, 2025 could be a landmark year for the horror genre.

No Movie Genre Had A Better 2025 Than Horror

Even with new releases like Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, Materialists, and The Roses, 2025 wasn’t a strong year for romantic films. The most popular movies in the genre didn’t receive much praise from critics or audiences. While Wicked: For Good and The Kiss of the Spider Woman didn’t perform as expected, and despite the success of KPop Demon Hunters, musicals generally weren’t as popular as horror films.

2025 wasn’t a strong year for science fiction, with films like TRON: Ares, the latest Jurassic World movie, and Mickey 17 all underperforming. While superhero movies did reasonably well, their box office numbers were the lowest in years. Horror, however, was the clear winner, performing better than any other genre.

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2025-12-08 21:50