I watch a lot of movies in a year, and I’ve always operated that way. However, for the majority of my life, I avoided scary movies like the plague. Then, I watched Scream – one of the best horror movies ever made – a few years ago, and that changed my mentality. Now, while I’m still a self-proclaimed scardy cat, I’m much more open to the genre, and thanks to some entries on the 2025 movie schedule, I learned even more about why horror rules.
So, without further ado, here are the six horror movies that came out in 2025 that this easily spooked gal loved.
Sinners Is One Of The Most Beautiful Movies I've Seen All Year
As our Sinners review states, this is a five-star film. In fact, it's CinemaBlend's top movie of the year. While it’s not your typical horror movie, what Ryan Coogler did here was haunting, moving and deeply beautiful. Every single aspect of this movie is beautiful, too.
Specifically, the score Ludwig Göransson crafted really got me. Music, and specifically the blues, plays a major part in this story. So, the score uses and twists the genre in ways that help illustrate this tale of a juke joint being attacked by vampires that are drawn to the music. It’s amazing and moving, and unlike anything I’ve ever seen.
When you mix that music with Coogler’s astounding direction, Autumn Durald Arkapaw's absolutely stunning cinematography, and knockout performances from Michael B. Jordan, Miles Caton, Jack O’Connell, and more, you get a genius movie that plays with horror in a profound way.
You can stream Sinners with an HBO Max subscription.
I Cannot Stop Thinking About Weapons
Before I saw it, all I knew about Weapons was that our review gave it five stars, and there were kids who ran off with their arms out. I’m so happy that’s all I knew too, because taking in the twists and turns of Zach Cregger’s movie with absolutely no idea where it was going created an experience that I’ve been thinking about for months.
I was literally so tense during the movie that my jaw hurt when I left. Then, I had Aunt Gladys, soup cans and missing kids on my mind for months. What Cregger did here was a masterclass in suspense, and the way he laced it with comedy made it even better. Overall, Weapons was a mind-boggling experience, and I’ll be chasing experiences like it for years to come.
You can stream Weapons with an HBO Max subscription.
Companion's Twists Were Next Level
Now, I have the hot take that I actually think Companion works well if you know what the first plot twist is before you watch the movie. That’s because you can then fully appreciate Sophie Thatcher’s performance. Plus, there are other twists that come down the line.
As this movie about a couple’s weekend getaway unfolded, I found myself thinking that I knew what was going on, only to be shocked a few minutes later. It really masterfully kept me on my toes, as it presented this mind-boggling concept related to technology that is better discovered if you just sit down and watch this movie. (Oh, and don’t even get me started on the finale of the third act, talk about wild, gruesome and shocking!)
You can stream Companion with an HBO Max subscription.
Heart Eyes Proved The Slashers And Rom-Coms Do Go Together
I’m such a sucker for a great rom-com, and I’m becoming quite a fan of slashers. So, when you put the two of those together with director Josh Ruben, you have a project that’s a match made in heaven for me.
In the same vein as Scream, Heart Eyes featured a masked killer going after couples on Valentine's Day. Enter Olivia Holt’s Ally and Mason Gooding’s Jay. They are not a couple, they’re just co-workers. However, they pretend to be for a second to throw off Ally’s ex. After that, the killer comes after them, and we get to watch a delightful yet thrilling romance unfold as these two try and escape death multiple times.
Heart Eyes is a surprisingly amazing rom-com for being a horror movie, and vice versa. And it’s a blast. Truly, I think it’s one of the most fun moviegoing experiences I've had this year.
You can stream Companion with a Netflix subscription.
Frankenstein Is One Of The Most Visually Stunning Films Of 2025
Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein was the first book-to-screen adaptation of the Mary Shelley novel I’d ever seen, and I was absolutely stunned. While I was blown away by Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi’s performances as Victor and The Creature, respectively, what truly took my breath away was how expansive and visually stunning this world was.
In true del Toro fashion, he built out a detailed, big, gothic and beautiful setting for this story to unfold in. To this day, I’m still thinking about Victor’s tower and how it disintegrated alongside him. I’m also obsessed with the beautiful little farm that The Creature lived on, and how it reflected the warmth he felt while staying there. Overall, this visually captivating world helped immerse me in this classic spooky tale, and I adored it.
You can stream Frankenstein with a Netflix subscription.
Hell Of A Summer Is One Hell Of A Good Time
Hell of a Summer truly showed off a lot of potential. This wicked fun slasher was co-directed by Billy Bryk and Stranger Things' Finn Wolfhard, and serves as both their feature directorial debuts. They also co-wrote the film and star in it as two of the people stuck in this camp that’s being haunted by an evil murderer.
Bryk and Wolfhard truly captured such a fun vibe with this movie while also keeping me on my toes. That was also accomplished through killer performances from The White Lotus’ Fred Hechinger, Reservation Dogs’ D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai and more wonderful up-and-coming actors. They created an ensemble that was perfect for this movie about kids dealing with a killer at camp, and they all played up the humor and horror of it all very well.
When I left this movie, I was thinking about how excited I was to see what these guys do next.
You can stream Hell of a Summer with a Hulu subscription.
Overall, the only thing these six movies have in common is that they’re horror movies I love. Otherwise, they all brought very different things to the table, showed me how diverse and creative this genre is, and made me fall more in love with it. Now, as we go into 2026, I’m looking forward to seeing how this genre continues to defy my expectations and prove why even scardy cats like me can love it.
