Noah Romsdal Hallundbæk Sørensen
Horror just delivered one of its biggest years in decades.
A steady stream of genre films has pushed 2025 into rare territory, echoing the breakout horror wave of 2019 while carving out an identity of its own.
Week after week, cinemas filled with audiences hungry for bold scares and unexpected storytelling.
What followed was a year defined by risk-taking, reinvention, and box-office resilience.
Atreyo Palit, a freelance list author for ScreenRant, with a passion for introducing readers to lesser-known media, shares what he thinks marks horror-movies as the best movie genre of the year.
Rising momentum
Near Halloween, a fresh burst of releases accelerated the trend, as noted by multiple entertainment outlets reporting unusually strong ticket sales across the genre.
Filmmakers including Guillermo del Toro, Zach Cregger and the Philippou Brothers helped drive interest, turning each new opening into a reliable draw for theaters.
Several titles even crossed the domestic USD 50 million mark, breaking through a barrier rarely reached by horror in previous years.
According to industry trackers, a few top performers returned to theaters after thriving on streaming, reinforcing audience appetite for theatrical genre experiences.
Ryan Coogler’s Sinners quickly became a cultural flashpoint.
Reported widely by film publications, the vampire-themed feature used allegory to examine racial tensions and fears of cultural erasure, earning both IMAX release and a subsequent reissue.
Around the same time, The Long Walk probed how media consumption intersects with modern violence, further defining 2025’s slate of high-concept releases.
Fresh ideas
Other filmmakers pursued original frameworks.
Companion reimagined the “Good For Her” narrative through the lens of rogue AI, centering themes of autonomy and control.
In Together, director Michael Shanks cast real-life couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as partners trapped in a romantic body-horror spiral, exploring dependence and imbalance.
Even projects without heavy conceptual layers found success. Cregger’s Weapons leaned into spectacle and earned both commercial and critical praise.
Meanwhile A24 grew its horror catalogue with Bring Her Back and Death of a Unicorn, the former reinforcing the Philippou Brothers’ growing reputation.
Revival wave
Despite widespread industry fatigue around sequels, two dormant franchises returned with unexpected force.
Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later landed as a global hit, including on streaming, even as it overwrote elements from its 2007 predecessor.
The larger surprise came from Final Destination: Bloodlines, which reinvigorated the series by revisiting fan-favorite motifs while expanding its lore.
Global reach
Outside Hollywood, festival circuits spotlighted international horror. Julia Ducournau’s Alpha, her second Palme d’Or contender, divided critics on narrative execution but earned unanimous praise for its performances.
Norway’s The Ugly Stepsister offered a grim rework of Cinderella that resonated with arthouse audiences.
In India, films such as Thamma and Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra drew substantial crowds, while Rahul Sadasivan’s Diés Iraé stood out as a significant artistic achievement, continuing the filmmaker’s critically acclaimed streak.
Awards momentum
By year’s end, Coogler’s Sinners emerged as the awards-season focal point. Trade reports highlighted its strong campaign positioning as the film secured a Golden Globe nomination for Best Picture Drama.
With only seven horror films ever nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, and just one winner, its prospects marked a milestone for the genre.
Genre supremacy
Romance and musicals struggled to find wide approval despite high-profile releases, while sci-fi entries like TRON: Ares, Jurassic World and Mickey 17 underperformed.
Superhero films also recorded one of their weakest years. In contrast, horror consistently thrived, both in revenue and cultural presence, cementing 2025 as its standout year.
Sources: Screenrant
