The Best 2025 Horror Movies to Watch This Halloween

It’s the Halloween season, and everyone knows that there’s no better way to spend the haunted holiday than watching a good horror movie! In fact, many people use Halloween as a way to catch up on all of the cinematic scare-fests that they missed out on throughout the year. With that in mind, we’ve decided to compile a list of our recommendations for 2025 horror movies to watch this Halloween, keeping in mind the many sub-genres of horror than fans love to indulge in during the spooky season.

Looking at our list, it’s been a pretty good year for horror fans, with some strong franchise sequels taking over theatres, and some very compelling indie-horror movies dominating the festival scene. While for some us, horror maintains a reign of terror over our watchlist all year-round, for many, Halloween is the only time of the year that they brave an adventure into the world of jumpscares and splatters. Regardless of your watch habits, we think these are the go-to flicks this year. With that being said, let’s get into our 2025 Halloween picks!

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The Conjuring: Last Rites

Image by Warner Bros. Pictures

The Conjuring has remained one of horror’s most iconic franchises in the decade since its inception, so what better way to spend this Halloween than by watching the conclusion of the Warren saga with Last Rites, one of the most haunting 2025 horror movies on our list. Sure, the franchise has been a little rocky over the years, but if The Conjuring promises anything, you can bet you’re in for a journey filled with incredibly creative possession sequences, effective jumpscares, and with Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga along for one last ride, surprisingly heartfelt character dynamics.

There’s always been a sort of ‘haunted house’ feel to The Conjuring movies, so while their scariness may not be for everyone, there’s no better guaranteed good time for a horror fan than diving into this movie for Halloween. In fact, with some critics lauding The Conjuring: Last Rites as a much-needed return to form for the franchise after a somewhat steady decline in quality over the years, this film offers a pleasing finale to one of the most effective horror franchises in history. A definite pick for one of our best 2025 horror movies, and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser this Halloween.

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Weapons

Image by Warner Bros. Pictures

Weapons is certainly a more slow-paced and ominous film than The Conjuring: Last Rites, so keep that in mind if you’re looking for non-stop scares for your Halloween watch party. However, when it comes to 2025’s horror line-up, no other film fascinated quite as much as Zach Cregger’s supernatural thriller, a movie that compels with its mysterious premise, and explodes with miraculous intensity once all is revealed. There’s a certain underlying twistedness to Weapons, marking it as a film that leaves you with uncomfortable chills throughout its entire 2-hour runtime.

There’s a lot to be said about the deeper meaning behind Weapons, a story detailing the disappearance of an entire class of children, and the many metaphors that can be drawn from its mystical plot. However, regardless of your interpretation of the film, and how much attention you give this interpretation, Weapons is a guaranteed good time with its effective scares, incredible acting, and beautiful cinematography. Where our other 2025 horror movies are guaranteed to land while watching, Weapons is one of the few that will truly haunt you after watching it, and as one of the strongest movies of the year, we needed to afford it the respect it deserves as a Halloween contender here.

Read our full review of Weapons here.

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Bring Her Back

Image by Stage 6 Films

If I weren’t conscious of the fact that some of you may intend to eat while watching a movie this Halloween, I would never have made this list and simply told you to dive right on in to Bring Her Back, the latest horror movie released by the Philippou Brothers, and easily one of my favourite movies of the year. Bring Her Back follows the harrowing experiences of two orphaned step-siblings who get more than they bargained for after being taken in by an eccentric foster mother. It’s gruesome, it’s horrific, and it’s absolutely heartbreaking – Bring Her Back is a lot to stomach, but the experience is worth all of the trauma.

In fact, Bring Her Back is a movie worth seeing for Sally Hawkins’ performance alone, as she commands the screen as Andy and Piper’s foster mother. This is the kind of movie that keeps you guessing as to what horrendous thing is going to happen next, and that kind of film is exactly what makes for a memorable Halloween experience. However, if you’re at all familiar with the Philippou Brothers, you’ll know that the gore in this film is not to be taken lightly. It’s certainly not for everyone, but for our hardcore horror fans, Bring Her Back is easily one of the greatest 2025 horror movies out there – don’t miss this one!

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Final Destination: Bloodlines

Image by Warner Bros. Pictures

What’s Halloween without a little campiness? And what franchise does campiness better than Final Destination, a series that, though filled with death and destruction, is surprisingly comedic in tone, and make perfect choices for non-horror fans looking to dive into the genre for one night only. Luckily, Warner Bros. treated us to an excellent entry in the Final Destination franchise this year, with Final Destination: Bloodlines, a movie that I had a great time with from start to finish.

The plot here is nothing really new for the franchise – potential disaster victims survive an attempt on their lives by Death itself, and so must spend the rest of the film trying to escape its fateful grasp. However, this movie really ups the ante for the franchise with its incredible set-pieces, innovative death sequences, and surprisingly tender character portrayals. Sure, it’s a little hard to get invested in characters you know are doomed to die, but somehow, Final Destination: Bloodlines pulls it off! I cannot recommend this film enough to people looking for a horror movie to watch this Halloween, but one not filled to the brim with jumpscares. Just be warned though – some of the deaths in this entry are gruesome!

Read our full review of Final Destination: Bloodlines here.

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Good Boy

Image by Shudder

Oftentimes, indie-horror films simply go under the radar, unless deliberately sought out by genre fans looking for a niche scare. However, Ben Leonberg’s Good Boy made waves on the festival circuit with its innovative concept – a ghost story told almost exclusively from the perspective of a dog. This sounds like an exciting idea, but one that runs the risk of growing old fast. Luckily, at only 73 minutes, Good Boy never overstays its welcome, and marks a real triumph for a rising name in horror. And major props go to Indy, the golden retriever who holds this film together with a surprisingly compelling performance.

To be clear, Good Boy is a movie that I recommend for established horror fans. For people who don’t already love the genre, I think they may be off-put by the unavoidable evidence of budgetary constraints in this film. However, if you’re a horror-lover, Good Boy is something new on the scene, and its ambition is something to be respected, even if I think they could have done a little more with such an intriguing concept. For what it is though, Good Boy is a thrilling, and heartbreaking story of a dog that remains loyal in the face of overwhelming danger. I won’t give away the eventual fate of Indy, but do be aware that our leading canine does go through some pretty intense trials in this movie, so if you can’t handle that, steer clear! If you’re up for the ride though, Good Boy is one of the most charming 2025 horror movies there is, and a major success for the team behind it – hats off!

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Black Phone 2

Image by Universal Pictures

As I write this article, Black Phone 2 is currently showing in theatres, making it the 2025 horror theatrical experience. So, if you want to take your Halloween watch party on the road, this is the film for you! The much anticipated follow-up to 2021’s The Black Phone, Black Phone 2 is one of the year’s most chilling horror movies, as the Grabber returns to inflict endless discomfort on all of his viewers, but this time, in a dream world.

Yes, it’s pretty shocking how heavily Black Phone 2 borrows from A Nightmare on Elm Street – a serial killer focused on children, who returns from the dead to haunt the nightmares of his survivors? Pretty blatant. However, considering Freddy Krueger himself has been left to rot now for over a decade, I’m not at all opposed to the Grabber filling-in in the meantime. It seems like a modern horror trope to explore ‘trauma’ (cue that Jamie Lee Curtis meme). However, Black Phone 2 explores the concept very well, and with some really effective scares to go along with its haunting storyline, this is one of the season’s must-see films for horror fans. While you’re at it, take your experience to the big screen!

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Together

Image by Neon

Any good horror list is bound to include at least one body-horror entry, and for this list, we have Together, one of the quirkiest 2025 horror movies to be released. In a move reminiscent of The Substance, Together is a film that looks to make you be scared, laugh, and vomit, all in the one sitting. It’s quite incredible how well Michael Shanks balances out the varied tone of this film, culminating in one of the most grotesque viewing experiences I’ve had in a very long time. When it comes to a Halloween watch party, this is one of the highest praises I can afford, so props to this movie!

Together follows the story of a couple that move to the countryside, only to find that a mysterious force begins to change their bodies in horrifying ways. A huge part of this film’s charm comes from admiring how wild the visuals are once the movie really gets going. Together offers more than a handful of scenes that have been seared into my memory forever, and for any body horror fanatic, that’s the perfect pick for a Halloween watch party. Sure, it may not be the most thought-provoking, philosophical movie of the year, but if you’re just looking to wince and gasp with friends, Together is the film for you.

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Sinners

Image by Warner Bros. Pictures

Many of our picks have played into the campiness and fun of Halloween. However, Sinners is simply an excellent piece of cinema, and a must-see movie for fans of any genre, regardless of occasion. It does, however, feature some pretty terrifying dancing vampires, so if Halloween is what it takes to win over some apprehensive cinephiles, then make this your Halloween pick! Sinners follows the story of two twin brothers who return to their hometown in Mississippi in the 1930s, only to be met by overwhelming evil.

Beyond being just an effective horror film, Sinners is a spectacular exploration of racial identity, the importance of music in culture, and the sinister ways in which culture can be manipulated and used against people. Sinners is one of 2025’s masterpieces, and with the Oscars looming on the horizon, one can only hope that Coogler gets the recognition he deserves. If you haven’t had a chance to experience Sinners for yourself yet, make sure you find time to watch it before the year is out – you won’t regret it!

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Conclusion

So, have we helped you decide on your pick for Halloween this year? Which is your favourite in our list of 2025 horror movies? Or, did we miss any of your picks for the year’s best? Be sure to let us know in the comments, and thanks for reading!

See also: Top 10 Most Iconic Horror Franchises

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