Mark O. Estes’ 5 Most Anticipated Horror Movies of 2025

Welcome back, Horror Fans! The second half of the hellish year known as 2025 is upon us. This means it’s time to look at what’s still on the horror fare docket for the rest of the year. Luckily, the horror options are vast. Although honestly, there are several that I can gladly wait until their digital release next year. For the others, I must be seated in a packed theater with a popcorn bucket and XL soda. Please and thank you!

From original fare to freshly launched franchises, the outlook for horror for the rest of the year looks just as promising as the first half. Which makes it hard to pick my top five. So, before I dive into those selections, I’m going to list my honorable mentions. These may or may not be seen in theaters during the year. It depends on how I feel and if I want to risk a letdown, but I digress…

Honorable mentions include both Predator outings this year, Predator: Badlands (November 7th) and Predator: Killer of Killers (June 6th). M3GAN 2.0 (June 27th), V/H/S 8 (TBA), I Know What You Did Last Summer (July 18th), and Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 (December 5th).

Now let’s get to the nitty gritty with my top five most anticipated horror films of 2025 yet to come:

5. 28 Years Later – June 20th

After being on ice since 2007, the Rage Virus franchise finally makes a comeback after teasing horror fans (at least every other month for the past fifteen-plus years) of a new installment. Skipping over the rumored 28 Months Later moniker, the original film’s creators, Danny Boyle and Alex Garland, decided to pick things up 28 years after the initial outbreak where the British Isles are living in an apocalyptic world and the virus has seemingly evolved. I’ve purposely avoided any news whatsoever concerning this movie. I feel going in blind is imperative for me to enjoy this film. The teaser and actual trailer were enough for me to be sat come June 20th, as well as the upcoming dates for the next two films in this reboot trilogy, with the next film being helmed by Candyman 2021’s Nia DaCosta. 

4. The Black Phone 2 – October 17th

This one is the most “controversial” pick for myself. When it was announced, I was not looking forward to it at all. The Black Phone was such a great horror film that had a fantastic ending, with no need for a sequel and no franchise potential at the outset. Mostly because how can you bring The Grabber back from the dead? Then I heard the premise (courtesy to In Love With Horror’s Kristie and AJ!) and was intrigued. The Grabber will take on a Freddy Krueger-type role by haunting the survivors of the first film. Consider me sat AF for this one as well on October 17th.

3. Weapons – August 8th

This particular pick was battling for a spot with M3GAN 2.0. However, the originality and the secrecy surrounding Zach Cregger’s follow-up to Barbarian came out on top. Creepy kids will forever freeze my blood and make my skin crawl, so this premise of a group of kids in a small town all waking up at the same time and disappearing in the night without a trace? Sold. The fact that Cregger and crew kept this plot close to the chest until the trailer release was a smart move. Ryan Coogler did the same thing with Sinners. So, there is proof that going into a movie blind can work wonders for both the audience and, in return, the studio as well. Warner Bros. may have two mega horror hits on their hands this year, and I’m not mad about it.

2. HIM – September 19th

Another movie that kept most of its plot shrouded in secrecy before it’s trailer reveal, HIM. HIM has been on my radar since it was announced in the trades. Monkeypaw Productions is attached to this! You also have Jordan Peele as a producer and Marlon Wayans doing straight horror with his role in the film. I was sold at Monkeypaw Productions. Directed by Justin Tipping, the film follows a freshly minted football player (Tyriq Withers). He is taken under the wing of an aging G.O.A.T. football player (Marlon Wayans). Said GOAT status player seems to be unhinged and challenges the young up-and-comer to go the distance to achieve fame and glory, no matter what it takes. That description doesn’t do the bat-shit crazy trailer any justice, and again, I will be going into this one wearing Matt Murdock’s red shades to avoid any spoilers.

1. Hell House LLC: Lineage – August 20th

Finally, we have the last pick of the list, and I went indie with this one despite it having franchise status at this point. The latest entry into the very popular Hell House LLC franchise is supposedly its last. This claim was also made with the third entry, Hell House LLC III: Ring of Fire. Thankfully, Stephen Cognetti didn’t stick to that promise, and we got the far superior Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor from that.

Lineage promises to bring all of the loose ends from the previous four films together. However, one aspect of the movie that has the fans in a tizzy is that Cognetti is ditching the found footage format for this outing! It will be intriguing to see how that sharp departure from what made the franchise so popular pans out, but the franchise will make its conclusion in theaters for the first time this August.

So that’s my list! For now… What are you looking forward to for the rest of the year?

Read more of Mark’s work here.