The coming year is in terror

Cheryl Eddy is a senior writer at io9; They cover horror movies, books, sci-fi, fantasy, and weird culture, sometimes all at once. Email tips to (email protected).

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At the beginning of 2024, We looked ahead And I realized that the horror genre was disproportionately stuffed with reboots, remakes, and sequels. And at the beginning of 2025, we’re looking at the same trend and… the future still looks pretty familiar.

But 2024 brought some exceptional originals, including Article, Heretic, I saw the glow of the television, Long legsand Late at night with the devil– It was all running io9 list of best movies This year, along with, yes, several sequels, prequels, etc. (Smile 2, Nosferatu, The first omen, The terrifying 3).

Often times, smaller independent films don’t get released months or years in advance, but rather just jump onto our collective radar until they become a hit at the film festival, just like… Article an act. So, if you’re hungry for a calendar charting the arrival of truly fresh horror meat, this list may be incomplete as early as 2025. We’ve got some offbeat titles to get you excited — plus adaptations, reboots, remakes, franchise continuations, and sequels galore.

We’re also highlighting some long-awaited TV series, since 2025 is looking to be particularly nightmarish (in a good way) on the small screen, too.

And note: We’re doing our best to only include titles with confirmed release dates – which are always subject to change – as well as focusing on things we’re really excited to see!

Sequels, prequels, reboots, continuations of the franchise

If you liked the first movie, you can come back with the same characters M3GAN 2.0 (June 27), Black phone 2 (October 17), and Five nights at freddy’s 2 (December 5). A new staff is being filled After 28 years (June 20), which technically arrives 23 years after the original (After 28 days, 2002) and 18 after the first second part (After 28 weeks2007). Zombies are eternal, after all.

Subject: A cunning tale (August 29) is the first Insidious Spin-off, but it is the sixth entry in Insidious Series produced by James Wan’s original in 2010. Cast (co-starring Mandy Moore and Kumail Nanjiani) and writer-director (Jeremy Slater, who makes his directorial debut after the credits in Moon Knight, The exorcist tv series, Umbrella Academy, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empireand more) make us excited to see what new horrors the future will throw at us this time.

Other long-lived franchises of which more remain include Sorcery: The Last Rites (September 5), the fourth and alleged final film in the film series Conjuration series, and the ninth entry in the Conjuring Universe produced by series franchisee James Wan in 2013. Death will continue to attempt to complete unfinished business in Final Destination: Bloodlines (May 16); It’s the sixth final destination The film, and the first new entry since 2011 Final destination 5. (So ​​much for Part IV’s claims to exist final destination.)

While the biggest horror series of the 1990s, Screamingno new movie will be released this year (although early 2026 will bring Screaming 7), the most prominent coat-riders, I know what you did last summerwill revive the secrets and slashers formula with the introduction of the fourth series (July 18) billed as a sequel to the terrible but brilliant 1998 film I still know what you did last summer. Autumn will come on the 11th opinion film, Saw the eleventh (September 25). He seems ready to continue X sawPioneering taking place within the facility opinion schedule (X sawThe events of the film take place between the first two films) rather than extending the story into the future.

But wait, there’s more! The streaming eyeballs could be looking for a comeback Hill House LLC The found footage series, which started out as a story about an actual haunted attraction, but has since become mostly about creepy clowns (we’re okay with that), in Hell House LLC: Lineage (October in trembling). The much-loved Netflix Fear Street The trilogy becomes composed of four parts with Fear Street: Prom Night (2025 on Netflix), and the eighth V/hour/second found footage anthology, V/H/S/8will bring even more beloved gruesomeness to Shudder (2025).

And then, of course, 2025 is going to be a killer year for us predator Fans, Ben victim Director Dan Trachtenberg Return to the franchise with Predator: Badlands (November 7) – as well as the first predator An animated film (2025), which has kept most of its details under wraps until now.

Familiar monsters and brutal adaptations

Lee and Neil (Invisible Man) returns to the Universal Monsters universe with a reimagining of The wolf man (January 17). Guillermo del Toro Frankensteina long-gestating passion project, will debut on Netflix (2025), with Jacob Elordi as the Monster and Oscar Isaac as Dr. Frankenstein. And Maggie Gyllenhaal adds a musical touch to the film Bride of Frankenstein with Bride! (September 25), featuring Christian Bale as the Beast and Jessie Buckley as his fiancée.

Two big scary movies to look out for: David F. Sandberg Until dawnwhich brings the popular horror video game to the big screen (April 25). Monkeybased on the short story by Stephen King Long legsOsgood Perkins (February 21).

Well, we’re not sure where to put this, but it’s definitely a familiar beast at least: the new one Anaconda Starring Jack Black and Paul Rudd, the film has all the makings of a horror comedy and a giant snake (December 25).

Public domain horror

Like it or not, this subgenre of corny stories that takes its delightful liberties with children’s stories is here to stay. This year alone will bring Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare (January 13); A pair of Twisted Childhood Universe entries Pinocchio: non-tensorwhich features the bona fide horror of star Robert Englund (2025), and the coolness of the crossover Bonniverse: Monster Gathering (2025); and Steamboat Willie Do the job Shoutstarring David Howard Thornton (Terrifier’s Clown art) as Mickey Mouse (January 24).

Original stories?

Yes, they exist! We’ve set our sights on Ryan Coogler Sinnersa vampire tale starring twin Michaels and B. Jordan (April 18); EvilStarring Dacoka Fanning, who Strangers Creator Brian Bertino (2025); Clown in the cornfield (May 9), an adaptation of the popular YA horror novel by Eli Craig (Tucker and Dale vs. Evil); stir He falls (April 11) directed by Christopher Landon (Happy death day); Flesh of the gods (2025), a vampire film set in the 1980s starring Kristen Stewart and Oscar Isaac. MandyPanos Cosmatos; Steven Soderbergh’s Haunted House Experience presence (January 24); and for him (September 19), an interesting mix of sports and horror from Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions.

But we’re really hoping for many, many more original stories to appear in 2025, and we expect additional releases to be announced as the year continues. maybe Return itfrom the Filippo brothers in the back Talk to me? or Let evil go weststarring Sebastian Stan and Lily James, from the director of the original film Speak no evil?

Horror TV shows

If you think your nightmares will begin and end with movies in 2025, fear not, or perhaps fear even more. There’s a strong lineup of TV series on the board, including, as it happens, a wealth of sequels, spin-offs, and franchise continuations. That includes Alien: Earth (2025, FX on Hulu); The last of us Season 2 (early 2025, HBO); Him: Welcome to Derry (2025, HBO); Strange things Season 5 (2025, Netflix); Wednesday Season 2 (2025, Netflix); New seasons for walking dead Entries Dead city (Season Two) and Daryl Dixon (Season 3, both 2025 on AMC); and Anne Rice The Witches of Mayfair Season 2 (January 5, AMC and AMC+).

Ultimately, while 2025 may be an overly enthusiastic prediction, we’ll get Mike Flanagan’s prediction curry series for Prime Video, as well as Peacock Crystal Lake The series, which underwent a radical change in mid-2024.

As for the original series? So far we are very excited The bondstarring the always delightful Kevin Bacon as a bounty hunter who comes back from the dead and gets straight back to work… with a scary twist (2025, Prime Video).

A far-fetched bet

While we hope that all of the sequels, spin-offs, and IP renewals we’ve just discussed will be entertaining and (most importantly) downright scary, there’s certainly a possibility that audiences will become weary of too many excursions through the familiar. Will 2025’s box office results help push Hollywood to embrace more new ideas in the coming years, or will we be back here in January 2026 talking about… Saw the twelfth?

Want more io9 news? Check when to expect the latest marvel, star warsand Star Trek Releases, what’s next for DC Universe in film and televisionAnd everything you want to know about the future Doctor Who.