Halloween is just around the corner, and with the season emerges three kinds of people when it comes to horror films: the ones who love horror, the ones who hate it but still can’t resist watching “just one, for the plot,” and the ones who would rather go for literally any other genre than risk a sleepless night. If you belong to the first two groups, congratulations. You’re exactly where you should be.

2025 has been surprisingly good for horror fans. From franchise finales and streaming stars to box-office hits and festival favorites that earned minutes-long standing ovations, the year gave us everything. We got game adaptations, holy hauntings, cursed subway stations, grief rituals, and, because why not, killer MRI machines.

We watched 14 horror films released this year and ranked them from worst to best. Consider this your survival guide.

Ziam

Rating: 2/10

In a climate-ravaged future, Thailand barely manages to survive thanks to VS Corporation’s insect-based solution. When a contaminated fish shipment triggers a zombie-like infection, ex-Muay Thai fighter and VS courier Singh punches, kicks, and parkours his way into an overrun hospital to save his doctor girlfriend, Rin.

Don’t get us wrong. We love zombie-action films (Resident Evil is our enduring guilty pleasure series, and we’re willing to die on that hill), and Thai horror films have a special place in our twisted hearts. But Ziam is like a stunt reel that Chat-GPT-ed a screenplay. The Muay Thai fight choreography sequences land harder than the dialogue, and every plot point feels reverse-engineered to set up the next fight scene. Its attempt to be Thailand’s "Train to Busan" never really took off as it confuses noise for depth, leaving us with flimsy motivations and a romance that functions solely as a mission objective.

Ziam’s worldbuilding nods to climate dread and food insecurity could have been timely, but the film sets it aside for a derivative plot. The ending’s tease for a possible sequel was the final nail in the coffin: Singh may have nuclear bunker-level plot armor, but our patience, sadly, did not survive.

Dark Nuns

Rating: 3/10 

Two nuns, Sisters Juniya and Michaela, defy the rules to exorcise a possessed child named Hee-Joon before cancer claims one of them. Facing death in the eye, Sister Juniya is determined to exit the world with a bang, to rid it of at least one more demon.

This could’ve been a fascinating theological duel: a dying nun facing down the Devil with her own mortality underscoring the importance of every second. Instead, Dark Nuns trades tension for tedium. The cinematography is gorgeously reverent, but the decidedly slow pacing made us long for the end.

Imagine Exhuma but drained of its energy, and Constantine with a terminal, morose main character whose swagger is encased in her ever-reliable multi-gallon jug of holy water and pack of cigarettes. We were praying for a jump scare or an insidious high-tension horror sequence, but it never came. Song Hye-Kyo (Sister Juniya) does her best, but even her face card can’t deliver a miracle.

Untold

Rating: 3/10

Veteran journalist Vivian Vera (played by Jodi Sta. Maria) built her career on shock and controversy — such as exposes on street food carts using cats for meat and a “Cement Massacre.” Years later, after having catapulted herself to the top of the newsroom, her conscience finally catches up to her as she begins to face horrors that may or may not be of her own making.

The premise was promising: guilt as a haunting force, media ethics, and the price of ambition — all wrapped in supernatural horror. Unfortunately, Untold appears like three movies haphazardly stitched together.

It jumps between genres with whiplash transitions, and the tonal confusion makes it hard to care, especially with the supposed comic relief sequences that only end up undercutting the anxiety the film is trying so desperately to build. Jodi Sta. Maria gives a powerhouse performance — the film’s only saving grace — but even she can’t rescue a script that keeps tripping over itself.

Lilim

Rating: 4/10

Issa and Tomas are siblings on the run after the elder sister, Issa, kills her father in self-defense. They end up in a remote orphanage run by nuns, and on the surface, it seems like a safe haven. But strange happenings start to lift the veil and reveal the dark truth within.

Director Mikhail Red remains one of the boldest voices pushing the envelope in Filipino horror. Lilim shows flashes of brilliance in its indictment of blind faith in seemingly incorruptible institutions. But its pacing stumbles, and the climactic reveal feels more shock twist for the trailer than narrative payoff. The message whispers, but the chills don’t quite land.

Singsot

Rating: 4/10

Set in a rural village in Indonesia, a young boy defies a taboo, and it unleashes a curse that spreads throughout the village and targets him and those around him.

Village folklore always hits different, especially in a continent such as Asia, whose traditions run deep and belief systems are indestructible. But while the cinematography and sound design that hums with unease are worth noting, most of the scares are cheap, with only a handful of them standing out in effectiveness.

A lot of the plot points were also left unexplained and mostly, it could be because the film is actually based on a 2016 short made by the same director. Those who are jumping in blind, as we were, may end the film with just as much confusion.

28 Years Later

Rating: 6/10

The third installment in the ’28’ series, following 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later, 28 Years Later reveals the “new normal” since the second outbreak of the Rage virus, which took over the British Isles nearly three decades ago. At the center of the film is a family residing on an island with a small community. Jamie, Isla, and their son, Spike, navigate the post-apocalyptic land while dealing with internal family turmoil and the dark secrets that were forced into hiding.

While it retains the gritty, no-holds-barred attitude that the initial two films were lauded for, there’s still so much left unanswered. Fortunately, however, the second part (28 Years Later: The Bone Temple) is set to be released soon, in January 2026.

As a setup for the sequel, it’s promising: Spike’s coming-of-age and relationship with death ultimately led him to go on his own. As a teenager, the post-apocalyptic, zombie-laden world simply forces him to grow up. But at the end, he is still a kid who is frustrated with being treated like one. 28 Years Later is a satisfying continuation to the 28 series, if only it didn’t rely too much on the shock factor of exposed genitals and shoehorned, novel zombie scenes.

Conjuring: Last Rites

Rating: 6/10

This year was full of franchise finales, among them is Conjuring: Last Rites. Based on the real-life Smurl haunting case, the final chapter of the Conjuring saga finds Ed and Lorraine Warren confronting demonic hauntings that hit a little closer to home. Alongside the duo, their daughter Judy, who is now grown up, also faces the demon who has been after her since birth.

If you’ve followed the franchise from the start, Last Rites feels like a gentle farewell — warm and nostalgic, strangely enough for a horror film. Unfortunately, the scares are scattered, the dread dulled a bit by sentimentality. Still, a handful of scares upheld the signature horror of the series, and Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga’s chemistry remains magnetic. We just hoped to see more of the Smurl family case, instead of incidents being mentioned as an afterthought. It’s a good farewell, but it’s not the haunting banger that forces them to retire.

Until Dawn

Rating: 6/10

Based on the video game, Until Dawn tells the story of a group of friends who set out to help one of them find their missing sister. They end up in the woods, seeking refuge in a tourist center. Soon, however, they realize they’re stuck in a time loop, with the day resetting each time, with various horrors hunting them down. And the only way out is to survive until dawn.

Adapted from the hit video game, Until Dawn doesn’t reinvent horror, but nails its modest ambitions. The gore is satisfyingly gruesome, and the time-loop concept works just enough to keep you guessing. The characters, unfortunately, are forgettable archetypes that you’d recognize immediately. But if you want a popcorn horror flick that delivers enough scares and zero philosophy, this one’s an easy go-to for your barkada horror film night. Game fans beware, though: it’s far from the source material — take that as you will.

Final Destinations: Bloodlines

Rating: 7/10

Another franchise ender, Final Destination: Bloodlines wraps up the series with a college student, Stefani, who inherits her grandmother Iris’ visions. Her vision threatens their entire family’s existence, a warning that Death, if the rest of the franchise hasn’t underscored this enough, wins in the end.

Bloodlines is the rare franchise finale that understood the assignment. It ties together 25 years of Rube Goldberg gore with a sense of legacy, connecting all the deaths from the very first Final Destination film to one eerie premonition from 1969. The kills are certifiable classics (here’s hoping we won’t need an MRI scan in the near future), and the fan service is plentiful. While it doesn’t elevate the franchise, it doesn’t need to. It’s a final victory lap for Death, and we couldn’t have asked for a better goodbye.

Good Boy

Rating: 8/10

Told from the perspective of Indy, a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, Good Boy follows the dog and his owner, who has a chronic lung disease, as they retreat to his grandfather’s remote cabin in the woods — only to encounter something sinister lurking in the shadows.

While it may seem like an easy cop out to use arguably one of the cutest dogs alive as its main character, Good Boy is both heartbreaking and horrifying anyway. The film’s brilliance lies in its simplicity: we see terror through pure, unspoken loyalty. The script is spare, but the emotional payoff is clean. It’s less about ghosts and more about the unflinching devotion that drives a pet to protect the person they love. Those who know Hachiko know all about loyalty, but Good Boy teaches you to dread the moment that loyalty faces something it can’t fully comprehend.

Weapons

Rating: 10/10

At 2:17 AM, seventeen children from the same third-grade class run away from their homes in a small Pennsylvania town, leaving only one behind. The town unravels as paranoia and grief turn neighbor against neighbor, revealing horrors both human and supernatural.

Weapons is horror at its most disciplined — restrained and devastatingly effective. Its nonlinear storytelling weaves personal guilt, mob hysteria, institutional failure, systemic rot, and grief, resulting in an amalgamation that is a self-reloading weapon that often zones in on the wrong targets. The scares aren’t loud (except for the final act); they’re quiet, creeping, and perfectly timed. While we personally love the cathartic final act, remember that there’s not always a singular monster to hunt down — and refusing this truth often reveals monsters hidden within.

Sinners

Rating: 10/10

Set in 1932 Mississippi, twin brothers Elijah “Smoke” and Elias “Stack” Moore return home from Chicago to open a juke joint — a rare space for freedom, music, and joy for their Black community during the Jim Crow era of segregation. But the night of their grand opening was everything and nothing like they hoped for.

Sinners is not a traditional horror film, as the lack of cliché jump scares would indicate. Instead, it’s a blues opera of despair and transcendence. The pacing is deliberate, building an atmosphere as thick as molasses as the horror seeps in gradually, like sin itself. The cast, led by Michael B. Jordan and Hailee Steinfield, deliver electrifying performances, and the soundtrack alone deserves an award.

In the end, the film’s genius lies in its question: how much does freedom cost? The price may be very steep — too steep — but Sinners proves even just one night of freedom is worth risking it all.

Exit 8

Rating: 10/10

Another film based on a video game, Exit 8 is set in a subway station in Japan. A man finds himself trapped in a hallway that is seemingly on a loop, haunted by “anomalies” that distort reality. Each wrong step resets his purgatory.

Based on the game, Exit 8 is minimalist horror perfection. Every step forward is anxiety amplified, and every turn of the corner is stress-inducing. The film’s brilliance lies in its simplicity, as you feel as though you’re pulled into the game itself, scanning for “anomalies” alongside them.

But in its minimalism, you’ll find the psychological dread — loops aren’t just supernatural prisons; they’re psychological ones. More than ever, you’ll resonate with the feeling of being “stuck in a loop,” bogged down by guilt, indecisiveness, and inability to find your way. Exit 8 is proof that horror doesn’t need a monster when the truth in the deepest, darkest corner of your mind is far worse.

Bring Her Back

Rating: 10/10

After losing their father, two teenagers, Andy and his sight-impaired stepsister Piper, are taken in by Laura, a former counselor who is also fostering another boy, Oliver. As the two orphaned children process their grief and try to settle in their new home, it becomes clear that they’ve become pawns in an elaborate, convoluted resurrection plan.

Bring Her Back is one of this year’s crown jewels: a brutal exploration of grief, obsession, and the monstrous things people do for love (in every beautiful and demented sense of the word). Aside from the brutal gore that makes you flinch viscerally, the film lets you understand the monster without absolving them — a tightrope few horrors attempt (much less succeed in). By the end, you’re not asking: “Who would do this?” You’re asking, uncomfortably, whispering perhaps in the silence between waking: “How far would I go if I believed I could bring them back?”

Final Thoughts

2025 proved that horror doesn’t have to scream to be heard. Filmmakers around the world are pushing boundaries — redefining fear as something both external and intimate. The best of this year weren’t just scary for the scare factor; they reached down to your soul and found a common unsettling thread.

So this Halloween, whether you’re braving the couch alone or hosting a marathon with your friends, take your pick from our list. Just remember: sometimes even when the movie ends, the unease doesn’t.

Sleep tight (or don’t).