Halloween is over. Put away the decorations, box up your costumes, open your candy, and turn on the TV. Spooky season is just beginning, and I’ve got the recommendations for you. Here are some of the best recent horror movies I’ve seen, including this year’s winner and some honorable mentions. Don’t worry, there are some non-scary movies (old and new) at the end that will still get you in the spirit.
For Any Horror Lover
“Get Out”, 2017
I’ve seen this movie 4 times, and it’s been stuck in my head for years. “Get Out” is the most well-rounded horror movie in recent history. It’s a slow, symbolic descent into chaos, conveying themes of racial supremacy, the physical and mental exploitation of African Americans, as well as the suppression of Black consciousness, all without relying on gore or jump scares. “Get Out” is scary, funny, and eye-opening. Jordan Peele is a fantastic writer and director, and I wholeheartedly recommend his other movies. “Nope” is another personal favorite of mine because of the sound design, eerie animal elements, and the theme of trying to control the uncontrollable. I somewhat recommend “Us” as well; I enjoyed the fear factor, but it was less complex and more campy than “Nope.”
“The Black Phone,” 2021
The leads, Mason Thames and Madeline McGraw, are the best child actors I’ve ever seen. Watching Thames’s character struggle against the sadistic masked child snatcher, and McGraw’s character face her father is stressful and frustrating, making this movie both a mind and body experience. The original story was written by Joe Hill, Stephen King’s son, and it has many parallels to King’s work (rag-tag-ruffian-kid-power, ghost kids, the 70s, and the setting of Denver, Colorado). “The Black Phone” is a good pick for anyone who traditionally doesn’t like horror, because of its positive messaging and comparative lack of violence.
“Barbarian,” 2022
“Barbarian” is the least predictable movie on this list. This movie has a fantastic villain, and the true barbarian will shock you. Things are not always as they seem. “Barbarian” is special – not many movies confront you and tell you ‘you’re wrong.’
Not For Everyone
“Hereditary,” 2018
“Hereditary” is my personal favorite horror movie of all time. I’ve seen it 5 times, and I notice something new on every rewatch. It’s a perfectly unsettling balance of drama and horror, and the acting will shake you. It’s not an intensely gory movie at all, but its few violent instances will play in your mind for a while after the credits roll. The end pulls everything together like no other movie. This is not a group watch, and it needs your full attention to understand.
“Midsommar,” 2019
“Midsommar” is by the same director as “Hereditary,” but I wouldn’t recommend it to the average viewer. It’s not because it isn’t well-made, it definitely is, but it simply puts no good into the world. I personally like movies that are scary, thought-provoking, somewhat fun, or with a message that resonates with me, and I can’t say “Midsommar” fills those boxes. The artistic elements of this movie are what inclined me to include it. Most activity in the film takes place in beautiful bright scenery and is completely plausible, making the fear factor more impressive. “Midsommar’s” representation of mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder and anxiety is startlingly realistic. If you’re interested in pagan cults or want a stomach ache, “Midsommar” is for you.
This Year’s Winner
“Weapons,” 2025
“Weapons” is the best new thing in a long time. It’s real, enjoyable horror. The storytelling is done in an engaging style where we can live one character’s experience at a time, making the ending a conclusive collage. There is a compelling yet cryptic villain whose motives and background are shrouded in mystery. It was frightening without being too upsetting, so it is an overall enjoyable group watch. “Weapons” also can be understood as a stinging allegory for school shootings; its satisfying but dismal ending symbolises the lasting effects of shootings in a community and the idea that there can never be “normal” again after such a tragedy.
Honorable and Not So Honorable Mentions
| Must Watch… | I’d Miss… |
| “Sinners,” 2025 – Vampires, history, religion, music, just badass, watched it thrice already | “Candyman,” 2021 – About police brutality, unfortunately forgettable |
| “The Substance,” 2024 – What it means to be a woman, internal conflict, addiction, incredibly campy and ridiculous special effects, making for a disgustingly enjoyable ending | “Old,” 2021 – Poorly written, I don’t think the writers know how kids act |
| “Spree,” 2020 – Rideshare driver kills people for internet clout, goofy, SUCH a fun group watch | “The Menu,” 2022 – Just overrated (“It insists upon itself” – Peter Griffin) |
| “Smile II,” 2024 – Cheesy, creepy, cheap jumpscares) | “Quiet Place II,” 2020 – Boring, only watch the first one |
| “IT II,” 2019 – Just as good as the first one somehow | “The Watchers,” 2024 – M. Night Shyamalan’s daughter, Ishhana, wrote this – must say it was all downhill for them after The Sixth Sense |
| “The Lighthouse,” 2019 – Artistic, trippy, freaky, not a light watch. | “HIM,” 2025- A singular overdone theme, I think you need to be a football player, be blind to plotholes, or be pretty easily entertained to enjoy this |
| “Noseferatu,” 2024 – True to the book Dracula, absolute freak show | “Terrifier,” 2016 – Ew, gross, bad, plotless |
Not So Scary
The best not-so-scary horror movies include “Coraline”, “Scary Movie”, “Hocus Pocus,” “Zombieland,” “The Silence of the Lambs” (a little scary), “Beetlejuice,” “The 6th Sense,” and “Let the Right One In” (my favorite).
