If you love a good scare, add these horror films to your watchlist

There’s something weirdly thrilling about willingly terrifying yourself. You know, that rush you get when you're watching a horror film alone, pretending you’re fine, and then a leaf taps your window and suddenly you have a prayer mat in front of you as well as a rosary and a bell in your hands, calling out to all the gods. These movies make you yell “don’t go in there” or "wait, what's moving?" at the screen while clutching onto your dear life. It’s terrifying, chaotic, and honestly, kind of fun, at least for horror lovers. 

If you love that weird mix of excitement and fear that comes with sitting in a dark theatre, the sound too loud, your palms a little sweaty, and the gore so in-your-face you can almost smell it, this year's horror lineup is your dream come true. Forget just jumping out of your seat; we’re talking full-on edge-of-your-seat and biting-your-nail experience! 

The Conjuring: Last Rites

Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga return as Ed and Lorraine Warren in this final installment of the Conjuring series, directed by Michael Chaves, where they confront the 1986 Smurl haunting alongside their daughter Judy, portrayed by Mia Tomlinson. 

Release date: 5 September, 2025 

M3gan 2.0 

Thought she was gone? Think again. M3GAN 2.0 is back, glitchier, deadlier, and still terrible at boundaries. Allison Williams reprises her role as roboticist Gemma in Gerard Johnstone's sequel to the 2022 hit.

Release date: 27 June, 2025

28 Years Later 

Because, apparently, zombies have a better longevity than most franchises. Directed by Danny Boyle, this third installment in the franchise features Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Alfie Williams as a father-son duo surviving on Lindisfarne Island, with Jodie Comer and Ralph Fiennes also starring. The film was shot in Northumberland and Yorkshire.

Release date: 20 June, 2025

Maa

Kajol returns in Maa, a mythological horror where motherhood meets mayhem. Directed by Vishal Furia (Chhori) and produced by Devgn Films and Jio Studios, the film follows a mother who battles ancient evil to protect her daughter. Set in Kolkata and Bardhaman, Maa unfolds within the Shaitaan universe, previously featuring Ajay Devgn and R. Madhavan.

Release date: 27 June, 2025

Bring Her Back 

In Bring Her Back, Sally Hawkins delivers a chilling performance as Laura, a grieving foster mother whose sinister rituals ensnare orphaned siblings Andy (Billy Barratt) and Piper (Sora Wong). In this unsettling psychological horror directed by Danny and Michael Philippou, family bonding takes a dark turn, and let’s just say, bedtime gets real awkward.

Release date: 4 July, 2025

Weapons

In Weapons, directed by Zach Cregger (Barbarian), a small town is shaken when 17 children vanish simultaneously at 2:17 a.m., leaving only one behind—young Alex Lilly (Cary Christopher), as teacher Justine Gandy (Julia Garner), grieving father Archer Graff (Josh Brolin), and conflicted officer Paul (Alden Ehrenreich) unravel a chilling mystery that spirals into a genre-bending horror epic.

Release date: 8 August, 2025

Five Nights at Freddy's 2

In Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, director Emma Tammi returns with Josh Hutcherson as night guard Mike Schmidt, joined by Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, and Matthew Lillard as the sinister William Afton. As the haunted pizzeria reopens, its animatronic horrors escalate to terrifying new heights.

Release date: 5 December, 2025

The Strangers: Chapter Two

In The Strangers: Chapter 2, director Renny Harlin crafts a chilling new chapter in the home invasion saga that began with Bryan Bertino’s 2008 cult classic and Johannes Roberts’ 2018 sequel Prey at Night. This latest instalment follows Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez as a couple whose peaceful night in a remote Airbnb turns into a desperate fight for survival when three masked strangers arrive.

Release date: 26 September, 2025

Hell House LLC: Lineage 

The Hell House LLC franchise has kept us on the edge of our seats with its spine-chilling scares, and with Lineage looming on the horizon, the anticipation is palpable. The first film set the bar high, and now, with only a poster to go off, fans are already gearing up for the next terrifying chapter. If the last one gave us nightmares, this one’s bound to make us sleep with the lights on! In the fifth and final installment of the found-footage franchise, Elizabeth Vermilyea leads as a woman uncovering dark secrets tied to the Abaddon Hotel and Carmichael Manor, with Stephen Cognetti directing and filming at the Waldorf Estate of Fear in Pennsylvania. 

Release date: 20 August, 2025 

Black Phone 2

Ethan Hawke returns as the sinister Grabber in Scott Derrickson's sequel, where siblings Finney (Mason Thames) and Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) confront new horrors linked to a haunted winter camp.

Release date: 17 October 2025

 

Feature image: IMDb

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