Horror Movies Released in 2025: Complete Theatrical and Streaming Calendar

2025 is over, so this is a retrospective release calendar rather than an upcoming-movies preview. It records the historical U.S. commercial release dates for notable horror features that opened in theaters, played limited engagements, or premiered on a streaming service during the year.

The year included franchise sequels such as Final Destination: Bloodlines, 28 Years Later, The Conjuring: Last Rites, Black Phone 2, and Five Nights at Freddy’s 2; original films including Sinners, Weapons, Presence, and Bring Her Back; adaptations of video games and novels; and streaming-first releases from Netflix, Shudder, Tubi, and Paramount+.

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Dates below are U.S. dates and refer to the first significant commercial release, not a festival premiere. Wide theatrical openings, limited releases, select-theater engagements, streaming premieres, and titles whose release plans changed are labeled separately. Dates in Canada, the United Kingdom, and other territories may differ.

2025 horror movie release dates at a glance

The The Numbers’ 2025 release schedule provides the backbone for the U.S. theatrical chronology. Official studio and platform pages supplement it for premises, streaming dates, and later changes. The table records the verified initial U.S. outlet; for theater-first films, a later digital or subscription-streaming home is not listed unless it is established in the supplied release information.

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Source note: theatrical dates and release categories are anchored to The Numbers, with official studio and platform pages used where available. A theatrical label describes the initial window, not permanent theatrical exclusivity.

January: period horror, ghosts, werewolves, and a dangerous companion

The Damned — January 3, wide theatrical

Edwardian-period survival horror arrives in the first significant U.S. slot of the year. The story follows a crew facing an impossible moral decision during a nineteenth-century famine. Its central appeal is less a familiar monster than the pressure of isolation, scarcity, and collective guilt. It is best filed under period survival horror rather than as a franchise film.

Wolf Man — January 17, wide theatrical

Leigh Whannell’s modern Universal Monsters werewolf film stars Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner. The official Blumhouse page identifies the film and its premise, while the release schedule places its U.S. theatrical opening on January 17. This is the clearest January choice for werewolf fans and part of Universal’s continuing effort to reinterpret its classic monsters for contemporary horror audiences.

Presence — January 24, wide theatrical

Steven Soderbergh’s haunted-house film takes an unusual point of view: the story is presented from the entity’s first-person perspective. That makes it a supernatural-house film with a formal twist, rather than a conventional human-investigator ghost story. The release and premise were included in Rotten Tomatoes’ horror coverage.

Companion — January 31, wide theatrical

Drew Hancock’s feature, starring Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid, sits at the boundary between science-fiction horror and thriller. Its marketing depended on twists, so the useful spoiler-free description is simply a relationship-centered story in which the apparent companion dynamic becomes much more dangerous than expected. It belongs in the adjacent section for readers who use horror broadly.

February: Valentine’s slashing and Stephen King’s cursed toy

Heart Eyes — February 7, wide theatrical

Heart Eyes combines a Valentine’s Day slasher with romantic comedy. Sony’s official listing classifies it across horror, comedy, and romance. That combination makes it a natural pick for viewers who want a holiday movie with a killer, rather than a purely grim slasher.

The Monkey — February 21, wide theatrical

Osgood Perkins adapted Stephen King’s cursed wind-up-monkey story for the screen. The film belongs to supernatural horror and to the growing group of 2025 releases based on established literary material. It is not a sequel, but King’s name supplies the franchise-like recognition that often drives adaptation audiences.

March: grief, strange visitors, and a monstrous fairy tale

The Woman in the Yard — March 28, wide theatrical

A mysterious woman appears outside a grieving family’s home in this Blumhouse psychological and supernatural horror film. The official Universal material confirms the date and trailer information. Its premise places domestic grief and an unexplained outside threat at the center, making it more psychological than creature-driven.

Death of a Unicorn — March 28, wide theatrical, genre-adjacent

Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega lead this horror-comedy/fantasy satire. It is included here because horror audiences often follow dark fantasy and grotesque comedy, but it should not be presented as straightforward conventional horror. The distinction matters when comparing a unicorn-centered satire with films built around supernatural terror or slasher mechanics.

April: screens, vampires, body horror, and a repeating nightmare

Drop — April 11, wide theatrical, horror-adjacent

Christopher Landon’s date-night thriller turns anonymous phone notifications into a threat. It is a tense technological premise with horror appeal, but the available classification is closer to thriller than unambiguous supernatural or slasher horror. It is therefore kept outside the strict core genre while remaining useful to readers building a broad suspense watchlist.

Sinners — April 18, wide theatrical and IMAX

Ryan Coogler’s Southern Gothic vampire film stars Michael B. Jordan in dual roles. The film was positioned as an original theatrical event, not a sequel or remake, and its vampire framework sits alongside period atmosphere, music, family, and community conflict. Its U.S. date and IMAX release are recorded in The Numbers’ schedule.

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The Ugly Stepsister — April 18, limited theatrical

This Norwegian reinterpretation of Cinderella uses body horror to turn a familiar fairy tale into something grotesque. Because its initial U.S. release was limited, it should not be counted as a nationwide theatrical opening. It is a strong choice for viewers interested in international horror, fairy-tale inversion, and transformation rather than franchise spectacle.

Until Dawn — April 25, wide theatrical

The official Sony page identifies this as a survival-horror adaptation of the PlayStation game. Its premise uses repeated-nightmare and branching-death mechanics, translating the game’s choice-driven energy into a feature-film structure. It belongs on both video-game-adaptation and survival-horror watchlists.

May: slashers, resurrection, Netflix, and Shudder

Clown in a Cornfield — May 9, wide theatrical

Eli Craig directed this rural slasher adaptation of Adam Cesare’s novel. The setting and title point toward a classic isolated-community setup, while the literary source gives it a clear adaptation context. It is one of the year’s most direct choices for traditional slasher fans.

Final Destination: Bloodlines — May 16, wide theatrical and IMAX

The sixth Final Destination film returns to the franchise’s signature idea: Death arranging elaborate, chain-reaction accidents. The story also expands the mythology around William Bludworth. It is a franchise continuation rather than a reboot, and its appeal remains the inventive construction of fatal set pieces.

Fear Street: Prom Queen — May 23, Netflix

Netflix’s official Tudum announcement confirmed the May 23 premiere after some early preview lists had still marked the date as to be announced. This stand-alone 1980s teen slasher takes place in the broader Fear Street universe. Its first significant U.S. availability was a Netflix streaming premiere, not a conventional wide theatrical opening.

The Surrender — May 23, Shudder

This grief-centered supernatural horror film premiered at SXSW before arriving on Shudder on May 23. The distinction is important: the festival screening was not the same thing as the U.S. commercial streaming release. Viewers looking for intimate, family-centered supernatural horror should place it near the top of the streaming portion of the list.

Bring Her Back — May 30, wide theatrical

From the Philippou brothers and A24, Bring Her Back follows a family drawn into a dangerous resurrection ritual. It is an original supernatural-horror story rather than a sequel or adaptation. The premise makes it a natural recommendation for viewers interested in grief, ritual, and occult horror.

June: exorcism, sharks, infected people, and artificial intelligence

The Ritual — June 6, wide theatrical

Al Pacino and Dan Stevens star in this exorcism horror release. Its central subgenre is familiar possession and religious horror, and it opened theatrically in the United States on June 6. The title appeared in both Rotten Tomatoes’ release coverage and the theatrical schedule.

Dangerous Animals — June 6, wide theatrical

This Australian survival horror film places a surfer and a serial killer in a shark-centered confrontation. It is a hybrid of human predator thriller and creature feature: the danger does not come from the ocean alone. The U.S. theatrical date was June 6.

28 Years Later — June 20, wide theatrical

Danny Boyle and Alex Garland returned to the fast-infected universe with this continuation of the 28 Days Later mythology. Sony’s official film page provides the studio’s synopsis and classification. The film is best categorized as infected-person or zombie-adjacent horror, although the franchise’s terminology and social-collapse emphasis distinguish it from a standard undead outbreak movie.

Please Don’t Feed the Children — June 27, Tubi

Release records identify this as a U.S. Tubi release rather than a conventional nationwide theatrical opening. It belongs in the post-apocalyptic horror and streaming sections. Its placement demonstrates why a theatrical-only calendar would miss a meaningful part of the year’s audience-facing horror schedule.

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M3GAN 2.0 — June 27, wide theatrical

The official Blumhouse page lists the sequel, in which M3GAN faces a more advanced artificial-intelligence threat. The film sits between science-fiction and horror, continuing the killer-doll premise while expanding the technology-focused world of the first movie.

July: legacy slashers, public-domain monsters, and body horror

I Know What You Did Last Summer — July 18, wide theatrical

This legacy sequel brings back Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. The official Sony listing confirms the franchise context. It is a slasher continuation with returning characters rather than a wholly unrelated remake.

Bambi: The Reckoning — July 25 listed, date and format qualified

Bambi: The Reckoning is a public-domain horror spin-off associated with the Twisted Childhood Universe. Contemporary horror lists reported differing U.S. dates and release formats, so July 25 should not be treated as an uncontested nationwide theatrical date. The safe archival description is that it received a territory- and distributor-dependent rollout; readers should verify the specific U.S. outlet rather than rely on a single undifferentiated calendar entry.

Together — July 30, wide theatrical

This body-horror film follows a couple whose relationship becomes physically and supernaturally fused. The concept makes it a particularly clear example of relationship horror: the threat is not simply an outside monster, but the loss of bodily and personal separation.

August: missing children, splatter, and exploitation horror

Weapons — August 8, wide theatrical and IMAX

Zach Cregger’s multi-story horror film centers on the disappearance of children. The structure and mystery premise make it an original ensemble horror title rather than a franchise continuation. Its wide U.S. theatrical and IMAX release placed it among the year’s larger-format horror events.

The Toxic Avenger — August 29, wide/unrated theatrical

This reboot of the cult property stars Peter Dinklage and is best labeled splatter, horror-comedy, and exploitation cinema. The unrated theatrical positioning is part of its identity. It should be included for fans of outrageous practical gore and dark comedy, but not compared directly with restrained supernatural dramas.

September: demons, dystopia, sports, and masked intruders

The Conjuring: Last Rites — September 5, wide theatrical and IMAX

The mainline Conjuring Universe sequel returns to Ed and Lorraine Warren. Its North American date was September 5, while the international rollout began September 3, as reflected in the official franchise material. Promotional coverage presented it as the final act or final mainline chapter; that should not be read as proof that every future project in the wider universe is impossible.

The Long Walk — September 12, wide theatrical

This dystopian horror adaptation of Stephen King’s Richard Bachman novel turns a state-imposed endurance contest into a sustained survival nightmare. It is literary horror with a speculative setting, rather than a supernatural King story.

HIM — September 19, wide theatrical and IMAX

From Monkeypaw Productions, HIM uses sports as the setting for a horror story about ambition, celebrity, and a rising football player. It is best grouped as sports horror and as an original title, not as an adaptation of a pre-existing franchise.

The Strangers: Chapter 2 — September 26, wide theatrical

This is the second chapter of Renny Harlin’s newer Strangers trilogy, but the fourth film in the broader franchise. That numbering distinction explains why the title can be both a sequel within one planned trilogy and a later entry in the overall home-invasion series.

October through December: sequels, Gothic horror, rescheduling, and animatronics

Vicious — October 10, Paramount+ and digital

Vicious illustrates the difference between an early theatrical calendar and the final release reality. Its theatrical plans were removed or materially changed, and it ultimately debuted on Paramount+ and digital formats on October 10. It should therefore be labeled a release-status change, not counted as a standard wide theatrical opening.

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Black Phone 2 — October 17, wide theatrical

The official Universal page identifies this supernatural sequel, in which the Grabber’s threat returns through Finn’s sister Gwen. It extends the world of The Black Phone and belongs on both supernatural-horror and franchise-sequel watchlists.

Frankenstein — October 17 in select theaters; November 7 on Netflix

Guillermo del Toro’s Gothic adaptation of Mary Shelley’s novel had a two-stage U.S. release. It played in select theaters beginning October 17, then premiered on Netflix on November 7. The Netflix date is important because some calendars incorrectly placed the streaming release on November 14; that date belongs to Keeper.

Keeper — November 14, wide theatrical

Osgood Perkins’ folk-horror film starring Tatiana Maslany was originally listed for October 3 in early preview coverage. The final U.S. theatrical schedule moved it to November 14. The final date should be used in the calendar, with the October date retained only as a documented schedule change.

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 — December 5, wide theatrical

The sequel returns to Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza and continues the horror adaptation of the video-game property. Universal’s official page provides the film information. It closed the main 2025 theatrical horror calendar as an animatronic survival-horror sequel.

Streaming and limited-release horror that theatrical lists miss

A list limited to nationwide theater openings leaves out several releases that mattered to horror viewers. The following distinctions prevent a streaming premiere, a festival screening, and a limited theatrical engagement from being treated as interchangeable:

• Fear Street: Prom Queen: Netflix premiere on May 23, 2025.
• The Surrender: Shudder premiere on May 23 after its SXSW festival screening.
• Please Don’t Feed the Children: U.S. release on Tubi on June 27.
• Vicious: Paramount+ and digital release on October 10 after theatrical plans changed.
• Frankenstein: select theaters on October 17, followed by Netflix on November 7.
• The Ugly Stepsister: limited theatrical release, not a conventional nationwide opening.

For films that began in theaters, the historical information available here establishes the opening format, not a permanent streaming home. Subscription catalogs and rental windows change by country and over time. The most reliable way to use this calendar is to separate the original release channel from whatever digital, physical, or subscription availability a title may have later acquired.

Additional limited and international titles

Broader 2025 horror coverage also tracked titles such as Ash, The Monster Beneath Us, Detective Kien: The Headless Horror, The Crucifix, and ROB1N. They belong in a deeper international and limited-release watchlist, but they should not automatically be presented as nationwide U.S. releases. A festival appearance or an overseas opening does not establish a first significant U.S. commercial date. Release records distinguish wide, limited, IMAX, special-engagement, and re-release categories; that distinction is why these titles are not assigned unsupported dates in the main U.S. calendar.

Films announced for 2025 that did not finish the year on the schedule

The Bride! was moved out of 2025 in a Warner Bros. slate change reported by TheWrap. Saw XI should not be called definitively canceled without an official cancellation announcement; the more accurate wording is that it was removed from the 2025 release calendar with no confirmed replacement date in the available reporting. Contemporary reporting about Saw XI’s removal is also collected by The Hollywood Reporter.

Franchise releases versus original horror

Franchise and adaptation highlights

• Universal Monsters: Wolf Man.
• Video games: Until Dawn and Five Nights at Freddy’s 2.
• Stephen King: The Monkey and The Long Walk.
• Legacy slashers: I Know What You Did Last Summer and The Strangers: Chapter 2.
• Supernatural franchises: Final Destination: Bloodlines, The Conjuring: Last Rites, Black Phone 2, and M3GAN 2.0.
• Netflix’s shared horror universe: Fear Street: Prom Queen.
• Mary Shelley adaptation: Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein.

Original or non-sequel horror highlights

Viewers looking beyond established properties could choose from Presence, Sinners, Bring Her Back, Weapons, Together, The Woman in the Yard, The Long Walk, HIM, and The Surrender. These films cover haunted houses, vampires, resurrection rituals, missing children, body horror, family grief, dystopia, and sports-world ambition.

Genre boundaries: what counts as horror?

This calendar uses a strict main category plus a clearly labeled crossover category. Horror can overlap with thriller, science fiction, fantasy, action, comedy, and romance, so treating every dark or frightening film as horror produces a less useful list.

• Strict horror: supernatural horror, slasher films, survival horror, body horror, folk horror, creature features, zombie or infected-person horror, exorcism films, and horror adaptations.
• Horror-comedy or exploitation crossover: Heart Eyes, The Toxic Avenger, and Death of a Unicorn.
• Science-fiction crossover: Companion and M3GAN 2.0.
• Thriller crossover: Drop.

Predator: Badlands and The Gorge are examples of films horror fans may consider adjacent, but they are not included in the strict calendar here because the supplied records do not establish them as primarily horror releases for this guide. The same principle applies to video-game adaptations: Until Dawn and Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 are included because their source material and marketing place them squarely in horror, while a darker science-fiction or action title requires a visible crossover label.

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Why older 2025 release lists became inaccurate

Many preview articles were written before distributors finalized their slates. Rotten Tomatoes’ editorial guide is useful for premises, cast, directors, and selected dates, but it is selective and mixes streaming titles with theatrical releases without always making the distinction prominent. Den of Geek’s January preview reflects early-year expectations: it still listed The Bride! for September 26, Saw XI for September 26, and Fear Street: Prom Queen as TBA before later changes were known.

Cineplex’s theatrical list is useful for mainstream discovery but omits many limited and streaming films, and its inclusion of Saw XI became stale after that title left the 2025 schedule. The Numbers is the strongest backbone for exact U.S. theatrical dates, distributors, and release categories, but it is not a complete streaming database and does not decide whether every listed film should be classified as horror. The most reliable approach is therefore to combine theatrical records with official studio, distributor, and platform announcements.

How to interpret a movie release date

1. Check the territory. A U.S. date is not automatically the Canadian, U.K., or international date. The Conjuring: Last Rites, for example, began its international rollout on September 3 before its North American date of September 5.
2. Check the format. Wide theatrical, limited theatrical, IMAX, select theaters, streaming, and digital/VOD describe different release paths.
3. Separate festivals from commercial availability. A Sundance, SXSW, TIFF, Cannes, or Fantastic Fest premiere is not automatically the U.S. commercial release date. The Surrender illustrates the difference between an SXSW premiere and its May 23 Shudder launch.
4. Check whether the date changed. Use the final date for the calendar and retain the earlier date as a status note when the change is documented.
5. Do not treat an old platform listing as permanent. Streaming rights, rental windows, and catalogs vary by country and can expire.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the biggest horror movie of 2025?

There is no single objective answer without specifying whether biggest means highest box office, largest franchise, widest release, or greatest cultural attention. The year’s most prominent event-style franchise releases included 28 Years Later, Final Destination: Bloodlines, The Conjuring: Last Rites, Black Phone 2, M3GAN 2.0, and Five Nights at Freddy’s 2. This calendar does not rank films by quality or box office.

Which 2025 horror movies were released on Netflix?

Fear Street: Prom Queen premiered on Netflix on May 23, 2025. Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein played in select U.S. theaters beginning October 17 and premiered on Netflix on November 7. Platform catalogs can change, so those are historical premiere dates rather than a guarantee of current availability.

Which 2025 horror movies were based on video games?

The main video-game horror adaptations in this calendar are Until Dawn, released theatrically on April 25, and Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, released theatrically on December 5. They are included because both the source properties and the films’ marketing are firmly associated with horror.

Which horror movies were delayed from 2025?

The Bride! was moved out of 2025 and into 2026. Keeper moved from October 3 to November 14, 2025. Vicious changed from planned theatrical distribution to Paramount+ and digital release on October 10. Saw XI was removed from the 2025 calendar without a confirmed replacement date in the available reporting.

Was Saw XI released in 2025?

No. It was removed from the 2025 release calendar. Unless an official cancellation is documented, the accurate description is that it had no confirmed replacement date in the available reporting, rather than that it was definitively canceled.

Was The Bride! released in 2025?

No. Although early 2025 previews listed it for September 26, Warner Bros. later moved the film out of 2025 and into 2026.

What is the difference between a festival premiere and a theatrical release?

A festival premiere is a screening at an event such as SXSW or Fantastic Fest and may be limited to attendees or critics. A theatrical release is a commercial cinema opening, while a streaming premiere is the date a film first becomes commercially available on a platform. This guide uses the first significant U.S. commercial release, not the earliest festival screening.

Are the dates different outside the United States?

Often. This guide is U.S.-focused. International distributors may release a film days or weeks earlier or later, and streaming availability can vary by country. The Conjuring: Last Rites is one documented example: international release began September 3, while the North American date was September 5.

The Bottom Line

The reliable way to read the 2025 horror calendar is to treat it as a record of release paths, not simply a list of titles. Wide theatrical films, limited engagements, IMAX events, streaming premieres, and rescheduled projects are different categories. The year’s final U.S. lineup included major franchise horror alongside original supernatural, body, folk, vampire, slasher, survival, and science-fiction crossover films—while The Bride!, Saw XI, Keeper, and Vicious demonstrate why early preview lists need to be checked against final release records.

Quick Recap

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