Dread Central’s Most Anticipated Horror Films of Fall 2025
It’s officially September, believe it or not, and that means we are now squarely in Halloween season. With the Halloween season comes a slew of new horror movies, and there are some certified bangers on the horizon. Whether you’re excited for bigger theatrical releases or weirder, indie titles, there’s something for every horror fan coming in the next few months.
But, that choice may also be overwhelming! Where do you start and what exactly is coming out that you should seek out? Well, we’re here to help with Dread Central’s most anticipated horror films of Fall 2025, which means films releasing between now and the end of 2025.
Somnium (dir. Racheal Cain)
Release date: September 9 (VOD)
After a painful breakup, small-town Gemma moves to Los Angeles with the hopes of making it big. To get on her feet, she takes a job working the overnight shift at Somnium, a mysterious, experimental sleep clinic where dreams are made real. Meanwhile, Gemma throws herself into the cutthroat world of Hollywood auditions. But as the pressure to succeed mounts, she begins to experience strange and unsettling phenomena, and soon finds herself trapped in a nightmarish spiral as she discovers a darkness lurking within the clinic walls.
Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle (dir. Haruo Sotozaki)
Release date: September 12 (theatrical)
The Demon Slayer Corps is drawn into the Infinity Castle, where Tanjiro, Nezuko, and the Hashira face terrifying Upper Rank demons in a desperate fight as the final battle against Muzan Kibutsuji begins.
The Long Walk (dir. Francis Lawrence)
Release date: September 12 (theatrical)
One hundred teenage boys. One merciless contest. The rules: keep walking or face the ultimate consequence. As exhaustion, alliances, and rivalries intensify, survival becomes a brutal fight between life and ruin.
Rabbit Trap (dir. Bryn Chaney)
Release date: September 12 (theatrical)
When a musician and her husband move to a remote house in Wales, the music they make disturbs local ancient folk magic, bringing a nameless child to their door who is intent on infiltrating their lives.
The Jester 2 (dir. Colin Krawchuk)
Release date: September 15 and 16 (theatrical)
On Halloween night, teen magician Max finds herself locked in a brutal showdown with the Jester, a nightmarish and supernatural trickster with real dark magic and a killer act. As illusions turn lethal and every escape is a trap, Max must pull off the ultimate trick: staying alive. On this deadly night, the only escape… is to beat the devil at its own game.
HIM (dir. Justin Tipping)
Release date: September 19 (theatrical)
HIM centers on a promising young football player (Tyriq Withers), invited to train at the isolated compound of a dynasty team’s aging QB1. The legendary quarterback (Marlon Wayans) takes his protégé on a blood-chilling journey into the inner sanctum of fame, power, and pursuit of excellence at any cost.
Night of the Reaper (dir. Brandon Christensen)
Release date: September 19 (Shudder)
In the wake of the brutal murder of a teenage babysitter, college student Deena returns home for the weekend and is roped into a babysitting gig of her own. When the local sheriff is mailed a piece of evidence that proves the murder may not have been an isolated incident, he is led on a scavenger hunt to reveal that the killer may be planning a sequel.
Dead of Winter (dir. Brian Kirk)
Release date: September 26 (theatrical)
Hit by a blizzard, a grief-stricken loner (Emma Thompson) gets lost among backroads near a Minnesota lake and stops for help at a remote cabin in the woods. Here she discovers a young woman (Laurel Marsden) kidnapped by a desperate couple (Judy Greer, Marc Menchaca) who are armed and intent on murder. Isolated and without cell service, this unlikely hero realizes she is the woman’s only hope of survival.
Traumatika (dir. Pierre Tsigaridis)
Release date: September 12 (theatrical)
A young boy’s night terrors become reality when his mother begins showing signs of demonic possession. What he’s about to experience will haunt him for the rest of his life and claim countless lives across generations.
The Strangers – Chapter 2 (dir. Renny Harlin)
Release date: September 26 (theatrical)
The Strangers are back—more brutal and relentless than ever. When they learn that one of their victims, Maya (Madelaine Petsch), is still alive, they return to finish what they’ve started. With nowhere to run and no one to trust, Maya must survive another horrific chapter of terror as The Strangers—driven by a senseless, unceasing purpose—pursue her, more than willing to kill anyone who stands in their way.
Bone Lake (dir. Mercedes Bryce Morgan)
Release date: October 3, 2025
A couple’s romantic vacation at a secluded lakeside estate is upended when they are forced to share the mansion with a mysterious and attractive couple. In this darkly hilarious and seductive horror story, a dream getaway spirals into a nightmarish maze of sex, lies, and manipulation, bringing terrifying secrets to light and triggering a bloody battle for survival.
Good Boy (dir. Ben Leonberg)
Release date: October 3 (theatrical)
Our canine hero, Indy, finds himself on a new adventure with his human owner—and best friend—Todd, leaving city life for a long-vacant family home in the country. From the start, two things are abundantly clear: Indy is wary of the creepy old house, and his affection for Todd is unwavering. After moving in, Indy is immediately vexed by empty corners, tracks an invisible presence only he can see, perceives phantasmagoric warnings from a long-dead dog, and is haunted by visions of the previous occupant’s grim death. When Todd begins succumbing to the dark forces swirling around the house, Indy must battle a malevolence intent on dragging his beloved Todd into the afterlife.
Shelby Oaks (dir. Chris Stuckmann)
Release date: October 3 (theatrical)
A woman’s desperate search for her long-lost sister falls into obsession upon realizing that the imaginary demon from their childhood may have been real.
V/H/S/Halloween (dirs. Bryan M. Ferguson, Casper Kelly, Micheline Pitt-Norman, R.H. Norman, Alex Ross Perry, Paco Plaza, Anna Zlokovic)
Release date: October 3 (Shudder)
A collection of Halloween-themed videotapes unleashes a series of twisted, blood-soaked tales, turning trick-or-treat into a struggle for survival.
Beast of War (dir. Kiah Roache-Turner)
Release date: October 10 (theatrical and VOD)
When their boat is sunk while crossing the Timor Sea during World War II, a young troop of Australian soldiers must find a way to survive the harsh seas on a quickly shrinking life raft. Hundreds of miles from anywhere, they must confront interpersonal conflicts, enemy attacks, and the advances of one very large, very hungry great white shark. From Kiah Roache-Turner, director of Wyrmwood and Sting, comes this uniquely terrifying tale.
Deathstalker (dir. Steve Kostanski)
Release date: October 10 (theatrical)
In Deathstalker, the Kingdom of Abraxeon is under siege by the Dreadites, heralds of the long-dead sorcerer Nekromemnon. When Deathstalker recovers a cursed amulet from a corpse-strewn battlefield, he’s marked by dark magick and hunted by monstrous assassins. To survive, he must break the curse and face the rising evil. Death is just the beginning… of great adventure!
Vicious (dir. Bryan Bertino)
Release date: October 10 (digital and Paramount+)
Polly receives a mysterious box that comes with instructions to place three things inside: something you need, something you hate, and something you love. What begins as a strange ritual quickly unravels into a waking nightmare as she becomes trapped in a terrifying world where reality bends and memory betrays. As time slips away, she must confront the darkness not just around her, but within her, before it consumes everything and everyone she’s ever known.
Black Phone 2 (dir. Scott Derrickson)
Release date: October 17 (theatrical)
As Finn, now 17, struggles with life after his captivity, the headstrong 15-year-old Gwen begins receiving calls in her dreams from the black phone and seeing disturbing visions of three boys being stalked at a winter camp known as Alpine Lake.
Determined to solve the mystery and end the torment for both her and her brother, Gwen persuades Finn to visit the camp during a winter storm. There, she uncovers a shattering intersection between The Grabber and her own family’s history. Together, she and Finn must confront a killer who has grown more powerful in death and more significant to them than either could imagine.
Bugonia (dir. Yorgis Lanthimos)
Release date: October 24 (theatrical)
Two conspiracy-obsessed young men kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth.
Queens of the Dead (dir. Tina Romero)
Release date: October 24 (theatrical)
A zombie apocalypse breaks out in Brooklyn on the night of a giant warehouse party, where an eclectic group of drag queens, club kids, and frenemies must put aside their drama and use their unique skills to fight against the brain-thirsty, scrolling undead.
Die My Love (dir. Lynne Ramsay)
Release date: November 7 (theatrical)
Set in rural America, Die My Love is a portrait of a woman engulfed by love and madness. Grace, a writer and young mother, is slowly slipping into madness. Locked away in an old house in and around Montana, we see her acting increasingly agitated and erratic, leaving her companion, Jackson, increasingly worried and helpless.
Frankenstein (dir. Guillermo Del Toro)
Release date: November 7 (Netflix)
Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro adapts Mary Shelley’s classic tale of Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant but egotistical scientist who brings a creature to life in a monstrous experiment that ultimately leads to the undoing of both the creator and his tragic creation.
Predator: Badlands (dir. Dan Trachtenberg)
Release date: November 7 (theatrical)
In the future on a remote planet, a young Predator, outcast from his clan, finds an unlikely ally in Thia and embarks on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary.
Keeper (dir. Osgood Perkins)
Release date: November 14 (theatrical)
A dark trip from Osgood Perkins.
The Running Man (dir. Edgar Wright)
Release date: November 14 (theatrical)
In a near-future society, The Running Man is the top-rated show on television—a deadly competition where contestants, known as Runners, must survive 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins, with every move broadcast to a bloodthirsty public and each day bringing a greater cash reward. Desperate to save his sick daughter, working-class Ben Richards (Glen Powell) is convinced by the show’s charming but ruthless producer, Dan Killian (Josh Brolin), to enter the game as a last resort. But Ben’s defiance, instincts, and grit turn him into an unexpected fan favorite—and a threat to the entire system. As ratings skyrocket, so does the danger, and Ben must outwit not just the Hunters, but a nation addicted to watching him fall.
Dust Bunny (dir. Bryan Fuller)
Release date: December 5 (theatrical)
In visionary creator Bryan Fuller’s (Hannibal, Pushing Daisies) fantastical and wickedly inventive feature directorial debut DUST BUNNY, a 10-year-old girl joins forces with her hitman neighbor to confront each other’s monsters.
Ten-year-old Aurora has a mysterious neighbor (Mads Mikkelsen) who kills real-life monsters; he’s a hitman for hire. So when Aurora needs help killing the monster that she believes ate her entire family, she procures his services. Suspecting that Aurora’s parents may have fallen victim to assassins gunning for him, the neighbor guiltily takes the job. To protect her, he’ll need to battle an onslaught of assassins and accept that some monsters are real.
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 (dir. Emma Tammi)
Release date: December 5 (theatrical)
One year has passed since the supernatural nightmare at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. The stories about what transpired there have been twisted into a campy local legend, inspiring the town’s first-ever Fazfest. Former security guard Mike (Josh Hutcherson) and police officer Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail) have kept the truth from Mike’s 11-year-old sister, Abby (Piper Rubio), concerning the fate of her animatronic friends.
But when Abby sneaks out to reconnect with Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy, it will set into motion a terrifying series of events, revealing dark secrets about the true origin of Freddy’s, and unleashing a long-forgotten horror hidden away for decades.
Silent Night, Deadly Night (dir. Mike P. Nelson)
Release date: December 12 (theatrical)
A reimagining of the controversial 1984 cult horror classic – When Billy witnesses his parents’ grisly murder on Christmas Eve at the hands of Santa, it ignites a lifelong mission to spread holiday fear. Every Christmas, he dons the jolly red suit and delivers a blood-soaked massacre to feed his twisted sense of justice. This Christmas Eve, Billy wants to know: “Have you been naughty?”
Anaconda (dir. Tom Gormican)
Release date: December 25 (theatrical)
A group of childhood friends facing mid-life crises head to the rainforest to remake their favorite film from their youth, only to encounter a variety of dangers.
The Man in My Basement (dir. Nadia Latif)
Release date: Fall 2025 (theatrical and Hulu)
In the African American neighborhood of Sag Harbor, New York, Charles Blakey (Corey Hawkins) is out of work, out of luck, and on the verge of foreclosure on his ancestral home. A knock on the door from a mysterious businessman, Anniston Bennet (Willem Dafoe), brings a bizarre and lucrative proposition; rent his dusty stand-up basement out for the summer and receive enough money to clear his debts for good. Once Charles accepts, he finds himself led down a terrifying path that confronts his family’s ghosts and locks the men in a terrifying puzzle, at the heart of it: race, the source of their traumas, and the root of all evil.
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