How Horror Is Finding Its Place In Awards Season & What’s New For 2025

The year 2024 was a significant one for horror movies, highlighted by a successful awards season and dominance by the genre at the box office. Notably, the Oscars recognized four films within the genre, signaling a growing appreciation for horror’s artistic merit.

The Academy Awards have historically marginalized horror films, with The Silence of the Lambs in 1991 a notable exception. Its “Big Five” sweep — Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Adapted Screenplay — remains a unique achievement. However, the recent nominations of films like The Substance and Nosferatu indicate a growing willingness to acknowledge the genre, signaling a potential change in the awards landscape.

Horror at the Academy Awards was first recognized in 1974, when William Friedkin’s groundbreaking The Exorcist received a remarkable 10 nominations including Best Picture. While it won just two awards, for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound, the sheer number of nominations solidified its place as a landmark moment.

In 2024, the genre achieved unprecedented awards-season recognition. Coralie Fargeat’s body horror The Substance, starring Demi Moore, garnered five Oscar nominations including Best Picture and Best Actress for Moore. Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu received four noms, Alien: Romulus earned a nom for Visual Effects, and The Girl with the Needle was recognized in the International Feature category.

Horror was also big money at the box office this past year, with Parker Finn’s Smile 2, earning $138 million; Osgood Perkins’ Longlegs, starring Nicolas Cage, brining in $126 million; and major franchises like Alien: Romulus ($350 million) and A Quiet Place: Day One ($261 million) also performed strongly.

While mainstream horror thrived, the genre’s indie spirit remained vibrantly alive. Jane Schoenbrun’s Sundance premiere I Saw the TV Glow, J.T. Mollner’s intense cat-and-mouse film Strange Darling, Cameron and Colin Cairnes’ Late Night With the Devil and the surprising standout French horror Mad which took the zombie genre in a fresh new direction demonstrated the power of unique directorial visions and innovative storytelling in crafting truly effective scares.

Despite many high-profile projects with no release dates set, 2025 promises a compelling lineup of horror films. From Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein and Ryan Coogler’s Sinners to established auteurs, successful franchises and indie debuts, the year is shaping up to be a bloody great one for horror.

Here are some films that hold potential to be both sleeper hits and worthy of awards buzz.

Ash – In Theaters March 21

Fresh from the SXSW Film & TV Festival, Flying Lotus returns with his second feature Ash, a genre-bending sophomore feature executive produced by Neill Blomkamp. The film, starring Eiza González, Aaron Paul and a diverse ensemble, invites audiences into the director’s unique and hallucinatory vision.

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The story follows Riya (González), who awakens to find her crew slaughtered on the mysterious planet of Ash. When a man named Brion (Paul) arrives to rescue her, an ordeal of psychological and physical terror ensues while Riya and Brion must decide if they can trust one another to survive.

Sinners – In Theaters April 18

Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers Michael and B. Jordan return to their hometown to start again. But instead of solace, they find a sinister welcome. While hinting at vampires, Jordan reveals that the film explores a wider range of supernatural horrors.

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Written and directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Ryan Coogler, Jordan stars in a dual role, joined by Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Omar Miller and Delroy Lindo.

The Shrouds – In Theaters April 25

David Cronenberg’s anticipated body horror drama The Shrouds delves into themes of grief, technology and the nature of mortality. The film centers on Karsh (Vincent Cassel), a businessman who invents “GraveTech,” a controversial technology that allows people to monitor the decomposition of their deceased loved ones.

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While Karsh is still reeling from the loss of his wife (Diane Kruger) from cancer — and falling into a peculiar sexual relationship with his wife’s sister (also Kruger) — a spate of vandalized graves utilizing his “shroud” technology begins to put his enterprise at risk, leading him to uncover a potentially vast conspiracy.

Written following the death of the director’s wife, the movie is both a profoundly personal reckoning with grief and a descent into noir-tinged dystopia, set in an ominous world of self-driving cars, data theft and AI personal assistants. Offering Cronenberg’s customary balance of malevolence and wit, The Shrouds is a sly and thought-provoking consideration of the corporeal and the digital, the mortal and the infinite. The film also stars Guy Pearce, and Sandrine Holt.

Bring Her Back – In Theaters May 30

Danny and Michael Philippou, the directing duo behind the Sundance sensation Talk to Me, are set to deliver their sophomore feature. The film delves into a terrifying ritual discovered by a brother and sister at their new foster home, located in a remote setting.

Sally Hawkins, a two-time Oscar nominee, stars alongside Billy Barratt, Sora Wong and Jonah Wren Phillips, with plot details kept tightly under wraps.

28 Years Later – In Theaters June 20

Academy Award-winning director Danny Boyle and Academy Award-nominated writer Alex Garland, the acclaimed duo behind 28 Days Later, return with 28 Years Later, a terrifying new trilogy. The first installment plunges viewers almost three decades into the rage virus aftermath. Survivors, living in a heavily quarantined world, find ways to exist amidst the infected.

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One group on a remote island sends a member into the mainland, uncovering mutated horrors and secrets. Featuring a stellar cast including Ralph Fiennes, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer and more, the saga continues with 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple in 2026.

Dracula: A Love Tale – In Theaters July 30

Luc Besson reunites with Caleb Landry Jones, following Dogman (2023), for a romantic reimagining of his latest gothic horror film, Dracula: A Love Tale. Set in Belle Époque Paris, Besson’s film portrays Dracula as a man driven by a 400-year quest to find his reincarnated wife Elisabeta.

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Zoë Bleu plays both Elisabeta and her 19th century counterpart Mina, alongside Matilda De Angelis and Christoph Waltz, who plays a vampire-hunting priest.

Together – In Theaters August 1

Writer-director Michael Shanks Together, a standout in Sundance’s Midnight section, was the festival’s first major acquisition, with Neon securing it for $17 million. This darkly comedic body horror film featuring Dave Franco, Alison Brie and Damon Herriman, explores a couple’s relationship as it’s grotesquely altered by a supernatural event in their new rural home.

The Conjuring: Last Rites – In Theaters September 5

Michael Chaves brings The Conjuring saga to a close with The Conjuring: Last Rites. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga return as the Warrens, facing their final supernatural investigation. With James Wan and Peter Safran producing, this film promises a fitting and chilling end to the franchise. With filming wrapped in October 2024, the plot is tightly guarded.

The Bride! – In Theaters September 26

Maggie Gyllenhaal’s sophomore film The Bride! brings a fresh perspective to the Frankenstein myth, starring Jessie Buckley in the titular role as the Bride and Christian Bale as Frankenstein. The film explores the creation of a companion by Frankenstein and Dr. Euphronius, a resurrected woman whose existence sparks not only romance but also a police investigation and radical social change. With Annette Bening, Penélope Cruz and Peter Sarsgaard rounding out the ensemble.

Frankenstein – On Netflix in November

Guillermo del Toro fulfills a lifelong passion adapting Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein after winning his third Oscar for Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio. Oscar Isaac stars as the brilliant but flawed Victor Frankenstein, who brings a creature to life in a tragic experiment. Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz and an exceptional ensemble join del Toro’s decade-long vision, premiering on Netflix.

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 – In Theaters December 5

Following the massive success of Five Nights at Freddy’s, Universal and Blumhouse are bringing the terrifying pizzeria back for a sequel. Director Emma Tammi returns, along with stars Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail and Matthew Lillard, to continue the viral video game saga. Plot details remain a closely guarded secret.

Hunting Matthew Nichols – Release Date TBD 2025

Markian Tarasiuk’s indie directorial debut Hunting Matthew Nichols, currently doing the rounds on the festival circuit, presents a compelling doc-style thriller. The story follows Tara Nichols (Miranda MacDougall), an aspiring filmmaker, as she searches for her brother, Matthew, who mysteriously vanishes alongside his friend, Jordan, on Vancouver Island. 

When disturbing evidence surfaces, Tara and her crew (Tarasiuk) delve into the disturbing circumstances surrounding his disappearance, revealing a connection to a past inspired by The Blair Witch Project. Twenty-three years prior, Matthew and a friend documented their own forest adventures, echoing the iconic film. 

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While paying homage to The Blair Witch Project, the film establishes its own distinct style. It skillfully combines documentary realism and suspense with polished cinematography, eschewing the shaky-cam approach, to weave a chilling tale about the dangers of pursuing hidden truths. A brooding, superbly acted horror debut marks Tarasiuk as a promising filmmaker.

Redux Redux – Release Date TBD 2025

Kevin and Matthew McManus’s film, debuting at SXSW 2025, explores a mother’s descent into relentless vengeance. Irene Kelly, seeking justice for her daughter’s murder, traverses parallel universes, executing the killer time and again. As her thirst for revenge deepens, she faces a profound moral dilemma, risking the loss of her own humanity.

We Bury The Dead – Release Date TBD 2025

The ravaged landscapes of post-apocalyptic Tasmania, Australia, provide the haunting setting for Zak Hilditch’s gripping zombie thriller. Daisy Ridley portrays Ava, a woman driven by hope to find her husband. Her work with a body retrieval unit takes a horrific turn when the dead begin to rise. As she travels through the ravaged south, Ava’s journey becomes a confrontation with both the undead and her own inner demons.

Keeper – Release Date TBD 2025

Known for his atmospheric horror, Osgood Perkins, fresh from Longlegs, returns with Keeper, starring Tatiana Maslany and Rossif Sutherland. The film centers on a secluded cabin that transforms into a site of terror when a wife, left alone during an anniversary retreat, uncovers a sinister presence and the dwelling’s chilling secrets. Release details are currently undisclosed.

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