Andrew Buckner’s 10 Favorite Books of 2025 (So Far)

by Andrew Buckner

*Please note that the books included in this list are done so based on the criteria of an original publication date of 2025.

10. What Kind of a Name is Lolly Anyway?

by Lucy Brighton

9. Curse of the Blood Witch

by Dawn Colclasure

8. Rule of Extinction (The Preservation of Species 1)

by Geoff Jones

7. Going Home in the Dark

by Dean Koontz

6. Witchcraft for Wayward Girls

by Grady Hendrix

5. 3 A.M. Poetry

by Dawn Colclasure

4. Paper View

by Laughton J. Collins, Jr.

3. 40 More Cult Movies

by Jon Towlson

2. Never Flinch: A Novel 

by Stephen King

1. The Fourth Mind

by Whitley Strieber

Andrew Buckner’s 51 Favorite Feature Films of 2025 (So Far)

by Andrew Buckner 

*Please note that the feature films included in this list are done so based on an original wide theatrical or streaming/ physical media premiere release date of 2025 in The United States.

51. The Ruse

Director: Stevan Mena

50. Sinners

Director: Ryan Coogler

49. Until Dawn

Director: David F. Sandberg 

48. The Woman in the Yard

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

47. The Gorge

Director: Scott Derrickson

46. A Working Man

Director: David Ayer

45. The Last Showgirl

Director: Gia Coppola

44. Audrey’s Children 

Director: Ami Canaan Man

43. Rule Breakers

Director: Bill Guttentag

42. Juliet & Romeo

Director: Timothy Scott Bogart

41. Mickey 17

Director: Bong Joon Ho

40. The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie

Director: Pete Browngart

39. Novocaine

Directors: Dan Berk, Robert Olsen

38. Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning

Director: Christopher McQuarrie

37. Wolf Man

Director: Leigh Whannell

36. Marshmallow 

Director: Daniel Delpurgatorio

35. Heart Eyes 

Director: Josh Ruben 

34. The Severed Sun

Director: Dean Puckett

 33. The Damned

Director: Thordur Palsson 

32. Dead Mail

Directors: Joe DeBoer, Kyle McConaghy

31. Rosario

Director: Felipe Vargas

30. Clown in a Cornfield 

Director: Eli Craig

29. Frewaka

Director: Aislinn Clarke

28. The Alto Knights

Director: Barry Levinson

27. Locked 

Director: David Yarovesky 

26. Final Destination: Bloodlines 

Directors: Zach Lipovsky, Adam B. Stein

25. The Rule of Jenny Pen

Director: James Ashcroft

24. Death of a Unicorn 

Director: Alex Scharfman

23. One of Them Days

Director: Lawrence Lamont

22. George A. Romero’s Resident Evil

Director: Brandon Salisbury

21. Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie

Director: David Bushell

20. The Room Next Door

Director: Pedro Almodovar

19. The Luckiest Man in America 

Director: Samir Oliveros

18. Black Bag

Director: Steven Soderbergh

17. Drop

Director: Christopher Landon

16. Companion

Director: Drew Hancock

15. The Monkey

Director: Osgood Perkins

14. Dinner with Leatherface

Director: Michael Kallio

13. Cannibal Mukbang

Director: Aimee Kuge

12. The Colors Within

Director: Naoko Yamada

11. Queen of the Ring 

Director: Ash Avildsen

10. The Legend of Ochi

Director: Isaiah Saxon 

9. The Ugly Stepsister

Director: Emilie Blichfeldt

8. Presence

Director: Steven Soderbergh

7. Warfare 

Directors: Alex Garland, Ray Mendoza 

6. Becoming Led Zeppelin 

Director: Bernard MacMahon

5. September 5th

Director: Tim Fehlbaum

4. I’m Still Here

Director: Walter Salles

3. Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)

Director: Questlove

2. The Girl with the Needle

Director: Magnus von Horn

1. The Seed of the Sacred Fig             

Director: Mohammad Rasoulof

Runners-up:

Ash

Director: Flying Lotus

It Feeds

Director: Chad Archibald

Last Breath

Director: Alex Parkinson