by Andrew Buckner

In celebration of the Halloween season, I am delighted to present my thirty-one favorite horror films, with one film representing each day in the month of October, of the year so far.

* Please note that all the films featured on this list are based on the criteria of an original 2025 release date in the United States.

31. Clown in a Cornfield

Director: Eli Craig

30. Match

Director: Danishka Esterhazy

29. The Damned

Director: Thordur Palsson

28. The Black Phone 2

Director: Scott Derrickson

27. Wolf Man

Director: Leigh Whannell

26. Bone Lake

Director: Mercedes Bryce Morgan

25. Marshmallow

Directors: Daniel DelPurgatorio

24. The Rule of Jenny Pen

Director: James Ashcroft

23. Final Destination: Bloodlines

Directors: Zach Lipovsky, Adam B. Stein

22. Death of a Unicorn

Director: Alex Scharfman

21. Companion

Director: Drew Hancock 

20. Flesh of the Unforgiven

Director: Joe Hollow

19. The Monkey

Director: Osgood Perkins

18. The Long Walk

Director: Francis Lawrence

17. Dead Mail

Directors: Joe DeBoer, Kyle McConaughy

16. The Severed Sun

Director: Dean Puckett

15. Best Wishes to All

Director: Yuta Shimotsu

14. Dangerous Animals

Director: Sean Byrne

13. The Conjuring: Last Rites

Director: Michael Chaves

12. V/H/SHalloween

Directors: Bryan M. Ferguson, Casper Kelly, R.H. Norman, Alex Ross Perry, Micheline Pitt, Paco Plaza, Anna Zlokovic

11. 28 Years Later

Director: Danny Boyle

10. Together

Director: Michael Shanks

9. Bring Her Back

Directors: Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou

8. The Ugly Stepsister

Director: Emilie Blichfeldt

7. Cannibal Mukbang

Director: Aimee Kuge

6. Strange Harvest

Director: Stuart Ortiz

5. Presence

Director: Steven Soderbergh

4. Good Boy

Director: Ben Leonberg

3. The Shrouds

Director: David Cronenberg

2. The Girl with the Needle

Director: Magnus von Horn

1. Weapons

Director: Zach Cregger

Runners-up:

Bloat

Director: Pablo Absento

Bone Lake

Director: Mercedes Bryce Morgan

Coyotes

Director: Colin Minihan

Heart Eyes

Director: Josh Ruben

Jimmy and Stiggs

Director: Joe Begos

Night of the Reaper

Director: Brandon Christensen

Shelby Oaks

Director: Chris Stuckmann