Andrew Buckner’s 75 Favorite Feature Films of 2025

by Andrew Buckner

*Please note that the inclusion of the feature films on this list are done so based on the criteria of an original release date in the United States of 2025.

75. Reflections in a Dead Diamond

Directors: Helene Cattet, Bruno Forzani

74. Friendship 

Director: Andrew DeYoung

73. When We Went MAD!

Director: Alan Bernstein

72. Chainsaws Were Singing

Director: Sander Maran

71. Match

Director: Danishka Esterhazy

70. Train Dreams

Director: Clint Bentley

69. The Phoenician Scheme

Director: Wes Anderson 

68. One Battle After Another

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

67. George A. Romero’s Resident Evil

Director: Brandon Salisbury

66. Spinal Tap II: The End Continues

Director: Rob Reiner

65. The Damned

Director: Porour Palsson

64. Becoming Led Zeppelin

Director: Bernard MacMahon

63. The Rule of Jenny Pen

Director: James Ashcroft

62. Jay Kelly

Director: Noah Baumbach

61. Bone Lake

Director: Mercedes Bryce Morgan

60. The Severed Sun

Director: Dean Puckett

59. Final Destination: Bloodlines

Directors: Adam B. Stein, Zach Lipovsky

58. Death of a Unicorn 

Director: Alex Scharfman

57. Clown in a Cornfield

Director: Eli Craig

56. Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie

Director: David Bushell

55. Dead Mail

Directors: Joe DeBoer, Kyle McConaghy

54. Frewaka

Director: Aislinn Clarke

53. From the World of John Wick: Ballerina 

Director: Len Wiseman

52. Predator: Killer of Killers

Directors: Dan Trachtenberg, Joshua Wassung

51. The Room Next Door

Director: Pedro Almodovar

50. Sketch

Director: Seth Worley

49. Caught Stealing

Director: Darren Aronofsky 

48. Black Bag

Director: Steven Soderberg

47. Jurassic World: Rebirth

Director: Gareth Edwards

46. One of Them Days

Director: Lawrence Lamont 

45. The Luckiest Man in America

Director: Samir Oliveros

44. Stans

Director: Steven Leckart

43. Honey Don’t!

Director: Ethan Coen

42. Companion

Director: Drew Hancock

41. The Monkey

Director: Osgood Perkins

40. The Long Walk

Director: Francis Lawrence

39. Die My Love

Director: Lynne Ramsay

38. Predator: Badlands

Director: Dan Trachtenberg

37. Strange Harvest

Director: Stuart Ortiz

36. Dangerous Animals

Director: Sean Byrne 

35. VHS Halloween 

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

34. Black Phone 2

Director: Scott Derrickson 

33. Cannibal Mukbang

Director: Aimee Kuge

32. The Conjuring: Last Rites

Director: Michael Chaves

31. Highest 2 Lowest

Director: Spike Lee

30. Queen of the Ring 

Director: Ash Avildsen

29. Best Wishes to All

Director: Yuta Shimotsu

28. The Smashing Machine

Director: Benny Safdie

27. Dead of Winter

Director: Brian Kirk

26. Good Boy 

Director: Ben Leonberg

25. The Toxic Avenger

Director: Macon Blair

24. Drop

Director: Christopher Landon

23. Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere 

Director: Scott Cooper

22. 28 Years Later

Director: Danny Boyle

21. The Legend of Ochi

Director: Isaiah Saxon 

20. If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

Director: Mary Bronstein

19. Together

Director: Michael Shanks

18. Bring Her Back

Directors: Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou

17. The Ugly Stepsister

Director: Emilie Blichfeldt

16. Presence

Director: Steven Soderbergh

15. Warfare

Directors: Alex Garland, Ray Mendoza 

14. Nuremberg

Director: James Vanderbilt

13. The Shrouds 

Director: David Cronenberg

12. Chain Reactions 

Director: Alexandre O. Philippe

11. Frankenstein

Director: Guillermo del Toro

10. Eddington 

Director: Ari Aster

9. Bugonia

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

8. Weapons

Director: Zach Cregger

7. September 5

Director: Tim Fehlbaum

6. I’m Still Here

Director: Walter Salles

5. Sly Lives! (aka the Burden of Black Genius)

Director: Questlove

4. The Girl with the Needle

Director: Magnus von Horn

3. The Life of Chuck

Director: Mike Flanagan 

2. Nouvelle Vague

Director: Richard Linklater

1. The Seed of the Sacred Fig             

Director: Mohammad Rasoulof

Runners-up:

The Alto Knights

Director: Barry Levinson

Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc

Director: Tatsuya Yoshiharai

Good Fortune 

Director: Aziz Ansari

Flesh of the Unforgiven

Director: Joe Hollow 

Influencers

Director: Kurtis David Harder

Karate Kid: Legends 

Director: Jonathan Entwistle

Kiss of the Spider Woman 

Director: Bill Condon

Marshmallow

Director: Daniel DelPurgatorio

Megan 2.0

Director: Gerard Johnstone

Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning

Director: Christopher McQuarrie

The Naked Gun

Director: Akiva Schaffer

Primitive War

Director: Luke Sparke

Sinners

Director: Ryan Coogler

Horror Movies: The Definitive History (2025) by Jon Towlson – (Book Review)

by Andrew Buckner

Rating: ***** out of *****.

Horror Movies: The Definitive History (2025) by Jon Towlson is as significant for its intelligent, meticulously researched, concise, straightforward prose as it is for the abounding respect it holds for the title-referenced genre. Clocking in at a brisk 302 pages in length, the latest volume from Towlson ambitiously covers nearly one hundred years of audiovisual terror. It does so by cleverly and efficiently discussing, as they are first called in the subtitle to the engrossing Introduction to the project, the Three Golden Ages of Horror. These are 1931-1945, 1968-1982, and 1999-present. 

Such an approach, which showcases Towlson tackling the creation and impact of key fright films in their corresponding age, makes the wide scope of the endeavor evermore intimate, organized, and focused. It also makes many of the long-standing social issues and major events that are frequently reflected upon, whether directly or indirectly, in the full-length presentations Towlson speaks about in the undertaking (such as racial injustice, the Kent State massacre [1970], The Vietnam War [1955-1975], and the Manson murders [1969]) more visible. What is just as striking is the manner in which Towlson demonstrates how these on-going matters and aforesaid incidents continue to shape modern masterpieces of the macabre. The method in which the chronicle also addresses how censorship drastically altered these compositions throughout the years, especially when it is considering how the Hays Office began enforcing the Motion Picture Production Code in 1934 in Part 1: The First Golden Age of Horror (1931-1945), is similarly captivating.

What immediately riveted me about the tome is how the early sections utilize passages of script from the features being talked about at the time. It also incorporates reviews from critics, journalistic commentary, letters from filmmaking insiders, and initial audience reactions to make the enterprise as immersive as possible. The emphasis on distinct cycles, such as both the pre-code horror and the early stages of the Universal Monsters cycle discoursed in Part 1, as well as associated features that were once considered “lost”, like Michael Curtiz’s two-tone Technicolor wonder Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933), in the literary design is just as fascinating. 

Towlson also does a terrific job of showcasing the trials and tribulations many of the artists whose arrangements are mentioned in his document underwent to get their ventures out into the world in a fashion they deemed acceptable. This is while fighting the ever-shifting barriers of creative suppression and audience expectations. The units in Part 1 which detail these particular difficulties during the making of Tod Browning’s Dracula (1931), James Whale’s Frankenstein (1931), and Browning’s brilliant and revolutionary Freaks (1932) were of the most interest to me. 

Part 2: The Second Golden Age of Horror (1968-1982) is as consistently intriguing and informative as Part 1. The essays Towlson weaves herein on both the fabrication and release of George A. Romero’s magnum opus Night of the Living Dead (1968), Roman Polanski’s seminal Rosemary’s Baby (1968), and Wes Craven’s controversial and uncompromising Last House on the Left (1972) were the standout pennings in this portion. 

Part 3: The Third Golden Age of Horror (1999-Present), aside from a riveting and wildly entertaining probe into Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez’s groundbreaking found footage classic, The Blair Witch Project (1999), and a few other associated endeavors, doesn’t seem as concentrated on individual features as the two previous parts. Though this section is also the most critical of the configurations it disputes, it envelops the largest selection of silver screen offerings. Such a diversion from the formula Towlson has already established is welcome and refreshing. It helps make this component every bit as valuable and enjoyable as Part 1 and Part 2. The related legacies and trends conveyed in Conclusion: Beyond the Horror Boom, which arrives directly after Part 3, ends the configuration on a satisfying and appropriately punctuative note.

I cannot imagine anyone with even a passing interest in fearful cinema not being completely spellbound by every word of Horror Movies: The Definitive History. It’s a superb companion piece and extension of many of the ideas crafted in Towlson’s equally enlightening and in-depth 40 Cult Movies: From Alice, Sweet Alice to Zombies of Mora Tau (2023) and 40 More Cult Movies (2025). Thematically rich and resonant, smoothly paced, endlessly entertaining, and featuring a relatively even amount of time offered to most of the exercises examined in the publication, Horror Movies: The Definitive History is an essential guide to many of the most memorable big screen outings of the past. It ranks among the best books I’ve read all year. 

You can purchase Horror Movies: The Definitive History in Kindle or in paperback format here.

”Say Hello (2025)” – (Short Film Review)


by Andrew Buckner

Rating: ****1/2 out of *****.

“Say Hello” (2025), from director David Graziano, hums along with compact, efficient, machine-like precision for every one of its fifteen minutes. The short gangster/police procedural film, whose title is an abbreviated reference to one of the most iconic lines delivered by Tony Montana (Al Pacino) in Brian DePalma’s controversial masterpiece Scarface (1983), is a dialogue and character-driven crime-thriller that excels on both fronts. The screenplay by Kasia Skolasa and Killarney Traynor is filled with appropriately brief, enigmatic discourse that immediately pulls audiences into its seedy world of brutality and deception. It also keeps its lightning-like pace zooming breezily along until its foreseeable, but still engaging, carefully constructed, and memorable, climax. 

Moreover, the three leads of the undertaking, Marconi (Graziano), Lieutenant Cole (Skolasa), and Eve Hathaway (Traynor) are brought to vivid, layered life. This is by their exceptional focus and skillful development in the script and by the same said performers who embody them on the screen. Because of these high-functioning traits, the aforementioned principal figures are all relatable, organic, and credible throughout the entirety of the production. Their motivations and individual perspectives are always understandable and clearly conveyed. Coincidingly, all of these elements are demonstrated with an underlying dramatic intensity that makes the finely woven twists and turns, as well as the emotional beats, of the narrative all the more palpable. 

The plotline concerns Lieutenant Cole, whose issues with her turbulent past and caring for her daughter weigh heavily on her mind, being approached by mob boss Marconi. As Marconi asks Lieutenant Cole for personal assistance In a matter that puts her in a terrible position, a series of trying events threaten to bring violence into the life of Lieutenant Cole.


Though such a story is inherently familiar, it is delivered in a smart, suspenseful manner. It is one which makes the material feel fresh at every avenue. What also helps matters is the crisp, breathtaking cinematography from Christopher Di Nunzio, which visually reiterates the raw, gritty tone of the piece to masterful effect. Continually, the editing from Traynor is just as powerful. There is not a single frame of the project that can be deemed extraneous. Furthermore, the costume, makeup, camera, and sound work are sharp and proficient. The gently employed music from Kevin MacLeod is atmospheric and fitting. It heightens every scene in which it is incorporated.

Boosted by a superb, mesmerizing depiction of Frankie by Claire Aucoin, the latest cinematic offering from Graziano, whose guidance of the venture is smart and slyly stylish throughout the composition, utilizes its small cast and sparse, intimate locations to potent effect. The quick, quiet opening and closing credits sequences are suitable for the exercise. They nicely compliment the steely demeanor of both the account and its atmosphere. In turn, “Say Hello” overcomes its conventional nature with respect for its genre and with deft, loving craftsmanship from all involved. Compelling in its ever-timely and timeless themes of processing trauma and revenge, it’s one of the best fabrications of its type of the year.  

Flesh of the Unforgiven (2025) – Movie Review

by Andrew Buckner

Rating: ****½ out of *****.

Filmed in Canada in late-winter for eight thousand dollars over the course of twelve days, Flesh of the Unforgiven (2025), from writer-director Joe Hollow, is as striking for its memorable, macabre visual strengths as it is for the emotional core, the turbulent relationship between a couple who are desperately trying to stay together and find forgiveness, that fuels the eighty-eight-minute masterwork. The project immediately establishes this symmetry of sinister sights and forthright feelings which courses wall-to-wall and unblemished throughout the endeavor in its three-and-a-half-minute opening sequence. This bit brilliantly, unnervingly showcases the focus on dreams, phantasmagoric imagery, distorted sounds, and hauntingly utilized music that gives the exercise its skillfully demonstrated, consistently raw, tense, and unapologetic tone. All of these elements perfectly compliment the material. 

From herein, Hollow’s smart, stylish direction and sharply paced, character-driven screenplay, which is filled with organic dialogue, as well as the intimate, ever-credible, standout turns from Debbie Rochon as Sienna Russo and Hollow as Jack Russo (who form the aforementioned pair), deftly guide the offering through its labyrinthine maze of alternately heart-tugging and heart-rendering moments. This also occurs throughout the thrilling, satisfying climax, which nicely ties together nearly all of its narrative components. The resolution also intelligently leaves just enough enigma in regards to its diegesis for audiences to ponder the film long after it has reached its indelible conclusion. The ominous yet breathtaking cinematography from Kevin McMillan, proficient editing from Hollow, and the simultaneously retro and ghoulishly believable effects segments, especially the numerous gory bits, persistently punctuate the high-quality nature of these cinematic ingredients.

Incorporating an inherently intriguing plotline that feels drawn from equal shades of Hellraiser (1987) and The Shining (1980), Hollow tells the tale of Jack and Sienna Russo moving to a cabin in Quebec to combat Jack’s writer’s block and help repair their ailing relationship after Sienna’s infidelity. With three days to pen a treatment for his upcoming novel, Jack finds his grip on reality deteriorating. This is after watching a VHS tape, which is meant to give Jack “inspiration”, filled with violence, death, and depravity. Soon, the Russos find themselves battling both personal and otherworldly demons.This is as the Death Dealer, an instantly iconic villain brought to life in mesmerizing fashion by another scene-stealing turn from Hollow, and his underlings begin to prey upon and psychologically manipulate Jack and Sienna with their wicked ways.

Meticulously crafted with storytelling that delicately balances both a straightforward and complex approach, the latest feature film from Hollow also benefits from classic yet enduringly powerful genre themes such as absolution, the sins of the past, and the fear of the unknown. These topics, along with the top-tier enactments from a terrific, wisely chosen cast of performers including John E. McClenachan as Michael the Bartender, August Kyss as Vivienne, and Adriana Uchishiba as Livinia blend auspiciously with the even-handed mix of timely and timeless horror elements, all of which are impactfully implemented, Hollow fashions throughout the production. 

Moreover, the leads are amply developed and, even if there are instances when the quarreling between the Russos becomes too familiar and repetitive, Hollow never loses sight of detailing their plight. These arrangements, alongside the authentic, hard-hitting costume, makeup, and sound department work make the piece evermore superb.

Further boosted by commencing and concluding credits scenes that are as marvelous from a perceptual angle as they are atmospheric, Flesh of the Unforgiven is stunning across the board. The undertaking also erects an unbroken timbre of gritty menace that is as admirable as it is reminiscent of the stories of Clive Barker and Stephen King. Hollow’s picture is imaginative, graphic, relentless, and often erotically charged. It’s one of the best independent genre outings of its type in quite some time.

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

ANDREW BUCKNER’S 50 FAVORITE FEATURE FILMS OF 2024 (SO FAR)

By Andrew Buckner

*Please note that the inclusion of the feature films on this list is based upon the criteria of an official release date of 2024 in the United States.*

50. Wildcat

Director: Ethan Hawke

49. Out of Darkness 

Director: Andrew Cumming

48. The Beekeeper 

Director: David Ayer

47. You’ll Never Find Me

Directors: Josiah Allen, Indianna Bell

46. Stopmotion

Director: Robert Morgan

45. Abigail 

Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett

44. Irena’s Vow

Director: Louise Archambault

43. Gasoline Rainbow 

Directors: Bill Ross IV, Turner Ross 

42. Wicked Little Letters

Director: Thea Sharrock

41. The Taste of Things

Director: Tran Anh Hung

40. Infested

Director: Sebastien Vanicek

39. A Most Atrocious Thing

Directors: Christian Hurley, Ben Oliphint

38. Frogman

Director: Anthony Cousins

37. Land of Bad

Director: William Eubank

36. Bloodline Killer

Director: Ante Novakovic

35. In a Violent Nature

Director: Chris Nash

34. Freud’s Last Session

Director: Matthew Brown

33. Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World

Director: Radu Jude

32. Sting

Director: Kiah Roache-Turner

31. Kim’s Video

Directors: David Redmon, Ashley Sabin

30. Hundreds of Beavers

Director: Mike Cheslik

29. Challengers

Director: Luca Guadagnino

28. Drive-Away Dolls

Director: Ethan Coen

27. Lisa Frankenstein

Director: Zelda Williams

26. Spaceman

Director: Johan Renck

25. Ordinary Angels

Director: Jon Gunn

24. I Saw the TV Glow

Director: Jane Schoenbrun

23. The Greatest Night in Pop

Director: Bao Nguyen

22. The Book of Clarence

Director: Jeymes Samuel

21. Mars Express 

Director: Jeremie Perin

20. Power

Director: Yance Ford

19. One Life

Director: James Hawes

18. lo Capitano

Director: Matteo Garrone

17. Perfect Days

Director: Wim Wenders

16. God & Country

Director: Dan Partland

15. The First Omen

Director: Arkasha Stevenson

14. The Peasants

Directors: D.K. Welchman, Hugh Welchman

13. Monkey Man

Director: Dev Patel

12. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Director: George Miller

11. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Director: Wes Ball

10. Civil War

Director: Alex Garland

9. Protanopia

Director: Matthew Mahler

8. Sasquatch Sunset

Directors: David Zellner, Nathan Zellner

7. Love Lies Bleeding

Director: Rose Glass

6. Late Night with the Devil

Directors: Cameron Cairnes, Colin Carnes

5. Dario Argento Panico

Director: Simone Scafidi

4. Cabrini 

Director: Alejandro Gomez Monteverde

3. Origin

Director: Ava DuVernay

2. Ennio

Director: Giuseppe Tornatore

1. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire 

Director: Gil Kenan

Runners-up:

Bob Marley: One Love

Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green

Dune: Part Two

Director: Denis Villeneuve

The Fall Guy

Director: David Leitch

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

Director: Adam Wingard

If

Director: John Krasinski

Mean Girls

Directors: Samantha Jayne, Arturo Perez, Jr.

Slay

Director: Jem Garrard