The Honeycut: 2025 Horror Movie Wrap-Up

A Strange Time 

We’re in that weird purgatory between Christmas and New Year’s, where everything seems to move in slow motion. We wrapped up the Midnight Terrors Podcast for the year last week, and I’ve just been going back and touching up some of my old manuscripts. So, I’m not really sure what to write about this week. How about this? I’ll talk about some 2025 horror movies I really liked and a few that let me down. 

Wolf Man

I love Leigh Whannell’s take on the Invisible Man. I watched the 2020 film earlier this year and was blown away with the story and characters. So, when I saw he was making a Wolfman movie, I was in. 

Unfortunately, “Wolf Man” disappointed me on all fronts. It’s an interesting premise, where turning into a werewolf is more akin to getting rabies. Where it falls apart for me is in the design of the Wolfman. I  have more body hair than this thing did. It just looked like a hairy dude acting crazy. On top of that, the story, the characters, it all just fell flat. What sums it up best is that when the credits rolled, my brother and I looked at each other and said, “That was it?” 

Heart Eyes

I enjoy rom coms, and I like horror movies. When I heard “Heart Eyes” combines the two genres, I knew I had to see it. What’s not to enjoy? Likeable characters, a solid romance, comedy that lands, and a cool slasher; plus, it’s all set on Valentine’s Day. I saw this by myself on Valentine’s Day and it was just a lot of fun. With February coming up, be sure to add this to your watchlist. Until then, I’ll be waiting for a sequel. 

The Woman in the Yard

Now this is the movie I was looking forward to most. The marketing was excellent. An ominous woman dressed in a black funeral gown shows up in a family’s yard, and terror ensues. I liked that this was an entirely original story and the premise had me hooked. However, I just could not get into this film. It’s not bad by any means. But that’s the thing. It’s not bad… it’s not amazing… it’s just kind of there. 

Frankenstein (2025)

Believe it or not, I’ve never watched an entire Frankenstein movie. But when I heard Guillermo del Toro was working on one, I immediately wanted to see it. Then it took me a month to do so. Having to cover it on the podcast is what finally got me to watch it. Cut me some slack, I don’t always have three extra hours to spend watching a movie. 

I’m so glad that I finally did see it. This was my favorite horror movie of the year. And, as Del Toro described it, it’s not even that much of a horror movie. He says it’s more like a tragedy told with a horror atmosphere. This is a pretty faithful adaptation of the book, with some changes, but the core is there. Seeing Victor Frankenstein’s obsession with conquering death and his father/son relationship with the monster kept me engaged the entire time. 

The real highlight is the monster’s design. He is this hulking creature with long hair and impeccable 1800s style. He reminded me of Michael Myers in Rob Zombie’s “Halloween” movies. I like my movie monsters to look like they could rip me apart, and boy can this creature do some damage. That being said, violence is used sparingly, so when it hits, it hits hard. Watch this ASAP if you haven’t. 

The Monkey

Osgood Perkins has certainly made a name for himself in horror recently. “Longlegs” was everywhere last year. In 2025, Perkins put out two movies, “Keeper” and “The Monkey.” Honestly, I just wanted to say how weird “The Monkey” is. From the stilted dialogue, to the strange characters, to the over-the-top deaths, this one is really out there. I saw this nearly a year ago and I’m still not sure what the hell I watched. Is it good? Is it bad? I have no idea. Watch it for yourself and see what you make of it. 

Honey’s Final Thought

Between watching movies for the podcast and trying to keep up with new releases, I saw more horror movies in 2025 than any year prior. While the ones I saw were a mixed bag, I like that we are getting these original, mid-budget movies again. 

For a while, Hollywood just wanted the next blockbuster, or they didn’t want to spend any money to take a risk on something new. It seems this year, really the past few, we’re seeing more original properties made by fresh faces. Studios like A24, Blumhouse, and Neon are giving new filmmakers a chance to showcase their ideas. Regardless of whether I like the movie or not, I just think it’s cool to see these original stories being told. I’m excited to see what the horror world has in store in 2026. Until then, cheers to the new year!