From ‘Companion’ To ‘Together’ — The Most Underrated Horror Movies Of 2025 (So Far)
The eerie half of cinema has enjoyed unprecedented success in 2025 with the best horror films of 2025 like 28 Years Later, Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, and The Conjuring: Last Rites † breaking several box office records. Their success has, however, overshadowed some of the year’s most daring projects.
The increasing demand for a variety of entertainment in horror films, as opposed to cheap thrills, has hit a new high as seen in the immense creative investment in the year’s best horror films, including Final Destination: Bloodlines, Sinners, and 28 Years Later. From groundbreaking zombie dramas to psychological thrillers with bone-chilling violence, 2025 has seen a huge increase in the number of hit horror films deploying an all-rounded approach to entertain. While not every new release has met these high standards, many must-watch gems have also gone unnoticed, and these are our top picks for the best under-the-radar horror films to watch in 2025.
The Shrouds
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David Cronenberg’s The Shrouds was one of the top contenders at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024. Unfortunately, the film didn’t get the ample theatre time it deserved despite setting a pretty high standard for body horror films in 2025. In the film, tech entrepreneur Karsh’s (Vincent Cassel) groundbreaking shroud that takes a live 3D image of a dead body, allowing people to watch the rotting remains of their loved ones on a screen.
The invention becomes nightmarish when a hacker takes over the technology, using images — including that of his dead wife — to torment him. The film has one of the most mature uses of body horror, going beyond cheap jump scares. It centers on the human inevitability of death and our inability to let go.
Companion
In his directorial debut, Drew Hancok oversaw one of the year’s best blends of Sci-fi, dark comedy, and horror, bringing the contemporary concern over AI taking the world to life in a mildly scary but entertaining fashion. The film stars Sophie Thatcher in the role of Iris, a companion robot who goes on a revenge mission against her evil owner after he abuses his control.
Its highlight is the chemistry between Jack Quaid (Josh) and Thatcher, who complement each other to heighten the emotional depth of every scene. While the gore and violence play a central role in the plot, the real horror is psychological thanks to the film’s constant sense of helplessness. The story climaxes without losing the deep-seated fear that the worst is just about to come.
Together
Horrifyingly sticky is the best way to describe this Australian body horror gem by Michael Shanks, which makes the idea of together forever feel a little too literal. After slipping into and spending the night in a mysterious cave, a couple — Millie Wilson (Alison Brie) and Tim Brassington (Dave Franco) — start experiencing a strange attraction to one another, accompanied by unexplained transformations in their bodies.
The mysterious entity seems to take away the protagonists’ ability to fight back, making their efforts feel futile, which becomes the engine of the film’s horror theme. The mystery and endless twists, however, make the script entertaining enough to keep viewers glued. The lead actors, who are a real-life couple, also have a natural chemistry that becomes the plot’s driving engine thanks to the enduring warmth between them.
The Monkey
It may have fallen down the pecking order for some fans, but Osgood Perkins’ The Monkey was one of the early box office hits of 2025. Based on a 1980s Stephen King short story, the slasher details a series of horrifying deaths unleashed by a mysterious wind-up toy monkey inherited by twin brothers Bill and Hal (Theo James).
The entire plot is a horror feast as the tension just keeps growing; heightened by the unpredictability of the gory deaths, which quickly blend into the film’s twisted sense of humor. It is a balanced combination of gore and thrill, making The Monkey one of the scariest films of 2025.
Final Destination Bloodlines
In Final Destination Bloodlines, death pursues the unsuspecting descendants of Iris Campbell in revenge for her premonitions preventing a catastrophe 55 years earlier. The franchise’s signature ghastly deaths dominate the entire plot in a classy fashion where every normal day-to-day object seems to turn into a tool in the hands of death, localizing the film’s horror into the viewer’s immediate surroundings.
The film’s other highlight is Tony Todd’s nostalgic cameo as William ‘JB’ Bludworth, as his scene feels like a prediction of his eventual demise; blending into the film’s core message that death is coming for all of us in the end.
Heart Eyes
Heart Eyes is arguably the most thrilling serial-killer film of 2025 so far, thanks to its gripping storyline. It is a typical love-conquers-all Valentine’s Day rom-com that quickly turns into a high-intensity, gore-filled slasher horror with endless twists to keep viewers glued.
In the film, Ally (Olivia Holt), a pitch designer at an advertising company, puts herself and her newfound colleague Jay (Mason Gooding) on the trail of the titular serial killer, who mistakes them for a couple when she revenge-kisses him during a work dinner. Although the storyline is borderline cliché, the whole film is an addictive flow of endless action and mystery.
Bring Her Back
Bring Her Back is one of the best original horror films of 2025, due to its layered storyline that doesn’t try to explain everything, allowing dread to build throughout the film to deliver the most explosive ending. Directed by the Philippou brothers, the film follows two orphaned teenage siblings, Andy (Billy Barrat) and his visually impaired sister Piper (Sora Wong), who become victims of the occult exploits of their new foster mother.
The film is a slow burner that uses body horror to turn the story of the love, longing, and grief of broken families into one of the year’s most sinister and horrific tales. While the gore plays its role, Bring Her Back‘s real horror is more psychological as the helpless and vulnerable are turned into pawns in a crucible-like storyline that leaves viewers with a mixture of anger and fear.
