Admittedly, we’re out a little late this year. But, I would suggest we are just in time! Surprisingly, there are a lot of horror movies that are being released in late March. It also happens to be the eve of when many of the big genre film festivals get rolling. Sundance has just completed. SXSW is right on us now. Overlook is around the corner. So is Panic Fest. With these festivals, it sets the table for what you all can expect to come out this year. It becomes a bit of a guessing game for those of us who attend these festivals to predict what films are going to be on the schedule.

Horror has proven to be profitable in what used to be a dead period for box office. Already, both Iron Lung ($50 million on a $3 million budget) and Send Help ($92 Million) opened up strong in January, traditionally the dumping ground for cast-off studio films. With the tremendous profitability and critical response to last year’s crop of films, we will see what will become this year’s banner carrier. My guess? Scream 7.

There isn’t a studio backed big prestige movie like Sinners or Weapons this year, but I could very easily see a Neve Campbell led Scream 7 into a $300 million earner, much like Final Destinations: Bloodline from last year. If Scream 7 lives up to its potential, it could fly past that number. I don’t think that the effect of last year’s horror boom will be felt until next year’s crop. The studios didn’t have enough time to understand the influence until the season largely wrapped in October, well after prduction had wrapped for most films getting released for 2026.

The indie horror films are in abundance this year. SXSW has a huge roster of genre films. Overlook just announced their roster, and so has Panic Fest. Usually there is a lot of overlap, but not so much this year. That suggests a wide variety and a lot of options out there. An that’s not taking into account the large Summer and Fall festivals like Frightfest, Popcorn Frights, and Screamfest.

As usual, there will be films that we didn’t see coming because they come with zero fanfare, but end up surprising us with original storytelling or raw savagery. Better yet… both! We always summarize what we did from the previous year, and I think we actually did pretty well in our selections for 2025. You can check out last year’s predictions HERE. Will 2026 be as solid for Scariest Things selections? Listen in, and remember this come the end of the year!

Note… we announced this one episode off.

This year, we have big hits, well-established franchises, underdeveloped indie films, and even a book. (From Liz, of course.) We watched a record number of films this year, with Eric seeing over 100 and Heather more than 150. So, we have a good sample size to pick from. Also, remember that this subjective list may include movies we had high hopes for and were disappointed to see fall well short of expectations.

And then, of course, there are the movies that you watch because of boredom on a Saturday night, and rent a free campy movie, and it really stinks. I regret to say that it happened to me often this year. Hey, it was free! I have a full roster of the movies I saw in 2025 on my favorites list. By the way, if you haven’t listened to our best of 2025 episode, you can listen to it HERE. And remember, most of us thought it was a very good year for horror, so these are the outliers.

Some of our opinionated themes this year:

Mike: Big directors who should know better, and gave us unlikable characters.
Liz: Turned off more movies than she can count this year. Got burned at the festivals.
Eric: After watching a record number of horror movies in a year… plot still matters.

If you watch any of these films, you’ve been warned! If you disagree with us, by all means, let us know. Trolls are welcome! (Ahem)

Bonus: Here are some other terrible titles that you should avoid if you are browsing through your free Tubi, Netflix, or Amazon choices: (Eric’s list)

If you feel like you need to watch a Mickey Mouse Horror, watch Mouseboat Massacre instead. It’s not great, but better than the crap that is Mickey’s Mousetrap. For the better Popeye horror, watch Popeye the Slayer Man instead, which makes a whole lot more sense… even if the Popeye in Popeye’s revenge looks better. A Breed Apart is some of the worst digital animation you will see; it looks like CGI from the 90s. It might qualify as so bad it’s good, but I dunno. MAR.IA isn’t nearly as sexy as the cover suggests. Stay away!

This was a year full of original story ideas, and, for a change, they were represented in both studio films and indies. Plus, the sequels and reboots this year proved to be both profitable and refreshing (for the most part). What you all may enjoy the most are the movies that split the critics.

There are several movies on our respective lists that are very divisive, and you know what? That’s the best part of these episodes. Here’s the best part: you get to hear us argue the merits and flaws of these films, and you can decide for yourself whether it’s worth watching. If you are visiting our site for the first time, we have three posts that also describe our selections: Eric’s List, Mike’s List, and Robert’s List.

Eric’s list has a full ranking of ALL 100+ films that he saw. But, that’s not the most movies digested in 2025, as Heather has seen over 120! That’s a good sample size, folks! We, who love horror movies, watched a lot of them last year. The best news is that, given that these movies hauled in the cash train, horror movies are going to get more attention.

The Astra Awards are presented by the Hollywood Creative Alliance, a collective group of movie industry professionals, and this was their ninth annual awards ceremony. The Astra Awards expand the genres eligible for awards. Like the Golden Globes, they award separate categories for dramas and comedies/musicals. In a laudable move, they also have awards for best horror or thriller. So, this is not a genre awards festival; they have set these awards to align with the end of the year and the lead-up to the Oscars.

Indy’s competition this year was strong:

Curiously, no acting nominations for Sinners or Weapons. I’m actually pleased that these other performances got rewarded. No worries. There will almost certainly be Oscar noms for Amy Madigan and Michael B. Jordan. This may be a first: a non-human acting award over human competition. I think the Astra Awards just made some waves.

For those of you who fall in love with Indy and want a dog like him, he is a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. It’s an uncommon breed, but I’d expect this movie to make the breed a lot more popular! The AKC describes this breed as “lovey dovey”, pretty good with other dogs, and very good with children. Moreover, they are super cute.

First and foremost, it helps that Indy is director Ben Leonberg’s pet. Secondly, it took a very long time, over three years from start to release. Hundreds of hours of footage had to be shot to capture the perfect reaction for Indy, and the shooting schedule was limited to three-hour sessions with him to avoid wearing him out. For anyone worried about harming the dog, worry not! All the acting was done with positive reinforcement and treats, and a stunt dog was used for any truly perilous scenes.

Harm to dogs is a trigger for many viewers, particularly in horror movies. People who willingly put good money to see teenagers get slaughtered by the dozen will nope out with violence to a dog. So, many people have asked me, “Does Indy make it?” I can’t say that without spoiling the movie, since it’s all about him. However, if it means the difference between seeing the movie and not, I suggest you go to the site Does the Dog Die trigger warning database to get the spoilers.

Good Boy is going to go down as the little Indie Horror film that could for 2025. On a reported budget of only $70,000, the movie to date, with a limited release, has a worldwide gross of over $8,700,000… plus whatever they were able to receive as their Shudder contract. That’s over a 100:1 ratio of profitability! Congratulations to Indy and Ben for their wonderful movie. This will be a cult film favorite. It lands at #4 on my Horror Movies for 2025, and I know I am not alone in my admiration for this movie.

For deeper insight into the movie’s production and how Ben got such a wonderful performance out of Indy, here is my interview with Leonberg at the Overlook Film Festival in April 2025. I’ve been doing industry interviews for going on nine years, and this is one of my absolute favorite discussions. Check it out!

Just because the primary motivation of a horror film is often to scare you, that doesn’t mean you can’t be smiling the entire time. Horror films elevate your emotions, and often that means your happiness as well as your fear. Those movies that do both are usually big winners.

Final girls fit this model. Horror comedies often fit this category. Horror romances are often feel-good films. But, as always, the emotional takeaways from a movie are specifically subjective. Heather has different kinds of horror: films that are comforting and familiar, and films that are light, colorful, and breezy. These are the horror movies that put you into a happy place, however you get there.

You can listen to us discuss our selections using the link below. Don’t forget to find us on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, or wherever you like to stream your podcasts!

The caveats associated with the “recommendations” presented in this episode have caveats of their own. These are the films that may make you regret your movie selection decisions. Grim. Brutal. Emotionally taxing. These movies have merit, but these aren’t movies meant to be enjoyed. Quite the opposite, actually. These movies strip your soul and make you ponder the darkness in society. Often, these movies are human-on-human horror, delivering cruelty that only we can inflict on ourselves.

Just know we will be following up soon with the salve for the emotional wounds that come with our “Feel Good” episode to help you recover.

Here are the criteria we used in picking our movies. The movie does not require compliance with all the listed criteria, but if the movie contains many of these themes, then it would qualify for our selections.

Note that this is not a reflection of the quality of the movies. Many of them are very good and critically appreciated. They also don’t need to be gory to be mean, though they often are.

With those caveats and warnings: brace yourselves. It’s time for MEAN HORROR. For similar content, check our Bridge Too Far Infographics. Consider yourselves warned.

Opinions can change. Sometimes, when you go to a movie, you arrive with expectations, which can affect your view. A film’s reputation may color the first impression, and many of our reactions to the movie are influenced by the environment in which we first saw it. It makes a big difference whether you first saw the film at a world premiere with the director and stars, or if you are seeing it in a living room with a bunch of talkative friends—context matters.

Was I too harsh on this film? Was I too generous? In many cases, a movie will stick with you and remind you that there was something that you really liked, and it stands the test of time, even if you didn’t initially think it was that great. Then, you go back and watch it, and realize that there was real gold there.

You might also have had a situation where you decide to watch a movie to impress a friend, convincing them that the movie was great —and then… nope. That movie didn’t age well. My sixteen-year-old self thought this movie was awesome, but I was young and stupid. The Mangler, not as good as my teenage me remembered.

There is a proud tradition of this in movie critic circles. A humble critic is one who can own up to re-evaluating a movie. I believe it is best to write a critical review independently of what others think, and I will avoid reading other reviews before I write my own. However, sometimes a movie arrives with tremendous buzz, all the bells and whistles: a revered director, a hot actor, and momentum from early festivals. I take these things into context, but I try my best to walk in with a blank slate. It’s tough, though.

Here is the podcast where Eric, Mike, and Heather sat down, peeled the bandage off, and admitted that perhaps we were wrong the first time. Most of these movies will be familiar to you, and some of the selections will shock you! If you want to skip the podcast and see what we picked, I have included our selections below.

As always, I recommend you listen to the podcast, and come back to this post for reference. Enjoy!

It doesn’t mean these movies are bad (necessarily), but it does mean that they weren’t as awesome as we initially thought.

Sometimes we just got it wrong the first time. Don’t let the group think get to you, and like what you like. For these groups, we are going from bad first impressions to a more positive place upon second viewing.

Take a good look… we’re going to recast these characters!

It’s a cottage industry, predicting who Marvel or DC might cast for their superheroes. The anticipation of who might portray… say BATMAN… has been discussed in numerous podcasts and media posts. But horror movies? The reboots are frequent, but really not that memorable. Can you name all of the Jason Voorhees actors? (tick… tick… tick…)

However, there is a wonderful tradition with Dracula, in particular. This is just a portion of the casting call for the famous bloodsucker:

This was a fun episode. It is a long episode, but it’s totally worth listening to, because we know you do these experiments too! If you want to get the spoilers… read below for our selections. A little crazy, and not always on script, but this episode was a blast!

The original cast of A Nightmare on Elm Street: Heather Langenkamp, Johnny Depp, and Amanda Wyss

A Blind Bargain is a retelling of a 1922 Lon Chaney Sr. silent film, which is now considered a “lost film”. The only copy of that film was lost in the 1965 vault fire that also claimed several other Lon Chaney films, including London After Midnight. Not all was lost, as the mad scientist’s story was based on a Barry Palin novel, “The Octave of Claudius, A Blind Bargain.”

The biggest challenge for this movie is that you are compelled to follow a protagonist who is hard to root for. Dominic is pathetic. The Vietnam War has left deep emotional scars that he chases away with heroin, and this leaves him vulnerable on many levels. This forces him to make extremely dubious decisions. Traitorous decisions.

In the original film, the censors balked at the science of playing God. Frankenstein touched on this, and with A Blind Bargain, the story centers on a Faustian deal for eternal youth. As is the case with most mad science, it is a serious overreach of power. Vitality restoration reacts badly with fate. The elusive promise of youthful beauty has undone more than a few evil geniuses.

Joy, you’re going on a cosmic trip to be a star again…”

Logos (Jed Rowen)

Dominic Fontaine is a loser who can’t catch a break. After returning home from the Vietnam War in 1970, his life hasn’t gotten any safer. He has run into deep debt with his heroin dealer, Vincent. He’s a thin, frail fellow who is too weak to stand up to Vincent’s bullying. He also can’t stand up for himself with his mother, Joy, who has been housing him since his return. She is aware that Dom has not been honest with her and sets the conditions for him staying with her that he seek treatment. Joy gives Dom a brochure for a clinic that a social worker gave her: The Gruder Institute, where “Recovery is Within Your Grasp”.

Unbeknownst to Joy and Dom, however, the institute is not what it seems. The addition therapy is a front for some shady de-aging experiments involving steroids derived from insect larvae. Dom reluctantly checks into the clinic. The lovely Nurse Ellie checks him in, and Dom flirts with her shamelessly. She takes his blood, and Dom returns home to inform Joy that he did as she asked. When Ellie calls back, Dom is informed that his blood… or more specifically, his mother’s blood… would be of great value to the Institute. Dr. Gruder would pay handsomely for her blood.

Dom tricks his mother into believing the Clinic is also a spa, and that she should pamper herself there while he gets treatment. Gruder’s more involved experiments take place in an old hotel frequented by Hollywood stars of yore, which sells the ruse of the spa. The eccentric Gruder welcomes “their only spa guest” into the facility. They quickly hustle her off into a treatment room. There, much to her surprise, they restrain and sedate her. Torn between guilt and his vices, Dom agrees to a contract to have Joy convalesce at the Gruder Institute for a month. The money wins out.

The next time Dom sees Joy, things will have changed. Perhaps for the better? Remember, though, Faustian deals never end the way you want them to.

A Blind Bargain is probably more dark science fiction than horror, but as soon as you mention Lon Chaney, this movie has to be at least horror adjacent. The decisions in the film are indeed horrific, and the truth of the experiments (and their inevitable failures) also lends a morbid take to the proceedings. The betrayal is heartbreaking, and well played by all.

Don’t go into this movie expecting lots of gore and violence. It actually feels more like a ’70s Hammer production costume drama. Trigger warning, though: if drug use makes you uneasy, this movie will make you squirm. Paul Bunnell is a long-time associate of Don Coscarelli (Phantasm, Bubba Ho-Tep, John Dies at the End). There are strong stylistic similarities between these directors, and if you enjoy the absurd lightness of Coscarelli’s films, I’m sure you’ll appreciate the gleeful absurdity of A Blind Bargain.

The humor is sly, and the performances are highly stylized, particularly those of the inimitable Crispin Glover. Glover is perfectly cast as Gruder, as he is one of the pre-eminent oddball character actors of the era. Horowitz (The Vast of Night) has delivered another outstanding, quirky performance, further solidifying his promise as a young character actor on the rise. Rob Mayes steals every scene he is in. He’s a muscular presence and a fun antagonist. I wouldn’t be surprised if the young actresses Loken and Cochrane get bigger roles soon. Hollywood loves beautiful women who can do quirky roles. More horror movies for these two!

Lastly, Amy Wright is a veteran actress (The Deer Hunter, Breaking Away, The Amityville Horror), and she still has a significant screen presence. In a cast full of actors who are hamming it up, Wright’s subtle facial acting was a welcome counterpoint. I was happy to see her in this movie.

The film bursts with color and has the vibes to match. A Blind Bargain delivers characters with flamboyant personalities who have deep-seated character flaws. A good comp for A Blind Bargain would be The Love Witch or even The Abominable Dr. Phibes. This movie is very indie. Very retro. And very funky. Indeed, vibes of Phibes!

High marks for the costume and props work. Paul Bunnell informed me that as part of the extras casting calls, he requested period automobiles, and the cast responded. The shot-on-film aspect also lends authenticity to the production. I love the costumes. Yes, they push the trends of the era, but this is a stylized period piece, and it works wonderfully.

A Blind Bargain has the potential to be a cult classic if the right audience receives it. The movie punches above its weight class with its cast. Crispin Glover is not a mere cameo; he is a scene-chewing villain extraordinaire. Jake Horowitz, Rob Mayes, and Lucy Loken are stars in the making, and this film will greatly enhance their portfolios. The plot is sly, with the humor a subtle undercurrent, and it never relies on cheap gags. Yes, it’s campy, but if you can perform camp gracefully, this movie does it. Aging horror is an evergreen trope, and this movie chases the fountain of youth with a syringe.

This movie is scheduled for a limited theatrical release in major US markets. It had its world premiere at Fright Fest, and Bunnell indicated to me that they are working on a streaming agreement. The movie is not rated, but due to the amount of drug abuse and wickedness, it would not be appropriate for younger viewers. Older teenagers should be able to handle this material.

A Blind Bargain is wicked fun, and if it is in a theater near you, go check it out. It’s a little indie film that deserves some B-movie cult buzz.

I love the access I get by attending Film Festivals, particularly HPLFF. Paul Bunnell is an unforgettable personality who loves to tell stories. He is a showman of the first order and a really sweet and funny guy. Sometimes you get an interview, and it is perfunctory and something of an obligation for the interviewee. Not so with Paul. Bunnell was a true delight to talk to, and it felt like I was getting to tap into some old Hollywood magic. As a director, he doesn’t have the deepest filmography, but he is one of those personalities who feels like he has been in and around filmmaking and Hollywood his entire adult life. He also has some fantastic stories to tell about the making of A Blind Bargain. Here is the recording from backstage at the Hollywood Theater:

And… as an added bonus… A Blind Bargain has a kick ass poster!

For the record, here are the terms for the fears you need to know for this episode:

So, use that as the starting block. But, normal lizards and snakes aren’t going to cut it in this discussion. Big, and I mean BIG lizards will count. Kaiju for the reptile win! And human/reptile/frog and human hybrids also can be considered.

It is remarkable how many well made alligator and killer crocodile movies there have been made. And, there are so many ways to make these movies. In this day and age, you can go with the real thing (daring… Black Water), digital (YMMV: Crawl, Megapython vs Gateroid, The Bayou ), or animatronic (Alligator, The Bayou, and Rogue)

Once you get bigger than an alligator, you have to get creative. Giant monsters require some imagination to scale them up. Dude in a rubber suit works. Real critters with miniatures is your budget variant. Stop Motion used to be the state-of-the-art craft. Think Ray Harryhausen. Or… Puppets! Let it be known, that most of the time, the puppets look rather lame. (Reptilicus) But sometimes it’s perfect (Beetlejuice).

Post podcast note: We talked about a combination of clown and reptile horror in the podcast, and initially, I mentioned Reptilicus because of the puppetry, but then I remembered a perfect example: BEETLEJUICE! This combines elements from two back-to-back episodes, including Episode 201 Clown Horror!