Every October comes equipped with a slew of new horror films. Sure, every month of the year brings them to the table at this point, as they’re reliable at the box office, but October gives scary movie fans even more of them than, say, July. This year is no exception, and we’re now going to go through all of the (potentially) big new theatrical releases set to debut in October 2025. However, psychological thrillers, like After the Hunt, did not count. We’re also leaving off movies that are going to have such limited releases the vast majority of viewers across the country are not going to have access to them. The best examples of this are Scared Sh**less and the critically panned F**k My Son!. Others that fall under this niche umbrella include Dream Eater, the supernatural horror mystery Shelby Oaks, and the Katy O’Brian-fronted horror comedy zombie movie Queens of the Dead. Lastly, re-releases didn’t count. Apologies to The Devil’s Rejects, Casper, ParaNorman, and the first three Twilight movies.
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There are also a few horror movies going direct to streaming you should keep your eye on, most notably Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, which hits Netflix on October 17th. The other direct to streaming fright-fests for October are Vicious, starring Dakota Fanning and Kathryn Hunter (Eedy Karn in Andor), and Hulu’s remake of The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, which debuts on the streamer come October 22nd.
6) Good Boy
Loving, protective pups have been a staple of horror cinema for a long time. There was one in The Amityville Horror, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, Gremlins, The Lost Boys, etc. But Good Boy goes a step further…it makes the pup the protagonist (the puptagonist?).
This is a haunted house movie told through the perspective of a dog (played by director Ben Leonberg’s actual dog, Indy). And, if it just seems like a gimmick, fear not, because Good Boy currently sits at a healthy 89% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film will be released on October 3rd by IFC and Shudder and is set to be shown by most major theater chains.
5) Shell
2024’s awards season darling The Substance is already proving to be an influential horror film, at least according to the critics who have seen Shell. And while Max Minghella’s Elisabeth Moss and Kate Hudson led horror comedy isn’t receiving the accolades accrued by Coralie Fargeat’s mindbender, it’s getting somewhat positive notices, nonetheless.
Moss plays actress Samantha Lake, who has been seeing her star fade but becomes hopeful when she is taken under the wing of a wellness company’s CEO, Zoe Shannon (Hudson). However, there may be more than meets the eye when it comes to this SHELL company. Shell will be distributed by Republic Pictures on October 3rd. It will be a limited release but will also debut on digital platforms the same day.
4) Bone Lake
Mercedes Bryce Morgan’s erotic horror film Bone Lake has been generating some fantastic reviews, with many praising its psychologic horror tone and the performance by Maddie Hasson, who was also a standout in last year’s Elevation. The film follows a young couple who end up stuck in a mansion with another couple and, while things start out peaceful enough, the quartet’s dynamic begins to shift in ways that reveal each member’s shady pasts.
The buzzy horror thriller will be released by Bleecker Street on October 3rd and will be shown by most major theater chains. Bone Lake is Bryce Morgan’s third feature film after Fixation and Spoonful of Sugar.
3) Coyotes
Coyotes, led by real-life couple Justin Long and Kate Bosworth, is a comedy horror flick that turns the canines known to run around Hollywood Hills into bloodthirsty killers. And now, their prey has gone from cats and other small animals to something a bit higher up the food chain: humans.
Like the previous three entries, Coyotes is set to hit theaters on October 3rd, courtesy of Aura Entertainment. The film will have a limited release but will receive play in major markets.
2) The Astronaut
In The Astronaut, Kate Mara plays astronaut Sam Walker, who has been placed in a house where she can be monitored by government agents. The reason for this? She believes she has been followed back to Earth by an alien.
This extraterrestrial-focused sci-fi horror adventure debuts on October 17th. Its limited theatrical distribution is being handled by Vertical and the film will premiere on digital platforms the same day.
1) Black Phone 2
Four years after Sinister director Scott Derrickson kicked off a new franchise with The Black Phone, he’s here to keep the horror gravy train rolling with Black Phone 2. This is undoubtedly the big horror movie of October 2025 and looks to match or even exceed the 2021 film’s $161.4 million worldwide total.
Black Phone 2 sees most of its predecessor’s cast return, including Ethan Hawke, even though is the Grabber died in the original movie’s finale. The sequel will be playing nationwide starting October 17th.
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image courtesy of 20th Century Studios
