(This article is part of our Best of 2025 series.)
As a horror fan, I feel like one of the few who have been yelling into the void for years, arguing that horror deserves recognition on the major awards stage, given that some of the year’s best films come from the genre, while most of the Oscar-bait, boring fare that is usually nominated is not. Full-blown horror films finally broke that glass ceiling in 2024 with The Substance and Nosferatu. You would have to go back to 2017’s Get Out to see a true horror film getting recognized, and 2025 is seemingly continuing that trend. Several horror films are being considered the best of the year and capturing the attention of audiences as well. Keep supporting horror so we can continue to get these high-quality films that showcase how great the genre can be and introduce people to it who hopefully dig deeper.
Ok, my horror PSA is over, so I’ll say it was a solid year in movies in 2025, although I had several letdowns this year. Usually, trying to narrow my favorites to just five is tough, but I didn’t struggle as much this year, except for not making my entire list made up of horror. Some of those let-downs include Companion, Superman, Die My Love, Havoc, One Battle After Another, and Mickey 17. I would have put money on several of these making my top five, and I don’t think any would make my top 15, honestly.
Here are a few that just missed the cut: Weapons, 28 Years Later, Train Dreams, Oh Hi, and Caught Stealing.
Bring Her Back
Usually, for a movie to enter my favorites, there is a “fun” element to it. There is no fun element to Bring Her Back, but for some reason, I find a weird enjoyment in these types of films. The Philippou brothers grabbed my attention back in 2022 with Talk to Me, which had me eagerly anticipating their next movie, and they did not disappoint. Bring Her Back follows a brother and sister being sent to live with a quirky foster mom after the death of their father, only to learn she has a terrifying secret.
Why this movie is not getting the same kind of Oscar buzz as Weapons and Sinners from this year, or like The Substance last year, is beyond me. It’s probably because it is too dark and horrific, but the technical side of this film is on par with every movie being discussed for best picture, and Sally Hawkins gave the best female performance of the year, in my opinion. The last shot is one of the most haunting images I have ever seen.
Marty Supreme
One of the best ways I have found to describe a Safdie movie to other people who have never seen one is that they are heart attack movies. From beginning to end, there is this white-knuckle, annoying fervor they can create with the most unlikable characters that you still want to succeed by the end of the film.
To me, Marty Supreme is the best movie of the year, and Timothee Chalamet gives the year’s best performance. Watching from afar, Marty is such an unlikable used car salesman who will take advantage of every person in his life to accomplish his goals that it is hard to believe anyone wastes any energy on him. However, that is the brilliance of Chalamet’s performance and Safdie’s directing. By the end, they have you hooked, and you are rooting for this little nuisance.
Sinners
This one seems to be on everyone’s top lists and for good reason. It has everything. Terrific performances, directing, character development, some jaw-dropping music sequences, and vampires. Even during my rewatch, I was just as entranced as I was in the theater. Michael B. Jordan gives two of his best performances, while Delroy Lindo, Jack O’Connell, Miles Canton, and everyone else delivered as well. It was fun and badass, while also being vicious and gory with heavy themes. It also had one of the best non-MCU mid-credit scenes in recent memory. Just a cool as hell movie overall.
F1
Going all the way back to Days of Thunder, I’m always amazed by how much I enjoy racing movies, even though I’m thoroughly bored by the sport in real life. It’s one of the most cinematic sports next to boxing. The fast action and easy-to-create drama are almost always thrilling, and F1 is one of the best I have seen in quite some time.
Brad Pitt just kills it as the wily veteran who gets his last shot at greatness while teaching the young buck with talent a thing or two. It’s a trope we have seen a million times, but Pitt gives some gravity to the role as he sets out to take every veteran shortcut imaginable to help his team get a win. F1 also has one of the best soundtracks of the year, which had me nodding my head and grinning in my IMAX theater. It is formulaic and predictable as hell, but when you make a movie this fun and thrilling, who cares.
Eddington
I can not remember a movie that had me so infuriated while watching it in the theater, where I ended up loving the film like Eddington. Usually, when I get this upset, I’m debating about walking out because I hate everything about the movie, and I probably overhyped it in my mind beforehand. Here, I was boiling hot because I was instantly transported back to the hellhole that was the year 2020 and the middle of COVID. Something I never want to revisit in any form, but Ari Aster captured the stupidity and insanity of the entire ordeal, not to mention some other hot topic issues, that it was hard not to appreciate what he was able to accomplish.
Joaquin Phoenix continues to prove he is one of the best actors working, and Ari Aster just makes bat shit crazy movies that I enjoy. I love whatever is wrong with him. Don’t ever get it fixed, Ari.
What are your thoughts on the movies that made my top five? Share them down below!
