Key Takeaways

• Fall 2025 Preview: A comprehensive list of horror movies set to release this fall has been compiled.
• Major Titles: Notable films include The Toxic Avenger, The Conjuring: Last Rites, and Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein.
• Release Dates: Key dates range from August 29 to December 12, showcasing a variety of horror genres.
• Director Highlights: Renowned directors like Guillermo del Toro and Edgar Wright are involved in upcoming projects.

The spooky season is once again upon us and there is still plenty of horror left for us to watch as this year wraps up. So genre fans can start planning what they’re going to see over the next few months, we have put together a Fall 2025 Horror Movie Preview, which can be seen below. Sure, it starts a little earlier than the official beginning of fall, but bear with us. And, of course, there will be more titles announced and more release dates revealed as time goes on, and we’ll update this article when that happens. For now, here’s what we have:

THE TOXIC AVENGER – Theatrical, August 29

Fans have been waiting a long time to see writer/director Macon Blair’s remake of the Troma cult classic The Toxic Avenger (watch it HERE), which wrapped filming way back in 2021 and unveiled a teaser trailer near the end of 2023, around the time it had its world premiere screening – but we won’t have to wait much longer. At the start of the year, it was announced that Cineverse had acquired the distribution rights with the intention of giving the film a wide unrated release on August 29th. Peter Dinklage plays Winston Gooze, the janitor who becomes the titular hideously deformed mutant hero. JoBlo’s own Mike Conway recently had the chance to see the film and gave it an 8/10 review that can be read HERE. Conway said, “For fans of the original, for gorehounds, and for anyone who’s ever shouted ‘they don’t make movies like they used to’—look no further. This is the return of a cult icon in the most gloriously disgusting way possible.“

THE CONJURING: LAST RITES – Theatrical, September 5

Michael Chaves, who previously directed The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, The Nun II, and the Conjuring Universe-adjacent The Curse of La Llorona, is at the helm of The Conjuring: Last Rites, working from a screenplay written by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, who also wrote The Conjuring 2 and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. James Wan, the director of the first two films, remains on board as producer. Franchise stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga reprise the roles of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Wilson and are joined in the cast by Ben Hardy and Mia Tomlinson for what is meant to be the final Conjuring movie. The story is set in 1986, five years after the events of The Devil Made Me Do It. The Warrens have retired from the exorcist business, largely due to Ed’s heart attack, the one sustained during the demonic happenings of the third film. They still hit the university circuit, presenting talks at various schools, but even those opportunities are drying up. Of course, certain events force them back into the fold one last time.

THE LONG WALK – Theatrical, September 12

An adaptation of the Stephen King / Richard Bachman novel The Long Walk has been trudging through development hell for decades. At one point, the rights were in the hands of Frank Darabont, who made the King adaptations The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and The Mist. Then the rights passed over to New Line Cinema, where Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark director André Øvredal was hired to direct the film from a screenplay by James Vanderbilt, whose credits include the two most recent Scream movies. While doing the press rounds for his film The Last Voyage of the Demeter last year, Øvredal revealed that he was no longer involved with The Long Walk, and said not making that movie is one of the big regrets of his life. Strange Darling writer JT Mollner has written the screenplay for the version of The Long Walk that has been made with Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend) at the helm. The novel is set in a future dystopian America ruled over by a militaristic dictator, and the titular event is an annual contest in which 100 teenagers must keep a steady pace of at least four miles an hour under strict rules until only one of them is left alive.

RABBIT TRAP – Theatrical, September 12

JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray had the chance to watch this movie at Sundance earlier this year and gave it a 7/10 review that can be read HERE. Starring Dev Patel of Slumdog Millionaire, Monkey Man, and The Green Knight, this is the latest horror film from Elijah Wood and Daniel Noah’s production company SpectreVision and happens to mark the feature directorial debut of Bryn Chainey. Set in 1973, Rabbit Trap charts the story of married musicians Daphne and Darcy Davenport who have relocated from London to an isolated cabin in Wales in order to complete their new record. When they accidentally make a field recording of a mystical sound never before heard by human ears, a strange child enters their lives who gradually untethers them from reality; and they soon find themselves caught between ancient spirits of nature and their former lives.

THE MAN IN MY BASEMENT – Theatrical, September 12

Corey Hawkins plays Charles Blakey,a man living in Sag Harbor’s African American neighborhood who is out of work and on the verge of foreclosure on his ancestral home. A knock on his door from mysterious white businessman Anniston Bennet (Willem Dafoe) brings a bizarre proposition; rent his dusty stand-up basement out for enough money to clear his debts for good. Once Charles accepts this offer he finds himself led down a terrifying path confronting his family’s ghosts while locked in a terrifying puzzle centered on race and trauma. As mentioned there Dafoe is playing Anniston Bennet while Diop’s character is Narciss Gully,a local academic passionate about having African American histories told—particularly those relating to African American women. When she meets Charles Blakey she realizes his family history may be what she’s always been looking for. This feature debut from writer/director Nadia Latif is based on Walter Mosley’s novel (pick up a copy HERE) and has our attention because “creepy Willem Dafoe in basement” sounds like an excellent thriller.

HIM – Theatrical, September 19

Justin Tipping directed Him, a Jordan Peele production formerly known as GOAT, featuring Marlon Wayans alongside Tyriq Withers and Julia Fox in lead roles. Zack Akers and Skip Bronkie’s script centers on a promising young athlete invited to train with a team’s retiring star. How horror enters this narrative remains under wraps; however ComicBook.com reports that the script revolves around a rookie QB training with an aging star QB who may hold secrets about his prolonged success.. Thus it seems that uncovering these secrets could lead to trouble for Wayans’ character as he plays this legendary athlete while Withers portrays his promising young counterpart.

THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER TWO – Theatrical September26

This sequel follows Madelaine Petsch’s character as she drives cross-country with her boyfriend (Gutierrez) only to find themselves terrorized by three masked strangers after their car breaks down at an isolated Airbnb in Oregon.

Lionsgate plans on expanding this story with its sequels while Harlin aims to explore what happens next for victims caught in such violent circumstances.