Editorials
The Best Horror Movie, Television, and Video Game Monsters of 2025
Between the return of Pennywise, Yautjas, and The Grabber, 2025 showcased some excellent monsters – old and new alike – that are sure to cause nightmares until 2026.
*Keep up with our ongoing end of the year coverage here*
The horror genre draws terror from many different places, the likes of which can be rooted in reality or pull from impossibly exaggerated ideas. There’s something to be said for evil individuals who feel like they could exist in the real world; the serial killers, slasher icons, and desperate souls who take things too far, one way or the other. It can be terrifying to get a look into twisted minds that shine a light on how dangerous life can be.
That being said, it can be just as entertaining to get lost in heightened horror stories that create drama from actual monsters, whether that’s a restless spirit, some toxic mutation, a new take on a Universal Monster, or something else that completely defies comprehension.
2025 was a rich year for monsters across the media, marking the return of some celebrated creatures, while also introducing new nightmares that are sure to become modern classics.
Aurora’s Dust Bunny – Dust Bunny
Bryan Fuller is a visionary perfectionist who often struggles to compromise, which unfortunately means that many of his projects become short-lived or continue sans his involvement. Fuller has been essentially creating short films every week in expressive, visually sumptuous series like Pushing Daisies, Wonderfalls, and of course, Hannibal. It’s a little surprising that it’s taken this long for Fuller to deliver a feature film, but Dust Bunny is worth the wait and is a movie that demystifies the boogeyman and the monsters under our beds.
Dust Bunny is like Amelie meets Pan’s Labyrinth and John Wick, while putting all of Fuller’s signature visual tricks to great use. The titular dust bunny monster, who is responsible for the death of Aurora’s (Sophie Sloan) parents, begins as a cute and fantastical figment, only to morph into a murderous beast who could hold its own with Predator: Badlands‘ Kalisk. By the end, it’s a silly, but scary abomination that taps into that signature Bryan Fuller fairy tale-like whimsicism that’s increasingly become his signature style. This Dust Bunny cuts to the core of how everyone has their own monsters that they need to live with and accept. Aurora learns to take ownership of this monster, which, in many ways, is her responsibility.
Dek – Predator: Badlands
Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi as Dek in 20th Century Studios’ PREDATOR: BADLANDS film. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Dan Trachtenberg has proven to be the rejuvenating shot of adrenaline that the Predator franchise has so sorely needed. 2025 was a big year for Yautja between Trachtenberg’s animated anthology, Predator: Killer of Killers, and Predator: Badlands, the latter of which makes a Yautja, Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi),the protagonist in a franchise first. Dek is introduced as the runt of his clan, and his design isn’t especially dissimilar from the Yautjas of past Predator films. What makes Dek such a remarkable monster is the odyssey that he endures on Genna during his hunt to take down the ultimate, unkillable creature – the Kalisk.
Dek is proficient with advanced weaponry, quick on his feet, and a brilliant strategist. Funnily enough, the most interesting details about Dek are the ones that make him feel more human. Schuster-Koloamatangi completely disappears in Dek, and it’s hard not to get lost in his raw emotions. Predator: Badlands showcases state-of-the-art synthetics, dangerous creatures, and a deeply disturbing design for the fully-grown Kalisk, which is covered in quills and has rows of razor-sharp teeth. None of these monsters makes as big an impact as Dek.
Oi-omoi – Silent Hill f
Silent Hill has been a survival horror classic since its debut in 1999, yet it’s had a tough time staying relevant after its first four core games. Fortunately, Silent Hills f, developed by NeoBards Entertainment, is a rewarding return to form. Set in 1960s Japan, Silent Hill f feels more like a Fatal Frame game due to how it digs deep into Japanese folklore and yokai culture. Hinako’s plight during her survival horror adventure is full of upsetting enemies that could give Pyramid Head a run for his money, whether it’s the blade-legged Harai Katashiro, the faceless Kamugara, or the molten-spewing Irohihi.
Any of Silent Hill f’s monsters would steal the show in any other game. However, the most unsettling of the lot is Oi-omoi, a creature that’s an amalgamation of doll heads and limbs that are joined together on an insectile thorax. Like some of the best Silent Hill monsters, Oi-omoi represents trauma, in this case, generational expectations and the extremes that Hinako is pulled between youth and adulthood. Oi-Omoi makes Silent Hill f’s Dark Shrine one of the game’s most terrifying sequences.
Trypanohyncha Ocellus – Alien: Earth
Noah Hawley is one of the most interesting storytellers working in television, and he has an impressive track record when it comes to transforming established properties – Fargo, X-Men, and now Alien – into television series. There was initial skepticism that the sci-fi heights of this totemic franchise would properly translate over to television. Alien: Earth’s first season feels like a prelude to much greater things as it sets the stage and establishes the players for a monumental war. There’s a very human story being told in Alien: Earth, yet it’s also become a satisfying showcase for all sorts of extra-terrestrial creepy crawlies. Ridley Scott’s Prometheus and Alien: Isolation expanded on the Xenomorph’s evolutionary line with some disturbing, new creatures.
Alien: Earth builds upon this trend and uses its terrestrial setting as an opportunity for its alien creatures to borrow more from insects and nature. Alien: Earth’s Fly, Tick, Xenomorph, and the Venus Flytrap-like Drosera Plumbicare are all effectively frightening. However, Alien: Earth’s true star is undeniably the Trypanohyncha Ocellus eye creature that spends the majority of the season contained in an observation tube or lodged in a sheep’s head, planning mankind’s downfall. It’s alarming whenever this creature is on the loose and threatens to take over someone else’s body. There are big things in store for this eye-topus in Alien: Earth’s future.
Pennywise the Dancing Clown – It: Welcome to Derry
Photograph by Brooke Palmer/HBO
Stephen King’s It has a rich history and lore that spans well over a century and, in many ways, feels tailor-made for a seasonal TV series. It: Welcome to Derry takes an ambitious approach that looks at different time periods during each of Pennywise’s attacks, every 27 years. It: Welcome to Derry is just as much about the societal horrors that surround Derry as it is about Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård). The first season demonstrates some real restraint and doesn’t bring Pennywise into the mix until the final episodes, but it doesn’t disappoint.
Bill Skarsgård arguably does his best work as the character in these episodes and seems even more comfortable in Pennywise’s scary skin. It: Welcome to Derry takes some big swings when it comes to Pennywise’s backstory, Bob Gray, and general Derry lore. There’s occasionally an artificial look to some of the more CG-laden scares, but Pennywise never disappoints. This monster’s horrors contain such vicious brutality mixed with unabashed glee as he chomps down on children. Also, the guy looks great in red. Play to your strengths.
The Creature – Frankenstein
A Guillermo del Toro-directed Frankenstein movie may seem a little on the nose, but it’s immensely cathartic to see the director bring one of his dream projects to life. Frankenstein doesn’t stray far from Mary Shelley’s source material, and it’s more or less what one would expect from del Toro on the subject. That being said, the film’s cinematography, art design, makeup, and prosthetics really sell this beautiful gothic nightmare.
Frankenstein’s Monster, The Creature (Jacob Elordi), operates as the movie’s heart and soul. It’s such a delicate performance that’s strengthened through the Creature’s distinct look that’s simultaneously soft and severe, drawing inspiration from Bernie Wrightson’s Frankenstein. Del Toro has a reputation for humanizing misunderstood monsters, whether it’s Hellboy or “The Amphibian Man” from The Shape of Water. Elordi establishes a new standard, the likes of which should be even more enlightening when compared to 2026’s The Bride!
The Grabber – Black Phone 2
Ethan Hawke as The Grabber in Black Phone 2, directed by Scott Derrickson.
Sequels to successful movies are inevitable, especially in horror, and it’s always such a treat when a follow-up film holds its own with its predecessor or even surpasses it. Scott Derrickson‘s The Black Phone told a complete story, yet Black Phone 2 is such a natural extension to the narrative that adeptly switches the focus over from Finn (Mason Thames) to Gwen (Madeleine McGraw), while they both go up against a now-deceased Grabber (Ethan Hawke).
Hawke’s committed performance was one of the best parts of the original movie, and he’s even more unleashed in the sequel. Black Phone 2 turns The Grabber into a Freddy Krueger-esque boogeyman who attacks the subconscious from beyond the grave. This all leads to some gloriously heightened setpieces that go for broke. Hawke channels a powerful rage that makes every moment with The Grabber impossibly tense. The sequel’s snowy visuals make The Grabber look like some demonic, rotting version of Jack Frost. The first Black Phone used The Grabber’s rotating masks to great effect, but Black Phone 2 pushes this concept to more horrifying heights as the deceased villain tears off pieces of his face. It’s a glorious evolution of an already-interesting villain, and hopefully, audiences haven’t seen the last of The Grabber.
The Mommy – V/H/S/Halloween; “Coochie Coochie Coo”
The V/H/S franchise’s resurgence as a Shudder Halloween tradition has led to some of the anthology series’ strongest segments. 2025’s V/H/S/Halloween features a diverse blend of Halloween-centric horror shorts. While Casper Kelly’s “Fun Size“ unleashes an unhinged horror mascot, it’s Anna Zlokovic’s “Coochie Coochie Coo“ that taps into a more unsettling evil.
Zlokovic’s short eats Shelby Oaks’ lunch with the tragic circumstances behind “The Mommy,“ a figure of urban legend who captures people to become her children. The Mommy’s ancient look is reminiscent of Barbarian or even Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, while the stupefied, infantile baby state that takes over the Mommy’s victims is just as creepy. V/H/S shorts are well-versed in downer endings, but “Coochie Coochie Coo’s” conclusion is much worse than death.
Bomb Devil – Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc
Tatsuki Fujimoto‘s Chainsaw Man is a masterpiece in serialized storytelling, but its ultra-violent theatrics also showcase some extremely inspired and disturbing designs for its various Devils. Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc features the Bomb Devil as its central antagonist, and Fujimoto doesn’t hold back with this destructive creature. Reze, the Bomb Devil’s human form, has a tragic backstory of her own that becomes the perfect cover for the horrors that lie within.
When Reze pulls the grenade pin from her neck, she transforms through a series of explosions. The Bomb Devil’s head is an atomic bomb with rows of sharp teeth that look almost Xenomorph-like in nature, while a long apron that’s made out of sticks of dynamite covers her body, and bomb fuses adorn her arms like sleeves. The Bomb Devil fights through the creation of explosions, which can cause damage or propel her through the air. She can also turn her limbs into torpedoes, which strengthen her attacks. Reze’s Bomb Devil cuts to the core of what makes Chainsaw Man so special, and MAPPA’s immaculate visuals help make the Bomb Devil’s horrors truly pop.
Silly Samuel – Smiling Friends
Smiling Friends is an absurdist Adult Swim quarter-hour comedy that actually captures the unpredictable chaos that used to be Adult Swim’s trademark. Smiling Friends is not a horror series, yet its episodes toe the line with dark territory and unflinchingly stare into the abyss. There are some truly unsettling, anachronistic visuals in Smiling Friends that are reminiscent of David Lynch‘s short films. Silly Samuel is a melange of mayhem — an individual who has a torso that’s made out of cheese, one spring arm with a crab claw, a gooey arm, a bicycle horn for a nose, and a cuckoo clock hat. On top of all this, his body produces “silly sausage” through his skin.
Silly Samuel, despite his name and appearance, longs to be taken seriously. He’s endlessly mocked wherever he goes, which only exacerbates his unusual condition. A deeper look into Silly Samuel reveals that a massive artery runs through his crab claw, cheese body, and cuckoo clock, which means none of these silly elements can be removed. Silly Samuel also breathes through his skin, which means that he can’t just hide under some costume. Silly Samuel’s situation is played for laughs, but there’s an inherent cruelty to it and the Kafka-esque nature that plagues him. Silly Samuel is voiced by Connor O’Malley, who channels the perfect unbridled rage and frustration to bring pathos to Silly Samuel’s plight.
Absolute Universe Joker – Absolute Batman
DC Comics’ The Joker has been around for over 85 years and is one of the few monsters who might actually be as notorious and well-known as Frankenstein’s Monster. The Joker has been endlessly reinvented throughout the years, with some of his reinterpretations truly pushing the boundaries of good taste. He’s a character who is designed to bring out darkness and provoke, which makes sure that even the messier versions of the Joker are still fascinating. Scott Snyder’s Absolute Universe imprint has turned into a rewarding exercise for Superman, Wonder Woman, and especially Batman.
Each Absolute Universe counterpart to Batman’s established rogues’ gallery has been an extreme, intimidating force of nature. Absolute Bane, Mister Freeze, Clayface, and Poison Ivy have all been standout adversaries. However, Absolute Batman #15 finally reveals the inspired backstory behind the Absolute Universe’s Joker, Joseph “Jack” Grimm V. The broader strokes of Absolute Batman’s Joker present Jack Grimm as a billionaire philanthropist who has helped out numerous orphanages, having been an orphan himself. He functions like a dark reflection of Bruce Wayne, and he’s created the illusion of an illustrious family when in reality he’s lived to be over 150 years old through blood transfusions with the children he’s supposed to care about.
The Absolute Universe’s Joker really leans into the idea of how a clown is meant to be a mockery of humanity, which Jack Grimm beautifully accomplishes through his front. Grimm’s true face involves a ghastly transformation into a demonic monster who hunts down his prey, the likes of whom he’s left stranded on an island to be consumed. Absolute Batman just scratched the surface of its Joker before 2025’s end, but his grander narrative will definitely be one of the most interesting aspects of Absolute Batman in 2026.
After fifty years of continuous writing, Stephen King has become a genre unto himself.
The unrivaled Master of Horror made a splash in 1974 with his debut novel Carrie and has been terrifying readers ever since. Two years later, Brian De Palma brought this shocking story to the screen with an equally electrifying horror film that remains a genre classic and a prototypical example of “Good For Her” horror. This dual debut seemed to open the floodgates, unleashing endless waves of Stephen King films.
From the highs of Misery, Cujo, and The Shawshank Redemption to the schlocky fun of Cat’s Eye, Creepshow, and Children of the Corn, the last five decades have seen just about every notable horror creator take a stab at the author’s massive collection.
In recent years, this singular subgenre has begun to burst at the seams, expanding to include Stephen King-esque fare. In 2016, brothers Matt and Ross Duffer debuted Stranger Things, a sci-fi series heavily inspired by two of King’s most famous books. The Netflix series remixes Firestarter and It by following a little girl with psychic powers and an intrepid group of kids on bikes who must battle an otherworldly foe and a sinister government agency. With its clever blend of modern effects and comforting nostalgia, this gateway horror series paved the way for Andy Muschietti’s It adaptation which remains the highest grossing horror film of all time.
Four years later, Mike Flanagan would create Midnight Mass, a spiritual adaptation of King’s second novel Salem’s Lot. Published in 1975, the book sees a tiny New England town torn apart by a centuries-old vampire. Though Flanagan’s story is perhaps more tender, both iterations of the classic horror tale follow close-knit communities shaken to their core by the presence of an ancient evil.
In addition to these recent hits, 2025 was a banner year for the Master of Horror. Audiences delighted in six mainstream adaptations, including the massively popular It: Welcome to Derry which chronicles earlier cycles of the titular clown’s reign. With this boost to King’s cultural cache, it’s no surprise that we’ve begun to see more unofficial adaptations of the author’s work and horror creators who build their own unique castles in King’s creative sandbox.
So what defines a Stephen King-esque story?
For the past fifty years, the prolific author has dipped his toes in nearly every subgenre from supernatural stories and grisly gore to western fantasy and science fiction. Including his vast catalogue of short fiction, King has tackled ghosts, demons, werewolves, zombies, aliens, mutants, and self-driving cars, not to mention bizarre monsters of his own creation. But what truly unites this vast array of horror is King’s focus on relatable characters. In his 2000 memoir/instructional text On Writing, the prolific author describes the amusement he finds in writing disparate characters, placing them in horrific scenarios, then exploring the ways they try to survive.
An unofficial Stephen King adaptation may take place in the author’s native New England — bonus points if it’s set in Maine — and reference his well-known heroes and villains. But what makes the King connection unbreakable is a character-driven story about average people who band together in the face of abject terror.
Weapons Captures Small Town Stephen King
Following his 2022 shocker Barbarian, Zach Cregger returned with Weapons, a sprawling story that begins in a doomed elementary school. On an otherwise ordinary day, Justine (Julia Garner) arrives at her desk to find that all but one of her students have disappeared. As the mystery grows increasingly violent, Justine and Archer (Josh Brolin), the father of a missing boy, find their way to the home of Alex (Cary Christopher), the class’ only surviving student. In some ways reminiscent of Salem’s Lot, Weapons swings wildly through the unfortunate town, introducing us to its flawed inhabitants as we watch their lives fall apart.
Cregger’s setup nods to a pair of King short stories. Both “Suffer the Little Children” and “Here There Be Tygers” tackle monstrous presences in elementary schools, but as Weapons reaches its final act, Constant Readers may remember another Stephen King tale. Featured in his 1985 collection Skeleton Crew, “Gramma” introduces us to George, a little boy tormented by an aging witch. On an afternoon alone with his sickly grandmother, the frightened child gradually realizes that the imposing old woman has been waiting for an opportunity to cast a spell that will extend her own life by possessing his body.
Alex finds himself similarly tortured by his aunt Gladys (Amy Madigan), a garish witch who orchestrates a desperate plot to sustain her own strength. Transforming humans into mindless weapons, Gladys has taken over Alex’s family home and lured his classmates to the basement. Holding them in a comatose state, she syphons off their energy to extend her own supernatural life.
Vastly different in many ways, both “Gramma” and Weapons hinge on a sinister witch who uses horrific magical spells to sacrifice the bodies of her vulnerable prey.
Hokum Echoes The Shining and 1408
It’s nearly impossible to watch a film about a haunted hotel without thinking of King’s third novel, The Shining. This icy story follows Jack Torrance, an angry writer struggling with his sobriety and a shameful incident haunting his past. Accompanied by his wife and young son, Jack has taken a job as the winter caretaker for the Overlook, a haunted hotel situated high in the Rocky Mountains. Snowed in, Jack finds himself tormented by dangerous ghosts who amplify his greatest fears.
Damian McCarthy’s Hokum follows a similarly troubled figure. Ohm Bauman (Adam Scott) is a surly writer who travels to the Bilberry Woods Hotel in rural Ireland to spread his parents’ ashes. Haunted by his own tragic past, Ohm finds himself trapped in the honeymoon suite, a decaying room that’s been permanently closed to protect visitors from a dangerous witch trapped within its walls. Visual nods to King’s text abound with woodcut figurines and an animated clock, mirroring ominous descriptions found in King’s text.
Another terrifying sequence sees Ohm staring with horror at a closed door, the only thing separating him from the approaching witch. As the door knob slowly turns, Constant Readers remember Jack’s narrow escape from the ghostly woman in room 217. And Ohm’s popular Conquistador books directly reference King’s long-running fantasy series The Dark Tower which follows a gunslinger named Roland Deschain tasked with protecting the nexus of the universe.
In addition to these thematic comparisons, Hokum bears striking resemblance to King’s terrifying short story “1408.” Collected in 2002’s Everything’s Eventual, the terrifying story follows Mike Enslin, a dejected writer who’s risen to fame penning essays about his adventures in haunted locations. Mike arrives at the Hotel Dolphin and bullies his way into the titular room, despite the manager’s dire warnings. McCarthy nods to this story with an ominously misplaced hotel room door, reminiscent of King’s entry to 1408, an unsuspecting portal that appears to move each time Mike looks away.
However, McCarthy’s most direct reference lies in a minicorder Ohm uses to capture notes. Trapped inside the dreaded honeymoon suite, this device offers well-timed messages while sitting next to a decomposing corpse. Mike records his time in 1408 with his own trusty minicorder. Described for the reader, his tape has captured the man’s slow descent into madness as the room prepares to swallow him whole. With conclusions that differ wildly in tone, both Ohm and Mike find their lives irrevocably changed by encounters with the supernatural realm.
Widow’s Bay Builds Its Own Version of Castle Rock
Katie Dippold’s Widow’s Bay has taken the idea of an unofficial King adaptation and turned it into an art form. The Apple TV series sees the residents of the titular island plagued by a curse that dates back centuries. Not only does the picturesque hamlet not accommodate wifi connections, those born on the island face certain death should they ever try to leave. Desperate to modernize the tiny town, Mayor Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys) draws in waves of tourists just as a new cycle of terror begins.
Blending horror with deft comedy, Dippold makes cheeky references to King’s body of work. Tom warns that, “there’s something in the fog,” reminding readers of King’s 1980 novella The Mist. And Loftis’ own stay in the town’s haunted hotel sees him tormented by the ghost of a murderous clown. We even spy a vintage King hardback peeking out of a local book trade box.
In many ways Widow’s Bay feels like a new iteration of the author’s Little Tall Island, a tiny village off the coast of Maine. In addition to the 1992 novel Dolores Claiborne and a handful of harrowing short stories, this quaint fishing village is also the setting for King’s 1999 teleplay Storm of the Century. Premiering on ABC primetime, this tragic tale follows a terrified group of islanders who batten down the hatches for a dangerous Nor’easter only to find a more sinister threat lurking within.
Constant Readers may also be reminded of Castle Rock, the author’s favorite fictional town.
First introduced in the 1981 novel Cujo, the charming village becomes the star of Needful Things, King’s satire about consumerism. After several Castle Rock stories, we’re reintroduced to its residents as they gossip about the arrival of Leland Gaunt and the grand opening of his curio shop. Anything their hearts desire can be found in his varied inventory, so long as they’re willing to pay the price. Pitting cantankerous neighbors against each other, Gaunt ignites a wave of grisly violence by exploiting long-held resentments and feuds.
The town’s only defense against this supernatural threat is beleaguered sheriff Alan Pangborn. Still grieving the deaths of his wife and younger son, Alan struggles to connect with his older child and pick up the pieces of his shattered life. Also a widower, Loftis struggles to raise his own restless son and explain the strange details of his wife’s tragic death. Attempting to unravel the island’s dark secrets, Tom is aided by quirky residents including a surly fisherman named Wyck (Stephen Root) and Patricia (Kate O’Flynn), an earnest Town Hall employee. King’s own novels feature many of these proactive alliances with disparate characters combining their strengths to overcome insurmountable odds.
With Widow’s Bay renewed for a second season and Mike Flanagan’s Carrie series on the horizon, the future seems bright for new King adaptations, both spiritual and directly pulled from his catalogue. The prolific author also shows no signs of slowing down with two publications nearing release. His upcoming novel, Other Worlds Than These, is the long-awaited third Talisman book which teases direct ties to his Dark Tower world. Holly Forever will be a new installment of his crime series, offering a different kind of genre fare.
This embarrassment of riches spawning multiple worlds seems ripe for spiritual adaptation and will likely inspire horror creators for decades to come.
Kate O’Flynn, Stephen Root and Matthew Rhys in “Widow’s Bay,” now streaming on Apple TV.
You must be logged in to post a comment.