The 25 best scary movies for streaming and screaming

Ilana Gordon, Chris Snellgrove, Randall ColburnWed, September 30, 2026 at 11:07 PM UTC

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‘28 Years Later’; ‘Weapons’; ‘Red Rooms’Credit: Miya Mizuno/Columbia Pictures; Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures; Utopia/Courtesy Everett Collection

Don’t let fear dictate your life; let it drive your movie picks instead.

Summer 2026 was big for horror, with audiences getting the willies from Leviticus, an Australian queer supernatural horror romance, and Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, a slasher about a director (Hannah Einbinder) who develops an infatuation with a horror actress (Gillian Anderson) while working on a franchise reboot. And speaking of infatuation, Curry Barker’s Obsessionhit big with critics and audiences, becoming the top-grossing horror film of this year so far.

While you wait for new releases, there are plenty of scares already streaming to keep your goosebumps on high alert. Hang onto your hatchets because here come the jump scares: These are Entertainment Weekly’s 25 best scary movies streaming year-round.

01 of 25

28 Years Later (2025)

Ralph Fiennes as Dr. Ian Kelson in ‘28 Years Later’Credit: Miya Mizuno/Columbia

Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later proves the franchise still has a lot to say. Released 18 years after 28 Weeks Later (2007), the third installment in the postapocalyptic horror series is set on one of the British Isles, where a community has flourished, isolated from the more evolved versions of the infected that still terrorize the region. The film follows 12-year-old Spike (Alfie Williams), who must contend with his mother’s growing illness and his father’s inability to help her.

Writer Alex Garland and director Boyle reunite for the first time since 28 Days Later (2002), and their collaboration meditates on British culture and isolationism in a post-Brexit, COVID-impacted world. The film’s sequel, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026), is also streaming on Netflix. —Ilana Gordon

Where to watch 28 Years Later: Netflix

EW grade: A–

Director: Danny Boyle

Cast: Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jack O’Connell, Alfie Williams, Ralph Fiennes

02 of 25

The Addiction (1995)

Christopher Walken as Peina and Lili Taylor as Kathleen Conklin in ‘The Addiction’Credit: October Films

Hollywood went through a vampire phase in the 1990s — see Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992), Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), Interview With the Vampire (1994), and Blade (1998) — but one of the lesser-known and less commercial installments was The Addiction. A brooding, philosophical approach to the traditional vampire movie, The Addiction follows Kathleen (Lili Taylor), a New York doctoral student, who is turned into a vampire by a woman named Casanova (Annabella Sciorra) and attempts to understand her new circumstances through hedonistic encounters. Shot in black and white, the film is clearly a metaphor for addiction, sometimes overtly so. But smart direction from Abel Ferrara, plus a dynamic cast, keeps the film from veering into D.A.R.E. commercial territory. —I.G.

Where to watch The Addiction: The Criterion Channel

Director: Abel Ferrara

Cast: Lili Taylor, Christopher Walken, Annabella Sciorra, Edie Falco, Paul Calderón

03 of 25

The Babadook (2014)

Essie Davis as Amelia Vanek and Noah Wiseman as Samuel Vanek in ‘The Babadook’Credit: Matt Nettheim/IFC Films

Long before he became an unexpected gay icon, the Babadook was delivering visceral scares that simultaneously pulled on our heartstrings. The movie constantly makes us question whether the central troubled child (Noah Wiseman) is truly connected to a storybook monster, or if he — and perhaps even his mother (played to chilling perfection by Essie Davis) — is declining psychologically. This is a particularly bleak and scary movie for parents, suggesting we can never keep our children fully safe and stable. —Chris Snellgrove

Where to watch The Babadook: AMC+

Director: Jennifer Kent

Cast: Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman, Hayley McElhinney, Daniel Henshall, Barbara West

04 of 25

Barbarian (2022)

Georgina Campbell as Tess in ‘Barbarian’Credit: 20th Century Fox

Barbarian was 2022’s unexpected horror hit, earning $45 million despite its $4 million budget. It starts off tamely enough — Tess (Georgina Campbell) arrives at the Airbnb she rented only to discover the dwelling was double-booked — but what seems like a film about a woman sharing a space with a stranger takes an abrupt turn for the terrifying when, among other things, a creature called “the Mother” makes its appearance.

Add in a canceled Hollywood actor (Justin Long), and you have a recipe for the darkly comic and deliciously scary Barbarian. Representing comedian and actor Zach Cregger’s writing and directorial debut, the film will keep you guessing throughout, but still offers a satisfying payoff in the end. —I.G.

Where to watch Barbarian: HBO Max

Director: Zach Cregger

Cast: Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård, Justin Long

05 of 25

Bring Her Back (2025)

Jonah Wren Phillips as Oliver and Sally Hawkins as Laura in ‘Bring Her Back’Credit: Ingvar Kenne/A24

A24 knows how to handle horror, and in Bring Her Back, they take audiences on a terrifying ride through grief, gore, and the occult. From the directors of Talk to Me (2022), Bring Her Back is an Australian film about processing trauma and the lengths to which people will go to hang onto their loved ones.

After their father dies unexpectedly, stepsiblings Piper and Andy move in with Laura (Sally Hawkins), an eccentric woman who is also fostering a mute child named Oliver. Critics were quick to praise the film’s performances, especially Hawkins’ work as a deranged foster mother, and fans of Goodnight Mommy will find that Bring Her Back scratches a similar itch. —I.G.

Where to watch Bring Her Back: HBO Max

Directors: Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou

Cast: Billy Barratt, Sora Wong, Jonah Wren Phillips, Sally Hawkins

06 of 25

The Burning (1981)

Lou David as Cropsy in ‘The Burning’Credit: Everett Collection

“What happened one summer five years ago is about to happen again and again,” warns the trailer for The Burning, an ‘80s slasher film set at an American summer camp. Five years earlier, several campers pulled a prank on Camp Blackfoot’s caretaker, Cropsy, that caused him to suffer horrific and disfiguring injuries. Released from the hospital and determined to seek vengeance, Cropsy begins terrorizing the campers at another summer camp — Camp Stonewater. Notable for serving as the film debut for young actors like Jason Alexander, Holly Hunter, and Fisher Stevens (all of whom appear in small roles), The Burning is violent, sadistic, and gives off strong Friday the 13th vibes. —I.G.

Where to watch The Burning: Prime Video

Director: Tony Maylam

Cast: Brian Matthews, Leah Ayres, Brian Backer, Larry Joshua, Lou David

07 of 25

Carnival of Souls (1962)

Candace Hilligoss as Mary Henry in ‘Carnival of Souls’Credit: LMPC/Getty

After an accident pushes their car off the road, Mary (Candace Hilligoss) awakens on the banks of a river in Kansas with no memory of how she got there or what happened to her friends. Puzzled and shaken, Mary proceeds with her plans to move to Salt Lake City, where she’s been hired as the new organist at a local church. But no matter where Mary goes, mysterious events, creepy people (including one played by the film’s director, Herk Harvey), and sinister spirits seem to follow.

Watching Carnival of Souls today feels like witnessing a slew of Easter eggs before they’ve even happened, as many genre filmmakers have been inspired by the haunting imagery, gothic music, and ending that continues to baffle even decades later. An EW critic writes, “More than just scary, it’s arrestingly odd, with a bats-in-the-belfry 3 a.m. loneliness that you plug into like a private dream.” —I.G.

Where to watch Carnival of Souls: HBO Max

Director: Herk Harvey

Cast: Candace Hilligoss, Sidney Berger

08 of 25

Creep (2014)

Mark Duplass as Josef in ‘Creep’Credit: Blumhouse Productions/Duplass Brothers Productions

Longtime horror nerds know that Blumhouse has a mixed bag of films. Fortunately, director Patrick Brice’s Creep is one of the better treasures in that trove, following a cameraman (played by Brice himself) who takes a Craigslist job that involves recording an off-kilter dying client (Mark Duplass) as an artifact for his unborn son. This setup makes for a refreshing and stripped-down found footage film. Trust us: Even if you normally hate the format, you’ll love this bonkers tale that mines much of its scares from a surprisingly psychological angle.

As Duplass told EW, the collective vibe of this movie was, “Let’s just make it super weird and make it the crazy little monster that it is.” The result is an eye-opening exercise in terror that will especially impress those who think the subgenre peaked at the onset with The Blair Witch Project (1999). —C.S.

Where to watch Creep: Netflix

Director: Patrick Brice

Cast: Mark Duplass, Patrick Brice

09 of 25

Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (2018)

Park Ji-hyun as Ji-hyun in ‘Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum’Credit: Well Go USA/Courtesy Everett Collection

YouTubers will do a lot of questionable things for views, but in Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum, one channel’s livestream ends with more of its participants dead than alive. A South Korean found footage horror film set in the Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital, the movie follows a web series creator and the six people he recruits to explore the abandoned building. Drawn to room 402, the former intensive care unit, the group encounters supernatural entities they can’t explain and danger they can’t escape.

Based on the real-life Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital — a South Korean asylum that was considered one of the country’s most haunted buildings before it was demolished in 2018 — the film starts off slow, but will have you lunging for the lights by the time the ending arrives. —I.G.Where to watch Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum: TubiDirector: Jung Bum-shikCast: Wi Ha-joon, Park Ji-hyun, Oh Ah-yeon, Moon Ye-won, Park Sung-hoon

10 of 25

Goodnight Mommy (2014)

Susanne Wuest as Mother in ‘Goodnight Mommy’Credit: RADiUS-TWC

There is no shortage of creepy twins in horror (“Come play with us, Danny!”), and the most terrifying example from recent memory is in Austria’s Goodnight Mommy, which premiered in 2014 at the Venice International Film Festival and was released theatrically a year later. A psychological horror story, Goodnight Mommy follows two 9-year-old twin boys who begin to question their mother’s identity after she returns from intensive cosmetic surgery as a seemingly different person than the parent they once knew. The boys commit to ousting the imposter and finding the location of their real mother, but their investigation leads to truths too horrifying to process.

A remake starring Naomi Watts arrived in 2022 and is streaming on Prime Video. Feel free to binge both versions, but definitely start with the original. —I.G.

Where to watch Goodnight Mommy: Tubi

Directors: Veronika Franz, Severin Fiala

Cast: Susanne Wuest, Elias Schwarz, Lukas Schwarz

11 of 25

The Host (2006)

Song Kang-ho as Park Gang-du in ‘The Host’Credit: Magnolia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

Bong Joon Ho decided to make a monster movie for his third feature film, and with The Host, he succeeds in crafting a terrifying family drama. The trouble begins when an American scientist instructs his South Korean assistant to dispose of dirty chemicals into the Han River, thus creating a monster. Years later, said monster emerges from the water to terrorize the people of Seoul and kidnap a teenage girl.

The Host follows the members of the girl’s multi-generational family as they hunt the creature down. A monster movie that editorializes on themes like pandemics (at the time: SARS), health care, government bureaucracy, consumerism, and American-Korean relations, EW’s critic suggests that The Host “should become the hip, thinking-person’s monster movie of choice.” —I.G.

Where to watch The Host: Prime Video

Director: Bong Joon Ho

Cast: Song Kang-ho, Byun Hee-bong, Park Hae-il, Bae Doona, Go Ah-sung

12 of 25

Lake Mungo (2008)

Martin Sharpe as Mathew Palmer in ‘Lake Mungo’Credit: Lionsgate

Given that everything natural on the continent is designed to kill you, Australia seems an ideal setting for a scary movie. But in the psychological horror film Lake Mungo — set in Ararat, Australia — the fear isn’t born from external foes, but rather from the terror required to succumb to the depths of human feeling. Lake Mungo begins with the accidental drowning of 16-year-old Alice Palmer. Upon returning home, her brother Matthew believes he sees Alice’s ghost, but further investigation from the Palmer family reveals that Alice was seeing premonitions of her death.

Far from providing closure, the family begins to realize that the more they learn about Alice’s personal life, the less they understand about what happened to her. Shot in mockumentary style and incorporating elements of found footage, Lake Mungo is, at its core, a horror movie about human behavior and navigating grief. —I.G.

Where to watch Lake Mungo: Tubi

Director: Joel Anderson

Cast: Talia Zucker, Rosie Traynor, David Pledger

13 of 25

M3GAN (2023)

M3GAN in ‘M3GAN’Credit: Geoffrey Short/Universal Pictures

It is a truth universally acknowledged — at least in horror movies — that dolls are terrifying. But forget Chucky and Annabelle, because M3GAN isn’t your average genre villain. Designed by Gemma (Allison Williams), a professional toy roboticist, M3GAN is powered by generative AI, packaged in a childlike body, and designed to be a loyal companion to the kid formally paired with her.

Unfortunately, the playmate takes her role as protector very seriously, and when Gemma becomes the caretaker for her recently orphaned niece, Cady (Violet McGraw), M3GAN goes rogue. Now facing off against an uncontrollable robot with a penchant for murder (and viral dance moves), Gemma and her co-workers must find a way to power their creation down forever — or risk dying at her hands. For more time with M3GAN, check out the sequel, M3GAN 2.0 (2025), which is streaming on Netflix. —I.G.

Where to watch M3GAN: Netflix

EW grade: B+

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Director: Gerard Johnstone

Cast: Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Ronny Chieng, Jenna Davis, Amie Donald

14 of 25

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

The cast of ‘Night of the Living Dead’Credit: Everett

George Romero thought Night of the Living Dead would be a “one-off,” but his seminal zombie flick has persevered to fundamentally shape the modern horror landscape. The Dead franchise spawned numerous entries and imitators, most notably Dawn of the Dead (1978) and its well-regarded 2004 remake, and one of the most successful TV series of this century arguably wouldn’t exist without his low-budget lark.

Named one of EW’s scariest movies of all time, Romero’s slow-burn, documentary-like approach to the apocalypse is as mundane as it is violent; the end comes not with an explosion, but the slow encroachment of our dead loved ones. Notable, too, is Duane Jones, a Black actor, as the film’s protagonist, not to mention the film’s final moments, which resonated deeper than Romero would ever have imagined. As he tells EW upon hearing how much his film had impacted Frank Darabont, co-creator of The Walking Dead, “It’s still hard for me to realize how influential that film was.” —Randall Colburn

Where to watch Night of the Living Dead: HBO Max

Director: George Romero

Cast: Judith O’Dea, Duane Jones, Marilyn Eastman, Karl Hardman, Judith Ridley

15 of 25

Nosferatu (2024)

Lily-Rose Depp as Ellen Hutter in ‘Nosferatu’Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features

Robert Eggers finally got to direct the story he’s always wanted to remake with this haunting gothic horror drama. Based on 1922’s Nosferatu, which was itself an unofficial interpretation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the Victorian-set film follows a woman named Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp) who has an abnormal psychic connection with a faraway vampire, Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård).

Things escalate when Ellen’s husband, Thomas (Nicholas Hoult), accepts an opportunity to sell Count Orlok a manor in town, and the parasitic vampire’s arrival spells doom for the townsfolk. Unsettling and graphic with an undeniably dark romantic draw, Nosferatu is one of the most elegantly made horror films in recent years. —Kevin Jacobsen

Where to watch Nosferatu: Hulu

Director: Robert Eggers

Cast: Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Bill Skarsgård, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin

16 of 25

Obsession (2026)

Inde Navarrette as Nikki and Michael Johnston as Bear in ‘Obsession’Credit: Focus Features

Wish fulfillment goes terribly wrong in Obsession, one of this year’s most talked-about films. Bear Bailey (Michael Johnston) has an unrequited crush on his friend, Nikki (Inde Navarrette). Desperate to make her love him back, he makes a wish on a novelty toy, only to discover it’s been interpreted literally and granted to the extreme.

Word-of-mouth and social media memes helped grow this Gen Z independent film into a critical and commercial hit, and the movie is well-deserving of its success. A clever commentary on male entitlement in dating, the film’s ending is gruesome, but thematically appropriate. If you liked Barbarian, you’ll love Obsession. —I.G.

Where to watch Obsession: Peacock

Director: Curry Barker

Cast: Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless, Andy Richter

17 of 25

Prey (2022)

Dane DiLiegro as the Predator in ‘Prey’Credit: 20th Century Studios

The Predator monster has terrified audiences for nearly 40 years, but in the story’s prequel/fifth installment, the tables turn, and the monster becomes the prey. The film follows Naru (Amber Midthunder), a Comanche warrior with the heart of a hunter, who seeks to prove her skills and protect her tribe by catching a predator. Professional basketball player–turned–horror star Dane DiLiegro plays the film’s eponymous villain and says the story is strong enough to win viewers over, even without its affiliation to the beloved horror franchise.

In an interview, he tells EW, “There just happens to be a Predator involved. Honestly, you could have shot this movie with a different monster and it still probably would have worked.” If you’re in the market for a solid action thriller that still makes time to flesh out its main characters, sink your teeth into Prey. —I.G.

Where to watch Prey: Hulu

Director: Dan Trachtenberg

Cast: Amber Midthunder, Dane DiLiegro, Dakota Beavers, Michelle Thrush, Harlan Blayne Kytwayhat

18 of 25

A Quiet Place (2018)

Emily Blunt as Evelyn Abbott and Millicent Simmonds as Regan Abbott in ‘A Quiet Place’Credit: Jonny Cournoyer/Paramount Pictures

What if cottagecore could kill? That’s the implicit question posed by A Quiet Place, a film in which writer-director John Krasinski and Emily Blunt must raise a family on the road. But it’s not by choice: Society collapsed after the world was invaded by violent creatures who cannot see but track prey through sound, making any sudden noise or wrong move a near-immediate death sentence. (The 2024 prequel, A Quiet Place: Day One, covers how all this started…)

It’s an inventive premise that won over EW’s critic, who wrote that Krasinski “has conjured a taut, breathless little trick of a movie around it: 90 minutes of slow-drip dread and well-earned jump scares that dissipate” and that he “builds a sustained mood in ways that feel both modern and pleasingly old-school, with its shades of Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and other ‘80s touchstones.” —C.S.

Where to watch A Quiet Place: Paramount+

EW grade: B+

Director: John Krasinski

Cast: Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe

19 of 25

Red Rooms (2023)

Juliette Gariepy as Kelly-Anne in ‘Red Rooms’Credit: Utopia/Courtesy Everett

Psychological thrillers don’t come much darker than the French Canadian film Red Rooms. Kelly-Anne is a model and online poker player who has become fascinated with a local murder trial. Every day she shows up at the courthouse to watch Ludovic Chevalier prosecuted for the alleged murder of three teenage girls whose deaths were recorded and distributed as snuff films on the dark web.

When Kelly-Anne meets another true crime voyeur named Clementine, the two women bond over their shared fascination with the trial. But the longer the trial goes on, the deeper Kelly-Anne finds herself journeying into the internet’s most terrifying spaces in search of more information about the killer and his victims. A slow-burn crime thriller told through the eyes of an enigmatic lead character, the film turns the mirror on the audience, asking them to reconsider their relationship with true crime and the victims and criminals involved. —I.G.

Where to watch Red Rooms: AMC+

Director: Pascal Plante

Cast: Juliette Gariépy, Laurie Babin, Elisabeth Locas, Maxwell McCabe-Lokos, Natalie Tannous

20 of 25

Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

Mia Farrow as Rosemary Woodhouse in ‘Rosemary’s Baby’Credit: Mary Evans/AF Archive/Everett

Suburban horror is effective because no over-the-top movie monster can be more menacing than one’s nosy neighbors. Rosemary’s Baby(which is a powerhouse for Mia Farrow and supporting actors like John Cassavetes) is the terrifying tale of a very pregnant woman who, after moving into a new apartment, discovers something sinister is happening in both her building and her body. That domestic threat is all the more frightening because it lurks beneath a saccharine veneer. —C.S.

Where to watch Rosemary’s Baby: Paramount+

Director: Roman Polanski

Cast: Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer, Maurice Evans

21 of 25

Sinners (2025)

Michael B. Jordan as Smoke and Miles Caton as Sammie in ‘Sinners’Credit: Warner Bros.

The period horror film has so much to offer, it’s hard to know what to highlight. Directed by Ryan Coogler from his own Oscar-winning script, Sinners stars Academy Award winner Michael B. Jordan in dual roles as twin brothers Smoke and Stack, who return to their hometown in the Mississippi Delta to create a juke joint for the Black community. But when the spot’s music is powerful enough to summon supernatural forces to its door, the bar’s patrons struggle to survive their night of revelry.

Set in 1932, the first half of the movie is a compelling drama about gangster brothers returning to the South and confronting their past loves and hopes for the future. The second half — a bacchanalian, gore-filled night of singing, dancing, and vampire attacks — is both gripping and terrifying. —I.G.

Where to watch Sinners: HBO Max

Director: Ryan Coogler

Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku

22 of 25

Smile (2022)

Sosie Bacon as Rose Cotter and Jack Sochet as Carl Renken in ‘Smile’Credit: Paramount Pictures/Everett

Horror is a bit like history: Even when it doesn’t repeat itself, the genre very often rhymes. That’s the case with Smile, a scary movie in the same vein as It Follows (2014), making the most out of a monstrous force that is passed along and possesses people in unexpected ways.

The cast (particularly Sosie Bacon and Jessie T. Usher) does a great job livening these characters, who are instantly out of their depth when confronted with all this grinning ghoulishness. EW’s critic deems first-time director Parker Finn “a pleasingly nervy stylist, letting the camera tilt and flip at seasick angles and ratcheting the tension as he goes.” —C.S.

Where to watch Smile: Paramount+

EW grade: B

Director: Parker Finn

Cast: Sosie Bacon, Jessie T. Usher, Kyle Gallner, Kal Penn, Rob Morgan

23 of 25

The Substance (2024)

Demi Moore as Elisabeth Sparkle in ‘The Substance’Credit: Christine Tamalet/Courtesy of TIFF

Demi Moore takes on her best role yet in The Substance, a body horror satire about celebrity, aging, and Hollywood’s pressure on women to look perfect. Moore stars as Elisabeth Sparkle, a Jane Fonda-esque TV personality who is fired from her aerobics show when she turns 50. To save her career, Elisabeth takes a single-use substance that creates Sue (Margaret Qualley), a younger version of herself. But when Sue and Elisabeth struggle for control over Elisabeth’s body and life, it’s unclear who will win. Moore’s work on the film earned her an Academy Award nod for Best Actress, and The Substance comes well-recommended by critics and filmmakers for its fun script, audacious execution, and clever premise and performances. —I.G.

Where to watch The Substance: HBO Max

EW grade: B+

Director: Coralie Fargeat

Cast: Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, Dennis Quaid

24 of 25

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

Gunnar Hansen as Leatherface in ‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’Credit: Everett Collection

One of the forebears of the horror genre, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre built the sadistic road map followed by many modern films — the Saw and Hostel franchises among them. A movie that prompted nine sequels and inspired 2022’s X, this ‘70s torture film only needs a chainsaw and a face mask sewn from human skin to drive its viewers into spasms of terror.

Following a group of young hippies who visit an old family farmhouse and end up encountering the home’s murderous next-door neighbors, EW calls The Texas Chain Saw Massacre the “template for modern horror.” As EW’s critic writes, “What Chain Saw channeled, far more than any other horror film of its time, was the dementia, the terrifying insanity, of violence. It made you feel like you were really experiencing what it was like to be murdered.” —I.G.

Where to watch The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: Prime Video

Director: Tobe Hooper

Cast: Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow, Gunnar Hansen

25 of 25

Weapons (2025)

Julia Garner as Justine and Josh Brolin as Archer in ‘Weapons’Credit: Quantrell Colbert/Warner Bros. Pictures

Another one of 2025’s top horror projects, Weapons is the second film for writer-director Zach Cregger (Barbarian). Julia Garner and Josh Brolin lead an ensemble cast in this story about a class of children who mysteriously go missing — and the people they left behind. While not officially intended as a metaphor for school shootings, it’s hard not to notice the parallels.

Garner stars as Justine, the kids’ teacher, and Brolin appears as Archer, the father of a missing child. Cregger divides Weapons into six chapters, each told from the perspective of one of the main characters, and the film’s structure, eerie cinematography, and an Oscar-winning performance from Amy Madigan as Gladys transform Weapons into a terrifying and emotional horror mystery. —I.G.

Where to watch Weapons: HBO Max

Director: Zach Cregger

Cast: Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Cary Christopher

on Entertainment Weekly

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