Best Black Horror Movies of 2025

HIM
Jordan Peele’s attachment as producer raised hopes for this horror tale set within the world of professional football, but there’s only so much he can do for this aggressively dumb assault on the senses. While there is something to the horrific nature of the NFL—being paid tremendous amounts to be treated as chattel with a high risk of permanently debilitating injury—this film plays like a 90-minute hip-hop music video trying to turn every aspect of the game into a Halloween haunted house exhibit (Parties! Women! Fans! Injuries! Contracts! Drugs!), all loosely tied together in a threadbare plot with well-worn Faustian allusions that can only make sense if taken metaphorically. It wants to be edgy satire, but it’s humorless, seems to revel in the machismo it wants to parody, and, led by Marlon Wayans’ over-the-top Denzel in Training Day performance, it beats you over the head so much, you’ll feel like you’ve played an entire football season by the end.

Run
Frequent offender Chris Stokes (of You Got Served fame and Somebody Help Me anonymity), who released seven films this year and has directed more than 30 since 2020, strikes again, this time in a more entertainingly bad fashion than usual. Stilted action, cringey CGI, inane dialogue, and overwrought acting plague the story of five flat, interchangeable friends who go on a girls’ trip to a cabin in the woods just as a global alien invasion commences. Alien ships attack major cities around the world…and, for some reason, the random stretch of woods where they’re staying. Lucky for them, these superhuman beings with incredible strength and agility can’t manage to break into a lodge with big-ass, uncurtained picture windows. The pièce de résistance, however, is the revelation that the creatures’ weakness is the FLASHLIGHT APP. Laughable in all aspects, Run is the horror equivalent of Ice Cube’s “so bad it’s good” War of the Worlds.

An overly long and uneventful first half finally gives way to the crux of the story more than an hour in: a school teacher (Michelle Dede)—Ms. Kanyin if you’re nasty—is accidentally killed by students stealing test answers and returns from the dead for supernatural vengeance. The much more lively second half of the film is a fun low-budget slasher best enjoyed for its unintentional laughs and for the novelty of seeing familiar slasher tropes playing out in a small-town Nigerian setting.

This Tubi serial killer procedural boasts good pacing and a solid cast headed by Joyce Glenn as a homicide detective and Dorien Wilson as her estranged father who uses his chess expertise to help her solve a series of…chess-themed murders? How convenient! The inherently campy concept helps keep things interesting even if you figure out where it’s all headed.

Let the games begin when a couple (Emidio Lopes and Shailene Garnett) on a getaway to a remote rental house discovers that the homeowner (Emmanuel Kabongo) has other plans for the weekend. It’s a cat-and-mouse thriller that builds its relationships with admirable care—perhaps to a fault, as it’s easily 20 minutes too long. Still, a strong cast propels a story that overcomes long stretches of predictability with a striking, emotional climax.

Running a fine line between talky nonsense and inspired satire, Et Tu plays off the events of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, a production of which sees its director (Lou Diamond Phillips) go mad, taking an ambitious understudy (Antwone Barnes) along with him. Dark comedic touches and a deliciously grim finale engender enough good will to overlook some questionable pacing and plot elements.

Shot in 2020, Don’t Log Off wasn’t released until 2025, but it’s not as bad as the notoriously awful War of the Worlds, which endured a similar delay. One of several “Zoom horror” movies made during the pandemic, this one holds its own among the bunch, with a solid ensemble cast led by Kara Royster (and also featuring Khylin Rhambo, although the biggest name is probably Ariel Winter) and an intriguing mystery in which each person on a group call disappears one by one while checking on a missing friend. It’s an entertaining, if unoriginal, watch, even though the payoff isn’t as rewarding as it should be.

Similar to the 2024 documentary It’s Coming, this doc presents a portrait of a Black family professing to be tormented by supernatural entities. In this case, there’s more of a religious angle, with the malicious beings being specifically described as demons and with much of the conversation revolving about the family’s religious beliefs. Like It’s Coming, Satan, Get Thee Behind Me is refreshingly non-sensationalized, lacking outside narration, which allows the subjects to speak for themselves—and it similarly presents no concrete answers one way or another. It’s basically the family’s word, and it’s up to you to believe them or not. But the most interesting aspect is, regardless of your belief, the case study the film presents of the intersectionality of race, religious belief, and mental illness. Is the fact that Black Americans are less likely to seek mental health treatment due in part to Black Christians’ belief that mental illness might be tied to demons? Or maybe the fact that Black Americans haven’t historically had easy access to therapeutic options? That and more can be culled from this thought-provoking documentary, which provides no easy solutions.

This movie, in which a mute Black girl (Avangeline Friedlander) plagued by an evil entity is adopted by a white couple, is complete nonsense—in the best way possible. That is, it conveys its nonsense with such an increasingly devil-may-care bonkers approach that you have to just sit back, turn off your brain, and enjoy the kitschy ride. Don’t think about what’s happening, and certainly don’t think about what would likely happen after the closing credits roll (hint: everyone would be arrested).

This Tubi sequel goes a more generic route than the first film, playing like a low-rent I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, with heroine Kay (Khosi Ngema) heading to an island retreat with her father (Pope Jerrod) to recover from the trauma of her experience, only to fall prey to a killer stalking the guests. The father-daughter “final couple” pairing is a nice spin on the typical slasher formula, and while the movie is inferior to the original, it’s buoyed by a fun second half that doesn’t take itself seriously and gives in to the goofiness of its over-the-top villain.

Mining horror out of the musical realm in a manner similar to Sound of Violence (with an A.I. twist), Decibel presents the intriguing scenario of a struggling singer, Scout (Aleyse Shannon), who’s invited by a tech mogul to a remote, state-of-the-art musical studio. As is typical of tech moguls, there are ulterior motives, and Scout finds herself the subject of a sinister plot. Clocking in at a scant 79 minutes, Decibel’s thin script ultimately keeps it from truly exploring the breadth of where the story could go, but the strong performances, visual flair, and catchy soundtrack are enough to overcome the flagging thrills.

Falling in line with director Jem Garrard’s previous films (Invasive, Invasive 2, Slay, Killer High), Takeout maintains its predecessors’ trend of fun, easy-to-digest horror fare with a diverse cast. Like the others, it’s modestly budgeted with a limited setting—in this case, an isolated roadside diner whose staff of three, led by heroine Nova (N’kone Mametja), thinks that one of their customers is a notorious serial killer. The “cozy horror” setup ratchets up the tension while the broadly drawn characters provide the comedy. Neither the horror nor the humor are earth-shattering, but they’re breezy and enjoyable popcorn fare, like the rest of Gerrard’s remarkably consistent body of work.

One of the more puzzling efforts of the year, Opus might not be thrilling enough to satisfy horror fans nor funny enough to satisfy comedy fans. That said, while it’s too understated to fully utilize the wonderful Ayo Edebiri—who stars as a young journalist invited to a listening party for a reclusive music icon (John Malkovich) held at his remote compound—the film is attractively shot with an outstanding cast (including Juliette Lewis, Tony Hale, and Murray Bartlett) and a heady script that builds to a gripping conclusion, although, given the star power, it seems to only scratch the surface of its potential.

This BET+ film—about a couple (D’Kia Anderson and Patrick Walker) that moves to a Twilight Zone-y small town with plenty of secrets—impressively manages to maintain a sense of intrigue without becoming frustrating, as the mystery isn’t revealed until very late. How much sense that reveal makes is debatable, but there are enough thrills and chills and endearing weirdness to keep you from asking too many questions.

The camp factor is off the charts in this deliciously demented spin on the Fatal Attraction scenario, this time with an unhinged middle-aged woman, Veronica (Latarsha Rose), who desperately wants a young college gigolo named Mike (Jibre Hordges) to be her son. It’s just plain dumb fun that’s best enjoyed in a group setting as you yell at the screen and laugh at the ridiculousness of not only the mommy villain, but also Mike and his live-in girlfriend, Gia (Liyah Chante Thompson), the latter of whom apparently is OK with Mike using a “sugar mama” app to have sex with older women for money, but this nonsexual, maternal relationship is a bridge too far. It’s a craptastic ride all the way up to the eye-rolling finale.

If you thought there was only one period horror movie released in 2025 about Black folks battling vampires, think again. Resurrection Road takes things even further back than Sinners: back to the Civil War, with a Black Union regiment sent on a Dirty Dozen-styled suicide mission to attack a Confederate fort located on a mysterious stretch of land that houses a deadly secret. It’s a bit rough around the edges, with budgetary constraints limiting its special effects, action set pieces, and overall story (it runs less than 80 minutes), but it’s got a pulpy flair, and Malcolm Goodwin’s committed performance as the leader of the mission grounds what could’ve otherwise been a runaway stagecoach.

This schlocky Canadian fare somehow manages to keep a straight face despite a plot revolving around a Satanist-run professional wrestling tournament in which the losers become human sacrifices. Arguably, it plays things too straight, only reaching its off-the-wall potential in its final moments. Still, it’s admirable that the film doesn’t shy away from the racial dynamics of the 1980s wrestling circuit—in which “the Trinidadian Trixster” Miss Behave (Ayisha Issa) is relegated to being the villainous “heel” while a young, blond upstart thrives as the heroic “face.” Issa’s strong, assured presence anchors the movie as she and a ragtag band of grapplers unwittingly become trapped in a battle to the death. It’s a welcome throwback to the classic grindhouse days of the ‘70s, and while it could stand to be more outrageous, given the storyline, there’s still plenty to enjoy.

While it has the air of a run-of-the-mill Lifetime thriller, this Tubi film distinguishes itself in the glutted marketplace with outstanding lead performances and a twisty plot that, while it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, tosses several suspense elements into the mix to keep us engaged—most notably, mixing a Fatal Attraction-styled psycho thriller with a Hitchcockian Strangers on a Train storyline. Meyon Jacobs stars as an inspirational speaker in a troubled marriage who encounters a deranged fan (Tristan Cunningham) who proposes they kill each other’s spouses. Tubi thrillers are a dime a dozen, but Kill for a Kill overcomes generic outer trappings to deliver a surprisingly well-acted, shockingly effective and dramatic final product.

Eye for an Eye feels like a high-end SyFy monster movie of the week, never truly excelling at any one thing but delivering rock-solid, comfy horror entertainment with stylish visuals, a memorably creature (the Sandman, who apparently eats eyeballs like bonbons), and good performances (led by S. Epatha Merkerson and Whitney Peak as her granddaughter, a newly orphaned teen who runs afoul of said Sandman), plus an engaging story that should appeal to fans of the Pumpkinhead series.

This horror-Western boats considerable star power and the engrossing core concept of a desperate white man (Guy Pearce) hired by a former slave woman (DeWanda Wise) to guide her and her unnaturally pale daughter to see a faith healer (Bill Pullman), whom she hopes can remove the evil she fears lives within the girl. The relationship between the two leads remains compelling throughout despite being underdeveloped, as if something was left on the cutting room floor, but the stellar cast and central mystery—plus, for fans of evil kid movies, the scenes of a little girl giving folks the “death touch”—carry you through.

This horror-comedy makes the most of its modest resources with a wry sense of humor, some endearingly low-grade special effects, and a fun concept: a struggling musician (Terrence Carey) urged by his girlfriend to get a corporate job is hired at a mysterious company whose employees run on its suspiciously addictive homemade kombucha. The film thankfully doesn’t try too hard with the comedy; it’s low-key and more situational in nature, dryly parodying the ridiculousness of corporate culture and New Age health kicks. The result is a biting, playful treat, much more entertaining than a lot of higher budgeted efforts this year.

The freshness of the material in The Long Walk suffers from being made 40-plus years after the Stephen King novel upon which it’s based, but what still resonates in today’s increasingly authoritarian America is the powerful underlying story of an annual competition in which 50 adolescent boys walk until all but one die. It’s a testament to the wonderful cast that the film remains harrowing despite a concept that’s inherently talky and repetitive, with moments of forced sentimentality from characters who sometimes come off as caricatures. Veering away from the book, the character of McVries (David Jonsson) is Black in the film—as is Baker, played by Tut Nyuot—meaning that two of the four walkers comprising the main “Musketeer” group we’re rooting for are Black. A more drastic change from King’s work is the fact that *SPOILER ALERT* McVries ends up as the last man standing, placing him as a co-lead with the book’s more singular protagonist, Garraty—who, in the film, pulls off the rare feat of sacrificing himself for the Black guy.

Brittany O’Grady stars in this found footage film as documentarian Emily, whose latest subject is personal: her own strained relationship with her estranged mother. After years of substance abuse, Emily’s mom has reached out, claiming to be clean and sober and yearning to reconcile. However, their reunion is short-lived, as Mom goes missing, and the documentary morphs into a true-crime investigation of a string of similar disappearances and a dark secret buried deep beneath the small town. Directed by documentary filmmaker Pedro Kos, In Our Blood carries a gritty realism (aided by the use of “non-actors” in some scenes) that pulls you in, and while the drawn-out mystery might test your patience, the twisty, out-of-left-field revelation of what’s really going on makes it worth the while.

This refreshingly quirky and out-of-the-box comedic thriller delivers oddball characters and off-kilter scenarios with an enjoyable deadpan flair and a low-fi indie vibe that often feels like a feature-length Adult Swim sketch. Not one, not two, but THREE Black protagonists lead the way in the story of a kidnap victim’s (Sterling Macer Jr.) attempt to escape his captor by mailing a hastily scrawled letter whose clues the postal workers (led by Tomas Boykin and Micki Jackson) have to decipher. What follows revels in the dark humor of the ridiculous situation, although it plays things remarkably straight, delivering (pun intended) a level of novelty that is hard to come by in today’s horror cinema.

A pregnant woman (Erin Kellyman) awakens on a small island with no memory and is told by the man living there (Ivanno Jeremiah) that she’s his wife. She’s understandably wary, and what begins as an amnesiac drama morphs into a paranoid thriller and then into something altogether different when some wild turns kick in around the 25-minute mark. Woken is one of those films that’s best enjoyed without knowing too much going in. While it suffers a bit from budgetary constraints, it consistently delivers thrills alongside heartfelt emotion in a story that, once it kicks into gear, rarely lets up.

This gritty hybrid of action, thriller, drama, and horror is the first of two films on this list starring Danielle Deadwyler, who plays the matriarch of a family in a near future decimated by famine, war, and disease. Holed up on her remote homestead with her Native husband and their blended family, she and her clan must fight off invading cannibals while finding the right balance between self-preservation and compassion for others. A slow first hour gives way to a cracking final 30 minutes that plays a bit like a zombie-less Walking Dead crossed with It Comes At Night. Race isn’t an overtly central plot point, but it’s hard to ignore given the title of the movie, the surname of the Black family (Freeman), and the fact that the invading baddies are primarily white (one of whom wears an insurrection-worthy horned fur hat) and are trying to dispossess Black and Native folks from their rightful land. Its exploration of humanity in a world gone mad is particularly resonant in today’s political landscape, and it’s hard not to feel that this fictionalized future isn’t all that far-fetched.

Jaquel Spivey and Katy O’Brian headline this deliriously fun zom-com in which a New York City drag show is preempted by a zombie outbreak. There’s little that hasn’t been done in the zombie genre, but Queens of the Dead manages to carve its own niche by placing the action in the drag show and club world populated by a sea of unapologetic diversity, while adding unique touches like silver-skinned club zombies and undead rats. Writer-director Tina Romero even slyly takes a page out of her father’s playbook by portraying zombies continuing to monitor their cell phones, much like how the elder Romero showed zombies “shopping” at the mall in Dawn of the Dead. The horror element is light, of course—this is much more comedy than horror—but exceptional comedic performances abound within a cast that generates such good vibes that you may find yourself wishing you were in the middle of a zombie apocalypse with them.

Heart Eyes is a pitch-perfect blend of slasher and romantic comedy—two oft-maligned genres that are hard to pull off individually, much less together—that toys with the conventions of both genres, hitting the expected beats with respect, love, and a sense of glee. Mason Gooding plays the romantic guy falling for the love-averse gal Oliva Holt at the unfortunate time when a serial killer is stalking couples. The horror, comedy, and romance angles balance delightfully and with such ease that you have to wonder why the slash-rom-com isn’t more of a thing.

A simple yet tense setup—a widow and her two children are menaced by a mystery woman in black sitting silently in their front yard—draws you in, but it’s the superb performances (led by the always great Danielle Deadwyler), the human connection between the characters, and the stylish direction from the reliable Jaume Collet-Serra (Orphan, The Shallows) that sustain the film when the story is stretched to its limit. The movie knows not to overstay its welcome and manages to craft heartfelt emotions in a short run time, tapping into the nature of grief and depression in what’s an unusually somber and character-driven tale for a major-studio genre release. Easily the most underrated horror movie of the year.

Perhaps more drama than horror, Rounding is a fascinating, superbly acted, intelligently written character study of a young medical resident (Namir Smallwood) at a small-town hospital whose mental state begins to fracture when he latches onto a patient with a mysterious illness. Regardless of genre, it’s a sensational, slow-burn reflection on the mental strain inherent in a profession that’s surrounded by death and despair, and it packs an emotional wallop by portraying the pitfalls of caring too much.

Standing out in the ocean of found footage horror fare is a tall task, but What Happened to Dorothy Bell? manages to do so with creepy set pieces, an involving mystery, and an endearing central character worth rooting for. In what is essentially a one-woman show, newcomer Asya Meadows delivers a vulnerable performance as Ozzie, a young woman seeking the truth behind her late grandmother’s dark past. Filming her sleuthing efforts as a therapeutic device, she revisits her childhood home and the library where her grandmother worked, uncovering a supernatural malevolence that threatens to swallow her whole. It’s chilling, tragic, and worthy of consideration as one of the top horror movies of the year.

Really, could there be any other choice? An aesthetic and technical marvel of filmmaking, Ryan Coogler’s Sinners manages to wrap social commentary and popcorn thrills in the trappings of a Southern Gothic period drama-survival horror-musical fable. Michael B. Jordan plays wayward twin brothers in rural 1930s Mississippi who rope their aspiring blues musician cousin (Miles Caton) into performing at their newly opened juke joint, only to draw the attention of a coven of vampires. Coogler deftly expands the typical vampire mythos to include both musical and socio-political elements that feel relevant a century after the story is set. It’s legitimately Oscar-caliber stuff—from the writing to the direction to the acting to the cinematography—and is head and shoulders above any Black horror movie of 2025—and arguably any other movie, regardless of genre, cementing its place in the pantheon of all-time best Black horror.