Four streaming gems you may have missed in 2025

Courtesy of Bolte Media

This has been an absolutely massive year for horror, many have referred to it as a new golden age. With heavy hitters like Weapons, Sinners and Bring Her Back, horror appetites were satiated all year. With such an abundance of riches, many great horror films fell a bit by the wayside so to help clean up your year, I’ve compiled a few great films that may have slipped through your proverbial cracks.

Bone Lake

This Bleeker Street October film came to limited theaters during the saturated Halloween horror run and completely missed a lot of people. Director Mercedes Bryce Morgan flexes some muscle here with a fascinating story about dual couples mistakenly staying together in a beautiful remote mansion. A classic double booking leads to a slow tension building evening that explodes into madness. This feels like a fun and self-contained original story that just doesn’t get made nearly as often anymore. The young and mostly inexperienced actors came across excellent here, particularly Maddie Hasson. I love the heavy use of gore, gratuitous seduction, and the tight run time and while it may not reinvent the wheel, it’s at worst a fun and wacky time. If you were an enjoyer of You’re Next or Ready or Not, this may vibe well with you. You can check it out on demand on most platforms, rent or buy. 

Dangerous Animals

We have had nearly 100 years of horror concepts so when something completely original pops up, I immediately gravitate to it. Dangerous Animals got some buzz in its initial short theatrical run but it deserves a highlight here. The Sean Byrne directed Australian horror features one of my absolute favorite and most unhinged performances of the year turned in by Jai Courtney as Tucker, a serial killer who feeds people to sharks off of his boat. In the serial killer/slasher genre, we have seen tens of thousands of on screen kills, which makes it exceedingly difficult to find a new slant but this film does just that, marrying the tantalizing fear of aquatic beasts which have been imprinted into our cultural lexicon since Jaws to an unhinged serial killer with a thirst for a bloody show. This is one that needs to be on your list simply for the absurdity of it, and it's a fun and easy watch as well. You can stream it on Shudder. 

Courtesy of Shudder

Kill Me Again

I got the excellent opportunity to stream this film earlier this year and had a blast with it. Directed by former UFC legend Mean Green Keith Jardine, this is another addition to the time loop genre. The fresh twist here is that the killer is the main character. When Charlie, otherwise known as the Midnight Mangler, chooses a roadside diner for his latest kill spot, he falls into a vicious cycle of walking into the diner to kill over and over again. While it initially is a grisly delight for him, Charlie eventually begins to lose his sanity as the bodies pile up over and over and over again and he must try to break out of his eternal curse. I thought this was such a unique addition to the ever growing time loop genre, and it features many former and current MMA fighters. The violence is well done, it's extremely witty and well directed and it really just was one of the hidden gems of my year. You can watch it for free on the Roku Channel or rent/buy it on demand. 

Sovereign

Sovereign is much more of a crime thriller than a true horror but the real life horror elements of the film make it feel appropriate to include on this list. Christian Swegal directs this film starring Nick Offerman and Jacob Tremblay as a father and son who consider themselves sovereign citizens and anti-government. As the stakes rise and their delusions intensify, they find themselves in a fiery fight for their survival as the police come down on them with full force. I think this film is so visceral and real, it explores familial relationships, the transference of problems from father to son, and the growing number of delusions and strife that is festering in our society today. Offerman and Tremblay both turn in incredible and emotional performances here and I think its a shame this didn't get more eyes on it because it is an extremely profound film. You can catch it on Hulu. 

Hopefully this list gives you a few suggestions if you are reaching the end of your watchlist for the year, it ranges from slasher to crime thriller and features some of the most unique and under looked genre submissions of 2025. We can only hope that 2026 brings us horror fans as much luck as we had with this excellent slate this year.