With the resurgence of horror icons and stories, which one is at the top of your watchlist?
Over the past few years, successful horror franchises such as Scream and Halloween have continued their legacies with new films and characters. New horror films like Smile and Terrifier have also created fresh fan-favorite horror franchises. 2025 has a long list of horror sequels set to drop from beloved classics to modern spooky stories. Let’s take a look at some of the most anticipated horror sequel releases for the upcoming year.
Final Destination: Bloodlines
Fourteen years after the release of its last installment, the Final Destination franchise will return in 2025 with Final Destination: Bloodlines. Jeffrey Reddick, creator of the franchise, revealed that the new film would differ from the typical formula seen in previous Final Destination films. Directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein, the sixth film will focus on first responders and recurring character, William Bludworth’s backstory. Bludworth was portrayed by horror icon Tony Todd (Candyman and Night of the Living Dead (1990)). Unfortunately, Todd passed away this past November, leaving many fans questioning how much he filmed and how the creators will continue his character’s storyline.
Released by Warner Bros. Pictures, the sixth film has the opportunity to bring a fresh, yet familiar take to the beloved horror series, especially when the genre has been having a relatively successful run with sequels. Final Destination: Bloodlines is being made at the perfect time to learn from its counterparts, what works and what doesn’t when reinventing a classic story in this current period. Hopefully, the franchise’s sixth film will find a way to elevate its grim storyline.
Final Destination: Bloodlines will release in theaters on May 16, 2025.
28 Years Later
Set nearly three decades after the events of the original film, the sequel follows a group of survivors who have quarantined themselves on an isolated island to escape the rage virus outbreak. When members of the group go back to the mainland, they discover the horrors left behind by the disease.
Although Cillian Murphy will not return in the sequel, 28 Days Later helped launch his career before appearing in films such as Batman Begins, Peaky Blinders, and most recently, Oppenheimer. The original is also credited with bringing back an interest in zombie movies. 28 Years Later will include stars such as Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes.
28 Years Later will release in theaters on June 20, 2025.
M3GAN 2.0
If you missed the first M3GAN, you probably still saw the movie go viral for M3GAN’s meme-worthy dance moves, which quickly became iconic before she delivered a brutal kill. The film also went viral amid ongoing conversations around AI and technology.
While details about the plot of M3GAN 2.0 are still under wraps, the first film follows Gemma (Allison Williams), a roboticist who designs an advanced AI doll to act as a playmate for children. After a tragic incident, she gives the prototype to her 8-year-old niece, Cady (Violet McGraw), to help her cope. However, M3GAN’s protective instincts take a dark and violent turn. With Williams, McGraw, and Jenna Davis, the voice of M3GAN, returning for the sequel, we can’t wait to see how the killer doll will return.
M3GAN 2.0 will release in theaters on June 27, 2025.
The Conjuring: Last Rites
The Conjuring Universe, which includes spin-offs such as Annabelle and The Nun, stands as the highest-grossing horror franchise of all time, collecting almost 2.5 billion dollars. According to Bloody Disgusting, The Conjuring is the only horror franchise to cross 2 billion dollars in theaters.
Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga will return to reprise their roles as paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren. While little has been revealed about the plot, it will follow the Warrens as they confront “mysterious entities” in a terrifying new case. This fourth Conjuring film, which is confirmed to be the final installment of the series, will likely be an emotional ending for passionate fans.
The Conjuring: Last Rites will release in theaters on September 5, 2025.
Saw XI
Saw fans cannot get enough of John Kramer and his twisted traps. But with the success of Saw X, who can blame them? The tenth installment, released in September 2023, took viewers back in time, following the events of the first film. John Kramer, portrayed by the talented Tobin Bell, goes searching for a cure for his cancer diagnosis. However, after Kramer finds himself a part of a medical scam, he teams up with his protégé, Amanda Young (Shawnee Smith), to get revenge.
The release of the tenth film helped the franchise cross the $1 billion mark, cementing its place as the fifth highest-grossing horror series of all time. Looking at Letterboxd ratings, Saw X also tied with Saw II as the best Saw sequels with a 3.2/5 rating. With this success, the upcoming eleventh installment is rumored to be a direct sequel to the tenth film.
Saw XI will release in theaters on September 26, 2025.
The Black Phone 2
For those needing a refresher, The Black Phone follows Finney Shaw (Mason Thames), a young boy kidnapped and held captive in the basement by a masked killer known as The Grabber (Ethan Hawke). When a black disconnected phone on the basement wall rings repeatedly, the young boy begins talking to the Grabber’s previous victims. The ghosts of the dead children attempt to help the clever Finney escape the sadistic killer in hopes that he will have a better fate than they did.
Joe Hill, the author of the original story and son of Stephen King, pitched an idea for a sequel to director Scott Derrickson (Sinister), after the unexpected box-office success of the first Black Phone film. In an interview with ComicBook, Derrickson shared, “Joe’s very protective and personal about his material, but he came to me with the idea, and I was like, ‘That’s how you do a sequel to The Black Phone. That’s terrific.’”
The Black Phone 2 will release in theaters on October 17, 2025.
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2
Based on the widely popular horror video game series, Five Nights at Freddy’s first hit theaters in 2023. The adaptation broke records as the best opening weekend for a horror film in 2023, the best Blumhouse opening, and the second-highest opening for a video game film, falling just behind The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Josh Hutcherson and Matthew Lillard will return in the sequel, along with Jim Henson’s Creature Shop designing the animatronic characters once again. With eleven games in the Five Nights at Freddy’s main series, director Emma Tammi has a lot of lore and stories to use as inspiration for her films.
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 will release in theaters on December 5, 2025.
But these are just a few of the most anticipated horror sequels of 2025. Other horror series set to return are Fear Street: Prom Queen, Predator: Badlands, Thanksgiving 2, V/H/S/8, and an untitled I Know What You Did Last Summer sequel. With such a plethora of horror sequels set to hit the big screen, fans of the genre will have plenty of content to consume this year.
