December is typically a light month for new horror releases, as October is far behind us and holiday cheer has largely taken the place of Hollywood fear. But with four new horror movies releasing in theaters and several more being unleashed directly into your living room at home, it’s going to be a surprisingly stacked […]
December is typically a light month for new horror releases, as October is far behind us and holiday cheer has largely taken the place of Hollywood fear. But with four new horror movies releasing in theaters and several more being unleashed directly into your living room at home, it’s going to be a surprisingly stacked holiday season for the horror genre this year.
Here are the five most must-see horror movies releasing in December 2025.
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 – December 5 – In Theaters
The hottest new horror movie of the holiday season is without question Emma Tammi’sFive Nights at Freddy’s 2, a sequel to the horror movie that took the box office by storm back in 2023. The video game adaptation, also directed by Tammi, scared up an incredible $291 million at the worldwide box office, this despite releasing on streaming on the very same day.
How much money can a Five Nights at Freddy’s movie make when it’s ONLY in theaters? We’ll find out when the hotly anticipated sequel hits the big screen this coming weekend.
In Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, “One year has passed since the supernatural nightmare at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. Former security guard Mike and police officer Vanessa have kept the truth from Mike’s 11-year-old sister, Abby, concerning the fate of her animatronic friends.
“But when Abby sneaks out to reconnect with Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy, it will set into motion a terrifying series of events, revealing dark secrets about the true origin of Freddy’s.”
Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, Theodus Crane, and Matthew Lillard star with Skeet Ulrich, Freddy Carter (“Shadow and Bone”), Wayne Knight (Jurassic Park), Mckenna Grace (Ghostbusters: Afterlife), and Megan Fox (Jennifer’s Body).
Silent Night, Deadly Night – December 12 – In Theaters
Bloody Disgusting and Cineverse bring a controversial horror franchise back to the big screen with Silent Night, Deadly Night, a brand new twisted take on the 1980s slasher classic.
Rohan Campbell (Halloween Ends) is Billy and Ruby Modine (Happy Death Day) is Pamela in director Mike P. Nelson’s (Wrong Turn, Sweet Revenge) Silent Night, Deadly Night.
In this twisted reimagining of the holiday classic, “After witnessing his parents’ murder on Christmas Eve, Billy grows up to deliver an annual spree of holiday violence. This year, his mission collides with love, as a young woman challenges him to confront his darkness.”
Cassandra Naud is back to star in Kurtis David Harder’s Influencers, a sequel to the 2022 horror-thriller Influencer, which streams beginning December 12 only on Shudder.
Set in the sun-drenched countryside of southern France, Naud’s CW lives a quiet, idyllic life with her girlfriend Diane, hiding a dark obsession with murder and stolen identities.
During an anniversary getaway, they cross paths with Charlotte, a bold, alluring influencer whose curiosity quickly turns intrusive. When CW acts on a violent impulse, the consequences spiral out of control, and CW’s carefully constructed life threatens to collapse around her.
Joe Lipsett wrote in his review of the Shudder sequel out of Fantasia, “Influencers is a great sequel that takes the series in a fun, satirical, and often deliciously mean new direction.”
Dust Bunny – December 12 – In Theaters
“Hannibal” creator Bryan Fuller re-teams with Mads “Hannibal Lecter” Mikkelsen for Dust Bunny, and Fuller’s feature directorial debut is headed to theaters on December 12.
In director Bryan Fuller’s Dust Bunny, 10-year-old Aurora has a mysterious neighbor who kills real-life monsters. He’s a hit man for hire. So, when Aurora needs help killing the monster she believes ate her entire family, she procures his services.
Suspecting that her parents may have fallen victim to assassins gunning for him, Aurora’s neighbor guiltily takes the job. Now, to protect her, he’ll need to battle an onslaught of assassins — and accept that some monsters are real.
Sophie Sloan, Sigourney Weaver, and David Dastmalchian also star.
Meagan Navarro wrote in her review out of TIFF, “Dust Bunny, guided by Fuller’s strong and distinct vision, easily stacks up against many of the formative gateway horror films of yesteryear. So much so that it feels all but destined for cult classic status.”
Anaconda – December 25 – In Theaters
The most peculiar new horror release of the holiday season has to be Anaconda, an oddball meta remake of the 1990s giant snake horror movie starring Paul Rudd and Jack Black.
And when we say “remake,” we mean that quite literally…
In Anaconda‘s big screen return, “Best friends Doug and Griff have always dreamed of remaking their all-time favorite movie: the cinematic classic, Anaconda. But things get real when an actual giant anaconda appears, turning their comically chaotic movie set into a deadly situation. The movie they’re dying to make? It might just get them killed.”
Tom Gormican (The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent) wrote and directed.
Thandiwe Newton (“Westworld”), Steve Zahn (“Silo,” Joy Ride), Selton Mello, Ione Skye (Say Anything, Haunt), and Daniela Melchior (The Suicide Squad) also star.
Other new nightmares this month include Man Finds Tape (December 5), Pig Hill (December 9), Turbulence (December 12), New Fear’s Eve (December 16), and The Plague (December 24), while Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining gets its first ever IMAX theatrical release on December 12. And don’t forget the final episodes of “Stranger Things 5” on Christmas & New Year’s!
