We’re already more than halfway done with 2025, believe it or not, so the gang at Daily Grindhouse thought it would be a fun idea for the Fourth of July to huddle and talk over the best movies of the year so far… or at least, our favorites. What is “best,” anyway? If you ask the New York Times, these are the best movies of the past 25 years. If you ask us, however, you get a lot of extremely different answers. All you, the person reading the lists, can do is decide whose taste best resembles yours and choose your viewing accordingly. So here are a lot of movies we liked watching in 2025, and a lot of them are movies that we can justify if you need film-critic-type justifications for ’em, but mainly these are just movies that floated our individual boats. Have fun with it!
JON ABRAMS
DEN OF THIEVES 2: PANTERA
You can be a person who dismisses the DEN OF THIEVES movies as greasy, derivative, dirtbag renditions of Michael Mann movies, or you can be a person who embraces them for exactly the same reason. Initially, I played at being the former, but I decided to embrace my true nature as the latter. These are well-made movies with their own pleasures, and yeah, if the first DEN OF THIEVES in particular owes almost literally everything to HEAT, does that really take anything away from HEAT or from my love of HEAT?
Also, a word about Gerard Butler. I didn’t rate him too highly at first, owing mainly to his (arguably) most famous role being in a Zack Snyder movie. I really don’t mind Zack Snyder movies, just the kind of people who tend to worship Zack Snyder’s movies, and that’s not Zack Snyder’s fault, and it definitely isn’t Gerard Butler’s. I’m not sure when things changed, but suddenly they did, and Gerard Butler is now one of my absolute favorite working movie stars. No matter the movie, he throws himself all the way in, and it always looks like he’s having fun, even if the movie isn’t. And when the movie IS fun, look out. In DEN OF THIEVES and in PANTERA, Gerry is particularly energized. “B-picture” didn’t used to be a pejorative appellation, in Hollywood history. It meant movies with lower budgets and stars who weren’t quite A-list. Gerard Butler is pretty close to an A-list star, but he makes solid B-pictures, in the classic Hollywood sense of the term. I don’t know if I owe him an apology, but I do owe him my allegiance, and he’s got it.
HEART EYES
I wrote about this movie at surprising length back in March, so I’ll just summarize my POV here: This is the best romantic comedy of the year. It just happens to also be a horror movie. It’s terrifically funny and charming and you should see it. I think you’ll like it, even you romantic-comedy people who probably aren’t reading this website. If you can handle a little blood and gore (okay, kind of a lot of those things), you’re going to be happier than you were back when Sandra Bullock was doing it.
DEATH OF A UNICORN
Like you, probably, I’ve seen just about everything. Show me something I haven’t seen before, and you’ve got me on your side. I’ve seen a lot of when-animals-attack movies, but I will be honest, nope, I’d never seen one before where a unicorn attacks people. Now it’s probably true that the trailers gave away most of the movie’s surprises, and this movie would have benefitted a lot from just being dropped on our laps with just the title and a list of the wonderful actors in it. But we don’t live in a world of wonder and surprise. We live in this world, a world of muted joys and pain and disappointment. DEATH OF A UNICORN is fun, and you can’t beat that cast, and even if in the end, it’s a fairly rote when-animals-attack film, I personally am willing to forgive it that. Moments of pure happiness are in short supply here in 2025, and we’ve got to snap them up when we can.
SINNERS
I’m with everyone else on this one. I’ve almost been reluctant to say anything at all about it, because what can I add? The whole reason I write about movies online is to encourage people to go see movies that they might otherwise be missing, and I don’t think I really have to push anyone to go see this movie. It’s a massive hit by every measure. And yeah, I think if you need to read anything about the history and themes and emotions that this movie explores, you don’t need to read it from a straight white guy of rapidly advancing age. There are plenty of super-talented writers of color who have plenty to say about SINNERS. Here, here, here, here, here, and here, for example. I’d definitely say go see it, on the big screen, for yourself, and see what it makes you think about, and talk about it with your friends, and when you’re ready to read interpretations of it, start with those links, and then if you really, really need to hear from me, I’ll give you just this: It’s like an A-list DEMON KNIGHT with some of the best imagery I’ve seen so far this year (and if you know how much I love DEMON KNIGHT, you know that’s a huge compliment.)
HAVOC
So this was one of my two most-awaited movies of the year. Gareth Evans is just plain one of the finest action-movie directors in the world. I was excited to see what he and Tom Hardy could do together. I’m definitely still very happy that this was a project generated by Gareth Evans himself, and not some IP work-for-hire deal. The action, which is fairly non-stop, is state-of-the art. If I was a little bit let down overall, it’s on me for not finding some way to see it on a big screen. The movie was straight-to-Netflix, so it wouldn’t have been easy, but maybe the Paris in New York City had screenings and I missed them. This was not a movie I should have watched at home. That’s one thing. The other is that I think there’s a strange split focus to the story, in that Tom Hardy is the lead, and (goddamn!) Timothy Olyphant is playing the villain, but there’s a lot of time spent with Jessie Mei Li’s character, who really has nothing to do with their conflict (even though she is great in her role), nor does she have to do with the subplot that sort of takes over the movie, with Forest Whitaker’s c0rrupt politician and his would-be criminal son (played by Justin Cornwell) and also the girlfriend of the son (played by Quelin Sepulveda). The best action movies (for example DIE HARD, PREDATOR, and… um… THE RAID) know how to simplify. The story here just kind of gets away from the place where my interested was rooted, which was the Hardy-Olyphant blood feud. Also: Luis Guzmán! But: One scene? That’s it? We had time for a lot of things in this movie that I didn’t care about, but we couldn’t make more time for Luis? I know I’m complaining. This movie is still a blast. It just wasn’t the stone classic that I was expecting, although maybe I was just expecting too much.
DANGEROUS ANIMALS
This is another movie I wrote a ton about, back in June. It’s a fierce throwback to the fine, disreputable tradition of Ozploitation cinema, and immediately one of the top ten shark films ever. That’s right, ever. It’s definitely one of the most gripping thrillers of the year. And it’s got at least one, maybe two, of the performances of the year. So hurry up and see it if you haven’t already. But definitely bring a steely disposition. There are some real tough moments in this one, and I’m not kidding.
28 YEARS LATER
Like SINNERS, this is a movie I am reluctant to offer up too many thoughts about. I think it’s a terrific movie, but it’s also incredibly, admirably, maybe unsurprisingly British. It’s wild that Columbia (at least in part) financed a movie that is this British. That’s hardly a problem for me. Danny Boyle is one of my all-time favorite directors, and the first movie of his that I ever saw was TRAINSPOTTING, and man, if ever a movie was made with a fuck-all of a care about what an American audience would want… I like movies that take me to new places and show me new sights and play me new sounds. By the way, thanks to Danny Boyle and this movie for introducing me to Young Fathers! He’s always had a way with a soundtrack album. But I would say that 28 YEARS LATER is made very much from a British perspective, about British concerns. Not all of those concerns are unique to the UK: There’s a lot here about grief and violence and isolation and rage and forgiveness, but I also think British audiences will much quicker catch on to the movie’s thematic concerns than we Yanks can. The brilliance of the approach is that it still works. It is thrilling when it’s supposed to be, and beautiful in plenty of the most surprising of moments (Anthony Dod Mantle is a genius with light). I loved the movie, and it’s a hit here in the US. But consider things like the controversial ending. Americans watch that and think, “What the fuck?” I loved it, personally, but I loved it because it was random and unsettling and wild. It took some of DG’s more knowledgeable-about-England writers in our DG Discord to point out to me that a significant cultural figure, entirely unknown here in the US, was being referenced there. Of course, now that final scene is way less hilarious to me and a lot more ominous than it seemed, although it does make me awfully curious about the upcoming sequel, THE BONE TEMPLE, even more curious than I was already.
BEE DELORES
I don’t believe it’s actually July. The past six months have been hell, if you’ve been paying attention. It both feels like forever and no time at all. Thankfully, I’ve had numerous horror films bring much-needed comfort amidst such social and political turmoil. I can’t fathom my life without horror. Sure, I’ve spent much of my time watching HALLOWEEN H20, or MARSHMALLOW, or TOTALLY KILLER (yes, I love slashers!)) – but I don’t regret it one bit. I turn to horror for an escape, strength, and sometimes to see terrible men slaughter. That’s just how it goes.
2025 has been a banger year so far. Horror movies are taking chances by switching genres, tackling real-world problems, and giving us a distraction from the burning world outside. When it came to compiling the best of the year, I couldn’t just stop at 10. I pushed it to 25 to give the reader a clearer picture of where I am right now and what sort of stories are resonating with me most.
I hope you find something you’ve never seen or ever heard about in your online circles. That’s what horror is all about: connecting over movies and rediscovering our humanity in the process. While my list leans toward horror, I have included a few that straddle the line between horror and thriller. Sometimes, those genres go hand-in-hand. The more the merrier, right?
Check out my 25 Best Horror Movies of 2025 (So Far) below.
1. SINNERS
2. REDUX REDUX
3. EYE FOR AN EYE
4. 28 YEARS LATER
6. LIFELINE
7. THE BROOKLYN BUTCHER
8. THE RULE OF JENNY PEN
9. BORDERLINE
10. BYSTANDERS
11. CANNIBAL MUKBANG
12. THE DEVIL & THE DAYLONG BROTHERS
13. HEART EYES
14. BARK
15. FEAR STREET: PROM QUEEN
16. PARVULOS: CHILDREN OF THE APOCALYPSE
17. MARSHMALLOW
18. BIRDEATER
19. THE WILD
20. THE REBRAND
21. THERE’S A ZOMBIE OUTSIDE
22. BRING HER BACK
23. THE UGLY STEPSISTER
24. M3GAN 2.0
25. PINS AND NEEDLES
BRETT GALLMAN
DAVID HADDON
We’re only about half way through the year – but already 2025 is shaping up to be a great one for film lovers. I (tragically) haven’t even managed to see every release I have been looking forward to (I’m looking at you, BLACK BAG, DEATH OF A UNICORN, and yes, even SINNERS) – but there have still been plenty of great films that deserve your time.
So in no particular order, here are some of my favorites of 2025 so far that you might have missed!
6. THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP
As a lifelong Looney Tunes fan, imagine my joy at finally getting a feature-length Looney Tunes cartoon. Not only that, but it even focuses on my fave: Daffy! The film does a great job of capturing the classic Looney Tunes style of comedy, even homaging some of the best-known jokes – but without feeling lazy or referential. The overall plot reminded me a lot of the Daffy and Porky cartoons encountering monsters, fighting off aliens, etc. Thanks to the Warner/Discovery internal nonsense going on, we almost didn’t get to see this one at all, so do yourself a favor and see it ASAP – it was worth the struggle!
5. DEMON CITY
Based on the manga Oni Goroshi – DEMON CITY follows Shuhei Sakata, a legendary hitman on a path of revenge. Having decided to retire and lead a happy life with his wife and daughter, the emerging criminal underworld he helped to install decides he is too dangerous to be left alive. The only problem? They only kill his family. Narratively, this feels like Japan’s answer to JOHN WICK (and would make for an excellent double-bill with it). The action is brutal and violent, and you really feel his anger through his movements. A great one for action-movie fans.
4. DARK NUNS
DARK NUNS is a spin-off sort of sequel to the 2015 film THE PRIESTS, but thankfully works as a stand-alone – focusing on a catholic nun who in South Korea who is desperately trying to convince the church to let her perform an exorcism and save a possessed boy. What really made this film stand out to me was how it combined the older, traditional Korean beliefs and superstitions with the imported western Catholic ones. More than once, you will see these beliefs conflict with each other in fascinating ways.
3. REVELATIONS
Sticking with Korea – the latest by Yang Sang-ho (director of TRAIN TO BUSAN) shouldn’t be ignored. It feels a lot subtler than his previous works – there are no crowds of raging zombies here – but thanks to that it feels a lot darker. The film follows two main characters. A priest – Sung Min-chan and a cop – Lee Yeon-hee. Min-chan is a nice, welcoming priest at a small church who believes he is being guided by God when he kills a criminal – having divine visions. Yeon-hee is in charge of a missing persons case that puts her directly on a collision course with Min-chan, haunted by visions of her long-dead sister. The film is unafraid to pose morally gray questions of right and wrong as we follow both characters down an ever-darkening path of madness. A great one for horror fans, and it’s easy to find, thanks to its Netflix release!
2. THE GORGE
Scott Derrickson should be one of the go-to names in horror by now, and this film should be on everyone’s radar – but thanks to it being an Apple TV release, I think it passed far too many people by.This is a wonderful blend of spy/conspiracy thriller, romance, action, and monster movie. Two world class snipers are assigned to guard separate sides of the titular gorge – a huge chasm from which strange and horrifying creatures keep trying to escape.
1. PRESENCE
One of the films I saw first this year, and still one of my favorites. This is a brilliant new take on how to tell a ghost story – and an interesting take on horror cinematography – because it’s a haunted house movie entirely from the ghost’s point of view. We spend the entire movie looking through the eyes of the spirit haunting this house, watching a family struggling with their interpersonal relationships, going through their best and worst moments. Lucy Liu’s performance alone is a reason to watch this. And the ending? A moment so haunting it’s been stuck in my head since the moment I saw it.
KATELYN NELSON
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Tags: 2025, Bee Delores, Brett Gallman, David Haddon, Jon Abrams, Katelyn Nelson, Lists. Best Of 2025, Movies
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