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we’ve had an absolutely stacked lineup of horror releases recently, which means i’ve basically been living at the cinema.

as someone who spends an unreasonable amount of time consuming horror in every form possible - films, creepypastas, internet lore, conspiracy rabbit holes, horror podcasts/youtube videos, haunted reddit threads - i couldn’t resist putting together a ranking of 7 recent cinema releases i’ve seen.

a couple of these could probably swap places depending on the day you ask me, but as of right now, this is where i’m landing.

stay tuned to find out what’s number one for me, and let me know if you would rank them differently!

passenger follows a young couple after they witness a gruesome highway accident. they soon realise a demonic presence known as “the passenger” won’t stop until it claims them both, turning their van-life adventure into an absolute nightmare.

i’d seen the trailer several times before release and, unfortunately, i think the trailer ended up being more exciting than the film itself.

i didn’t dislike it. i was entertained enough throughout, but the horror never really landed for me. what made ‘the passenger’ interesting was the mystery surrounding it, and i actually found it far more unsettling when it remained unseen. once the demon began appearing more frequently, a lot of that tension disappeared.

i also couldn’t stop getting frustrated with some of the decisions made by the main characters. horror protagonists don’t always make perfect choices, but the line was crossed into genuine, and consistent stupidity.

not much about the film was really bad, but nothing stood out either. unfortunately, it’s probably the movie on this list that i’ll think about the least moving forward.

a journalist’s young daughter disappears into the desert without a trace. eight years later, she suddenly returns home. what should be a miracle quickly becomes something far more sinister.

honestly, passenger and the mummy are pretty interchangeable for me.

that said, i absolutely adore may calamawy, and she was one of the main reasons i enjoyed the film as much as i did.

the body horror was also incredibly effective. and by effective, i mean disgusting.

there was clearly a lot of ambition here. reviving one of cinema’s oldest and most iconic monsters comes with huge expectations, and while i appreciate some of the risks the film took, it ultimately fell a little flat for me.

there are definitely moments horror fans will enjoy, particularly if body horror is your thing, but it was not memorable at all for me.

when a novelist retreats to a remote irish inn to scatter his parents’ ashes, he becomes consumed by stories of a witch haunting the honeymoon suite. as disturbing visions and mysterious disappearances begin to mount, he’s forced to confront both the haunting and his own past.

this felt like a haunted house movie, an irish folklore tale, and a murder mystery all mashed together.

there’s a lot happening throughout the film, but somehow it manages to keep everything moving without becoming completely overwhelming. i do wish it had leaned even harder into the folklore and witchcraft elements because those were easily the most interesting aspects of the story.

the jump scares were genuinely effective, and i actually really liked the way the film concluded - a rarity for horror films, where endings can often be the weakest part.

i also have to praise the creature and character design above most other aspects. horror sometimes crosses the line from unsettling into unintentionally goofy, but hokum managed to avoid that trap. there were several moments where i felt genuinely uncomfortable and on edge. particularly, where that rabbit man was involved.

a man trapped in an endless subway passageway sets out to find exit 8.
the rules are simple: don’t overlook anything out of the ordinary. if you spot an anomaly, turn back immediately.
will he ever escape?

even before learning more about its origins, i could immediately tell this was based on a video game.

the score, cinematography, pacing, and structure all had that immersive, interactive quality. it felt less like watching a story unfold and more like participating in a challenge alongside the protagonist.

i loved the subtle perspective shifts and the way scenes repeated with tiny changes that made me question whether i’d actually noticed everything.

i fully expected the concept to become repetitive after a while.

instead, every loop had me trying to solve the puzzle and watch out for anomalies alongside him. it was so exciting and i spent the movie at the edge of my seat.

the film has also convinced me that i need to explore more japanese horror because there’s a style and atmosphere here that i absolutely loved.

the host of a popular paranormal podcast becomes haunted by terrifying recordings sent anonymously to her.

i haven’t felt this uneasy during a horror film in a long time.

and that’s almost entirely because of the sound design.

watching undertone in the cinema felt like a full sensory experience. the audio is overwhelming, intrusive, and relentlessly unsettling. it gets under your skin in a way that’s difficult to explain without experiencing it for yourself.

visually, the film makes fantastic use of shadows, negative space, and vast empty environments that constantly make you feel like something is lurking just outside the frame. you literally do not get a break from anxiety.

the story itself isn’t particularly groundbreaking, but i honestly didn’t care.

i wasn’t bored for a single moment.

the combination of the sound design and visual framing kept me tense throughout the entire runtime. this is one of those horror films that truly benefits from being seen in a cinema, where the sound and screen can completely engulf you.

i actually wrote about this film when i first watched it:

after a therapist’s patient disappears into a dimension beyond reality, she ventures into the unknown in an attempt to save him.

i had been waiting for this movie for what felt like forever.

the backrooms is one of my favourite pieces of internet horror ever created. the lore is endless. there are theories, entities, levels, timelines, creatures, and mysteries that have expanded far beyond the original concept.

it’s essentially horror worldbuilding at its finest.

as a teenager, i spent far too much time reading creepypastas, watching conspiracy videos, and disappearing down internet horror rabbit holes, so this film felt tailor-made for me.

the found-footage format works incredibly well, but what impressed me most was how beautiful the film looks.

every frame feels meticulously crafted. the cinematography and set design transform these liminal spaces into something genuinely artistic. i was so taken by how artistic it all was.

thankfully, a sequel is already on the way, and i genuinely cannot wait.

after breaking the mysterious one wish willow in an attempt to win his crush’s heart, a hopeless romantic gets exactly what he wished for - only to discover that some desires come at a terrifying cost.

i could talk about this movie forever.

i’ve already seen it twice, and if someone asked me to go back tomorrow, i’d buy another ticket without hesitation.

obsession somehow delivers everything i want from paranormal horror while also telling one of the most devastating psychological stories i’ve seen in recent years.

it’s layered, emotional, terrifying, and surprisingly human.

what impressed me most is how confidently it balances its horror elements with its character work. the supernatural aspects are frightening, but they’re only one part of what makes the film so effective.

curry barker is an absolute genius. the fact that he managed to achieve so much with a single film is remarkable.

and i have to mention inde navarrette. her performance is phenomenal. she brings an incredible amount of emotional weight to the story and elevates every scene she’s in.

by the time the credits rolled, i felt shaken, disturbed, heartbroken, and completely captivated.

not only is obsession my favourite horror film of the year so far - it may genuinely be one of my favourite horror films of all time.

this first place position is far ahead of all the other movies on this list for me.

i ranked every horror film i've seen recently

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