The Start of 2025 vs. 2024 in Horror
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We are looking back at the first quarter of 2024 and comparing it to the start of 2025 in horror. You'd think, with films like Night Swim and Imaginary in the mix, it would be a no-brainer as to what year of horror is off to a better start. But let's take a much closer look shall we? [We are only going to be looking at theatrically released films for this particular versus.]
January 2024
Night Swim dir. Bryce McGuire
Our rating: 1/5
Everything after the initial story was a stretch and padding that took away from the story.
The “lore” didn’t make sense and the writing was bad. The dialogue- wow. Really wow. The saving grace was Eve and her being on top of everything after her initial experience with the pool. She was alert and focused on ensuring the safety of her family. That ending though, atrocious. The scares weren’t creative or scary, every one was expected. It takes from other films (It, The Conjuring, Get Out, The Amityville Horror) and makes a mess of the plot. Nothing is cohesive.
January 2025
Wolf Man dir. Lee Whannel
Our Rating: 3.5/5
Are you not entertained?! I was! Wolf Man came in, sat down and came with the lycan vibes. I can definitely see the influences from other werewolf films, but Wolf Man carves out its own space in the werewolf filmverse. Thoroughly enjoyed the audio and the visuals. Julia Garner, though, I don't this wasn’t the role for her. She was the only character that I felt didn't fit. There are some great overarching themes throughout but they aren’t as flushed out as I’d hoped, but overall, it was an entertaining watch.
Presence dir. Steven Soderbrgh
Our Rating: 3/5
This film ends up feeling like- just one big family drama with a dash of thriller elements threaded into the plot. There is one aspect that saves it from being a complete waste of time. It explores some interesting concepts regarding life after death and for that, it's worth experiencing at least once.
Companion dir. Drew Hancock
Our Rating: 3.5/5
We’re split on this one. Which seems to be our thing so far this year. I thought that while there were some comedic moments that garnered a few laughs, this was quite dry and at times, boring. The concept is definitely worth exploring but the "shininess" of it all wears off pretty quickly. Sophie is always amazing and I loved her in this, along with Harvey Guillén.
AJ loved the idea/concept for this one and found it to be fun and engaging. He believes it has rewatchability, while I disagree.
February 2024
Out of Darkness dir. Andrew Cumming
Our Rating: 4/5
Andrew Cumming took something with such a simple concept and gave it depth and deep, unnerving expression. One of our favorite aspects of this film is the cinematography and the performances. The characters are well developed and presented with understanding based on the time it’s set in [because there’s one scene where I was ready to fight but it makes sense for the time period]. The story is unlike anything we had in awhile. It’s beautiful, immersive (they created the language used which is AMAZING), dark, eerie, and there are some unexpected aspects.
Stopmotion dir. Robert Morgan
Our Rating: 2.5/5
You'll either love this film, or not. While I found the story to be unique and unsettling, it was overshadowed by a lack of depth and complexity I expected. I t was quite predictable and overall, unsatisfying.
February 2025
The Monkey dir. Osgood Perkins
Our Rating: 3/5
Another one we were split on so far this year. The Monkey was not good, no matter what AJ says. It's a dark comedy film adapted from a Steven King short story and it should have remained so. But again, AJ does not agree with me. The kills are the only thing that saved this one for me, especially the pool one. I'd also love to see more Theo James in horror. His performance was too good for this movie.
Heart Eyes dir. Josh Ruben
Our Rating: 2.5/5
I am pretty sure you already know how split we are on this one as well. But just in case you don't, AJ is a fan of Heart Eyes while I am the opposite. There is a clear indication that this was intentionally supposed to be cheesy with moments of seriousness blended in. But that tone and balance is not as cohesive as it needed to be to create an overall entertaining film. I was taken out of the story too many times to count.
March 2024
Imaginary dir. Jeff Wadlow
Our Rating: 1.5/5
I don't have much to say about this one. It was a pretty bad film all the way around. I appreciate what DeWanda Wise attempted to do as an actress to save this but there wasn't much she could do to revive it from the dead the moment it got passed the opening. And that wig was the only thing scary about Imaginary.
Late Night with the Devil dir. Cameron & Colin Cairnes
Our Rating: 4/5
What a breath of fresh air. Creative concept and brilliant storytelling. Characters you feel connected to, dialed in 70s aesthetic, classic horror practical effects, there’s so much to love about this film. And David Dastmalchian has forever fans in us here at ILWH. This was also our most watched video of 2024!
Immaculate dir. Michael Mohan
Our Rating: 2.5/5
Sidney Sweeney didn’t come to play. Her performance, coupled with the 70s Italian flair and cinematography (because it’s pretty to look at), made this watchable. But that’s where our agreement on the film end. I found the story quite boring and the characters were flat and cliche. This was a slow burn done wrong. I did like the social commentary but that’s about it. The ending was good but not good enough to outshine the rest of the bad that came before it. However, AJ enjoyed the story and the creative take on nun/religious horror. There were some issues with the writing and the pacing. Overall, he found it to be an engaging entry in the genre.
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 dir. Rhys Frake-Waterfield
Our Rating: 4/5
What a wild ride!
This movie surprised us. The set designs, creature designs, special effects, performances and the story/plot was 10X better than we could’ve expected. We love to see an indie team grow and get bigger budgets. Can’t wait to see what’s next in the Poohniverse this year.
March 2025
The Rule of Jenny Pen dir. James Ashcroft
Our Rating: 4/5
Maybe because I worked in a nursing home’s Alzheimer’s unit at one point, this one hit me hard. The performances were the icing on the cake but I really couldn’t take all the elderly abuse. I had to look away quite a few times, which is what I am sure Ashcroft was going for.
Opus dir. Mark Anthony Green
Our Rating: 3.5/5
Ayo Edibiri and John Malkovich carried this film on their backs. I can appreciate Green's influences and his background as a journalist as inspiration for the film. But there was so much lacking from the overall story that it felt void of any type of emotion or care. AJ and I actually had a slightly heated debate about this and it's worth watching the video!
AJ believes 2025 is off to a better start than 2024 in horror but looking back, I think he might actually be wrong. Let us know what you think?