Why 2025 has been a banner year for horror movies

Moviegoers at the AMC Century City in Los Angeles on May 22, 2025. | Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Spooky season isn’t here quite yet, but you’d never know looking at the box office. The Conjuring: Last Rites, the latest installment about a (problematic) real-life couple who investigated the paranormal, had a massive $84 million domestic opening weekend. That’s just the latest success for horror films. Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, Zach Cregger’s Weapons, and Final Destination Bloodlines also had surprising success in theaters this year.  According to Paul Dergarabedian, t