Halloween is just around the corner, and this year’s horror lineup is looking surprisingly quiet. October is typically the busiest time of the year for new horror releases, but the 2025 schedule doesn’t have as many big names as horror fans will be hoping for. Instead, this month’s releases fall into a very different category.

Some of the biggest тιтles coming out in October 2025 include The Smashing Machine, Tron: Ares, and Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere — none of which are horror movies. The Halloween season generally allows big horror releases to attract wide audiences, but this year has been more top-heavy than most.

As a result, the Halloween box office is in an interesting position this year. Though there are several smaller releases on tap for the month, it seems likely that only one horror movie will achieve true box office domination once it arrives in a few weeks.

Most Of 2025’s Big Horror Releases Have Already Come Out

Perhaps more than any other year in recent memory, 2025 has been incredible for horror movies. Whether it’s original properties like Sinners and Weapons, or returning franchise sequels like Final Destination Bloodlines and The Conjuring: Last Rites, the genre has been on a clear H๏τ streak.

And interestingly, that streak seems to have peaked early in the year. Notably, three of those aforementioned horror movies were released by Warner Bros, so it makes sense that the studio has spread the release dates throughout the year to maintain momentum and give audiences time to breathe between each one.

But the box office domination of Warner Bros. is just one of the reasons why 2025 has been so top-heavy for horror releases. The prime September/October dates are often reserved for horror sequels, rather than original тιтles like Sinners and Weapons, as movies based on established IP are usually the more popular ones.

That’s not been the case this year. Sinners and Weapons may have been pushed earlier in the year due to their lack of name recognition, but they were still incredibly successful. It’s a testament solely to the quality of these movies that they’ve managed to dominate the box office despite being less anticipated on paper.

And it’s not just Sinners and Weapons — we’ve also seen movies like Bring Her Back, Together, and 28 Years Later stirring up some buzz despite their earlier release dates. This simply proves that audiences’ atтιтudes towards bold, creative horror movies are changing, and a prime release date is no longer necessary to pull in viewers.

This doesn’t mean that October 2025 will be void of horror movies. Projects like Shelby Oaks and Good Boy still managed to land prime October release dates, but there doesn’t seem to be quite as much awareness surrounding these projects, further emphasizing how the landscape of horror has changed.

Black Phone 2 Is Perfectly Poised To Dominate The Halloween Box Office

With October no longer as overstuffed as it usually is, there is a clear path for Black Phone 2 to dominate the horror box office by itself. It doesn’t have any clear compeтιтion within the genre, and the only movies that could topple it have a totally different target audience.

Both The Smashing Machine and Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere are slow, mature dramas that won’t necessarily detract from those audiences looking to lose themselves in a scary story on Halloween. There’s certainly a world where both of these projects exceed our expectations, but they’ll be selling tickets to an entirely separate demographic.

Black Phone 2 feels like a safe bet for Blumhouse this Halloween, and not just because of the lack of compeтιтion. The first movie performed well at the box office, and the sequel seems to be even bolder and more experimental in its storytelling. Mason Thames is also riding the success of How to Train Your Dragon, which can only be a good sign.

Blumhouse has been the leading horror-focused studio for many years now, but it’s been a long time since one of their movies has actually dominated the box office for any significant period of time. Black Phone 2 could finally break that unfortunate trend this Halloween, as audiences don’t have too many other options to choose from.

Ultimately, the shift to a more year-round release schedule for horror movies is generally a positive thing that means each of these projects can succeed on its own merits without competing for the same festive release dates. There’s a place for both original scripts like Sinners and returning franchises like The Conjuring without both cannibalizing each other.

In fairness, this also benefits the studios themselves. As we’ve seen with Warner Bros. throughout 2025, the studio has really borne fruit thanks to its decision to spread releases across the year without worrying too much about which months are typically viewed as the “best” for any specific genre. It’s a plus for everybody involved, and it’s a trend that should continue into the future.