You’re at home with your friends or family. The turkey is gone. The football game is over. The conversation is slowing. What can everyone do to keep the holiday spirit alive? Well, 2025 has been a pretty fantastic year for movies, and many of the best ones released this year are streaming right now in your home. Maybe you should watch one of those.
But which one? Below, we’ve got 11 suggestions of sci-fi, horror, or fantasy films released this year that we love and maybe you missed. Some you probably didn’t miss. But we’re going under the assumption not everyone has seen everything, so even if you’ve seen something, maybe your brother or sister hasn’t. Here they are, in alphabetical order.
Bugonia (for rent or purchase)
Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons star in the latest film from director Yorgos Lanthimos about two men who kidnap a CEO they believe to be an alien. It’s super timely, very mysterious, and incredibly hilarious. Read our review here.
Elio (on Disney+)
It was kind of a box office bomb, but Pixar’s latest film, about a young boy who becomes the voice of the entire planet, is wildly exciting and heartwarming. It 100% lives up to its Pixar pedigree. Read our review here.
Final Destination Bloodlines (on HBO Max)
Maybe don’t show this one to Grandma and Grandpa, but the latest film in the tense, funny, gory horror series about the inevitability of death is easily the best film in the franchise. A total riot. Read our review here.
Frankenstein (on Netflix)
Frankenstein isn’t Guillermo del Toro’s best movie, but it’s the one he’s been building towards his whole life. It’s a sumptuous, emotional, and unforgettable retelling of the classic tale with wonderful performances across the board. Read our review here.
How to Train Your Dragon (on Peacock)
The original animated How to Train Your Dragon is one of the best animated films ever. So, that its live-action remake is also very good is no surprise. It’s the exact same movie, just with a whole new look. Read our review here.
The Life of Chuck (for rent or purchase)
We adore this movie. It’s not for everyone, and it gets very weird very quickly, but once it clicks and that lightbulb goes off over your head, you’ll never forget it. Mike Flanagan has become the master of Stephen King adaptations, and this wonderful, joyous King adaptation is so different from the rest. Read our review here, and learn more about some spoilers here.
The Long Walk (for rent or purchase)
A group of young men compete in a life-changing event where they have to march until only one remains. Based on the Stephen King novel, the film adaptation is shockingly brutal but well worth the trip for the harrowing performances. Read our review here.
Predator: Killer of Killers (on Hulu)
Did you see or hear about that awesome Predator movie, Predator: Badlands, that’s now in theaters? Well, its director, Dan Trachtenberg, released another Predator movie earlier this year, and it might be even better. It’s an animated anthology showing Predators fighting humans from across history. It’s phenomenal. Read our review here.
Sinners (on HBO Max)
Part music-driven masterpiece, part terrifying horror story, Sinners is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. But, we’ve come to expect that kind of quality and originality from the team of director Ryan Coogler and star Michael B. Jordan. Read our review here.
Superman (on HBO Max)
There have been so many iterations of Superman over the years, you could’ve assumed James Gunn’s new film was more of the same. But that’s not the case. Gunn’s film has a palpable joy about it. An optimism and excitement that so many superhero films these days are lacking. This is one you’ll want to watch again and again. Read our review here.
Weapons (on HBO Max)
Again, maybe this one isn’t for the more easily scared or grossed-out members of your family, but for others, Weapons is a can’t-miss. A horror mystery about a town that loses a whole classroom of kids is wholly entertaining and unforgettable. And messed up. And scary. And awesome. Read our review here.
Also…
If you want to go to theaters, there are also plenty of good movies to see. Yes, everyone might be seeing Wicked: For Good, and you could do that, but we’d suggest Predator: Badlands, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, The Running Man, or Zootopia 2 instead.
Finally, we didn’t want this list to be too long, so if nothing on there interests you, here are a few others that didn’t quite make the cut: Pee Wee as Himself (on HBO Max), Jaws @ 50 (on Hulu or Disney+), 28 Years Later (on Netflix), or Black Phone 2 (for rent or purchase).
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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