MONTH IN REVIEW: FEBRUARY 2025

It's not always easy to keep track of the world of horror day-to-day. So here's a round up of what's happened last month and a glimpse of what we can expect in the coming weeks...

Spring has finally arrived! While many enjoy the colder months, with seasonal highlights like Halloween and Christmas, I think we can all agree - enough with the cold. There’s certainly something comforting about curling up under a blanket on a dark evening with a good horror film, but I’m ready for longer, warmer days.

February was somewhat light in terms of new releases, but the films that did arrive were, at the very least, of a solid standard. The first theatrical release of the month, Drew Hancock’s Companion, leans more toward sci-fi and dark comedy, but there’s enough horror in the mix to make it worth checking out - if you haven’t already. We would have preferred a darker, more twisted approach, but it’s still an entertaining watch, with a standout performance from Sophie Thatcher. Critically and commercially, it’s done exceptionally well, earning over three times its budget at the box office.

Another sci-fi horror worth a watch is Elevation, though it takes itself more seriously than Companion. Despite a limited theatrical run in the U.S., it was released directly to Prime in the UK in early February. With an $18 million budget and a leading duo of Morena Baccarin and Anthony Mackie, it’s by no means a small film. Given its premise, comparisons to A Quiet Place are inevitable. While it doesn’t quite reach those heights, it should still satisfy fans of post-apocalyptic creature features.

February also brought us the Valentine’s-themed slasher Heart Eyes. We have a soft spot for holiday slashers (Blood Rage, anyone?), so our hopes were high. While it’s a fun watch, it leans more into romantic comedy and struggles with tonal balance. It has performed reasonably well at the box office, though likely not to the level producers had hoped. A sequel seems unlikely, but stranger things have happened.

The most anticipated release of the month was arguably Osgood Perkins’ The Monkey, which arrived on the 21st. Those expecting something as dark or unsettling as Longlegs may be disappointed - this is a different beast entirely. While it still carries Perkins’ signature offbeat style and eerie atmosphere, The Monkey is a full-blown horror comedy with plenty of gore. It’s an absolute blast, though its wacky tone may not work for everyone.

Another major release was The Gorge, which debuted on Apple+ and quickly became the platform’s most-watched premiere since its 2019 launch. With a hefty $50 million budget and a cast led by Anya Taylor-Joy and Miles Teller, it’s one of the biggest genre films to go straight to streaming. Whether that’s a good thing is debatable - certainly not for cinemas. We haven’t reviewed it yet, but that’s on the way.

Looking ahead to March, things seem a little underwhelming. Strange Darling hits Paramount+ on the 1st and is well worth a watch, with an excellent soundtrack to boot. On the 28th, Blumhouse’s The Woman in the Yard arrives in theaters. Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (The Shallows), it follows a mysterious woman in black who repeatedly appears in a family’s front yard, warning of imminent danger. The trailer reveals little, but with the talent involved, it’s one to keep an eye on.

Shudder save the day a little, with a couple of releases worth mentioning. On the 21st, the delightfully named Bloody Axe Wound will be released. It’s a movie about a female slasher – and it’s got Jeffrey Dean Morgan in it! And on the 28th, we’ll get to see The Rule of Jenny Pen. Look, it’s a film about an elderly psychopath with a child’s puppet and it stars John Lithgow. How can you not be looking forward to that?

In industry news, it’s been a relatively quiet month. The biggest headline, especially for those who grew up in the ’90s, is the announcement of a new Buffy series. Sarah Michelle Gellar, who had long been opposed to returning, revealed that director Chloé Zhao convinced her to reprise her role. The series will focus on a new Slayer, with Gellar appearing in a recurring capacity. No word yet on whether other original cast members will return.

Tragically, one actor who won’t be returning is Michelle Trachtenberg, who passed away last month at the age of 39. Best known for playing Dawn Summers in Buffy, she also appeared in the 2006 Black Christmas remake. A talented performer, she will be greatly missed by her many fans. We also lost Peter Jason, who passed away on February 20th at 80. A prolific character actor and frequent John Carpenter collaborator (Prince of Darkness, In the Mouth of Madness), Carpenter himself called him “one of the great character actors in cinema.”

Beyond that, most of the news centred on TV. Netflix is developing a live-action Dungeons & Dragons series, The Forgotten Realm. Shudder has renewed The Creep Tapes for a second season after its strong performance on the platform. Mark Duplass’ portrayal of a deranged serial killer is deliciously depraved, so we’ll be tuning in for more. Meanwhile, HBO executives have hinted that The Last of Us is expected to run for four seasons - welcome news given the strength of the first. Season two finally arrives next month!

On the casting front:

• Mark Proksch (What We Do in the Shadows) has joined The Burbs.

• Patrick Wilson (The Conjuring) will star alongside Javier Bardem and Amy Adams in Cape Fear.

• Linda Cardellini (No Good Deed) has signed on for A24’s Friday the 13th series, Crystal Lake.

  
  

February also saw the release of several exciting trailers. After a 14-year hiatus, the Final Destination franchise returns with Final Destination: Bloodlines - long overdue, in our opinion. The Jurassic World: Rebirth trailer also dropped, and while we’re cautious after Dominion, this one looks promising. Mickey Keating’s home invasion thriller Invader appears to be a nerve-shredder, and Gator Creek - about plane crash survivors facing off against evolved alligators in the Louisiana swamps - seems like solid creature-feature fun. The Philippou brothers’ latest, Bring Her Back, teased a suitably nightmarish premise, and it will be interesting to see how they follow up Talk to Me. Lastly, the adaptation of Adam Cesare’s Clown in a Cornfield looks entertaining, hopefully bringing some much-needed levity to the genre.

And that wraps up February - some strong theatrical releases and solid box office returns. Spring has arrived at last, and although the first month of it seems light on genre releases, looking a bit further ahead there’ll be lots for us to feast on soon…