Justina Bonilla’s Favorites of 2025

2025 has been a year of massive horror movie hits like Weapons and Sinner, alongside indie horror surprises like Good Boy, and the return of beloved shows like Stranger Things. It also marked significant anniversaries for many iconic horror films and many of my favorite horror films.

15. 60^thAnniversary: Macario

This horror movie is one of the most influential and iconic films in Mexican cinematic history. It was Mexico’s first film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Macario is a haunting tale about the peasant Macario, who makes a deal with death that has unforeseen consequences. I love how the story layers social commentary, religion, folklore, drama, and dreamlike visuals from Gabriel Figueroa, Mexico’s most famous cinematographer. My favorite scene is the cave filled with candles. Absolutely breathtaking! This is an essential viewing for Day of the Dead.

14. 65^thAnniversary: The Skeleton of Mrs. Morales

A lesser-known Mexican horror comedy film that’s a stunning blend of psychological horror and comedy. With breathtaking gothic cinematography by Victor Herrera, a prominent cinematographer from the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema.  The story focuses on a taxidermist who’s in a miserable marriage with his abusive wife, who socially portrays herself as a pious woman abused by her horrific husband. One day, she disappears, leading to a massive scandal in town. The psychological horror is intense, but the comedy is the driving force of the film.

13. 35^thAnniversary: Frankenstein Unbound

After watching Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein, I immediately watched this. It’s one of my favorite Roger Corman films. This was a film I saw when I was younger on TV that just stuck with me. Its blending of futuristic and classic sci-fi always fascinated me and stood out from other versions of Frankenstein that felt repetitive. Having Raul Julia as Dr. Frankenstein was fantastic casting. He was amazing, as always. Fun fact: both Raul Julia and Oscar Issac have played Dr. Frankenstein and Gomez Adams.

12. 50^thAnniversary: Stepford Wives

It takes a lot for a film to both scare me and have that fear stay with me. This is one of those rare movies that profoundly continues to scare me. Stepford Wives follows Joanne, a mother and wife, who move from New York City to Stepford, the perfect small town, with her husband and kids. As Joanne explores Stepford and its emphasis on traditional gender roles, she discovers a horror beyond her wildest imagination. With all the current political unrest, especially around gender and women’s role in society, this movie doesn’t lose its grip.

11. Evil Dead 2 at The Frida Cinema

On Halloween I went to The Frida Cinema to see Evil Dead 2. Before this, I had only seen Army of Darkness, the original Evil Dead, and the Fede Alvarez Evil Dead. I went dressed up as Dia Eloisa from El Vampiro (the first female vampire of Mexican cinema). It was a fun experience watching this in the theatre with a large audience filled with devoted Deadites. Everyone laughed throughout the movie and broke into a loud cheer when Ash said, “Groovy.” My favorite scene was Ash shooting at his evil hand.

10. Onlyfangs

I had been waiting to see this movie since it was announced by the independent filmmaking couple Angelica De Alba and Paul Ragsdale of A&P Films. Onlyfangs follows a group of female vampires who cross paths with an aspiring monster hunter, who convinces them to create an innovative app to get the blood and funds they need to survive. This was a creative way to bring new blood into the portrayal of vampires in the modern digital world, with a lot of fun bloody humor. The movie feels like a love letter to the over-the-top B 1980s slashers filled with blood, guts, comedy, and sexy mayhem. My favorite scene was the bowling alley.

9. Nahual

This latest film of Ricardo Islas, the Godfather of Uruguayan horror, explores the mythical South American Nahual. A nurse has a traumatic encounter during an at home patient visit that leaves her with lingering trauma and scars. She takes a vacation in South America for a much-needed break, only to arrive in a place where something is terrorizing the hotel and nearby town, leaving a trail of blood and fear. Like many of Islas’ films, Nahual was entertaining, creepy, and bloody with a little humor. I enjoyed the murder mystery feel of the film, the practical effects, and Pinky the dog. My favorite scenes were the first blood fest and anything with Pinky.

8. Weapons

Weapons was a fantastic nightmare that felt like Hansel and Gretel in the modern world. My favorite character of the film, Aunt Gladys, had me under her spell the moment she appeared on screen. I couldn’t keep my eyes off her as she devoured every scene she was in. Her flamboyant outfits just made her even more diabolical. I can see why she has become a new horror icon like Art the Clown. Now excuse me while I run outside mindlessly with my arms out.

7. IT: Welcome to Derry

I tend to be biased against prequels, sequels, and spinoffs in general, but the Muschietti siblings (Barbra and Andy) did not disappoint. While I was expecting some of the same over-the-top tropes from the previous IT films, I was impressed by how they expanded into the connection and complexity of the different lives in Derry impacted by Pennywise. I also loved the intertwining of Indigenous culture to the town’s history and connection to Pennywise. This series doesn’t hold back with the terror of the real-world violence or the creative supernatural gore and violence. Thanks to the Muschietti siblings I now have another reason to not like pickles or clowns.

6. Good Boy

To be honest, I only saw this movie in the theatre because I wanted to wait out the Los Angeles freeway rush hour traffic at the movies instead being stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic. I went into this movie without knowing that much about it. I was not expecting it to be scary or intense because it’s a PG-13 film. Wow, I was absolutely proven wrong. For most of the film, I was on the edge of my seat and wanting to yell at Indy’s owner, “Listen to Indy, stupid!” Indy is such a good boy, who absolutely deserves an acting award. Or at the very least, a new chew toy and a belly rub.

5. Sinners

Proof that Ryan Coogler needs to do more horror movies. There are so many things I love about Sinners, including the music and dancing, Michael B. Jordan playing two characters, the costumes, the practical effects, and the painstaking attention to detail, and the dropping of hints through the movie. I had to watch Sinners several times over to catch them, like the vultures flying over the house the vampire Remmick runs to, symbolizing the impending death. I loved seeing the Native Americans as vampire hunters. I also loved the major role music played in Sinners. The music sequences of “I Lied to You” and “Rocky Road to Dublin” were incredible!

4. Stranger Things

This has been on my to-watch list for a while now. When I was recovering from a couple of surgeries this year, I had the opportunity to watch the previous four seasons in time for the fifth and final season. Initially, I wasn’t interested in the show until I saw Stranger Sings! The Parody Musical and decided to give it a watch. After watching the first episode of season one, it grabbed my attention. The practical effects are stunning! Season five had my jaw on the floor with all of the twists and turns. That last episode was so emotional, especially with "Purple Rain" and "Heroes". As sad as the last episode was, it felt right to end the series the same way it started, in Mike's basement with D&D.

3. Spanish Language Dracula Screening at Milagro Cinemas  

The Spanish language version of the 1931 Universal Studios monster classic Dracula is one the most influential early Spanish-language films in cinematic history. It’s also one of the most significant and earliest feature-length talkie Latino horror films that has not been lost to time. As significant as this film is, unfortunately, it’s not screened as much as it deserves. Back in June at the Milagro Cinemas, I had the privilege to introduce this film in a pre-screening conversation with Emmy Award-winning writer Peter Murrieta for the ASU Poitier Film School. Although I had seen this film numerous times, seeing it on the big screen was breathtaking.

2. Sangre del Toro

This documentary was breathtaking. It follows Guillermo del Toro during his 2019 En Casa con mis Monstrous (At Home with My Monsters) exhibition, held at MUSA (Museum of the Arts University of Guadalajara), in his hometown of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. It featured a blend of MUSA art pieces and nearly nine hundred pieces of del Toro’s collection of art, personal items like comics and journals, props from his movies, and religious iconography. Del Toro is also interviewed in depth about his personal experiences and influences that impact his film work.

As interesting as it was to learn about the impact horror manga from Junji Ito to the work of anatomist Honoré Fragonard had on him, it was so exciting to see how Guadalajara impacted him. I loved seeing how they talked about specific aspects of Guadalajara culture, like the gothic Catedral de Guadalajara, which houses the body of Santa Inocencia, the Panteón de Belen cemetery with its vampire tree, and the Hospicio Cabañas cultural institute that features murals from one of Mexico’s most famous muralists, José Clemente Orozco. As someone with Guadalajara blood, it makes me so proud to see how deep our culture has influenced del Toro’s work and how beloved his work is internationally.

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Honorable Mentions:

• 100^th Anniversary: The Phantom of the Opera
• 90^th Anniversary: The Bride of Frankenstein and Mad Love
• 50^th Anniversary: The Rocky Horror Picture Show
• 50^th Anniversary: Nazareno Cruz and the Wolf
• 50^th Anniversary: Alucarda
• 30^th Anniversary: Tales from the Hood, Gremlins 2, and Day of the Beast
• 20^th Anniversary: Hostel
• 25^th Anniversary: Angel Negro
• Frankenstein
• Hell of a Summer
• The Monkey
• The Other
• Queens of the Dead
• Squid Game Season 3
• Wednesday Season 2

1. Dark Delicacies Signings:

This year marked the final year of Dark Delicacies as a brick-and-mortar store. As sad as this was for many horror fans, including myself, I was privileged to attend two in-store signings and a pop-up. The 1^st in-store signing was in January to see my friend, author Chris Alexander, for his book Art! Trash! Terror! with an amazing roster of signers including directors Joe Dante and Jackie Kong. The second was for the final in-store signing at Dark Delicacies with the legendary Del Howison, author and co-owner of Dark Delicacies, for his latest book, What Fresh Hell is This?. It was surreal being in that place knowing it would be the last time I would be able to be in the iconic Dark Delicacies. I did manage to snag the signed poster for The Forever Purge and Big Ass Spider.

In October, I went to my first Dark Delicacies pop-up at Emerald Knights Comics & Games in Burbank for the massive signing of the Making Monsters book. I was starstruck by the diverse array of talent that were there signing that day, including Damien Leone, Mike Mendez, Dana Gould, and Bill Corso. It was such a treat to meet co-editors Marshall Julius and Oscar-winning special effects icon Howard Berger. I’m still in disbelief of all the amazing talented people I got to meet. What made this day even better was how down-to-earth and easy-going the signers were. I was so nervous meeting them, but they were all so kind and amazing. I can’t wait to see what Dark Delicacies events will be available for 2026.

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