Top 15 Films of 2025

TL;DR? Wrap your eyes around this clip reel of my Top 15 Films of 2025, in alphabetical order…

Amid the haze of a Christmas lurgy, I present to you… my Top 15 Films of 2025! I had initially thought my viewing was down on previous years, but what I did see was very, very good.

Below is the bare minimum of words to explain why these 15 made the top cut, in alphabetical order.

1000 WOMEN OF HORROR
Dir: Donna Davies (USA/Australia)
The irrepressible Alexandra Heller-Nicholas wrote a book titled 1000 Women in Horror, which was important is so many ways. This is the documentary of that book. It’s existence on this earth fills my heart with joy.

BABYGIRL
Dir: Halina Reijn (Netherlands/USA)
A hetrosexual sado-masochistic relationship presented in the most vulnerable, non-performative of ways. Like sneaking a peak through the crack of the door. Worth watching with friends, if only for their reactions and what it reveals about them.

BUGONIA
Dir: Yorgos Lanthimos (Ireland/UK/Canada/USA/South Korea)
Top form Lanthimos, once again teamed with top form Emma Stone. A film that keeps you guessing in its ‘yes, she is/no, she’s not’ storyline twists, and that eventually settles in the most satisfying of conclusions.

BRING HER BACK
Dir: Danny Philippou & Michael Philippou (Australia)
Proving they’re not just one-hit wonders with the stunning debut Talk to Me, the Philippou brothers come out punching with this belter. A high-impact horror on the eyes, ears and bladder. See it in an immersive environment (i.e. cinema) if you can.

CHAIN REACTIONS
Dir: Alexandre O. Philippe (USA)
Our girl, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, stars in this doco about the impact and impressions of Texas Chain Saw Massacre 50 years after its release. She shines with her observations in an Aus. context, despite formidable company (Patton Oswalt, Takashi Miike, Stephen King, Karyn Kusama).

CONCLAVE
Dir: Edward Berger (UK/USA)
Many included this film on their 2024 lists, but it released in Aus. in January 2025. 12 months later, it still resonates – elevated through the actual death of a pope this year. Essentially a ‘men-in-confined-environment-under-duress’ film, which is one of my fave sub-genres.

EDDINGTON
Dir. Ari Aster (USA/UK/Finland)
I have a complicated relationship with Ari Aster, which is only further confused by this film. It’s a totally engrossing micro-macrocosm of the COVID experience – until it dies in a bloated and unnecessary epilogue. Yet it’s still on my top films list. Go figure.

FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES
Dir. Zach Lipovsky & Adam B. Stein (USA/Canada)
Bravo to the horror franchise that knows what it is, and leans into itself in more and more glorious ways with every instalment… well, almost every instalment… but this is a goodie. Trust me. Horror that doesn’t take itself seriously.

FRANKENSTEIN
Dir. Guillermo Del Toro (Mexico/USA)
How could I not include this in my list? An intelligent and breathtakingly beautiful thematic and aesthetic rendering of its source material (despite CG wolves). Elegantly weaves the pillars of gothic horror storytelling (Frankenstein, Beauty & the Beast and Dracula) into the one text. And then there’s Jacob Elordi.

A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE
Dir. Kathryn Bigelow (USA)
Kathryn Bigelow holds her crown as Queen of the Action Movie, even when the action comes by way of situation rooms and grave conversations. This one grabs you by the short & curlies from start to finish – and, while you might be taken aback by the ‘finale’, give it 10 mins and you’ll realise it’s genius.

IF I HAD LEGS I’D KICK YOU
Dir. Mary Bronstein (USA)
Rose Byrne. Wow. The cherry on top of a career that has seen her go from cute teen to comedienne and now this – a gut-puncher of a film that wraps heightened anxiety with mother’s guilt. An Australian one-two, thanks to stellar support from Danielle Macdonald.

INSIDE
Dir. Charles Williams (Australia)
Debut features don’t get better than Charles Williams’ masterstroke with Inside. Quintessentially Victorian (as in the territory/state, not the era) with career-best performances from Guy Pearce, Cosmo Jarvis, Toby Wallace and, in his first ever role, Vincent Miller. I sobbed.

ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson (USA)
Imagine your run-of-the-mill action film, then recut it through the lens of Paul Thomas Anderson, and you get something totally unexpected. Leo as klutz, Penn as psycho fascist, Del Toro as cooler-than-cucumber sensei. Long running time but worth the stay.

TRAIN DREAMS
Dir. Clint Bentley (USA)
This one sings with literary lyricism and crackles with static energy, despite its quiet pace. A sight to behold and experience, especially that of Joel Edgerton who seems to portray so much while doing so little. I sobbed while watching this too.

WEAPONS
Dir. Zach Cregger (USA)
Utterly watchable plot-twister that keeps you guessing until a finale guaranteed to have horror pundits applauding. So pleased that Zach Cregger is reinventing horror narratives to such grand acclaim. Refreshing.