Here Are The 2025 FANGORIA CHAINSAW AWARDS Nominees

We’re baaaack! The FANGORIA Chainsaw Awards return to honor the best horror movies of the year! Last year, we made the shift to an October awards show, and we’re keeping the new tradition going. The following nominees represent the absolute best in the horror genre from the most impactful releases between July 2024 and June 2025.

That’s a full year of incredible original horror, directorial debuts, jaw dropping performances, and nauseatingly real life special FX. We can hardly wait! 

“This year we continue the new Chainsaw Awards tradition of pitting the second half of last year with the first half of this year in a cage match of cinematic carnage. Like the Grammys, but gorier,” says FANGORIA Editor-in-Chief Phil Nobile Jr. “It's made for a rather chaotic list of nominees, and we expect the voting to be vicious and voluminous.”

That chaotic list of nominees was selected by a nominating body of over 150 industry tastemakers, creators, and professionals, and it always lends itself to some wonderful surprises.

“One of the most exciting aspects of putting this show together each year is knowing that it all comes down to the fans. We can plan the theme and book the presenters, but until the votes are cast, there’s always an element of the unknown,” said Michael Varrati, Writer and Director of the Chainsaw Awards. “The Chainsaws are ultimately a love letter to horror fandom, so it stands to reason that it’s the will of the audience that makes the final decision.”

This year’s nominees represent a wide and diverse range of stories and artistry from across the genre—and I know fans are passionate about every single one. I encourage horror fans to vote, because your voice, your love of a film, could be the thing that makes all the difference.”

He’s not kidding. Sinners and The Substance lead the pack with a whopping ten nominations each. Standout surprise, The Ugly Stepsister comes in with nominations across five categories, but is there a dark horse in the mix swooping in to win your votes? It’s time to find out. Your one vote could be the difference between your top pick taking home the trophy and coming in second place. Get in there and make your voice heard!

Without further ado, we are proud to present the official 2025 FANGORIA Chainsaw Awards nominees. Check out the full list of nominees below (and here's a handy Letterboxd list of all 42 horror movies nominated in case you have some catching up to do). The polls are now officially open and will close on July 20! The fate of these awards is now in your hands. Happy voting.

Official Nominees for the 2025 FANGORIA Chainsaw Awards

BEST WIDE RELEASE

• 28 Years Later
• Bring Her Back
• Final Destination: Bloodlines
• Heretic
• Longlegs
• Nosferatu
• Sinners
• Strange Darling
• The Substance
• The Ugly Stepsister

BEST LIMITED RELEASE MOVIE

• Azrael
• Frankie Freako
• Freaky Tales
• Get Away
• Little Bites

BEST STREAMING PREMIERE

• Best Wishes to All
• Cannibal Mukbang
• Gazer
• Mr. Crocket
• There's A Zombie Outside

BEST INTERNATIONAL MOVIE

• Cuckoo
• Dangerous Animals
• Oddity
• Red Rooms
• The Ugly Stepsister

BEST FIRST FEATURE

• Best Wishes to All
• Blink Twice
• Cannibal Mukbang
• Mr. Crocket
• The Ugly Stepsister

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

• Lily-Rose Depp, Nosferatu
• Willa Fitzgerald, Strange Darling
• Sally Hawkins, Bring Her Back
• Michael B. Jordan, Sinners
• Maika Monroe, Longlegs
• Demi Moore, The Substance
• Lea Myren, The Ugly Stepsister
• Hunter Schafer, Cuckoo
• Naomi Scott, Smile 2
• Sophie Thatcher, Companion

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE

• Nicolas Cage, Longlegs
• Miles Caton, Sinners
• Ralph Fiennes, 28 Years Later
• Hugh Grant, Heretic
• David Jonsson, Alien: Romulus
• Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners
• Jack O'Connell, Sinners
• Margaret Qualley, The Substance
• Bill Skarsgård, Nosferatu
• Dan Stevens, Cuckoo

BEST DIRECTOR

• Danny Boyle, 28 Years Later
• Ryan Coogler, Sinners
• Robert Eggers, Nosferatu
• Coralie Fargeat, The Substance
• Osgood Perkins, Longlegs

BEST SCREENPLAY

• Scott Beck & Bryan Woods, Heretic
• Ryan Coogler, Sinners
• Coralie Fargeat, The Substance
• Bill Hinzman & Danny Philippou, Bring Her Back
• J.T. Mollner, Strange Darling

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

• Autumn Durald Arkapaw, Sinners
• Andres Arochi, Longlegs
• Jarin Blaschke, Nosferatu
• Benjamin Kracun, The Substance
• Anthony Dod Mantle, 28 Years Later

BEST SCORE

• Robin Carolan, Nosferatu
• Ludwig Göransson, Sinners
• Raffertie, The Substance
• Young Fathers, 28 Years Later
• Zilgi, Longlegs

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

• Ruth E. Carter, Sinners
• Mari-An Ceo, MaXXXine
• Linda Muir, Nosferatu
• Manon Rasmussen, The Ugly Stepsister
• Emmanuelle Youchnovski, The Substance

BEST MAKEUP FX

• Felix Fox, Harlow MacFarlane, Werner Pretorius, Longlegs
• Christien Tinsley, Terrifier 3
• John Nolan, 28 Years Later
• Pierre Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon, The Substance
• David White, Traci Loader, Nosferatu

BEST CREATURE FX

• Paul McDonnell, Oddity
• Jeremy Selenfriend / Studio Gillis, Smile 2
• Pierre Olivier Persin, The Substance
• Studio Gillis, Werewolves
• Legacy Effects / Studio Gillis / Wētā Workshop, Alien: Romulus

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

• Doc of Chucky
• George A. Romero’s Resident Evil
• In Search of Darkness: 1990 – 1994
• The J-Horror Virus
• Suzzanna: The Queen of Black Magic 

 

BEST NON-FICTION TV SERIES OR MINISERIES

• The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula
• Horror’s Greatest
• The Last Drive-In With Joe Bob Briggs
• Svengoolie

BEST SERIES

• The Creep Tapes
• From
• The Last of Us
• Squid Game
• Yellowjackets

BEST VIDEO GAME

• Death Stranding 2
• Mouthwashing
• Silent Hill 2 Remake
• Slitterhead
• Sorry We're Closed

BEST PUBLIC DOMAIN RESURRECTION

• Popeye’s Revenge
• The Mouse Trap
• Popeye the Slayer Man
• Screamboat
• Shiver Me Timbers
• Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare

As always, the highly competitive “Best Kill” category is a write-in vote. Congratulations to all of the incredible nominees. The 2025 FANGORIA Chainsaw Awards polls are now open through July 20. Stay tuned for more show details. We'll see you in October on Shudder!