Another Sundance Film Festival kicks off tomorrow, bringing a new slate of genre discoveries. While the buzziest horror titles, like A24’s Opus, have already caught the attention of horror fans, Sundance excels at introducing emerging filmmakers and thrilling feature debuts.
Other anticipated horror premieres from the upcoming slate of programming includes Alison Brie and Dave Franco‘s co-dependency horror movie Together, and SpectreVision’s Celtic Faerie horror Rabbit Trap starring Dev Patel. But it’s only the start of the horror we can’t wait to check out at this year’s fest.
This year’s Sundance features horror across all categories, ensuring a robust lineup of genre titles. Here are five we absolutely can’t wait to see.
Dead Lover
Dead Lover, an official selection of the Premieres program at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
The latest by Booger filmmaker Grace Glowicki once again sees the rising indie talent pulling triple duty as writer, director, and star. Expect things to get weird when a lonely gravedigger meets the man of her dreams, only for her match to meet a tragic demise soon after. But this gravedigger isn’t ready to give up on love so quickly, kickstarting a wave of wild and morbid experiments to resurrect her man. If only things were that easy. Glowicki previously delivered a captivating performance and a distinct visual voice with Booger, which is enough to put Dead Lover on our must-list.
Didn’t Die
Didn’t Die, an official selection of the Premieres program at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
A tenacious, snarky podcaster desperately tries to build an ever-shrinking audience amidst the zombie apocalypse in director Meera Menon’s Didn’t Die. An homage to George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead in style and maverick filmmaking, don’t expect a straightforward zombie outbreak here. Instead, Menon captures the anxieties and the mundanity of trying to find normalcy in a world that offers anything but. With an endlessly charming lead performance by Kiran Deol, this poignant slice of life offers a dramedy for the horror fan.
Touch Me
Touch Me, an official selection of the Premieres program at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
Writer/Director Addison Heimann’s follow-up to his feature debut, Hypochondriac, continues his exploration of mental health in a distinctly unique way. Touch Me follows two codependent best friends with deep-seated traumas that only fuel their unhealthy behavior. That becomes amplified to a dizzying degree when they become addicted to the euphoric touch of an alien narcissist who may or may not be trying to take over the world. Heimann draws inspiration from retro Japanese cinema, sure to make for a quirky, campy sophomore effort that defies easy categorization.
The Ugly Stepsister
The Ugly Stepsister, an official selection of the Premieres program at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
Emilie Blichfeldt’s new take on Cinderella harkens back to the classic fairy tale’s violent roots as it reframes the story from the perspective of stepsister Elvira. Beauty is a brutal business in this Norwegian period horror movie, and the battle for the Prince’s affection leads to gruesome body horror that’s grotesquely medieval. Stunning production design, graphic close-ups of bodily harm, and a wicked sense of humor make this horror fairy tale a must. Even better? Shudder has already acquired The Ugly Stepsister for a 2025 release.
The Virgin of Quarry Lake
The Virgin of Quarry Lake, dark folklore and adolescent angst that pushes simmering self-empowerment to its boiling point.
The first adaptation of celebrated author Mariana Enríquez’s unsettling short stories is already enough to have our attention, but the fest’s description promises an intense feature that places a coming-of-age tale amidst socio-economical unrest. Expect a genre-bender that marries dark folklore with teen angst that feels destined to devastate.