Cover Franchises are being revived, reimagined and expanded as horror sequels and reboots in 2025. Here’s what to know about the latest returns to the screen. (Photo: Netflix)
Franchises are being revived, reimagined and expanded as horror sequels and reboots in 2025. Here’s what to know about the latest returns to the screen. (Photo: Netflix)
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The most anticipated horror sequels and reboots of 2025 prove that old nightmares never really die
The current wave of horror sequels and reboots reveals how the genre continues to reinvent itself while reckoning with its past. Studios are revisiting familiar worlds and mythologies, not always to replicate them but to question how fear evolves with each generation. These new projects, spanning Hollywood to Indonesia, experiment with legacy, tone and mythology. Some expand on established stories, others reinterpret well-known figures and a few test how much horror can adapt to cultural and technological shifts. Together, they map out what scares and fascinates audiences these days.
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1. ‘28 Years Later’
Above Danny Boyle and Alex Garland return to the world of the Rage Virus with a story that expands the original’s scope and mythology.
Nearly two decades after 28 Weeks Later, Danny Boyle and Alex Garland return to the universe they created. 28 Years Later revisits Britain long after the Rage Virus outbreak, following Spike, a child raised in isolation who journeys to the mainland. The film extends the original’s bleak realism into new mythic territory, exploring how survival mutates into belief. Its planned follow-up, The Bone Temple, confirms that this isn’t just nostalgia but the start of a new trilogy. In the landscape of horror sequels, it shows how a franchise can evolve without repeating itself. 28 Years Later streams on Netflix later this month.
2. ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ (2025)
Above A new generation inherits the guilt and fear of the 1997 classic, reimagined for an age of secrets that never stay buried.
Paramount’s revival of I Know What You Did Last Summer reopens one of late-’90s horror’s most recognisable titles. Directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, with Kevin Williamson returning as producer, this reboot seeks to update the slasher for a generation raised on digital guilt and viral secrets. Little has been revealed about its plot, but the creative team’s mix of legacy and reinvention suggests a sharper, more contemporary approach. It stands among the year’s most closely watched horror sequels, testing whether old formulas still have cultural traction. I Know What You Did Last Summer is on Prime Video.
3. ‘Qodrat 2’
Above Indonesia’s faith-driven horror series deepens its battle between good and evil as Ustadz Qodrat faces a more personal form of possession.
Indonesia’s Qodrat 2 continues the story of a cleric confronting demonic possession through faith. The original blended religious ritual with modern horror aesthetics, earning praise for its spiritual intensity. The sequel deepens that fusion, depicting an even more personal confrontation between good and evil as the Devil targets Qodrat’s wife. Developed with cultural consultants and theologians, it represents a distinctly Southeast Asian contribution to the global surge in horror sequels, showing that spiritual horror can feel both intimate and epic. Qodrat 2 is streaming on Netflix.
4. ‘Vampirina: Teenage Vampire’
Above The children’s character gets a live-action reboot exploring adolescence, secrecy and belonging.
Once a children’s animated character, Vampirina returns as a live-action teen horror reboot. The premise reimagines the young vampire navigating adolescence while concealing her nature from human classmates. Though light in tone compared with other entries, it demonstrates the genre’s elasticity: how family-friendly properties can transition into darker explorations of identity and belonging. It’s an unusual yet telling addition to 2025’s slate of horror reboots. Vampirina: Teenage Vampire comes to Disney+ on October 15.
5. ‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’
Above The long-running series returns to explore how fate haunts a new generation tied to a disaster decades in the past.
The sixth instalment in the Final Destination franchise follows college student Stefani Reyes, who is haunted by recurring nightmares tied to a disaster her grandmother Iris once prevented. In 1969, Iris foresaw a catastrophic collapse of the Sky View restaurant tower and intervened. Decades later, Stefani uncovers the consequences: Death is now hunting those Iris saved, along with their descendants. The story involves family secrets, a “book” of Death’s rules and characters trying both to predict the next deaths and to cheat their fate. Final Destination: Bloodlines is streaming on HBO Max.
6. ‘IT: Welcome to Derry’
Above The children’s character takes a darker turn in a live-action reboot exploring adolescence, secrecy and belonging.
HBO’s IT: Welcome to Derry acts as both a prequel and an expansion to Andy Muschietti’s films, exploring the origins of Pennywise and the town’s cursed history. Returning to Derry allows the series to explore how fear festers across generations. By deepening rather than resetting the mythology, it positions itself between sequel and reimagining. It’s a reminder that some worlds are too rich to stay buried and that even well-known monsters can still unsettle when given space to grow. IT: Welcome to Derry starts streaming on HBO Max on October 27.
7. ‘Frankenstein’ (2025)
Above Guillermo del Toro revisits Mary Shelley’s creation myth with Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi in a story of invention and consequence.
Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein adapts Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel with considerable ambition. Oscar Isaac plays Victor Frankenstein, the brilliant but prideful scientist whose experiments lead to the creation of a creature, played by Jacob Elordi. The creature gains awareness, literacy and suffers through rejection and abuse. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Lavenza (Mia Goth) and Victor’s younger brother William (Felix Kammerer) anchor the human stakes. Influences from gothic horror are merged with del Toro’s personal interests, including themes of identity, responsibility and the costs of creation. For the inevitable Halloween hangover: stream Frankenstein on Netflix starting November 7.
From 28 Years Later’s viral aftermath to IT: Welcome to Derry’s haunted town, this year’s slate of horror sequels and reboots reflects a genre constantly negotiating between past and present. Whether revisiting cultural landmarks or introducing new mythologies, these projects show that horror’s most enduring trick is reinvention, and audiences are here for it.
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Chonx Tibajia is a senior editor at Tatler Asia’s T-Labs team, where she writes widely on lifestyle subjects including beauty, style, entertainment and travel. She has a long career in journalism, including roles as a columnist at The Philippine Star, and is the founder of the creative platform Pineappleversed. Beyond Tatler, her bylines appear in regional lifestyle and business publications, showcasing a broad portfolio that spans beauty trends, travel guides and culture pieces.
