[Editorial] Seven Horror Hits That Haunted Our Hiatus

In 2024, it was a bleak day for lovers of the sinister when Ghouls Magazine slipped into an unexpected slumber. What did we do when the crypt doors locked and the candles burned low? We did what any self-respecting horror fiends would do. We devoured films of blood, obsession, and brutality, letting the screams of terror soundtrack our time in the shadows. 

Below, are our favourite films that haunted, thrilled, and consumed us while the magazine was on hiatus:

Sinners (2025) dir. Ryan Coogler

The runaway favourite across the team was Ryan Coogler’s stylish southern gothic genre-blend masterpiece, Sinners. While it dons the fangs of the familiar vampiric narrative, a form we will always eagerly embrace, Sinners is far more interested in emotional transformation than in mindless bloodlust. Coogler uses the mythology of the vampire as a vessel for a powerful coming-of-age story rooted in cultural identity, desire, and belonging.

Every frame drips with primal urges, while the music pulses through the film’s veins, building towards a crescendo of carnage and passion that feels both devastating and exhilarating. It is a film that goes beyond horror, beyond genre, and embraces the complexities of humanity and how easily it can be undone.

Available to stream in the UK on NOW (via Sky Cinema).

Longlegs (2024) dir. Osgood Perkins

Osgood Perkins’ cult darling Longlegs not only spawned a generational meme within online spaces, but also proved popular among the Ghouls team. A slow-burning crime thriller procedural rather than outright horror, we were collectively traumatised by Nicolas Cage’s unhinged performance, and especially that singing.

If you are expecting The Silence of the Lambs, do not. Perkins crafts a descent into something far weirder, an arthouse nightmare that embraces the absurd and allows breaths of dark humour to creep in between the boiling paranoia and suffocating dread.

Available to rent or buy digitally in the UK via Apple TV and Prime Video.

Bring Her Back (2025) dir. Danny & Michael Phillippou

The Philippou brothers returned with another bruising entry in A24’s horror catalogue and, much like their previous outing Talk To Me (2022), they once again explore the devastating impact of grief, trauma, and family. Bring Her Back builds on this with a chilling performance from the much-loved Sally Hawkins, a smoother script, and more emotionally layered characters.

The film is drenched in an incessant, melancholic rain that drums in the background of every scene, echoing the grief that hangs in the air even as life around it tries to move on. Despite the overwhelming emotional devastation that permeates Bring Her Back, it does not hold back on the gore either, to the point where even gorehounds like myself were covering their eyes and wincing. All I will say is this: do not bite tables, kids.

Available to rent or buy digitally in the UK via Apple TV and Prime Video.

I Saw the TV Glow (2024) dir. Jane Schoenbrun

One of the most quietly devastating films of the year proved that horror is not always blood and entrails. Sometimes it is late nights hooked to a blinding screen, desperate to avoid the gnawing reality of the self. Jane Schoenbrun’s dysphoric, nostalgia-brimmed tale of queerness and existential dread lays bare the terror-filled experience of discovering and accepting oneself, and the truest horror of living the wrong life.

The neon glow of the television coats every scene, emphasising the VHS aesthetic throughout. The obsessively watched The Pink Opaque acts as a loving homage to 90s television, from Goosebumps to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, reminding us of the comfort shows we devour to avoid the liminal space of becoming when we are scared of being alone with ourselves.

I Saw the TV Glow is a silent scream and an internal echo that understands the terror of existence.

Available to stream in the UK on NOW (via Sky Cinema).

28 Years Later (2025) dir. Danny Boyle

Few horror films have had the cultural impact of Danny Boyle’s original masterpiece, and after the divisive sequel, 28 Weeks Later, it is understandable that audiences were wary of returning to Boyle’s ravaged British landscape. Thankfully, 28 Years Later grabs the gritty, frantic, and emotional keys from the original and becomes its own beast. It revels in sordid humanity, keeping the rage-infected zombies as fearful as ever while positioning humans as the real enemy and the horrific backbone of the story.

It is a brutal, sobering tale of unhealed wounds and life in the aftermath of catastrophe.

Jodie Comer’s subtle, heart-wrenching performance and Ralph Fiennes’ commanding presence embody the human spirit throughout, balancing hope, fear, and loss. This is not, and never was, a mindless zombie film. It is a film about humanity and its rapid decay.
With sequel 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple out in cinemas now, this tale will continue to infect our minds with what was and what is to come.

Available to stream in the UK on NOW (via Sky Cinema).

The Ugly Stepsister (2025) dir. Emilie Blichfeldt

Cinderella meets The Substance in this shocking, explicit slice of body horror. Emilie Blichfeldt’s fairytale reimagining weaves visceral gore and a feminist critique of brutal beauty standards into the bones of the classic story, but make no mistake, Disney this is not. From maggots and worms to rotted flesh and bodily fluid close-ups, The Ugly Stepsister revels in vulgarity and true ugliness, which, unsurprisingly, has nothing to do with a woman’s natural appearance.

It may lack subtlety, but it more than makes up for it with unbridled, unhinged subversion. The film also introduces us to the deeply underexplored subgenre of nose horror, proving that no body part is safe in Blichfeldt’s grotesque playground. The Ugly Stepsister is fearless in its discomfort and even manages to teach us the Norwegian word for “end”. Look it up.

Available to stream in the UK on Shudder.

Nosferatu (2024) dir. Robert Eggers

Robert Eggers’ gothic sensation dominated the cinema conversation thanks to its stunning visuals, stellar cast, and the enticing presence of Count Orlok. The film’s pallid colour palette drenches every frame in a bleak, frostbitten vision of obsession and decay, while the grand costumes and looming sets deepen the oppressive, suffocating atmosphere throughout. This is a world choked by shadow, moral judgement, and rot, where desire is left to curdle in the dank corners.

There is a charged eroticism that pulses beneath the surface, heightening the hunger of forbidden longing and the danger of repressed urges. Orlok himself is both grotesque and strangely alluring, his looming figure and, yes, his majestic moustache adding to the uncanny magnetism of the character. While it is a slower-paced film than some may expect, it mirrors Orlok’s deliberate, stalking gait, becoming an exercise in mood and dread that allows stillness to penetrate and fester.

Available to stream in the UK on NOW (via Sky Cinema).

After so many devilish delicacies we are still ravenous for more. Now clawing our way back into the mortal world, Ghouls Magazine is ready to consume every nightmare, every scream, and every drop of blood that 2026 and beyond have to offer. Welcome back to the crypt. We have missed you.

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