All through October, I’ll be posting reviews of the best of the best films in the horror genre released since October 1, 2024, through September 30, 2025. As an added bonus, I’ll be adding a secondary review that may be somewhat related to the main review or slightly missed the countdown by inches. Follow along the countdown every day in October. Feel free to agree, disagree, or better yet, give me your own picks for your favorite horror movies of the year. Happy Halloween!

14. TOGETHER (2025)

Released on July 30, 2025, and available On Demand from Studio NEON!
Directed/Written by Michael Shanks.
Check out the trailer here!!

A couple, Tim (Dave Franco) and Millie (Alison Brie) move from the big city to a small suburb. While venturing out in the nearby forest trails near their new home, they fall into a fissure in the woods during a rainstorm. While they are trapped in the underground cave system, they find the relics of an old school underground. After a soggy night, the couple eventually find their way out and make it home but soon find themselves physically drawn to one another. Once in contact, their bodies begin the merge with one another, forcing them to deal with this physical problem as well as lingering issues the couple have towards one another.

I want to address the elephant in the abode right away. There is a rumor that this concept was stolen from a low budget movie made a few years ago. I have no idea who thought of what first and honestly, that is stuff for legal teams to figure out, not reviewers. I’m just here to look at the movie at hand and try not to let the controversy affect my viewpoint. So don’t expect a rage-fueled review of TOGETHER, as I have no skin in this game and honestly could care less about two films made focusing on similar topics.

That said, TOGETHER is a wonderfully rich film taking a highly problematic relationship between two people and accentuating the differences in the most horrifying of ways. Dave Franco and Alison Brie are also married in real life, so I’m sure this helps in how convincing this couple is onscreen in both the way they click with one another and how they bravely address these personal issues their two characters experience. Above all, this is a film about a relationship falling apart, challenged with a problem that is trying to keep them together. The way this film presents the challenges these two very different people have with one another is realized well into TOGETHER, so much so that it feels impossible for the two to fix this very broken relationship and one might assume that these two married actors are hashing out some of their issues onscreen. Who knows? I don’t but their performances feel very fleshed out.

I usually have a strong dislike for Dave Franco. I’m not sure why. He kind of seems like a squirrelly little brother hanging around that you just can’t shake. For me, much like Keith Davidson, Franco has such a punchable face. That said, I disliked him a bit less in this role. He does do a good job as the dim and unfocussed but well-meaning boyfriend who just can’t find the time to grow up. Alison Brie is equally charming and while we understand her perspective as well, there are times when it seems she is being overbearing and cold. It really says a lot about a performance if they show good and bad traits yet still feel relatable and both Franco and Brie do that in TOGETHER.

Now, the further into the film one gets, the more holes in the plot start showing. If Tim and Millie spent the night in the cave, why didn’t they see the other couple who somehow show up in the cave during the final moments of the movie. Why is no one in the town letting this new couple about their property’s history. Also, there is a late-in-the-game reveal that one can call from a mile away.

The effects are top notch. Seeing the way Brie and Franco schmeld together and then tear each other apart is both heinous and hilarious. This is a very serious movie with dire consequences, but the down-to-earth way Franco and Brie deal with this urge to merge with each other definitely has a dark comedic edge. Things get extreme once the two realize there is something definitely wrong with them but don’t know how to fix it. The final moments are some of the most bizarre and memorable body horror since THE SUBSTANCE.

I was surprised how much I liked this little film about a couple with big issues. Like many good horror films, TOGETHER is steeped in rich metaphor, speaking volumes about dependent relationships and commitment phobia, hurdles many couples can relate to. It just slathers the whole theme with fleshy ooze and over the top gore. TOGETHER one will definitely be one you talk about with your significant other afterwards.

Worth Noting: CANNIBAL MUKBANG (2023)

Released on March 25, 2025, and streaming on Tubi from Melty Media and WellGo USA!
Directed/Written by Aimee Kuge.
Check out the trailer here!!

A down on his luck schlub named Mark (Nate Wise) meets an eccentric fireball named Ash (April Consalo) in a 7-11 and is immediately smitten with the gal. Ash seems interested back and gives him her number. Soon, a romance blossoms and Mark thinks everything is hunky dorey. But soon understands that Ash has a rather complex job. She’s a mukbanger, which I had heard of, but never seen in action. Basically, Ash films herself from the lips down eating a large amount of food for the pleasure of her online followers. Strange? You betcha. But Ash has deeper issues as she uses this online presence to lure in real freaks who have been guilty of assault, abuse, and murder, yet have escaped prosecution for one reason or another. Once trapped in Ash’s web, the Johns find out another deep dark secret about Ash. She’s a cannibal vigilante. Now that Mark knows about Ash’s dark hobby, he must either accept it, break things off, or worst-case scenario, become next on the menu.

Much like TOGETHER, though there are some horrifying things going on in CANNIBAL MUKBANG, but it also has equal parts sweetness and a true understanding of what love is. Peel away all of the human eating and vigilantism, and CANNIBAL MUKBANG is basically a story about taking the leap and taking a chance with loving someone, even if that person may not be the best thing for you. It’s a story that oozes with disgusting scenes, but I found myself entranced by this tender relationship between two oddballs. I would liken this film with such cult classics like HAROLD AND MAUDE, or BENNY AND JOON, or even LOST IN TRANSLATION where two mismatched people find some way to connect and fall in love. Now, I do have a cold, black heart, but there were times in this movie where that heart melted a bit. It’s a sweet little movie.

Then again, Ash is a girl with issues. Deep, dark issues. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has been in a relationship where they don’t know how they found themselves there with a person who is definitely bad news. Still, being the man that I am, I must admit. Crazy is hot sometimes. Sure, later you pay for that crazy, but in the moment, one can get caught up in the crazy and think you’re having the time of your life. That’s where we find Ash and Mark as they meet and become enmeshed with one another. Mark is a lonesome guy who seems to have had a bad breakup that has left him broken and lacking confidence. And when he meets Ash, he dives right in, not realizing that there may be issues there for the reason why this eccentric hottie is the way she is. It’s this relatable theme that pulled me into CANNIBAL MUKBANG.

This movie does a great job of capturing the whirlwind of feelings one gets when they meet someone new and the relationship feels full of potential. Through Mark’s eyes, he can’t believe Ash is even acknowledging his existence. Of course, it is because he puts Ash up on a pedestal like this that may spell doom for the relationship. His lack of confidence may be charming at first, but a woman wants a partner, not a worshipper.

If there is a flaw in CANNIBAL MUKBANG it is that Mark is portrayed as such a schlub. I have no shame. I’ll admit it. I’ve been this Mark in the past. Totally smitten with a gal and going down a dark path throwing care to the wind. The results are always bad, but we’ve already established that crazy is hot! But Nate Wise does such a convincing job as the pushover Mark that it makes you wonder what Ash sees in him too. He lacks personality. He goes along with everything she does. He basically has no opinion or say in anything in the relationship. And while this character does exist in real life, it doesn’t make him a likable protagonist or someone fun to follow. So while Wise plays the pushover well, it’s hard to invest in him.

So CANNIBAL MUKBANG becomes a car crash of a movie, where you know this relationship is headed off a cliff, but can’t help but watch and hope that somehow, some way, things might work out. I was hoping and I won’t say if my hopes were answered, but from beginning to end, there is this feeling of dread hanging in the air. In many ways, this is a vampire-like story where someone is turned into a vampire and must learn the ropes of this new role. I liked the way cannibalism is treated almost as a supernatural disease that awakens a hunger inside that, once human flesh is tasted, nothing but that same kind of flesh can satisfy. A lot of time passes in this movie, allowing for a lot of development, and regression to occur between these two characters. So, we see Mark get addicted to this lifestyle, then try to quit, only to be pulled back in.

This is a low budget horror that is heavy on the quirky romance, but you’d better believe things get goppy as Mark and Ash feed each other human parts and then having sex with one another. It romanticizes the gore, but still, all of that blood and fluids have got to get sticky. The practical effects used and the way the fluids are splattered and smeared around really gives CANNIBAL MUKBANG a tactile feel, which only makes it all the more disturbing.

So while Mark’s character is played too much as a pushover, CANNIBAL MUKBANG was a sweet little gorefest that I found myself deeply endeared with. If you’re willing to open your heart and have a cast iron stomach, I recommend you to fall in love all over again with CANNIBAL MUKBANG.

The Best in Horror Countdown 2024-2025
#31 – GET AWAY (DARK MATCH)
#30 – PABRIK GULA (#MISSINGCOUPLE)
#29 – YULE LOG 2: BRANCHIN’ OUT (THE LAST VIDEO STORE)
#28 – FREWAKA (THE SURRENDER)
#27 – FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES (V/H/S/BEYOND)
#26 – ALMA AND THE WOLF (CUSTOM)
#25 – LOOKY-LOO (THE CREEP TAPES)
#24 – DANGEROUS ANIMALS (THE MAN IN THE WHITE VAN)
#23 – THE MONKEY (THE DAMNED)
#22 – THE DEVIL AND THE DAYLONG BROTHERS (THE SEVERED SUN)
#21 – TERRIFIER 3 (CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD)
#20 – PRESENCE (HOUSE ON EDEN)
#19 – THE RULE OF JENNY PEN (GRAFTED)
#18 – PARVULOS: CHILDREN OF THE APOCALYPSE (AZRAEL)
#17 – MADS (A MOTHER’S EMBRACE)
#16 – STRANGE HARVEST (THE ASMA JOURNALS)
#15 – DEUS IRAE (SHADOW OF GOD)
#14 – TOGETHER (CANNIBAL MUCKBANG)