All through October, I’ll be posting reviews of the best of the best films in the horror genre released since October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026. As an added bonus, I’ll be doing 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!

The Best in Horror 2025-2026 So Far…

#31 – DOLLY (GATOR FACE)
#30 – THINESTRA (SACCHARINE)
#29 – ONSLAUGHT (BEAST OF WAR)
#28 – READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME (PENNY LANE IS DEAD)
#27 – IN OUR BLOOD (V/H/S/HALLOWEEN)
#26 – SEND HELP (HEEL)
#25 – THE CARPENTER’S SON (THE BOOK OF SIJJIN AND ILLIYYIN)

#25 – THE CARPENTER’S SON (2025)

Released on November 14, 2025!
Streaming on Tubi from Magnolia Pictures!
Directed/Written by Lotfy Nathan.
Check out the trailer here!

The Carpenter (Nic Cage) is witness to a glorious light as his Wife (FKA twigs) gives birth in a manger. The Carpenter believes this to be a sign from God that this child is destined to teach the world the gift of forgiveness. Fifteen years later, the Carpenter, the Wife, and the Child (Noah Jupe) travel in secrecy across the land, attempting to find shelter and keep the Child’s gifts a secret until a new sign from God says it is the right time. But in the shadows the Adversary lurks in the form of a young girl (Isla Johnston), who temps the Child to turn against humanity and become a God among men.

I was really caught off guard from THE CARPENTER’S SON. I didn’t know exactly what to expect. A straightforward interpretation of the gospels, some blasphemous nightmare, or some kind of modern, ground level retelling of the birth of Jesus. What director Lotfy Nathan did get was tell a faithful interpretation of the birth and trials of Jesus in THE CARPENTER’S SON. The thing is, the film tells an emotionally potent story of a father trying his hardest to protect his son from temptation. Sure, it’s a dated concept, but the lengths the Carpenter goes to keep the young boy protected from those who hate and fear him is something primal and powerful. This is a timeless tale, as relevant today as the time it is depicted—a period piece that resonates.

And while the rest of the cast is good, most of that power comes, believe it or not, from Nic Cage’s performance as the over-protective Carpenter. Cage’s character knows that if his son is found out, he will be ostracized and killed for representing something that The Carpenter himself has doubts about. Some of the most powerful moments are from Cage trying to understand and cope with the impossible situation of his wife becoming pregnant with God’s child. Of course, there’s a part of him who thinks she’s been unfaithful. Sure, he is looking for signs from heaven to tell him he is on the right path. Punctuated with Cage’s manic nature at times, he still manages to deliver one of his more iconic characters.

Because it is Cage’s inner turmoil that takes center stage, there is little room for anyone else. So, the rest of the cast sort of get overshadowed. This is most exemplified by FKA twigs as the Wife. Twigs does have a presence, but because this is a film that is faithful to its time, the Wife doesn’t have a lot of say in the matters of the family’s everyday life. There are moments of dialog between husband and wife, but these are behind closed doors. Twigs doesn’t get her big scene until the climax where a quiet decision begins the next leg of this legendary journey.

Noah Jupe as the Son has a meatier role. He is curious and sometimes defiant of his father’s will. The young actor delivers a commanding performance though, as he is often standing toe-to-toe with Cage as a normal rebellious teen. He just also happens to be Jesus. And seeing Jupe’s wide eyes as he realizes the power he has is fascinating.

Finally, THE CARPENTER’S SON has one of my favorite depictions of the Devil that I’ve seen in recent memory. In the form of an innocent scarred girl, played deviously playful by Isla Johnston, Lucifer is ever present in the background always waiting for the Carpenter to turn his back so she can tempt his son with all sorts of dangerous games. Most of the horror in THE CARPENTER’S SON comes from the scenes with Johnston, who, despite her small stature, transforms into a monstrously powerful villain through performance alone. Seeing this little girl, scarred with small cuts and spitting blood in the ear of the Son is nightmare fuel and brought back some of the most primal recollections of the first time I watched THE EXORCIST, as her performance is blasphemously good.

There are horrors to be had in THE CARPENTER’S SON. The Carpenter has dreams that his Son will turn over to the dark side, as does the Son himself. All of these harrowing sequences are wonderfully realized and given the characters who have these visions and dreams, there is just something powerful about it all. Even the birth sequence, which is often portrayed as this glorious event, feels more like an alien encounter than a holy experience. The climactic fight between the Carpenter, the Son, and the Devil is as exciting as it is emotionally shattering.

All the while, I don’t think THE CARPENTER’S SON is a blasphemous movie that those leaning more towards the religious side should be mad at or afraid of. This is, in fact, a movie about god-fearing people and the stuff the God in this movie does is downright frightening. There’s nothing in here that even compares to the torture porn gorefest that was offered up in THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST or even Scorsese’s THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST, for that matter. Still, it is rumored that this production did have some difficulty, including Cage being stung in the face by bees or locusts (NOT THE BEES!). THE CARPENTER’S SON manages to convey those classic biblical messages, only placing them through a horror lens when the fantastical occurs. It’s a film that not only reinterprets the greatest story ever told, but this time, for horror fans. I doubt THE CARPENTER’S SON is going to be replacing A CHRISTMAS STORY as a holiday classic, but it is a powerful film, nevertheless.

Worth Noting – THE BOOK OF SIJJIN AND ILLIYYIN (aka KITAB SIJJIN AND ILLIYYIN, 2025)

Released on August 1, 2026!
Streaming on Shudder from Rapi Films!
Directed by Hadrah Daeng Ratu.
Written by Lele Laila, Ersan Özer.
Check out the trailer here!

After her parents are violently killed by what seems to be witchcraft, Yuli (Yunita Siregar) is adopted into an abusive family who calls her a bastard and makes her the brunt of all their frustrations. Fed up with this treatment, Yuli seeks out the help of a local shaman to cast a death curse upon the family. Yuli is instructed how to perform the ritual, but must do it herself for it to work, so she exhumes a dead body and casts some gnarly spells with it to take her revenge.

THE BOOK OF SIJJIN AND ILLIYYIN is an Indonesian film and if there is one or two things I know about Indonesian films, it is that they know how to depict black magic in tactile and horrifying ways, and always, always, there are centipedes. Religion is something I have always failed to grasp. The utter belief in something one cannot touch and feel is just something my mind cannot wrap itself around. While I respect those who can devote their lives to religion, it just doesn’t work for me. Still, I find it fascinating that, while the concept of religion proves to be somewhat of a dated concept in modern American cinema, the belief in a higher power is alive and well in foreign films such as THE BOOK OF SIJJIN AND ILLIYYIN. Here the question is not, is there a god? It is just a given that a higher power exists. So, I guess that’s why films such as these are so effective. They don’t waste their time asking why. A higher power just is and there is no arguing with that.

I bring up this theological discussion because all the way through THE BOOK OF SIJJIN AND ILLIYYIN, I found myself amazed at how effective the film is compared to American horror films centering on religion. Religion is just a normal way of life and just as a more positive power exists, so does the power of Black Magic. For some reason, most likely due to our apathetic nature, this type of magical thinking is rather goofy or old timey in American films. But in this movie, it feels as real as anything one can see or touch. Black Magic is no laughing matter here, as evidenced by the tactile and often disturbing way the film depicts it. As explained in the film, THE BOOK OF SIJJIN AND ILLIYYIN are a pair of books the angels and devils own that contain all the good deeds and all the sins people have done through the years. It’s basically a running tally of one’s life and whatever it all totals up to in the end signifies one’s fate. Described that way, I get it, at least for a basis to build a film on.

The black magic in this film is also tactile as it involves spit, blood, and flesh. We see Yuli dig up the corpse and sew spikes through the flesh of the corpse while chanting. It’s disgusting and in your face (as well as in the corpse’s face as the spikes are literally threaded through the body’s cheeks) and I am not entirely sure how they pulled off such realistic effects. I probably don’t want to know, but the way this magic is presented is terrifyingly effective.

Also adding to the way this film really burrows into your brainpan is how much hatred and frustration Yunita Siregar shows in her performance as Yuli. It’s a wonderfully rich character. You feel awful for her as she is treated horribly by her adoptive family and it is understandable that she is pissed about it all. But that immense discord takes over Yuli making her a vile villain and while I felt for her in the first half, it’s hard to root for her as the bloodlust and black magic takes her over. It’s a complex performance and Yunita Siregar performs it extremely well.

Aside from the tactile and gross black magic rituals going on, there is an abundance of gore in THE BOOK OF SIJJIN AND ILLIYYIN. Most of it comes in the form of people being compelled to do harm to themselves, which could be triggering for some. Still, these are no throwaway kills. Yuli meticulously picks off the family one by one in soppingly gory ways. It all culminates with an exorcism of sorts, cut between two locations – Yuli’s black magic den and a holy temple. While a lot of the exorcism is similar to most exorcism films, the fact that it is steeped in Muslim faith and involves some interesting wire-work and some nauseating grossout effects (including a centipede or two) make it stand out from most possession movies.

As a cultural piece, as a showcase for a religion from a foreign land, as a multi-layered drama about familial abuse passed down from one generation to the next, and most importantly as a horror movie with gore, scares, and suspense, THE BOOK OF SIJJIN AND ILLIYYIN works. This is one of the better horror exports from Indonesia released this year and if international horror is your thing, you’ve got to check this one out!

Once again, feel free to agree, disagree, or how about you play along at home and give me your own picks for your favorite horror movies. It’s October, so let’s talk horror. Come back tomorrow for the next level in the Best in Horror Countdown. Be sure to hit all of the pertinent bells and whistles down below and you’ll never miss a post! Happy Halloween, folks!