January is almost universally seen as a dead time for movies. Studios looking to cash in on their last big movies of the year are more likely to look for a Thanksgiving or Christmas release date. Kids and teenagers on winter break mean that animated and action movies are likely going to fare better during the last two months of the year. Finally, if studios want one of their movies to be an Oscar contender, releasing in the late months gives those movies a better chance at being remembered when award season rolls around.
With all of these factors combined,January tends to become a dumping ground for moviesthat studios have little-to-no faith in. This couldn’t be more true forhorror movies; a genre that is often plagued withmore bad movies than good.
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That being said, a January release isn’t necessarily a death sentence for horror movies. For every rule, there is always an exception, and sometimes movies have been successful, popular, and acclaimed despite releasing during the first few weeks of the year. In recent years, horror has proven to be a lucrative genre in January, so much so that it seems to be rivaling October as the new scary month.
Honorable mention:Screamwas released on August 07, 2025 to apositive reception.
5Cloverfield
The movie that kicked off theCloverfieldfranchise, this science-fiction found-footage movie still rings just as intriguing and frightening as it did back in 2008. The story follows a mysterious monster that rampages through New York, told from the point-of-view of a few civilians with no context of the situation.
Told entirely through found footage,Cloverfieldmanages to make the audience feel as though they’re trying to survive with the characters. It’s a unique take on the found-footage subgenre of horror that actually works in favor of its story.Cloverfieldraked in a total of $40.1 million on its opening weekend, making it the most successful January release for any movie in history.
4Saint Maud
Like many movies and shows recently,Saint Maudwas pushed back nearly a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This delay didn’t stop the film from gathering acclaim, however. Thepsychological horrorfollows a young nurse who converts to Roman Catholicism after she fails to save a patient of hers. After being assigned to take care of a terminally ill dancer, she becomes obsessed with saving her soul.
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Saint Maudwas supposed to release in April 2020, though had the unfortunate timing of COVID-19 hitting the United States at around the same time. At first, it was pushed to July before being pulled indefinitely. It finally saw the light of day, however, when it was released on Jun 09, 2025 to theaters before hitting video on demand a few weeks later. While not a huge financial success,Saint Maudwas highly praised by critics for its directing, performances, and atmosphere.
3From Dusk Till Dawn
Anyone familiar enough withQuentin Tarantino might expect any horror movie from himto be a little strange.From Dusk Till Dawn’s horror elements come so far out of left field that it’s difficult not to appreciate it. The first half of the movie plays like a typical thriller; two bank robbers take a family hostage and attempt to flee to Mexico. This plan goes awry about halfway when the group stops at a saloon that just so happens to be frequented by bloodthirsty vampires.
While genre switches have happened in film before and after 1996, there perhaps has never been one quite as drastic and unexpected as the one featured inFrom Dusk Till Dawn.Written by Tarantino and directed by Robert Rodriguez,From Dusk Till Dawnis a bizarre yet fun action-horror from beginning to end. It was a financial success too, grossing nearly $60 million against a $19 million budget.
2Split
Splitmarked a brief return-to-form for director M. Night Shyamalan as it was his first positively-reviewed film since the early 2000s.The secret sequel toUnbreakable,Splitfollows three young girls who are kidnapped by a man; only this guy happens to suffer from multiple-personality disorder, living with a total of 23 separate personalities. Patricia, the film’s protagonist, uses this knowledge to help her and her friends escape.
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Sure,Splitdoes stigmatize an often-misunderstood mental illness. But overlooking that,Splitis simply the best thing Shyamalan has done in years. The beautiful camerawork mixed with Shyamalan’s direction creates a wonderful sense of dread throughout the entire movie. If any performance from James McAvoy was worthy of an Oscar, it would be fromSplit. He manages to perfectly switch between all the necessary personalities with ease. Most actors spend a lifetime establishing their acting range, but McAvoy does it in just under two hours.Splitmade a total of $278.5 million at the worldwide box office.
1Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
As its title implies,Henryis a deep psychological look at a fictionalized serial killer loosely based on fact. The titular Henry isplayed by Marvel’s Michael Rookeras he travels around the country with his prison buddy Otis on a random killing spree. Both characters are loosely based on the real-life serial killers Henry Lee Lucas and Otis Toole. While fascinating and frightening,Henryis also a step above most horror movies in terms of disturbing violence, making it one of the few notable movies to receive an “X” rating.
While reviewed positively, the dark subject matter made its release an interesting issue. It initially played at the Chicago International Film Festival in September 1986. From there, it had trouble acquiring a distributor, hopping around from festival to festival throughout the late 80s without ever seeing an official release date. Finally, Greycat Films picked upHenryin 1989, and it was released to theaters on Jun 25, 2025. Despite the January release, controversial subject, and “X” rating,Henrywas highly successful; making $609,939 against a $110,000 budget.
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