Best B-Horror Movies of 2025: Low Budgets, High Body Counts, Zero Restraint

In 2025, B-horror didn’t just survive — it thrived. Low-budget, icon-subverting, childhood-ruining horror surged like never before. Public-domain cartoon characters went homicidal, body horror got messier, slashers got dumber (in the best way), and midnight movies reclaimed their throne.

This year’s B-horror crop is wild, unfiltered, and completely unhinged — the kind of films made to be watched too late, too loud, with friends yelling at the screen. Grab your popcorn (and maybe a steel bar). These are the best B-horror films of 2025.

Best B-Horror Movies of 2025

Popeye the Slayer Man (2025)

Runtime: 1hr 28min

Director: Robert Michael Ryan

Writer: John Doolan

Stars: Steven Murphy, Jason Robert Stephens, Scott Swope

He’s not a ghost; the sailor man is real. And yes, it’s ridiculous. A group of friends sneak into an abandoned spinach canning factory to investigate the legend of the “Sailor Man,” only to awaken a grotesque, mutated horror. Riding the wave of public-domain madness after Popeye entered the public domain, this film goes all in on its absurd premise.

The gore is enthusiastic, the tone is knowingly dumb, and the nostalgic IP flip is shameless. Popeye the Slayer Man knows exactly what it is: loud, messy, and proudly stupid, and that’s why it works.

The Fetus (2025)

Runtime: 1hr 24min

Director: Lam Ngai Kai

Writer: Lam Ngai Kai

Stars: Michelle Yim, Raymond Wong

Pregnancy horror has been done before and better, but The Fetus still earns its place in 2025’s B-horror lineup. A couple discovers their unborn child is half-human, half-demonic, with a thirst for blood. As the body count rises, they scramble to uncover the origins of the curse before it consumes everything.

This is Lam’s first narrative feature, and it leans heavily into visceral practical effects, bleak tonal choices, and uncomfortable bodily horror. It’s grim, unpleasant, and far from subtle, exactly what some late-night horror fans are looking for.

Mouseboat Massacre (2025)

Runtime: 1hr 23min

Director: Daniel Reisinger

Writer: Daniel Reisinger

Stars: Hailey Reese, Mark Law, Jenna Rose

Steamboat Willie meets The Ring, filtered through cheap VHS nightmares and drug-fuelled paranoia. A woman battling addiction becomes haunted by a mutated mouse-human hybrid that infiltrates her life and murders those around her. The dialogue is cheesy, the situations are absurd, and the commitment to the bit is total.

Part of the “childhood nostalgia gone wrong” trend, Mouseboat Massacre weaponizes public-domain iconography into something foolish and amusing. One thing’s for sure I’m not letting anyone take my phone and make me watch VHS tapes ever again.

Bambi: The Reckoning (2025)

Runtime: 1hr 21min

Director: Dan Allen

Writer: Rhys Warrington

Stars: Roxanne McKee, Nicola Wright, Tom Mulheron

They killed Momma, and Bambi took that personally. This twisted reimagining turns the gentle forest deer into a mutated revenge machine stalking the woods. Part of the “Twisted Childhood Universe” (TCU) wave, Bambi: The Reckoning was reportedly made on a tiny budget (around £250K), and somehow makes it work.

It’s grimy, aggressive forest horror with a ridiculous central idea that never backs down. Childhood innocence is obliterated, the woods are unsafe, and yes, the deer will give you nightmares.

Screamboat (2025)

Runtime: 1hr 42min

Director: Steven LaMorte

Writer: Steven LaMorte

Stars: Tyler Posey, David Howard Thornton

On a nighttime New York ferry, passengers are hunted by a grotesque, murderous mouse inspired by Steamboat Willie. Screamboat leans hard into camp, gore, and midnight-movie energy. It’s absurd, loud, and deliberately stupid, the kind of movie that plays best with a crowd.

One of several post-public-domain cartoon horror riffs, this one stands out by fully embracing its silliness while still delivering nasty kills and practical effects.

The Toxic Avenger (2025 – Re-Release)

Runtime: 1hr 42min

Director: Macon Blair

Writer: Macon Blair

Stars: Peter Dinklage, Kevin Bacon, Elijah Wood

A reboot of the 1984 Troma cult classic, The Toxic Avenger, brings “Toxie” back with modern star power and a slightly slicker edge. Reception was mixed, but honestly? It’s worth a watch.

The film blends superhero tropes with splatter comedy, political satire, and grotesque mutation. It still feels messy, still feels mean, and still feels proudly B-movie at heart. Plus, during its theatrical run, the production wiped out millions in medical debt which automatically gives it bonus points.

Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare (2025)

Runtime: 1hr 29min

Director: Scott Jeffrey

Writer: Scott Jeffrey

Stars: Martin Portlock, Megan Placito, Kit Green

Wendy returns to rescue her brother Michael from a twisted Neverland ruled by a beady-eyed, child-stealing Peter Pan. Another entry in the TCU wave, this low-budget reimagining (roughly £250K–£310K) flips childhood fantasy into straight-up nightmare fuel.

It’s rough, grimy, and mean-spirited, but that’s the appeal. Once you see this version of Peter Pan, you’ll never trust the character again.

Skillhouse (2025)

Runtime: 1hr 39min

Director: Josh Stolberg

Writer: Josh Stolberg

Stars: Bryce Hall, Neal McDonough, Hannah Stocking

Influencers are invited to a content house for fame and quickly realize views equal survival. Skillhouse wants to critique influencer culture, and while it doesn’t always stick the landing, it compensates with brutal kills, extreme gore, and heavy body-horror sequences (acid baths, peeling skin, the works).

It’s messy, uneven, and loud but if you enjoy rough-around-the-edges concept horror that feels ripped straight from a midnight mash-up marathon, this one delivers.

Mouse of Horrors (2025)

Runtime: 1hr 24min

Director: Brendan Petrizzo

Writer: Harry Boxley

Stars: Lewis Santer, Chris Lines, Danielle Scott

In a seaside British town, a mad doctor unleashes a mutated mouse that stalks amusement parks, harvests body parts, and leaves chaos in its wake. Inspired by the 1928 Steamboat Willie short, this film exists firmly in the orbit of twisted childhood horror, though not officially part of the TCU.

Reviews call it “unhinged,” “nonsensical,” and “gloriously practical.” And honestly? That’s the pitch. If you want mutant rodents, seaside carnage, and unapologetic B-movie nonsense, Mouse of Horrors is your movie.

Final Thoughts on the Best B-Horror Movies of 2025

2025 proved that you don’t need big budgets to shock, disturb, or completely derail your childhood. B-horror thrived on chaos, spinach-powered sailors, demonic fetuses, revenge-seeking deer, and cartoon icons turned killers. These films aren’t polished. They aren’t

subtle. And they don’t care. They exist to entertain, to offend, and to be watched way too late at night. Dim the lights. Hit play. Embrace the weird. Your next midnight watch awaits, and trust me, you’ll never look at cartoons or woodland animals the same way again.