But this year, it finally felt as if that grip was loosening. A trio of superb, high-profile horror movies — Sinners, 28 Years Later, and Weapons — achieved both artistic respectability and box-office success without needing to lean on the crutch of metaphor. These are grand, involving films with something to say. But they are also just a vampire movie, a zombie movie, and a possession movie. And they are scary. In 2025, being scary mattered.

