Last Updated on October 24, 2025 by Angel Melanson

That's a wrap on the 2025 FANGORIA Chainsaw Awards, folks! Choosing the best in horror in a year that was filled to the brim with incredible horror movies was no easy feat, but you answered the call and made your voices heard. We placed the fate of horror favorites in your hands, and you ensured Ryan Coogler’s Sinners was the big winner of the evening, and reclaimed well-deserved awards season glory for Demi Moore’s performance in The Substance. Vampires ruled the night, but who won the coveted write-in category for Best Kill? Our cosmically cool hosts, Barbara Crampton and Josh Ruben, led us through a whirlwind year of our horror favorites.

Here is a complete list of our 2025 Chainsaw Awards winners, taking home the prized statue. Thank you for voting and for tuning in to join us in space; we'll see you next year! (Next year for the awards show, but hopefully daily right here on the FANGORIA site, and quarterly in your mailboxes and newsstand shelves!) Missed the live show? Don't worry, you can still catch the 2025 FANGORIA Chainsaw Awards on Shudder and YouTube.

BEST WIDE RELEASE: Sinners – Sev Ohanian, Ryan Coogler & Zinzi Coogler

2025 FANGORIA Chainsaw Awards Best Wide Release Sinners
- 28 Years Later
- Bring Her Back
- Final Destination: Bloodlines
- Heretic
- Longlegs
- Nosferatu
- Sinners
- Strange Darling
- The Substance
- The Ugly Stepsister
BEST LIMITED RELEASE MOVIE: Azrael – E.L. Katz
- Azrael
- Frankie Freako
- Freaky Tales
- Get Away
- Little Bites
BEST NON-FICTION TV SERIES OR MINISERIES: The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs – Joe Bob Briggs
- The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula
- Horror’s Greatest
- The Last Drive-In With Joe Bob Briggs
- Svengoolie
BEST INTERNATIONAL MOVIE: Oddity – Damian McCarthy
- Cuckoo
- Dangerous Animals
- Oddity
- Red Rooms
- The Ugly Stepsister
BEST FIRST FEATURE: The Ugly Stepsister – Emilie Blichfeldt
- Best Wishes to All
- Blink Twice
- Cannibal Mukbang
- Mr. Crocket
- The Ugly Stepsister
BEST SERIES: The Last of Us
- The Creep Tapes
- From
- The Last of Us
- Squid Game
- Yellowjackets
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE: Demi Moore – The Substance
- Lily-Rose Depp, Nosferatu
- Willa Fitzgerald, Strange Darling
- Sally Hawkins, Bring Her Back
- Michael B. Jordan, Sinners
- Maika Monroe, Longlegs
- Demi Moore, The Substance
- Lea Myren, The Ugly Stepsister
- Hunter Schafer, Cuckoo
- Naomi Scott, Smile 2
- Sophie Thatcher, Companion
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE Nicolas Cage – Longlegs
- Nicolas Cage, Longlegs
- Miles Caton, Sinners
- Ralph Fiennes, 28 Years Later
- Hugh Grant, Heretic
- David Jonsson, Alien: Romulus
- Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners
- Jack O'Connell, Sinners
- Margaret Qualley, The Substance
- Bill Skarsgård, Nosferatu
- Dan Stevens, Cuckoo
BEST DIRECTOR: Ryan Coogler – Sinners
- Danny Boyle, 28 Years Later
- Ryan Coogler, Sinners
- Robert Eggers, Nosferatu
- Coralie Fargeat, The Substance
- Osgood Perkins, Longlegs
BEST SCREENPLAY: Ryan Coogler – Sinners
- Scott Beck & Bryan Woods, Heretic
- Ryan Coogler, Sinners
- Coralie Fargeat, The Substance
- Bill Hinzman & Danny Philippou, Bring Her Back
- J.T. Mollner, Strange Darling
BEST SCORE: Ludwig Göransson – Sinners
- Robin Carolan, Nosferatu
- Ludwig Göransson, Sinners
- Raffertie, The Substance
- Young Fathers, 28 Years Later
- Zilgi, Longlegs
BEST MAKEUP FX: Pierre Olivier Persin & Stéphanie Guillon – The Substance
- Felix Fox, Harlow MacFarlane, Werner Pretorius, Longlegs
- Christien Tinsley, Terrifier 3
- John Nolan, 28 Years Later
- Pierre Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon, The Substance
- David White, Traci Loader, Nosferatu
BEST CREATURE FX: Pierre Olivier Persin – The Substance
- Paul McDonnell, Oddity
- Jeremy Selenfriend / Studio Gillis, Smile 2
- Pierre Olivier Persin, The Substance
- Studio Gillis, Werewolves
- Legacy Effects / Studio Gillis / Wētā Workshop, Alien: Romulus
BEST STREAMING PREMIERE: Mr. Crocket – Brandon Espy
- Best Wishes to All
- Cannibal Mukbang
- Gazer
- Mr. Crocket
- There's A Zombie Outside
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Jarin Blaschke – Nosferatu
- Autumn Durald Arkapaw, Sinners
- Andres Arochi, Longlegs
- Jarin Blaschke, Nosferatu
- Benjamin Kracun, The Substance
- Anthony Dod Mantle, 28 Years Later
BEST COSTUME DESIGN: Linda Muir – Nosferatu
- Ruth E. Carter, Sinners
- Mari-An Ceo, MaXXXine
- Linda Muir, Nosferatu
- Manon Rasmussen, The Ugly Stepsister
- Emmanuelle Youchnovski, The Substance
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: George A. Romero’s Resident Evil – Brandon Salisbury
- Doc of Chucky
- George A. Romero’s Resident Evil
- In Search of Darkness: 1990 – 1994
- The J-Horror Virus
- Suzzanna: The Queen of Black Magic
BEST VIDEO GAME: Silent Hill 2 Remake – Motoi Okamoto
- Death Stranding 2
- Mouthwashing
- Silent Hill 2 Remake
- Slitterhead
- Sorry We're Closed
EDITOR’S EYEBALL AWARD (#1): Ksusha Genenfeld
EDITOR’S EYEBALL AWARD (#2): Curtis RX
BEST PUBLIC DOMAIN RESURRECTION: Screamboat – Steven LaMorte & Amy Schumacher
- Popeye’s Revenge
- The Mouse Trap
- Popeye the Slayer Man
- Screamboat
- Shiver Me Timbers
- Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare
BEST KILL: Terrifier 3 – Christen Tinsley
Thank you to our incredible sponsors for making this year's show possible!