Following in the wake of F.W. Murnau’s iconic original 1922 version and the Werner Herzog1979 edition starring Klaus Kinski, modern maestro Robert Eggers follows up his memorable movies The Witch (2015), The Lighthouse (2019), and his sole non horror production The Northman (2022) with his longtime passion project Nosferatu (2024) – which he both wrote the screenplay for and also directed (he has been working on the project since 2015). Once again demonstrating his love for folkloric horror and accurate historical touches, the first two things immediately noticed are its use of real film (which has a distinct look when compared to digital)

A somewhat surprising take from Hammer Film Productions, especially considering how many rather traditional Dracula centred vampire horror movies they made throughout the years, 1974's Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter, written and directed by Brian Clemens, breaks the mold... or perhaps it stakes the mold. Set in a rather vague time period – most likely somewhere within the 18th-19th centuries, Clemens builds a world in which many varieties of vampires exist. With a cold open showing a rural village and countryside being afflicted by an unknown caped creature who is sucking the age and beauty out of its young women, the town’s doctor, Marcus (John Carson), has the good sense to send a message to his old friend Captain Kronos (Horst Janson), who, along with his trusty sidekick Professor Hieronymus Grost (John Cater) – who unfortunately has been born with a hunchback, as well as recently rescued Carla (Caroline Munro) – who was sentenced to the stocks for dancing on the Sabbath, this ragtag triumvirate becomes the team to hunt such evil things.

Zach Cregger’s follow-up to his surprise horror hit Barbarian (2022) – which was a wildly original premise, that, despite some flaws, ensnared its audience, finds Weapons (2025) doing the very same thing... coming up with a mesmeric premise that is sure to impress fans of the genre. Told in a most engaging way, for some modern viewers it may come across as a tad lethargic, but it better helps grow the mystery, suspense and thrills of this slow-burner of a story – as its non-linear approach may answer a question or two, while also adding more questions along the way.

A Spaghetti Western set during the chaotic time period of the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920), 1967's A Bullet for the General (sometimes known by its original Italian title Quién sabe?, in English – Who Knows?), directed by Damiano Damiani, is a lesser known gem found within the subgenre best known for titles like The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, Once Upon a Time in the West, and Django. Written by Franco Solinas – the famed Marxist political writer who a year earlier scribed The Battle of Algiers, his screenplay is filled with the tension, violent action, and the politics of this historical time period... and, to add a layer on top of a layer, this film is considered the first Zapata Western – a subgenre of the Spaghetti Western that delves into this era in Mexico, usually juxtaposing the themes of intense revolution with cold hard cash.

Reveling in its 1990's era setting, Darren Aronofsky’s crime thriller Caught Stealing (2025), finds new ground within the criminal underworld while also being somewhat reminiscent of movies from that time period like Guy Ritchie’s early works in Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and Snatch (2000), as well as one offs like The Fugitive (1993), Carlito’s Way (1993), The Boondock Saints (1999), and several others. A rare change of pace for Aronofsky