This year’s South By Southwest festival had no shortage of fantastic films that were screened. From horror to rom-com to thriller, I was luckily able to sit down and see some of my favorite films of 2025 so far, and what I think are some of the best that SXSW itself had to offer. This list contains all of the best ones that I saw, in no particular order. They’re all just too good!
TOGETHER
Michael Shanks’s body horror Together, starring Dave Franco and Alison Brie, was one of the festival’s standouts for me. Originally premiering at Sundance in January, the film follows a couple as they become, well, closer than ever before. Though little of the plot is known to the public, the premise of the film states as such: “A couple’s move to the countryside triggers a supernatural incident that drastically alters their relationship, existence, and physical form.”
Together is equal parts gross and hilarious. Coming off the heels of 2024’s hit The Substance, it manages to hold its own, partly because, like The Substance, it goes much deeper than surface-level in a way that is elevated by Franco and Brie.
With Franco and Brie being married in real life, their performances are certainly helped by that pre-baked intimate knowledge of each other. Prepare to be grossed out and entertained with this one. I still can’t stop thinking about the beginning of the film.
CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD
We always need a slasher that knows how to have a good time, and Clown in a Cornfield is just that. Adapted from Adam Cesare’s YA novel, Quinn (Katie Douglas) and her father, Dr. Maybrook (Adam Abrams) have just moved to Kettle Springs, a rural town broken following the closure of its factory.
The story gives us not only fun kills but also a core group of characters to root for and an important message that underlines the whole film about the generational divide between our teen protagonists and the adults in the town. Sure, it could be seen as a riff on Pennywise, but that is just surface level. That’s like saying all killer clowns are Pennywise.
Directed by Eli Craig, who knows a thing or two about these kinds of films since he directed Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, the film strikes a perfect balance between comedy and horror. If you’re looking for a few laughs to go along with your slasher, Clown in a Cornfield is a sure thing.
ASH
This is one that was made for the big screen, and I’m happy it got a wide release after the festival. Flying Lotus’s trippy sci-fi horror calls to mind Event Horizon meets Alien. Riya (Eiza González) wakes up on a strange planet with no memory, no idea who she is, and no clue how her entire crew has been slaughtered. After her crewmate Brion (Aaron Paul) answers her distress call, it kicks into motion a whirlwind of cascading events.
Lotus did everything but write this film, and his mark on it is incredible. Ash is a trippy, nightmarish dive into an unknown world and a not-so-subtle nod toward our consequences of colonization. The monster at the end still haunts me.
FOR WORSE
Who doesn’t love a good rom-com? Especially a rom-com all about accepting aging and going for second chances. Written by and starring Amy Landecker, For Worse follows recent divorcee Lauren as she tries to find her footing. In her attempts, she signs herself up for a commercial acting class. The class itself is full of twenty-somethings, and quickly Lauren finds herself falling into their world and, subsequently, into bed with one of her hunky classmates.
At its core, For Worse is about trying to find the true version of yourself, not who you think you’re supposed to be. It’s a fresh take on the genre, and one where the age difference is not played strictly for laughs. If you want to have a soft smile on your face as this film ends, make sure you don’t miss it when it comes out.
DROP
Heading to theaters next month, Drop is a thrillingly good time. Directed by Christopher Landon, Drop fits neatly into his fun-horror repertoire alongside Freaky and Happy Death Day. Though this one is more of a thriller than his typical horror slasher films, it is still imbued with the style and humor we’ve come to expect from Landon-directed projects. Drop is simple: “Violet (Meghann Fahy), a widowed mother, is on a date with Henry (Brandon Sklenar) when she is terrorized by a series of anonymous messages to her phone. The caller instructs her to tell nobody, and follow increasingly malicious instructions.”
Its simplicity is one of its strong suits. You can sit with the characters, get to know them and their motives. Once the pace picks up, it picks up, carrying you all the way to the end. It’s definitely one you don’t want to miss. I’m thinking twice now about accepting random AirDrops from people at concerts.
For more news and reviews out of SXSW, check back to THS.
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