However, despite the increase in quantity, the quality and mark left in the hearts of the audience are still limited...
Many strange topics but still in the "safe zone"
In the Vietnamese film group, the most prominent is Cai Ma by director Thang Vu - released on October 31, right on Halloween. The film exploits burial customs in Vietnamese folk culture - a new but also sensitive topic. The story revolves around a family returning to their hometown to perform a camelodile ceremony that has been delayed for many years. When the land of graves is passive, a series of strange phenomena appear, bringing with them secrets and pressing stories that have passed down for generations.
Along with "Cai Ma" is "Nha ma" - a work in the direction of psychological horror, exploiting the obsession in the old house of a family when a mysterious coil appeared. The film is reminiscent of the scary Asian atmosphere, focusing on sound and spiritual elements rather than direct scenes.
Vietnamese cinema is working hard to make horror films, but has only stopped at the level of "catching the seasons", but has not really made its own mark. Both Cai Ma and Nha mat both have interesting ideas, but if not carefully invested in scripts, acting and logical elements, the possibility of only creating a short-term effect is inevitable.
In Vietnamese theaters, Hollywood films also feature many notable names. In particular, Good boy: adapted from the dogs name attracted attention when telling a horror story from the perspective of a dog named Indy. When following his owner to a new house in a rural area, Indy discovers a series of strange phenomena and is forced to face supernatural forces to protect his owner.
The new point of the film is the way of telling stories from animal perspective, causing emotions of fear mixed with compassion. However, some critics say that the film has not fully utilized its unique ideas, still leaning towards popular deterrence rather than exploiting psychology.
At the same time, ants interviewed with murderers exploit a familiar motif of criminal psychology. The film follows a journalist who conducts an interview with a serial killer awaiting execution. As the conversation took place, the dark truth gradually revealed, pushing both into a psychological spiral.
Despite the diversity of genres from supernatural, crime, to psychology, Hollywood films this season are still criticized for lacking in appearance. Many viewers commented that after the success of brands like The Conjuring or Smile, recent films have not created a real boost, partly because of the old formula, partly because the audience has "asked" to feel scared.
Many movies, few incentives
It can be seen that the 2025 horror film season witnessed a rich in quantity but lacked breakthrough highlights. Both Vietnamese and Hollywood cinema tried to diversify topics from burial customs, ghosts, pet dogs to murderers, but all had the same problem: Not making the audience "blind" after going to the cinema.
Therefore, to make the audience truly trust the domestic horror film genre, filmmakers need to invest more seriously in character psychology, story structure and indigenous cultural elements, instead of relying only on noise and scary effects. When the fear is guided by reason and depth, that is the real fear that the audience will always remember, even when the theater is lit up.
