'The Rule of Jenny Pen’ (Currently streaming on AMC+)

Based on the terrifying short story by Owen Marshall, The Rule of Jenny Pen centers on the brilliant Judge Stefan Mortensen (Geoffrey Rush), who finds himself trapped in a care home following a debilitating stroke. There’s little hope for a physical recovery, but Stefan thankfully still has his mind, which makes him one of the only people aware of the facility’s resident menace, Dave Crealy (John Lithgow). Armed with a creepy baby doll puppet, Crealy bullies and terrorizes his fellow elders, with enough wits to outsmart the employees who only see him as a harmless and senile old man. 

A paralyzing representation of the fears of aging and elder abuse, The Rule of Jenny Pen is a frightfully compelling tale about how, in the absence of lions, hyenas will rule. Director James Ashcroft dives deep into the psychological horrors of Crealy’s twisted games, and the claustrophobic nightmare of Stefan’s situation, to tremendously unnerving success. Don’t let this year’s hidden gem pass you by.

‘Baby Invasion’ (Currently available to rent or own digitally)

Harmony Korine has long made a name for himself with the wild, off putting artistic style and content found throughout his filmography, and for decades now, audiences have found themselves either completely with him or against him. For those still onboard the Korine train or for those curious enough to give it a try, there’s perhaps no greater showcase for the maximalist musings of America’s strangest filmmaker than his latest, Baby Invasion.

Set inside an immersive first person shooter game, Baby Invasion follows a group of online mercenaries who regularly ransack multi-million dollar homes and kill the residents, all while disguising their identities via uncanny baby faces. With a relentlessly pulsating score by Burial, Korine delivers a surreal, AI-enhanced experience that taps into the apathetic detachment of today’s modern age. Blurring the lines of digital and physical reality, Baby Invasion is a wholly unique and disturbing look at the current gamification and overstimulation of the world - and how there’s likely no going back.

‘Presence’ (Currently available to rent or own digitally)

A haunted house movie told entirely from the perspective of the ghost, Presence is undoubtedly one of the more fascinating entries in Steven Soderbergh’s acclaimed filmography. It’s far more of a family drama than a horror film despite its premise, one that rings painfully honest in its depictions of grief and familial turmoil.

Check out our full review

Presented entirely through the silent, first-person perspective of the titular specter, we watch as the Payne family moves into their new home. Chloe (Callina Liang), the youngest daughter, begins to sense the entity in the house as the family’s personal problems come to a head, further complicating their relationships to each other. While not the jump scare haunted house story some may be wanting, Presence is a genuinely haunting and deeply melancholic film in its own right. It’s not until it reaches its end that the supernatural elements come to real fruition, and that’s what makes it all the more emotionally impactful. 

‘Rats!’ (Currently playing in select theaters)

Infused with an amazing soundtrack of mid-2000s alt scene tracks, Rats! is a hilariously manic portrait of post-9/11 America suburbia. Luke Wilcox stars as Raphael, a directionless graffiti artist who gets roped into an increasingly ridiculous plot involving meth deals, crazy cops, plutonium, and more in the grand ol’ year of 2007.

Check out our full review and our interview with the film's directors

Directed by creative duo Carl Fry and Maxwell Nalevansky, Rats! delivers a million jokes a minute in its surreal exploration of youth counterculture and the onset of the surveillance state. It’s destined to become a cult classic for those able to tap into its chaotic wavelength and recall the dark randomness of the time period. Or, you know, just because it’s absolutely hilarious and features killer songs from I Set My Friends on Fire, From First to Last, Thursday, and more.

‘The Assessment’ (Currently playing in theaters and available to rent digitally)

Set in a near future where childbirth is strictly regulated by the state, The Assessment follows one couple’s attempts at reproducing despite the bleakness of the collapsing world around them. Wait, I thought this was supposed to be the future? Part dystopian sci-fi, part bizarre psychological thriller, this feature length debut from French filmmaker Fleur Fortuné has a lot on its mind with the talent to back it all up. Elizabeth Olsen and Himesh Patel star as the central couple while Alicia Vikander plays the government-assigned assessor who arrives to evaluate them, and things get complicated really quickly.

The assessor’s methods range from standard lines of questioning to outright perverse and intrusive exercises, and she acts as a constantly unpredictable force in their home for the week that she’s mandated to be there. Fortuné’s film zigs and zags in all kinds of tonal directions, but they all manage to blend cohesively as she weaves a story that, in the end, isn’t just a test for its characters - it’s a test for the audience. It forces us to ask ourselves: What does it really mean to be a parent? And more terrifyingly, as we look down the barrel of all that is to come for our world, is it still worth it?

‘Ne Zha 2’ (Currently playing in theaters)

In 2019, China released Ne Zha, an animated fantasy adventure that broke numerous box office records and was met with critical acclaim. Chances are you haven’t heard of it despite those accolades, but its direct sequel, this year’s Ne Zha 2, has proven to be impossible to ignore. Ne Zha 2 rips with thunderous energy from start to finish - a sequel that doubles down on its predecessor’s explosive visuals and mythic chaos while deepening its emotional core. The animation is next-level, constantly pushing the frame with jaw-dropping set pieces and elemental destruction that feels genuinely massive and appropriately god-like. But it’s not all fire and fury - at its heart is a story about growth, forgiveness, and the complicated legacy of power, told with the kind of sincerity that sneaks up on you.

Even as it barrels ahead with kinetic momentum, the film never loses sight of its characters or the weight of their choices. Ne Zha’s evolution as a godly protagonist is compelling, messy, and surprisingly human, and the film’s big swings - both narratively and visually - pay off more often than not. It’s loud, wild, and unapologetically operatic in scope, and it absolutely rules. It’s also become the highest-grossing animated and non-English language film ever, and it did so exceptionally fast. It’s a phenomenon, and it’s only a matter of time before you get caught up in it as well.

‘Mickey 17’ (Currently playing in theaters and available to rent digitally)

Bong Joon-ho returns to the big screen with Mickey 17, a visually arresting and tonally sharp adaptation that explores identity, labor, and the expendability of human life in a distant future where cloning is company policy. Robert Pattinson is a blast in dual roles, leaning into Bong’s dark humor with an offbeat, jittery charm that makes Mickey’s existential crisis oddly endearing. The worldbuilding is rich, the production design gleams, and the ensemble - especially Naomi Ackie - helps ground the story’s big philosophical swings with a real emotional core.

Check out our full review

While it doesn’t quite reach the perfections of Bong’s previous masterworks, Mickey 17 is never anything less than ambitious, weird, and compelling. It wears its satire on its sleeve but leaves enough room for heart and introspection amid the absurdity. It’s refreshing to see a major studio sci-fi film that’s this distinct and playful, even when it stares into the void. 

‘Ash’ (Currently playing in theaters)

Flying Lotus delivers a masterclass in style with Ash, a haunting sci-fi descent into memory, madness, and the grotesque. It’s a neon-drenched nightmare built on surreal imagery, suffocating atmosphere, and a pulsing sense of dread that never quite lets up. The film plays like a cosmic ghost story, anchored by its star Eiza González, who delivers a beautifully internal performance that feels totally in sync with the film’s eerie rhythm and dream logic.

It’s a deeply stylish and deliberately off-kilter ride. The visuals are gnarly, the score from FlyLo himself is unrelenting, and the whole thing feels like it crawled out of the darkest corner of the universe. It won’t be for everyone, but Ash is the kind of singular, messed-up vision that lingers. A bonafide B-movie that’s elevated to new heights by its execution.

‘Freaky Tales’ (Currently playing in theaters)

Freaky Tales is a wild, hyper-stylized love letter to the Bay Area of the ‘80s told through four interwoven stories that each bring their own flavor of rebellion, heart, and genre-bending chaos. Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden go bigger and bolder than ever, creating a mixtape of grindhouse grit, comic book flair, and tender social commentary that somehow fits together seamlessly. Every segment pops with personality, but it’s the cumulative effect - how these stories reflect and amplify one another - that makes the film hit so hard.

It’s packed with standout performances, surprise turns, and a killer needle drop or ten, but more than anything, Freaky Tales pulses with an infectious love for its setting and the people who fight to protect it. The film throws everything at the wall - ninjas, punks, political fury - and it all sticks. It’s electrifying, defiant, and brimming with soul. One sign of a good movie is when it can keep surprising you — whether to your delight, shock, or bewilderment — and Freaky Tales fits that bill to a tee.

‘Black Bag’ (Currently playing in theaters and available to rent digitally)

Black Bag is a razor-sharp, ultra-slick espionage thriller that leans into its genre trappings with confidence and flair. Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett star as a couple who just so happen to both be actively working spies, and when one suddenly starts withholding things from the other, things get a little messy. It’s a pulse-pounding ride full of double-crosses, high-tech tension, and magnetic performances - especially from Blanchett, who chews up the screen with icy precision. Steven Soderbergh makes this list twice by keeping things tight and stylish, balancing globe-trotting spectacle with a sharp focus on character and control.

There’s a real sense of danger simmering beneath the surface, and the film’s twists land with satisfying weight. But what really sets Black Bag apart is how coolly and efficiently it delivers - there’s not a wasted moment. It’s smart, sleek, and endlessly watchable, the kind of spy movie that feels classic and fresh all at once.