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The biggest surprise the film industry has encountered in 2025? The return of horror as a main player at the British cinemas.

As a category, it has notably outperformed past times with a 22% rise compared to last year for the UK and Ireland film earnings: £83,766,086 in 2025, against £68.6 million last year.

“Last year, no horror film reached £10m at the UK or Irish box office. This year, five films have,” notes a cinema revenue expert.

The top performers of the year – Weapons (£11.4m), another hit film (£16.2m), The Conjuring Last Rites (£14.98 million) and 28 Years Later (£15.54 million) – have all hung about in the multiplexes and in the popular awareness.

Even though much of the industry commentary centers on the unique excellence of renowned filmmakers, their successes point to something changing between moviegoers and the style.

“Viewers often remark, ‘This is a must-see regardless of your genre preferences,’” explains a content buying lead.

“These productions twist traditional elements to craft unique experiences, resonating deeply with modern audiences.”

But apart from aesthetic quality, the ongoing appeal of frightening features this year implies they are giving audiences something that’s greatly desired: emotional release.

“Currently, cinema mirrors the widespread anger, fear, and societal splits,” says a horror podcast host.

“Horror films are great at playing into people’s anxieties, while at the same time exaggerating them. So you forget about your day-to-day anxieties and focus on the monster on the screen,” says a prominent scholar of horror film history.

Against a global headlines featuring war, border tensions, far-right movements, and environmental crises, witches, zombies and vengeful spirits strike a unique chord with audiences.

“It’s been noted that vampire cinema thrives during periods of economic hardship,” states an performer from a recent horror hit.

“This symbolizes the way modern economies can exhaust human spirit.”

Historically, public discord has always impacted scary movies.

Scholars point to the boom of early cinematic styles after the first world war and the unstable environment of the 1920s Europe, with movies such as The Cabinet of Dr Caligari and a pioneering fright film.

Subsequently came the Great Depression era and iconic horror characters.

“Consider the Dracula narrative: an outsider from the east brings a corrupting influence that permeates society and challenges its heroes,” says a commentator.

“Therefore, it embodies concerns related to foreign influx.”

The boogeyman of migration inspired the recently released supernatural tale a recent film title.

Its writer-director clarifies: “My goal was to examine populist trends. For instance, nostalgic phrases promising a return to a 'better' era that excluded many.”

“Also, the concept of familiar individuals revealing surprising prejudices in casual settings.”

Perhaps, the modern period of praised, culturally aware scary films started with a sharp parody launched a year after a contentious political era.

It ushered in a recent surge of visionary directors, including various prominent figures.

“It was a hugely exciting time,” comments a creator whose project about a deadly unborn child was one of the time's landmark films.

“In my view, it marked the start of a phase where filmmakers embraced wildly creative horror with artistic ambitions.”

This creator, now penning a fresh horror script, notes: “Over 10 years, audiences’ minds have been opening up to much more of that.”

At the same time, there has been a revival of the underrated horror works.

In recent months, a nicke l venue opened in the capital, showing obscure movies such as a quirky horror title, The Fall of the House of Usher and the late-80s version of Dr Caligari.

The renewed interest of this “raw and chaotic” genre is, according to the theater owner, a straightforward answer to the calculated releases produced at the cinemas.

“This responds to the sterile output from major studios. Today's cinema is safer and more repetitive. Many popular movies feel identical,” he states.

“Conversely, [such movies] appear raw. As if they emerged straight from the artist's mind, untouched by studio control.”

Fright flicks continue to upset the establishment.

“These movies uniquely blend vintage vibes with contemporary relevance,” notes an expert.

Alongside the return of the insane researcher motif – with two adaptations of a classic novel on the horizon – he anticipates we will see scary movies in 2026 and 2027 addressing our modern concerns: about AI’s dominance in the near future and “vampires living in the Trump tower”.

In the interim, “Jesus horror” The Carpenter’s Son – which narrates the tale of holy family challenges after the nativity, and includes famous performers as the divine couple – is planned for launch in the coming months, and will definitely cause a stir through the faith-based groups in the United States.</