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The biggest surprise the film industry has witnessed in 2025? The return of horror as a leading genre at the British cinemas.

As a category, it has notably exceeded past times with a 22% year-on-year increase for the British and Irish cinemas: £83.7 million in 2025, versus £68,612,395 in 2024.

“Previously, zero horror films made £10 million in the UK or Ireland. Currently, five have surpassed that mark,” comments a box office editor.

The major successes of the year – Weapons (£11.4 million), another hit film (£16.2 million), The Conjuring Last Rites (£14.98m) and the sequel to a classic (£15.54 million) – have all stayed in the cinemas and in the popular awareness.

Even though much of the expert analysis highlights the standout quality of prominent auteurs, their triumphs indicate something shifting between viewers and the style.

“Many have expressed, ‘You should watch this even if horror isn’t your thing,’” explains a content buying lead.

“Such movies experiment with style and format to produce entirely fresh content, connecting with viewers on a new level.”

But outside of artistic merit, the consistent popularity of horror movies this year implies they are giving cinemagoers something that’s highly necessary: catharsis.

“Right now, there’s a lot of anger, fear and division that’s being reflected in cinema,” says a genre expert.

“The genre masterfully exploits common anxieties, magnifying them so that everyday stresses fade beside the cinematic horror,” explains a prominent scholar of vampire and monster cinema.

Against a current events featuring war, border tensions, far-right movements, and environmental crises, witches, zombies and vengeful spirits connect in new ways with filmg oers.

“Some research suggests vampire film popularity correlates with financial downturns,” says an star from a successful fright film.

“It’s the idea that capitalism sucks the life out of people.”

Historically, public discord has always impacted scary movies.

Analysts highlight the rise of European artistic movements after the WWI and the unstable environment of the 1920s Europe, with features such as classic silent horror and Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror.

Later occurred the economic crisis of the 30s and classic monster movies.

“The classic example is Dracula: you get this invasion of Britain by someone from eastern Europe who then causes this infection that gets spread in all sorts of ways and threatens the Anglo-Saxon heroes,” says a historian.

“Thus, it mirrors widespread fears about migration.”

The boogeyman of immigration influenced the newly launched folk horror The Severed Sun.

The filmmaker explains: “I aimed to delve into populist rhetoric. Specifically, calls to restore a mythical past that favored a privileged few.”

“Additionally, the notion that acquaintances might unexpectedly voice extreme views, leaving others shocked.”

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

It sparked a fresh generation of visionary directors, including a range of talented artists.

“It was a hugely exciting time,” says a filmmaker whose project about a murderous foetus 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.”

The same filmmaker, who is writing a new horror original, adds: “During the past decade, viewers have become more receptive to such innovative approaches.”

Concurrently, there has been a reappraisal of the underrated horror works.

Earlier this year, a nicke l venue opened in a major city, showing underground films such as a quirky horror title, a classic adaptation and the late-80s version of Dr Caligari.

The fresh acclaim of this “rough and rowdy” genre is, according to the venue creator, a straightforward answer to the algorithmic content pumped out at the box office.

“It’s a reaction to the sanitised product that’s coming out of Hollywood. You have a film scene that’s more tepid and more predictable. A lot of the mainstream films are very similar,” he states.

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

Scary movies continue to challenge the norm.

“They have this strange ability to seem old fashioned and up to the minute, both at the same time,” says an specialist.

Besides the re-emergence of the insane researcher motif – with several renditions of a classic novel upcoming – he predicts we will see fright features in the coming years reacting to our present fears: about AI’s dominance in the years ahead and “monstrous metaphors in power structures”.

At the same time, a religious-themed scare film The Carpenter’s Son – which narrates the tale of Mary and Joseph’s struggles after the nativity, and features famous performers as the holy parents – is planned for launch later this year, and will undoubtedly send a ripple through the religious conservatives in the United States.</