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The biggest shock the film industry has experienced in 2025? The comeback of horror as a dominant force at the UK box office.

As a genre, it has notably outperformed earlier periods with a annual growth of 22% for the British and Irish cinemas: over £83 million this year, versus £68 million the previous year.

“Previously, zero horror films made £10 million in the UK or Ireland. Currently, five have surpassed that mark,” notes a cinema revenue expert.

The top performers of the year – a recent horror title (£11.4m), Sinners (£16.2 million), The Conjuring Last Rites (£14.98m) and 28 Years Later (£15.54 million) – have all stayed in the cinemas and in the popular awareness.

While much of the industry commentary focuses on the singular brilliance of prominent auteurs, their triumphs point to something shifting between audiences and the genre.

“I’ve heard people say, ‘Even if you don’t like horror this is a film you need to see,’” explains a head of acquisition.

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

But outside of aesthetic quality, the consistent popularity of spooky films this year implies they are giving cinemagoers something that’s greatly desired: catharsis.

“Currently, cinema mirrors the widespread anger, fear, and societal splits,” notes 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,” explains a respected writer of horror film history.

In the context of a global headlines featuring war, border tensions, far-right movements, and environmental crises, ghosts, monsters, and mythical entities strike a unique chord with viewers.

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

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

From film's inception, societal turmoil has shaped horror.

Analysts reference the surge of early cinematic styles after the the Great War and the unstable environment of the early Weimar Republic, with features such as early expressionist works and Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror.

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 historian.

“So it reflects a lot of anxieties around immigration.”

The phantom of migration influenced the recently released supernatural tale 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.”

Maybe, the current era of praised, culturally aware scary films started with a brilliant satire released a year after a divisive leadership period.

It introduced a recent surge of innovative filmmakers, including various prominent figures.

“It was a hugely exciting time,” recalls a filmmaker whose movie about a murderous foetus was one of the era’s tentpole movies.

“I believe it initiated a trend toward eccentric, high-concept horror that aimed for artistic recognition.”

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

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

In recent months, a nicke l venue opened in a major city, showing cult classics such as The Greasy Strangler, a classic adaptation and the late-80s version of the expressionist icon.

The re-appreciation of this “raw and chaotic” genre is, according to the cinema founder, a direct reaction to the formulaic productions produced at the theaters.

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

“On the other hand, [these indie works] feel imperfect. They seem to burst forth from deep creativity, free from commercial constraints.”

Scary movies continue to disrupt conventions.

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

Besides the re-emergence of the deranged genius archetype – with multiple versions of a classic novel on the horizon – he anticipates we will see fright features in 2026 and 2027 reacting to our present fears: about AI’s dominance in the near future and “vampires living in the Trump tower”.

Meanwhile, a biblical fright story The Carpenter’s Son – which depicts the events of holy family challenges after Jesus’s birth, and includes celebrated stars as the divine couple – is set for release in the coming months, and will undoubtedly send a ripple through the religious conservatives in the United States.</