🔗 Share this article

The biggest shock the movie business has encountered in 2025? The return of horror as a main player at the British cinemas.

As a genre, it has remarkably surpassed earlier periods with a annual growth of 22% for the British and Irish cinemas: £83.7 million in 2025, against £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 box office editor.

The top performers of the year – Weapons (£11.4m), another hit film (£16.2m), the latest Conjuring installment (£14.98m) and 28 Years Later (£15.54m) – have all remained in the multiplexes and in the public consciousness.

Even though much of the industry commentary focuses on the unique excellence of certain directors, their triumphs indicate something changing between viewers and the style.

“Viewers often remark, ‘This is a must-see regardless of your genre preferences,’” explains a film distribution executive.

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

But apart from artistic merit, the steady demand of horror movies this year implies they are giving cinemagoers something that’s much needed: catharsis.

“Right now, there’s a lot of anger, fear and division that’s being reflected in cinema,” observes a film commentator.

“Scary movies excel at tapping into viewers' fears, amplifying them, allowing you to set aside daily worries and concentrate on the on-screen terror,” says a prominent scholar of horror film history.

Amid a current events featuring conflict, immigration issues, political shifts, and climate concerns, ghosts, monsters, and mythical entities resonate a bit differently with audiences.

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

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

Historically, public discord has always impacted scary movies.

Experts point to the surge of German expressionism after the WWI and the chaotic atmosphere of the 1920s Europe, with features such as classic silent horror and Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror.

Subsequently came the 1930s depression 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.

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

The boogeyman of migration shaped the just-premiered rural fright The Severed Sun.

The creator explains: “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.”

Maybe, the modern period of celebrated, politically engaged fright cinema started with a clever critique debuted a year after a divisive leadership period.

It sparked a new wave of visionary directors, including various prominent figures.

“It was a hugely exciting time,” comments a director whose film about a murderous foetus was one of the period's key works.

“I think it was the beginning of an era when people were opening up to doing a really bonkers horror film which had arthouse aspirations.”

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

Simultaneously, there has been a reconsideration of the overlooked scary films.

Earlier this year, a new cinema opened in a major city, showing underground films such as a quirky horror title, a classic adaptation and the modern reinterpretation of Dr Caligari.

The re-appreciation of this “raw and chaotic” genre is, according to the theater owner, a direct reaction to the algorithmic content churned out at the box office.

“It counters the polished content from big producers. The industry has become blander and more foreseeable. Numerous blockbusters share the same traits,” he states.

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

Horror films continue to upset the establishment.

“Horror possesses a dual nature, feeling both classic and current simultaneously,” says an specialist.

Alongside the return of the deranged genius archetype – with multiple versions of a literary masterpiece imminent – he predicts we will see horror films in the coming years responding to our present fears: about artificial intelligence control in the coming decades and “vampires living in the Trump tower”.

In the interim, a religious-themed scare film a forthcoming title – which narrates the tale of Mary and Joseph’s struggles after the messiah's arrival, and includes famous performers as the sacred figures – is planned for launch later this year, and will undoubtedly cause a stir through the religious conservatives in the US.</