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The biggest shock the movie business has witnessed in 2025? The return of horror as a leading genre at the British cinemas.

As a category, it has notably exceeded earlier periods with a 22% year-on-year increase for the British and Irish cinemas: over £83 million this year, versus £68.6 million last year.

“In the past year, not a single horror movie hit £10 million in UK or Irish theaters. Now, five have achieved that,” notes a film industry analyst.

The top performers of the year – a recent horror title (£11.4 million), another hit film (£16.2m), the latest Conjuring installment (£14.98 million) and the sequel to a classic (£15.54m) – have all remained in the multiplexes and in the popular awareness.

Even though much of the industry commentary focuses on the standout quality of prominent auteurs, their successes 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,’” states a film distribution executive.

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

But beyond aesthetic quality, the ongoing appeal of horror movies this year indicates they are giving cinemagoers something that’s much needed: emotional release.

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

“The genre masterfully exploits common anxieties, magnifying them so that everyday stresses fade beside the cinematic horror,” explains a noted author of classic monster stories.

In the context of a global headlines featuring geopolitical strife, enforcement actions, extremist rises, and ecological disasters, witches, zombies and vengeful spirits connect in new ways with viewers.

“It’s been noted that vampire cinema thrives during periods of economic hardship,” says an actress from a successful fright film.

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

Since the early days of cinema, social unrest has influenced the genre.

Analysts point to the boom of early cinematic styles after the first world war and the unstable environment of the 1920s Europe, with films such as early expressionist works and a pioneering fright film.

Subsequently came 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.

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

The boogeyman of migration shaped the recently released rural fright The Severed Sun.

Its writer-director clarifies: “I wanted to explore ideas around the rise of populism. Firstly, slogans like ‘Let’s Make Britain Great Again’, that harken back to some fantasy time when things were ‘better’, but only if you were a rich white man.”

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

Maybe, the modern period of praised, culturally aware scary films commenced with a sharp parody debuted a year after a divisive leadership period.

It introduced a recent surge of horror auteurs, including several notable names.

“Those years were remarkably vibrant,” says a filmmaker whose movie about a murderous foetus was one of the time's landmark films.

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

The director, currently developing another scary story, continues: “In the last ten years, public taste has evolved to welcome bolder horror concepts.”

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

In recent months, a nicke l venue opened in the capital, showing cult classics such as The Greasy Strangler, a classic adaptation and the 1989 remake of Dr Caligari.

The fresh acclaim of this “raw and chaotic” genre is, according to the theater owner, a direct reaction to the formulaic productions churned out 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 explains.

“In contrast [these alternative films] are a bit broken. It’s like they’ve erupted out of someone’s subconscious and been planted out there without corporate interference.”

Horror films continue to upset the establishment.

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

Besides the re-emergence of the deranged genius archetype – with two adaptations of a classic novel imminent – he predicts we will see horror films in 2026 and 2027 responding to our modern concerns: about artificial intelligence control in the years ahead and “monstrous metaphors in power structures”.

Meanwhile, “Jesus horror” The Carpenter’s Son – which tells the story of holy family challenges after Jesus’s birth, and stars well-known actors as the sacred figures – is planned for launch later this year, and will definitely create waves through the faith-based groups in the United States.</