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The most significant surprise the movie business has encountered in 2025? The comeback of horror as a leading genre at the British cinemas.

As a style, it has notably outperformed past times with a 22% rise compared to last year for the UK and Ireland film earnings: over £83 million this year, compared with £68.6 million last year.

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

The major successes of the year – a recent horror title (£11.4 million), another hit film (£16.2 million), the latest Conjuring installment (£14.98 million) and 28 Years Later (£15.54m) – have all hung about in the cinemas and in the popular awareness.

While much of the industry commentary highlights the unique excellence of prominent auteurs, their achievements suggest something evolving between audiences and the style.

“Many have expressed, ‘You should watch this even if horror isn’t your thing,’” says a film distribution executive.

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

But apart from artistic merit, the consistent popularity of spooky films this year implies they are giving audiences something that’s much needed: catharsis.

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

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

Amid a global headlines featuring war, border tensions, far-right movements, and environmental crises, supernatural beings and undead creatures connect in new ways with audiences.

“Some research suggests vampire film popularity correlates with financial downturns,” says an actress from a popular scary movie.

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

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

Experts reference the boom of German expressionism after the WWI and the chaotic atmosphere of the 1920s Europe, with films such as early expressionist works and the iconic vampire tale.

Later occurred the economic crisis of the 30s and iconic horror characters.

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

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

The specter of migration shaped the just-premiered rural fright 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.”

“Secondly, the idea that you could be with someone you know and then suddenly they blurt out something round the dinner table or in a Facebook post and you’re like, ‘Where did that come from?’”

Maybe, the modern period of celebrated, politically engaged fright cinema began with a clever critique launched a year after a contentious political era.

It ushered in a recent surge of visionary directors, including several notable names.

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

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

The director, currently developing another scary story, continues: “During the past decade, viewers have become more receptive to such innovative approaches.”

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

Recently, a new cinema opened in London, showing underground films such as The Greasy Strangler, The Fall of the House of Usher and the 1989 remake of Dr Caligari.

The renewed interest of this “raw and chaotic” genre is, according to the theater owner, a clear response to the calculated releases 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 explains.

“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.

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

In addition to the return of the mad scientist trope – with several renditions of a well-known story on the horizon – he forecasts we will see fright features in the near future responding to our modern concerns: about AI’s dominance in the coming decades and “monstrous metaphors in power structures”.

At the same time, a religious-themed scare film The Carpenter’s Son – which tells the story of biblical parent hardships after Jesus’s birth, and stars famous performers as the sacred figures – is scheduled to debut later this year, and will certainly send a ripple through the religious conservatives in the US.</