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The biggest surprise the film industry has encountered in 2025? The comeback of horror as a main player at the British cinemas.

As a genre, it has notably surpassed previous years with a 22% rise compared to last year for the British and Irish cinemas: over £83 million this year, against £68 million the previous year.

“In the past year, not a single horror movie hit £10 million in UK or Irish theaters. Now, five have achieved that,” comments a cinema revenue expert.

The top performers of the year – a recent horror title (£11.4m), another hit film (£16.2 million), the latest Conjuring installment (£14.98m) and 28 Years Later (£15.54 million) – have all remained in the theaters and in the audience's minds.

While much of the expert analysis focuses on the standout quality of certain directors, their triumphs suggest something shifting between moviegoers and the genre.

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

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

But apart from creative value, the ongoing appeal of spooky films this year implies they are giving moviegoers something that’s highly necessary: therapeutic relief.

“Currently, cinema mirrors the widespread anger, fear, and societal splits,” observes a film commentator.

“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,” remarks a noted author of vampire and monster cinema.

In the context of a current events featuring geopolitical strife, enforcement actions, extremist rises, and ecological disasters, witches, zombies and vengeful spirits connect in new ways with filmg oers.

“I read somewhere that the success of vampire movies is linked to economically depressed times,” states an performer from a recent horror hit.

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

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

Analysts point to the boom of European artistic movements after the the Great War and the unstable environment of the post-war Germany, with movies such as classic silent horror and a pioneering fright film.

Subsequently came the economic crisis of the 30s and Universal Studios’ Frankenstein and The Wolfman.

“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,” notes a academic.

“Thus, it mirrors widespread fears about migration.”

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

The filmmaker elaborates: “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.”

Perhaps, the present time of acclaimed, socially switched-on horror commenced with a clever critique launched a year after a polarizing administration.

It introduced a new wave of horror auteurs, including a range of talented artists.

“That period was incredibly stimulating,” says a creator whose project about a deadly unborn child 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 director, currently developing another scary story, continues: “In the last ten years, public taste has evolved to welcome bolder horror concepts.”

Concurrently, there has been a reconsideration of the genre’s less celebrated output.

In recent months, a new cinema opened in the capital, showing cult classics such as The Greasy Strangler, 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 clear response to the calculated releases 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.”

Fright flicks continue to disrupt conventions.

“These movies uniquely blend vintage vibes with contemporary relevance,” notes an specialist.

Besides the re-emergence of the deranged genius archetype – with several renditions of a well-known story imminent – he forecasts we will see horror films in the coming years addressing our present fears: about AI’s dominance in the coming decades and “vampires living in the Trump tower”.

Meanwhile, “Jesus horror” The Carpenter’s Son – which narrates the tale of Mary and Joseph’s struggles after Jesus’s birth, and stars famous performers as the sacred figures – is planned for launch soon, and will definitely cause a stir through the religious conservatives in the United States.</