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The largest shock the film industry has witnessed in 2025? The return of horror as a main player at the British cinemas.

As a genre, it has remarkably outperformed previous years with a 22% year-on-year increase for the UK and Irish box office: £83,766,086 in 2025, versus £68.6 million last year.

“Previously, zero horror films made £10 million in the UK or Ireland. Currently, five have surpassed that mark,” comments a film industry analyst.

The big hits of the year – a recent horror title (£11.4 million), another hit film (£16.2m), The Conjuring Last Rites (£14.98m) and the sequel to a classic (£15.54m) – have all remained in the theaters and in the audience's minds.

Even though much of the expert analysis focuses on the unique excellence of prominent auteurs, their successes suggest something changing between audiences and the genre.

“Viewers often remark, ‘This is a must-see regardless of your genre preferences,’” says a head of acquisition.

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

But outside of creative value, the consistent popularity of horror movies this year indicates they are giving moviegoers something that’s greatly desired: therapeutic relief.

“Right now, there’s a lot of anger, fear and division that’s being reflected in cinema,” notes 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,” explains a noted author of classic monster stories.

Amid a current events featuring geopolitical strife, enforcement actions, extremist rises, and ecological disasters, witches, zombies and vengeful spirits strike a unique chord with viewers.

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

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

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

Experts reference the boom of European artistic movements after the the Great War and the turbulent times of the 1920s Europe, with movies such as The Cabinet of Dr Caligari and the iconic vampire tale.

Later occurred the 1930s depression and iconic horror characters.

“Take Dracula: it depicts an Eastern European figure invading Britain, spreading a metaphorical infection that endangers local protagonists,” explains a academic.

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

The boogeyman of immigration shaped the just-premiered supernatural tale The Severed Sun.

Its writer-director elaborates: “My goal was to examine populist trends. For instance, nostalgic phrases promising a return to a 'better' era that excluded many.”

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

Maybe, the modern period of praised, culturally aware scary films started with a clever critique debuted a year after a contentious political era.

It sparked a fresh generation of innovative filmmakers, including several notable names.

“It was a hugely exciting time,” recalls a director whose movie about a violent prenatal entity was one of the period's key works.

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

The same filmmaker, who is writing a new horror original, adds: “Over 10 years, audiences’ minds have been opening up to much more of that.”

At the same time, there has been a reconsideration of the genre’s less celebrated output.

Recently, a independent theater opened in the capital, showing cult classics such as a quirky horror title, The Fall of the House of Usher and the late-80s version of Dr Caligari.

The renewed interest of this “gritty and loud” genre is, according to the venue creator, a clear response to the calculated releases pumped out at the theaters.

“It’s a reaction to the sanitised product that’s coming out of Hollywood. You have a film scene that’s more tepid and more predictable. A lot of the mainstream films are very similar,” 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.”

Scary movies continue to upset the establishment.

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

Alongside the return of the mad scientist trope – with multiple versions of a classic novel imminent – he predicts we will see scary movies in the coming years addressing our current anxieties: about tech supremacy in the years ahead and “monstrous metaphors in power structures”.

In the interim, a religious-themed scare film The Carpenter’s Son – which tells the story of biblical parent hardships after the messiah's arrival, and features celebrated stars as the divine couple – is scheduled to debut soon, and will undoubtedly cause a stir through the religious conservatives in the US.</