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The biggest surprise the cinema world has experienced in 2025? The comeback of horror as a main player at the British cinemas.

As a genre, it has remarkably outperformed past times with a 22% rise compared to last year for the UK and Ireland film earnings: £83.7 million in 2025, compared with £68,612,395 in 2024.

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

The big hits of the year – Weapons (£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 public consciousness.

Although much of the expert analysis highlights the unique excellence of renowned filmmakers, their triumphs suggest something changing between moviegoers and the style.

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

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

But beyond artistic merit, the consistent popularity of horror movies this year suggests they are giving cinemagoers something that’s greatly desired: therapeutic relief.

“Currently, cinema mirrors the widespread anger, fear, and societal splits,” 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 prominent scholar of horror film history.

In the context of a current events featuring war, border tensions, far-right movements, and environmental crises, supernatural beings and undead creatures strike a unique chord with filmg oers.

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

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

Historically, public discord has always impacted scary movies.

Analysts highlight the boom of early cinematic styles after the WWI and the turbulent times of the 1920s Europe, with movies such as early expressionist works and Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror.

Subsequently came 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,” notes a academic.

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

The phantom of immigration inspired the just-premiered rural fright a recent film title.

The creator elaborates: “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 praised, culturally aware scary films began with a brilliant satire launched a year after a contentious political era.

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

“Those years were remarkably vibrant,” comments a director whose film about a murderous foetus was one of the era’s tentpole movies.

“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.”

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

At the same time, there has been a reconsideration of the underrated horror works.

Earlier this year, a independent theater opened in London, showing obscure movies such as The Greasy Strangler, a classic adaptation and the modern reinterpretation of Dr Caligari.

The re-appreciation of this “rough and rowdy” genre is, according to the venue creator, a direct reaction to the formulaic productions churned out at the box office.

“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 says.

“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 disrupt conventions.

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

Besides the revival of the deranged genius archetype – with two adaptations of a literary masterpiece upcoming – he forecasts we will see scary movies in the coming years addressing our present fears: about AI’s dominance in the coming decades and “vampires living in the Trump tower”.

In the interim, “Jesus horror” The Carpenter’s Son – which depicts the events of Mary and Joseph’s struggles after Jesus’s birth, and includes celebrated stars as the divine couple – is set for release in the coming months, and will undoubtedly send a ripple through the faith-based groups in the US.</