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The biggest shock the movie business has encountered in 2025? The return of horror as a dominant force at the UK film market.

As a style, it has remarkably surpassed past times with a annual growth of 22% for the UK and Irish box office: £83.7 million in 2025, versus £68 million the previous year.

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

The major successes of the year – Weapons (£11.4m), another hit film (£16.2 million), The Conjuring Last Rites (£14.98m) and the sequel to a classic (£15.54 million) – have all remained in the multiplexes and in the public consciousness.

Even though much of the expert analysis focuses on the standout quality of certain directors, their triumphs point to something shifting between moviegoers and the category.

“Many have expressed, ‘You should watch this even if horror isn’t your thing,’” says a head of acquisition.

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

But outside of artistic merit, the ongoing appeal of frightening features this year implies they are giving audiences something that’s highly necessary: emotional release.

“Currently, cinema mirrors the widespread anger, fear, and societal splits,” says a genre expert.

“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 vampire and monster cinema.

Amid a current events featuring war, border tensions, far-right movements, and environmental crises, ghosts, monsters, and mythical entities connect in new ways with viewers.

“It’s been noted that vampire cinema thrives during periods of economic hardship,” says an actress from a recent horror hit.

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

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

Experts highlight the boom of German expressionism after the WWI and the chaotic atmosphere of the 1920s Europe, with movies such as The Cabinet of Dr Caligari and a pioneering fright film.

This was followed by the economic crisis of the 30s and Universal Studios’ Frankenstein and The Wolfman.

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

“Thus, it mirrors widespread fears about migration.”

The boogeyman of migration influenced the just-premiered supernatural tale The Severed Sun.

Its writer-director clarifies: “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.”

Arguably, the modern period of praised, culturally aware scary films began with a sharp parody released a year after a divisive leadership period.

It sparked a new wave of innovative filmmakers, including various prominent figures.

“It was a hugely exciting time,” says a director whose film about a violent prenatal entity was one of the time's landmark films.

“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 same filmmaker, who is writing a new horror original, adds: “During the past decade, viewers have become more receptive to such innovative approaches.”

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

Earlier this year, a independent theater opened in a major city, showing obscure movies such as a quirky horror title, 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 direct reaction to the algorithmic content churned out at the box office.

“This responds to the sterile output from major studios. Today's cinema is safer and more repetitive. Many popular movies feel identical,” he states.

“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,” notes an expert.

Besides the revival of the deranged genius archetype – with two adaptations of a classic novel imminent – he forecasts we will see horror films in 2026 and 2027 addressing our present fears: about artificial intelligence control in the coming decades and “vampires living in the Trump tower”.

In the interim, “Jesus horror” The Carpenter’s Son – which tells the story of biblical parent hardships after Jesus’s birth, and features famous performers as the holy parents – is set for release soon, and will certainly send a ripple through the faith-based groups in the United States.</