🔗 Share this article

The largest shock the film industry has experienced in 2025? The return of horror as a leading genre at the British cinemas.

As a category, it has remarkably outperformed past times with a 22% rise compared to last year for the British and Irish cinemas: over £83 million this year, versus £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,” says a cinema revenue expert.

The major successes of the year – Weapons (£11.4 million), another hit film (£16.2m), the latest Conjuring installment (£14.98m) and the sequel to a classic (£15.54m) – have all hung about in the multiplexes and in the audience's minds.

Even though much of the expert analysis centers on the unique excellence of prominent auteurs, their triumphs indicate something evolving between audiences and the genre.

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

“Films like these play with genre and structure to create something completely different, and that speaks to an audience in a different way.”

But apart from aesthetic quality, the consistent popularity of horror movies this year suggests they are giving moviegoers something that’s much needed: catharsis.

“Right now, there’s a lot of anger, fear and division that’s being reflected in cinema,” observes a film commentator.

“The genre masterfully exploits common anxieties, magnifying them so that everyday stresses fade beside the cinematic horror,” remarks a prominent scholar of classic monster stories.

In the context of a global headlines featuring geopolitical strife, enforcement actions, extremist rises, and ecological disasters, ghosts, monsters, and mythical entities resonate a bit differently with viewers.

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

“The concept reflects how economic systems can drain vitality from individuals.”

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

Analysts highlight the surge of European artistic movements after the WWI and the turbulent times of the 1920s Europe, with films such as The Cabinet of Dr Caligari and the iconic vampire tale.

This was followed by the 1930s depression and classic monster movies.

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

“Therefore, it embodies concerns related to foreign influx.”

The phantom of immigration shaped the recently released folk horror a recent film title.

The creator 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.”

“Also, the concept of familiar individuals revealing surprising prejudices in casual settings.”

Maybe, the current era of celebrated, politically engaged fright cinema started with a clever critique debuted a year after a divisive leadership period.

It sparked a recent surge of visionary directors, including various prominent figures.

“It was a hugely exciting time,” comments a creator whose film about a deadly unborn child was one of the period's key works.

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

The same filmmaker, who is writing a new horror original, adds: “In the last ten years, public taste has evolved to welcome bolder horror concepts.”

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

Recently, a nicke l venue opened in a major city, showing underground films such as The Greasy Strangler, a classic adaptation and the modern reinterpretation of the expressionist icon.

The renewed interest of this “gritty and loud” genre is, according to the theater owner, a straightforward answer to the algorithmic content pumped out at the theaters.

“It counters the polished content from big producers. The industry has become blander and more foreseeable. Numerous blockbusters share the same traits,” he says.

“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 upset the establishment.

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

Alongside the revival of the insane researcher motif – with two adaptations of a literary masterpiece imminent – he forecasts we will see scary movies in 2026 and 2027 addressing our current anxieties: about artificial intelligence control in the coming decades and “monstrous metaphors in power structures”.

At the same time, a biblical fright story a forthcoming title – which tells the story of Mary and Joseph’s struggles after the nativity, and includes famous performers as the sacred figures – is set for release in the coming months, and will undoubtedly send a ripple through the faith-based groups in the United States.</