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The largest surprise the film industry has experienced in 2025? The comeback of horror as a dominant force at the UK film market.

As a category, it has impressively surpassed earlier periods with a 22% year-on-year increase for the UK and Ireland film earnings: £83,766,086 in 2025, against £68.6 million last year.

“Previously, zero horror films made £10 million in the UK or Ireland. Currently, five have surpassed that mark,” notes a box office editor.

The top performers 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 (£15.54 million) – have all hung about in the cinemas and in the popular awareness.

Although much of the expert analysis centers on the singular brilliance of prominent auteurs, their triumphs indicate something changing between audiences and the style.

“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 consistent popularity of horror movies this year implies they are giving moviegoers something that’s much needed: emotional release.

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

“Scary movies excel at tapping into viewers' fears, amplifying them, allowing you to set aside daily worries and concentrate on the on-screen terror,” explains a prominent scholar of horror film history.

In the context of a global headlines featuring war, border tensions, far-right movements, and environmental crises, ghosts, monsters, and mythical entities connect in new ways with viewers.

“Some research suggests vampire film popularity correlates with financial downturns,” comments an actress from a recent horror hit.

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

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

Scholars reference the boom of early cinematic styles after the the Great War and the turbulent times of the post-war Germany, with movies such as early expressionist works and the iconic vampire tale.

This was followed by the Great Depression era and iconic horror characters.

“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,” explains a historian.

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

The phantom of immigration inspired the just-premiered supernatural tale The Severed Sun.

The filmmaker explains: “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.”

Maybe, the modern period of acclaimed, socially switched-on horror started with a brilliant satire debuted a year after a polarizing administration.

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

“Those years were remarkably vibrant,” says a director whose film about a murderous foetus 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 director, currently developing another scary story, continues: “During the past decade, viewers have become more receptive to such innovative approaches.”

Concurrently, there has been a reappraisal of the overlooked scary films.

In recent months, a new cinema opened in the capital, showing underground films such as The Greasy Strangler, The Fall of the House of Usher and the modern reinterpretation of Dr Caligari.

The re-appreciation of this “gritty and loud” genre is, according to the cinema founder, a clear response to the formulaic productions pumped out 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 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.”

Fright flicks continue to disrupt conventions.

“Horror possesses a dual nature, feeling both classic and current simultaneously,” notes an authority.

Alongside the return of the insane researcher motif – with several renditions of a well-known story upcoming – he anticipates we will see scary movies in 2026 and 2027 addressing our current anxieties: about tech supremacy in the near future and “monstrous metaphors in power structures”.

Meanwhile, a religious-themed scare film The Carpenter’s Son – which depicts the events of Mary and Joseph’s struggles after the messiah's arrival, and includes celebrated stars as the holy parents – is scheduled to debut later this year, and will undoubtedly send a ripple through the religious conservatives in the America.</