{'It’s like they’ve erupted out of someone’s subconscious': the way horror has come to dominate contemporary film venues.

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

As a style, it has remarkably outperformed previous years with a 22% year-on-year increase for the British and Irish cinemas: £83.7 million in 2025, versus £68,612,395 in 2024.

“Last year, no horror film reached £10m at the UK or Irish box office. This year, five films have,” comments a film industry analyst.

The top performers of the year – a recent horror title (£11.4 million), Sinners (£16.2 million), 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.

While much of the expert analysis highlights the standout quality of prominent auteurs, their successes suggest something shifting between moviegoers and the style.

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

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

But apart from creative value, the ongoing appeal of horror movies this year suggests they are giving moviegoers something that’s much needed: therapeutic relief.

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

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

Against a global headlines featuring geopolitical strife, enforcement actions, extremist rises, and ecological disasters, witches, zombies and vengeful spirits strike a unique chord with viewers.

“I read somewhere that the success of vampire movies is linked to economically depressed times,” comments an performer from a successful fright film.

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

Historically, public discord has always impacted scary movies.

Experts highlight the surge of German expressionism after the WWI and the chaotic atmosphere of the post-war Germany, with films such as early expressionist works and Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror.

Later occurred 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,” says a commentator.

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

The boogeyman of border issues influenced the newly launched folk horror The Severed Sun.

Its writer-director 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.”

“Secondly, the idea that you could be with someone you know and then suddenly they blurt out something round the dinner table or in a Facebook post and you’re like, ‘Where did that come from?’”

Arguably, the present time of celebrated, politically engaged fright cinema began with a clever critique 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,” recalls a creator whose movie about a violent prenatal entity 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.”

Concurrently, there has been a reappraisal of the underrated horror works.

Recently, a new cinema 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 “raw and chaotic” genre is, according to the venue creator, a direct reaction to the formulaic productions produced 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 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.”

Fright flicks continue to disrupt conventions.

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

Besides the re-emergence of the insane researcher motif – with several renditions of a well-known story imminent – he anticipates we will see fright features in 2026 and 2027 addressing our current anxieties: about AI’s dominance in the years ahead and “vampires living in the Trump tower”.

In the interim, “Jesus horror” The Carpenter’s Son – which depicts the events of biblical parent hardships after the nativity, and includes celebrated stars as the sacred figures – is set for release in the coming months, and will certainly cause a stir through the religious conservatives in the United States.</