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The largest surprise the cinema world has witnessed in 2025? The comeback of horror as a dominant force at the British cinemas.

As a category, it has notably outperformed past times with a 22% year-on-year increase for the British and Irish cinemas: over £83 million this year, compared with £68.6 million last year.

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

The big hits of the year – Weapons (£11.4m), another hit film (£16.2 million), The Conjuring Last Rites (£14.98 million) and the sequel to a classic (£15.54m) – have all hung about in the multiplexes and in the popular awareness.

Even though much of the industry commentary centers on the standout quality of renowned filmmakers, their triumphs indicate something shifting between viewers and the category.

“I’ve heard people say, ‘Even if you don’t like horror this is a film you need to see,’” says a film distribution executive.

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

But apart from creative value, the steady demand of frightening features this year suggests they are giving cinemagoers 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.

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

Against a real-world news cycle featuring geopolitical strife, enforcement actions, extremist rises, and ecological disasters, witches, zombies and vengeful spirits resonate a bit differently with filmg oers.

“I read somewhere that the success of vampire movies is linked to economically depressed times,” comments an star from a popular scary movie.

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

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

Experts reference the surge of German expressionism after the the Great War and the chaotic atmosphere of the early Weimar Republic, with films such as classic silent horror and a pioneering fright film.

This was followed by the 1930s depression and iconic horror characters.

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

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

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

Its writer-director explains: “I aimed to delve into populist rhetoric. Specifically, calls to restore a mythical past that favored a privileged few.”

“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?’”

Perhaps, the present time of praised, culturally aware scary films commenced with a clever critique debuted a year after a polarizing administration.

It ushered in a recent surge of innovative filmmakers, including various prominent figures.

“Those years were remarkably vibrant,” comments a director whose movie about a violent prenatal entity 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.

Earlier this year, a nicke l venue opened in the capital, showing underground films such as a quirky horror title, a classic adaptation and the 1989 remake of the expressionist icon.

The renewed interest of this “rough and rowdy” genre is, according to the theater owner, a straightforward answer 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 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.”

Scary movies continue to challenge the norm.

“These movies uniquely blend vintage vibes with contemporary relevance,” notes an expert.

In addition to the revival of the deranged genius archetype – with two adaptations of a literary masterpiece upcoming – he anticipates we will see fright features in the coming years addressing our present fears: about tech supremacy in the coming decades and “vampires living in the Trump tower”.

At the same time, “Jesus horror” a forthcoming title – which tells the story of Mary and Joseph’s struggles after the nativity, and features famous performers as the sacred figures – is scheduled to debut soon, and will definitely send a ripple through the Christian right in the America.</