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The most significant shock the film industry has encountered in 2025? The return of horror as a dominant force at the UK film market.

As a category, it has remarkably surpassed previous years with a 22% rise compared to last year for the UK and Ireland film earnings: £83.7 million in 2025, against £68 million the previous year.

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

The big hits of the year – Weapons (£11.4 million), Sinners (£16.2 million), The Conjuring Last Rites (£14.98 million) and the sequel to a classic (£15.54m) – have all hung about in the theaters and in the audience's minds.

Even though much of the industry commentary focuses on the standout quality of prominent auteurs, their achievements point to something shifting between viewers and the genre.

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

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

But apart from artistic merit, the consistent popularity of frightening features this year implies they are giving cinemagoers something that’s greatly desired: therapeutic relief.

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

“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 respected writer of vampire and monster cinema.

Against a global headlines featuring conflict, immigration issues, political shifts, and climate concerns, witches, zombies and vengeful spirits strike a unique chord with viewers.

“It’s been noted that vampire cinema thrives during periods of economic hardship,” says an star from a successful fright film.

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

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

Experts highlight the boom of German expressionism after the first world war and the turbulent times of the post-war Germany, with features such as The Cabinet of Dr Caligari and Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror.

Subsequently came 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,” says a academic.

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

The boogeyman of border issues shaped the recently released folk horror The Severed Sun.

The filmmaker 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.”

“Additionally, the notion that acquaintances might unexpectedly voice extreme views, leaving others shocked.”

Maybe, the current era of praised, culturally aware scary films started with a clever critique launched a year after a divisive leadership period.

It ushered in a recent surge of visionary directors, including a range of talented artists.

“Those years were remarkably vibrant,” recalls a director whose movie about a deadly unborn child 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 director, currently developing another scary story, continues: “Over 10 years, audiences’ minds have been opening up to much more of that.”

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

Recently, a nicke l venue opened in a major city, showing obscure movies such as The Greasy Strangler, a classic adaptation and the late-80s version of the expressionist icon.

The fresh acclaim of this “rough and rowdy” genre is, according to the cinema founder, a straightforward answer to the formulaic productions churned out at the cinemas.

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

“Conversely, [such movies] appear raw. As if they emerged straight from the artist's mind, untouched by studio control.”

Horror films continue to upset the establishment.

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

Alongside the revival of the deranged genius archetype – with several renditions of a well-known story on the horizon – he predicts we will see fright features in the near future responding to our present fears: about AI’s dominance in the near future and “vampires living in the Trump tower”.

Meanwhile, a biblical fright story The Carpenter’s Son – which depicts the events of holy family challenges after the messiah's arrival, and features celebrated stars as the divine couple – is planned for launch later this year, and will definitely create waves through the religious conservatives in the US.</