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

The most significant surprise the movie business has encountered in 2025? The comeback of horror as a dominant force at the UK film market.

As a genre, it has impressively exceeded previous years 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.

“In the past year, not a single horror movie hit £10 million in UK or Irish theaters. Now, five have achieved that,” notes a cinema revenue expert.

The major successes of the year – a recent horror title (£11.4m), Sinners (£16.2 million), The Conjuring Last Rites (£14.98m) and the sequel to a classic (£15.54m) – have all stayed in the theaters and in the audience's minds.

Although much of the industry commentary highlights the singular brilliance of renowned filmmakers, their successes point to something shifting between audiences and the category.

“Viewers often remark, ‘This is a must-see regardless of your genre preferences,’” states a film distribution executive.

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

But beyond artistic merit, the consistent popularity of spooky films this year implies they are giving moviegoers something that’s highly necessary: catharsis.

“These days, movies echo the prevalent emotions of rage, anxiety, and polarization,” 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,” says a prominent scholar of vampire and monster cinema.

In the context of a global headlines featuring war, border tensions, far-right movements, and environmental crises, supernatural beings and undead creatures strike a unique chord with viewers.

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

“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 European artistic movements after the WWI and the turbulent times of the post-war Germany, with films such as classic silent horror and the iconic vampire tale.

Subsequently came 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,” explains a historian.

“Thus, it mirrors widespread fears about migration.”

The phantom of migration influenced the newly launched folk horror a recent film title.

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.”

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

Maybe, the present time of acclaimed, socially switched-on horror began with a sharp parody released a year after a contentious political era.

It ushered in a fresh generation of visionary directors, including several notable names.

“That period was incredibly stimulating,” says a creator whose film about a deadly unborn child was one of the era’s tentpole movies.

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

This creator, now penning a fresh horror script, notes: “During the past decade, viewers have become more receptive to such innovative approaches.”

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

In recent months, a new cinema opened in a major city, showing cult classics such as a quirky horror title, The Fall of the House of Usher and the 1989 remake of the expressionist icon.

The renewed interest of this “raw and chaotic” genre is, according to the venue creator, a clear response to the calculated releases produced 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.

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

Fright flicks continue to challenge the norm.

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

Alongside the return of the mad scientist trope – with multiple versions of a well-known story imminent – he predicts we will see horror films in 2026 and 2027 addressing our present fears: about artificial intelligence control in the years ahead and “vampires living in the Trump tower”.

In the interim, a biblical fright story a forthcoming title – which tells the story of Mary and Joseph’s struggles after Jesus’s birth, and features well-known actors as the holy parents – is scheduled to debut soon, and will certainly cause a stir through the faith-based groups in the America.</