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The most significant jump-scare the film industry has encountered in 2025? The resurgence of horror as a main player at the UK film market.

As a genre, it has notably outperformed previous years with a 22% year-on-year increase for the British and Irish cinemas: £83,766,086 in 2025, against £68 million the previous year.

“Previously, zero horror films made £10 million in the UK or Ireland. Currently, five have surpassed that mark,” comments a cinema revenue expert.

The big hits of the year – a recent horror title (£11.4m), another hit film (£16.2m), The Conjuring Last Rites (£14.98m) and 28 Years Later (£15.54m) – have all stayed in the cinemas and in the popular awareness.

Even though much of the industry commentary focuses on the singular brilliance of renowned filmmakers, their triumphs suggest something shifting between moviegoers and the category.

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

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

But beyond aesthetic quality, the ongoing appeal of spooky films this year implies they are giving audiences something that’s greatly desired: therapeutic relief.

“Right now, there’s a lot of anger, fear and division that’s being reflected in cinema,” observes a genre expert.

“The genre masterfully exploits common anxieties, magnifying them so that everyday stresses fade beside the cinematic horror,” remarks a noted author of classic monster stories.

In the context of a current events featuring geopolitical strife, enforcement actions, extremist rises, and ecological disasters, witches, zombies and vengeful spirits connect in new ways with audiences.

“I read somewhere that the success of vampire movies is linked to economically depressed times,” says 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.

Analysts highlight the surge of European artistic movements after the the Great War and the turbulent times of the post-war Germany, with features such as classic silent horror and the iconic vampire tale.

This was followed by the economic crisis of the 30s and Universal Studios’ Frankenstein and The Wolfman.

“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,” notes a commentator.

“Thus, it mirrors widespread fears about migration.”

The boogeyman of migration shaped the newly launched folk horror The Severed Sun.

The filmmaker clarifies: “I aimed to delve into populist rhetoric. Specifically, calls to restore a mythical past that favored a privileged few.”

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

Perhaps, the present time of praised, culturally aware scary films started with a sharp parody launched a year after a polarizing administration.

It sparked a new wave of innovative filmmakers, including various prominent figures.

“It was a hugely exciting time,” comments a director whose project about a murderous foetus was one of the time's landmark films.

“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.”

At the same time, there has been a revival of the genre’s less celebrated output.

Earlier this year, a independent theater opened in a major city, showing obscure movies such as a quirky horror title, The Fall of the House of Usher and the modern reinterpretation of the expressionist icon.

The fresh acclaim of this “rough and rowdy” genre is, according to the theater owner, a straightforward answer to the calculated releases churned 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.

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

Horror films continue to disrupt conventions.

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

Besides the re-emergence of the deranged genius archetype – with several renditions of a well-known story imminent – he predicts we will see fright features in the coming years responding to our current anxieties: about tech supremacy in the near future and “vampires living in the Trump tower”.

Meanwhile, “Jesus horror” a forthcoming title – which tells the story of Mary and Joseph’s struggles after the nativity, and features well-known actors as the sacred figures – is planned for launch soon, and will definitely send a ripple through the faith-based groups in the US.</