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Horror’s 2025 Surge Becomes a Mainstream Force

The upswing tracks public anxieties, blending metaphor-rich films with bloodier box-office juggernauts.

Overview

  • Weapons led the U.S. box office for all of August, and Sinners is cited as a rare original blockbuster.
  • A24’s prestige slate helped raise critical regard for horror, even as some viewers say its trailers promise more gore than the films deliver.
  • Lowbrow franchises such as Terrifier are matching or topping receipts for art-house entries, underscoring broad audience appetite.
  • The boom is spilling into bookstores with a new Penguin Horror line, fresh anthologies, and heritage reprints from the British Library.
  • Some observers argue horror now outdraws comic-book movies as superhero enthusiasm cools.