• Half (50%) of Gen Z say a classic horror film would be over in 30 minutes if the main character had a modern smartphone and a good internet connection[1]

• Uswitch's Running Time Index cuts 10 horror classics from 16 and a half hours to just over two, with Scream over in under a minute[2]

• The top moments Gen Z don't buy include splitting up to search the house (37%), being cut off from the world (31%) and answering an unknown caller (30%)[3]

• Unbelievable or not, three in five (60%) Gen Z still find old horror films scary, almost double the share of over-55s (33%)[4]

• One in eight (12%) Gen Z have a landline they never answer, and one in 17 (6%) don't know if they have one[5]

• Comedian Imogen Andrews teams up with Uswitch to reimagine classic horror for the connected generation

Ahead of Halloween, and as Scream turns 30 this year, half (50%) of Gen Z say a classic horror film would be over within 30 minutes if the main character had a modern smartphone and a good internet connection,[1] reveals new research by Uswitch.com.

Uswitch's Running Time Index, reviewed by film critic Ali Plumb, puts the theory to the test. With a decent Wi-Fi connection or a smartphone, the characters in 10 horror classics would get through 16 and a half hours of plot in just over two. Scream would be over in under a minute, as soon as an unknown number came up and got blocked and Friday the 13th would last two minutes, as soon as a doorbell camera spots a stranger at the camp. The only one to make it past half an hour is A Nightmare on Elm Street, at 31 minutes, because a phone alarm can only keep you awake for so long.[2]

Three in five (60%) Gen Z still find old horror films frightening, almost double the share of over-55s (33%).[4] Older viewers are less convinced technology would change things: a third (33%) of over-55s think a smartphone and good internet would change a classic horror film, and nearly half (45%) don't know.[1]

Two in five (42%) Gen Z have never lived in a home without the internet.[6] And more than a third (37%) of Brits now say a character alone with no internet is scarier than one alone at night.[7]

One in eight (12%) Gen Z have a landline they never answer, and one in 17 (6%) aren't sure their home has one at all.[5] The landline that rings in every classic horror film is on its way out too, with the UK's old phone network due to be retired by January 2027 as calls move onto broadband.[8]

The findings land as teen horror classic Scream turns 30, and suggest the rules it taught a generation of horror fans have not aged well. Four in five (80%) Gen Z can point to at least one classic horror moment they struggle to take seriously, compared with fewer than half (48%) of over-55s.[3] Top of the list are the group splitting up to search the house (37%), the house being cut off from the outside world (31%) and picking up the phone to an unknown caller (30%).[3]

The phone call is where the generations split furthest. Gen Z are nearly four times as likely as over-55s to find a character picking up to an unknown caller hard to take seriously (30% vs 8%), and it's the scene that opens Scream.[3]

Table: The Running Time Index, how long 10 horror classics would last with a smartphone and today's home internet[2] [https://tinyurl.com/rxbjyfux]

Table: Top five classic horror movie moments (pre-2000) Gen Z don't buy[3] [https://tinyurl.com/rxbjyfux]

Uswitch has teamed up with comedian Imogen Andrews to give classic horror scenes a Gen Z makeover, complete with a smartphone, home internet and a very short running time.

Film critic Ali Plumb says: "It's undeniable that connected technology is making horror films harder to write, and harder to land with an increasingly tech-savvy younger audience, and the Running Time Index shows just how much. Scream taught a generation the rules of horror, so it's no surprise a generation raised on smartphones is the quickest to question them.

"Classic horror is powered by isolation: a phone fixed to the wall, a house nobody can reach, a friend nobody can find. The good news is you can pick the plot apart, ideally once the film's over, and still jump in your seat and send your popcorn flying."

Max Beckett, Uswitch broadband expert, says: "The way we're connected has changed, and it's killed off a lot of what made old horror films work. Many people now won't answer a number they don't recognise, and we'd rather text than call. Often we know where our friends are without asking, because they've shared their location and for a lot of younger people, the landline is something their parents had, not them.

"So when a character picks up a ringing phone with no idea who's on the other end, or heads off alone to find a payphone, Gen Z aren't trying to pick holes – it's just not something anyone they know would do. The films are as scary as they ever were, it's just the world around them that's moved on."

Visit Uswitch.com to compare broadband deals in your area.

-ENDS-

For more information, please contact:

Harriet Atkinson, Uswitch.com on 07824 181812 / harriet.atkinson@rvu.co.uk

UswitchOGB@onegreenbean.com

Notes to editors

Research conducted online by Opinium, 9 to 13 October 2026, among 2,000 UK adults, weighted to be nationally representative. "Gen Z" refers to respondents aged 18 to 29 (321 unweighted; 301 among those who have seen a horror film). "Over-55s" refers to respondents aged 55 and over (896 unweighted; 770 among horror viewers). Scream was released in the US on 20 December 1996 and in the UK in May 1997. Film titles are referred to as commentary only.

1. Q6, all respondents: "If the main character in a classic horror film had a modern smartphone and a good internet connection, how long do you think the film would last?" Gen Z: less than 5 minutes 5%; 5 to 10 minutes 8%; 11 to 15 minutes 15%; 16 to 30 minutes 22% (30 minutes or less, 50%); longer than 30 minutes 21%; it wouldn't change the film 13%; don't know 13%. Net: would change the film, Gen Z 71%; over-55s 33%. Don't know: over-55s 45%.

2. The Running Time Index was compiled by Uswitch in October 2026 and reviewed by film critic Ali Plumb. Original running times (994 minutes across the 10 films) are compared with illustrative revised running times (139 minutes), estimating how quickly today's home internet, connected devices and smartphone features could help characters avoid or resolve the situations depicted. Revised running times are illustrative estimates based on imagined alternative scenarios and are not survey findings. The "new running time" has been calculated by taking the timestamp of the real film moments at the point in which each film could be cut short, preventing the plot from evolving with the introduction of home internet, connected devices and smartphone features.

3. Q7, all respondents: "Thinking about horror films made before 2000, which, if any, of these moments have you seen and found hard to take seriously?" Gen Z / over-55s: the group splitting up to search the house 37% / 28%; the house being completely cut off from the outside world 31% / 22%; answering the phone without knowing who was calling 30% / 8%; no way of letting anyone know where they were 28% / 15%; running to find a payphone 27% / 13%; the phone line being cut 25% / 16%; having to drive somewhere for help 16% / 9%; not being able to find out who someone was 16% / 6%; none of these 9% / 34%; don't know 11% / 18%.

4. Q3, asked of all who have seen a horror film: "Thinking about horror films made before 2000, how scary do you find them when you watch them today?" Very or fairly scary combined: Gen Z 60% (very scary 19%, fairly scary 41%); over-55s 33% (very scary 9%, fairly scary 24%); all adults 48%. For reference, Gen X (46 to 61) 48%; boomers (62 to 80) 32%.

5. Q12, all respondents: "Does your home have a landline phone, and if so, do you use it?" Yes, but I never answer it: Gen Z 12%. Don't know: Gen Z 6%; over-55s 1%.

6. Q11, all respondents: "Have you ever lived in a home without the internet?" No: Gen Z 42%; over-55s 6%.

7. Q8, all respondents: "For each pair, which would you find scarier in a horror film?" The character being alone in the house with no internet (vs alone in the house at night): all adults 37%; Gen Z 40%. The character's phone battery hitting 1% (vs running out of petrol): Gen Z 42%; all adults 38%. Order of pairs and options rotated.

8. The UK's analogue landline network (the Public Switched Telephone Network) is being retired by the telecoms industry, with the move to digital landlines that run over a broadband connection due to complete by January 2027. Source: Ofcom, moving landline phones to digital technology.

About Uswitch

Uswitch is one of the UK's top comparison websites for home services switching. For 25 years, our experts have been doing more to get people a better deal on their energy, broadband and mobiles. In fact, we've saved our customers over £2.7 billion off their energy bills since we launched in 2000.

Uswitch's free app helps households save money with the latest switching deals, daily energy usage insights and chances to earn real cash with energy earning sessions. The app is powered by their Utrack technology, designed to encourage customers to shift and reduce their home energy consumption.

Uswitch is part of RVU [https://www.rvu.co.uk], a group of online brands with a mission to empower consumers to make more confident home services, insurance and financial decisions.

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