IT’S SPOOKY TIME! From Pari To Ek Thi Daayan, Here Are Top 8 Picks From The Bollywood Horror Genre That Will Definitely Spice Up Your Halloween Night!
Horror film may not be India's most popular offering, but it has consistently produced a steady stream of horror films throughout the decades. Over time, horror films in Hindi have become linked with a unique style, one that has many characteristics with Bollywood's more successful song-and-dance romances.
With Hindi horror films, you can anticipate a certain level of campiness, and creature design is sometimes less than believable. However, the finest Bollywood horror films have always won the hearts of their audiences with their heartfelt melodrama and engaging narratives.
Here are 8 of the finest horror films in Hindi that you should definitely watch this Halloween.
1. Pari (2018)
‘Pari’, starring one of Bollywood's most prominent actresses today, won praise from reviewers and public alike for its performances and attempts to create something fresh and original in the Indian horror pantheon. Anushka Sharma plays a woman with a mystery past who is saved from terrible conditions by Arnab, played by Parambrata Chatterjee. The two fall in love rapidly, but Sharma's character conceals a magical truth about her origins, putting the two in the sights of a hidden sect.
The film's story elements, such as hidden supernatural groups on the search for an anti-Christ figure, may remind viewers of Hollywood supernatural action films. The plot is based on traditional stories from Bangladesh that are rarely shown in film and are greatly appreciated by audience.
2. Shaapit (2010)
‘Shaapit’, a lesser-known horror film from 2010, is an outstanding demonstration of the traditional Bollywood melodrama in the horror genre. The film features a daring blend of horror and romance, with the two main protagonists, Aditya Narayan and Shweta Agarwal, overcoming an overwhelming supernatural antagonist in order to be together.
The film spares no time in introducing the supernatural aspects, detailing how the two lovers began having near-death experiences shortly after they were engaged. The girl's family eventually reveals that they are under the influence of a terrible generational curse that forbids any woman born to the family from marrying under the threat of death. ‘Shaapit’ follows the pair on their mythical trip as they face terrible sorcerers and bloodthirsty ghosts in order to remove the curse.
3. 1920 (2008)
Many clear connections between ‘1920’ and classic Hollywood possession pictures like ‘The Exorcist’ will be obvious to horror enthusiasts. The picture balanced out the horrors of these legendary western films with story aspects that powerfully connected with the Indian audience, and it proved to be an enduring title in Bollywood horror, spawning a whole series. The historical horror film opens in the eponymous year of 1920, when a young man renounces his religion in order to marry the love of his life.
As an architect, he is immediately hired to repair an old mansion in a distant town, providing the newlywed couple the opportunity to start over. But the innocent pair faces otherworldly dangers in their new house, including one that swiftly takes possession of the wife, with some deliciously frightening repercussions.
4. Haunted- 3D (2011)
‘Haunted - 3D’, another well-known horror film by Vikram Bhatt, was a significant phenomenon at the time of its debut, partially because it was the first Indian film to be filmed in 3D. It opens similarly to 1920, with Mahaakshay Chakraborty's principal character moving into an ancient mansion to repair it before selling it. Supernatural occurrences such as disconnected screams and violin sounds immediately begin to interrupt his sleep. Soon after, he discovers an old letter stashed away in a book in the mansion's library.
The letter is a suicide note written by a young woman who used to reside at the mansion, outlining the brutality she experienced at the hands of her sadistic violin instructor. Following this revelation, Chakraborty's character embarks on a quest to restore peace to the girl's spirit, which is still haunted by the music teacher's ghost to this day.
5. Darna Maana Hain (2010)
‘Darna Mana Hai’ was the original horror anthology of Hindi film and is regarded a cult masterpiece today. It was a fresh cinematic experiment at a period when such attempts were not widely embraced. The film, directed by Prawaal Raman and produced by Ram Gopal Verma, has seven interconnected storylines. After their car breaks down, a party of pals becomes trapped in the midst of the wilderness. Forced to seek safety in an abandoned home, they begin telling each other horror stories around a campfire, each of which becomes its own story in the film.
6. Stree (2018)
When movie was released in 2018, the horror-comedy ‘Stree’ was a huge hit, engaging viewers with genuine chuckles and a horror premise that appeared new and intriguing. The story is set in the little village of Chanderi, where inhabitants live in constant terror of a local folk tradition about a chudail named "Stree," who is claimed to make men disappear if they walk alone at night.
The plot revolves on the lives of a tailor, played by comic legend Rajkummar Rao, who is fascinated with the prospect of marriage. He meets a mystery young woman who comes only at night during a nearby town fair, and the two have an odd connection. Enamored with the woman's attractiveness, he follows her every desire, even a shopping list of strange products such as lizard tails and cat hair.
7. Ek Thi Daayan (2013)
‘Ek Thi Daayan’ is a highly involved watch due to its intricate world-building, which includes a host of supernatural creatures and fantastical notions such as lifts to hell. The plot revolves around the lives of the well-known mystical Bobo, performed by Imran Hashmi. Despite his apparent celebrity and money, he is plagued by hallucinations of her younger sister, whom he lost as a youngster. When he's talking to his therapist one day, a terrible suppressed memory resurfaces in his head, exposing a world where daayans and demons exist.
8. Ghost Stories (2020)
‘Ghost Stories’ is a collection of four short horror films, each directed by a different filmmaker. Ghost Stories, like all outstanding short films, packs quality scares into each of its four horror microcosms. The four stories featured in the film, directed by four notable directors, Zoya Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap, Dibakar Banerjee, and Karan Johar, each make effective use of their restricted timeframe to conjure up a profound feeling of creepiness. The good scares in these stories begin with the themes, which contain disturbing concepts like as homicidal children and peek-a-boo with ghosts.
