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From old witch tales to demonic possessions, the horror genre has a lot to offer. Bollywood has been at the forefront of creating spine-tingling movies, with many directors experimenting with various subgenres and delivering shivers to their audience.
While Bollywood has produced a variety of films in different genres, horror remains one of the most popular choices for audiences. The spooky elements, eerie music, and dark visuals in the film make it an instant hit with the audience. The genre has become so popular that it has even inspired a number of young filmmakers to start their careers in horror.
Here are the list of some of the most famous Hindi Horror Movies which have made it big in the industry and still continue to scare the audience.
List of Top 20 Best Hollywood and Bollywood Horror Movies in Hindi
1. Bhoot (2003)
A film that is amongst the most successful Hindi Horror movies, Bhoot revolves around a husband and wife who move into an apartment. Soon, they start to experience supernatural happenings in the house. This is one of the most shocking and terrifying movies that are ever made.
2. Pari (2013)
A supernatural thriller, Pari is a film that received huge acclaim from critics and audiences alike. The film is about a girl named Rukshana who is rescued by Arnab from inhumane conditions. The two fall in love, but she has a secret that is haunting her.
3. Krishna Cottage 2004 (Movie Review)
A professor writes an “unfinished” book of nine-and-a-half stories. The trucks carrying the books all meet mysterious doom in grisly accidents, but one copy survives. When six school friends discover it, they unwittingly unleash an ancient evil. This coincides with the arrival of beautiful new student Disha (Hiten Tejwani). While Shanti worries that she is stealing away her fiance, Manav (Sohail Khan), they must fight to survive.
KRISHNA COTTAGE starts well enough, but soon d?ubs into a clichéd pattern. When a group of friends’ car breaks down and they are forced to spend the night in an old half house, their suspicions rise when strange things start happening; a chandelier crashes down, a car tyre explodes, and Talli claims that all four of her friends’ cars’ tires are blown out.
After the group gets trapped in the abandoned Krishna Cottage, the supernatural shit really kicks off. Faces appear in the curtains, a ghost thumps Manav and shouts, “Kahi unkahi baatein!” Then a body preserved in ice is found, bearing an uncanny resemblance to Disha’s dead boyfriend Amar Khanna. When the friends read about Amar in the book, their suspicions are confirmed – Amar was murdered by a spirit that inhabits the Krishna Cottage! But what is the truth? Is the curse real or imagined? Or is it simply a reflection of their deep-seated fears?
4. Vaastu Shastra (2004)
One of the best Hindi horror movies to ever hit the silver screen, Vaastu Shastra is about a young successful couple who move into a new house and find strange things happening around them including their son creating imaginary friends. The story goes further to reveal that the house is actually a graveyard and the family finds themselves in constant peril. The movie is based on a true story and has a good mix of suspense and eeriness that will keep you at the edge of your seat. The director, Ram Gopal Verma has proved that he can make any topic scary and this movie is no exception. The cinematography and the scenes will give you a chill down your spine. The movie also throws some light on black magic.
Every 90’s kid must have watched this movie and it still remains one of the best Hindi Horror movies. It has a great cast with Bipasha Basu, Dino Morea, and Ashutosh Rana and a mind-blowing storyline that will scare you. The movie was a huge hit and gave a big boost to the careers of its actors.
The movie is about a doctor, Jhilmil and her writer husband Virag who move into a new flat with their son Rohan and her younger sister Radhika. They find a very old tree outside their house and they believe that the place is haunted. Soon, Jhilmil starts experiencing some supernatural things like hearing screams that are inaudible to everyone else. She also sees some mysterious spirits in their home.
The movie is all about how the couple fights against this evil spirit and manages to save their lives. It has some gruesome scenes that will definitely give you the chills. The movie also has some interesting music that will make you want to listen to it again and again. The movie is a must-watch and a must-have for any horror lover. The film is a brilliant piece of work that will scare you and leave you wondering for the rest of your life.
5. Stree (Movie Review) 2018
Director Amar Kaushik’s latest film, Stree, derives inspiration from Nale Ba (the witch of Bangalore) but also borrows heavily from several similar legends from across the country. It centres on the strange town of Chanderi where men mysteriously disappear every puja festival. In the midst of this chaos, enters Vicky, a tailor played by Rajkummar Rao who brings to the role his effortless charm. The carefree tailor falls for a woman he names as Stree and he does everything in his power to protect her. But it isn’t until the end that he realises that Stree is actually the ghost of a female courtesan who seeks revenge against the men of Chanderi by abducting and killing them.
The movie does a fair job of setting the premise and building up suspense. It’s aided by the inclusion of comedy scenes that involve Vicky and his friends Bittu (Aparshakti Khurana) and Jana (Abhishek Banerjee). It provides much needed comic relief and lightens up the eerie atmosphere of the film.
But there are some moments in the film that feel a little too self-conscious and preachy for a movie like this. Especially one scene where the ghost mocks the society of men who think of beautiful women as mere objects.
But on the whole, Stree is a fun ride with its quirky characters and interesting backstory. It’s a well-rounded film that will entertain audiences of all ages. It’s also an important film that highlights the societal mores and beliefs that bind women.
6. Bhool Bhulaiyaa Movie Review (2007)
Bhool Bhulaiya is an entertaining horror comedy with a fresh plot. A remake of a 14 year old Malayalam movie Manichitrathazhu, the Anees Bazmee film manages to keep the original at bay with a mix of humor and scary elements that work very well. A great cast lead by Kartik Aaryan and Kiara Advani ably support the two directors. The music is also impressive with chartbuster tracks by KK and Shreya Ghoshal.
Siddharth and Avni come back to India from America despite being warned of an ancient curse hanging over their house in their ancestral village. They decide to live in the palace that they inherited from their grandfather despite the haunting. The movie has a lot of twists and turns. But there are times when it tends to get a little too confusing and the screenplay gets a bit stretched in the second half. It also tries to create too much tension and jump scares, which might not be very effective.
The only saving grace is Tabu who shines in her role. She is as brilliant as ever and shows some great nuance in her performance. Other than that, the rest of the cast is okay and carries the film with their performances. Amisha Patel, Shiney Ahuja, Paresh Rawal and Rajpal Yadav provide some good comic relief. But the film is let down by sexist and fat shaming jokes which are totally unnecessary and out of place.
7. Ragini MMS (Movie Review) 2011
Movies like ‘Paranormal Activity’ and ‘Ragini MMS’ have been making the headlines for all the wrong reasons in Bollywood. While the latter is a star studded venture, this low budget horror flick from Ekta Kapoor and starring two newcomers is making waves in B-town.
Ragini (Kainaz Motivala) is dating Uday (Rajkumar Yadav). The two decide to spend a weekend alone in a secluded bungalow. Unbeknown to Ragini, Uday has promised a wheeler-dealer to make a sex tape of her for the sex market. To ensure his promise, he has got cameras fitted all over the bungalow.
However, things take a turn when Pia and her boyfriend Vishal visit the couple. They are able to see that the two have planned to have sex and are disturbed by it. Uday tries to get rid of them, but they end up staying for a while.
Meanwhile, a mysterious ghost attacks the family. As a result, the psychiatrist called Dr. Meera Dutta (Divya Dutta) takes up the case. Her investigation leads her to conclude that Ragini is the’spirit’ behind all the strange happenings.
The film is well shot, giving it a documentary-like feel. Pawan Kripalani and Vaspar Dandiwala’s screenplay is gripping. But it lacks the climax that would have made this an unforgettable horror experience. Sunny Leone looks sexy and gives a good performance. She is one of the few actors who can pull off this type of film with ease.
8. Ek Thi Daayan Review (2013)
Kannan Iyer’s debut feature is a twisted, psychological thriller that tweaks Bollywood horror to please the discerning audiences. Featuring impressive acting from Emraan Hashmi and Huma Qureshi, Ek Thi Daayan is a different flavour of goosebumps served with differently-imagined creativity.
The film begins with Bobo, a celebrity magician (India’s answer to Criss Angel and David Blaine) whose life is falling apart. Hallucinations about his dead kid sister Misha are eating away at his sanity, and when he visits a psychiatrist for help, she puts him through regression hypnosis. This unlocks a dark childhood secret of a daayan that destroyed his family.
Throughout the first half, the film is gripping and makes you squirm in your seat. But the second half is an utter disappointment. It isn’t so much that the second half doesn’t work but it feels like two separate films joined together at the interval.
The climax is particularly uninspiring. It is also predictable and reeks of clichés. The film also has a few scenes that seem unnecessary and jarring. For instance, a scene where a Maaza tetra-pack and an Apple logo share screen space is a little too over the top. Despite these flaws, the movie is enjoyable and worth watching once. Just don’t let Ekta Kapoor’s unconventional marketing trick you! Watch it with a group of friends and have fun.
9. Sinister (2004)
With its spine-chilling storyline, this movie has become an iconic Best Hindi horror film. It is a must-watch for anyone who wants to see how a horror movie should be made. Unlike modern horror films that overdo the shock factor, this one strikes just the right balance between spooky and scary. The film’s villain is creative, if not a little silly at times, and the entire experience is filled with the kind of tension that only horror movies can provide.
The story is about a family of four that moves into an old house that is believed to be haunted by a ghost. Soon, the family starts getting mysterious calls that are threatening their lives. It is the responsibility of Sanjana, played by Ashutosh Rana, to save her family. With the help of Professor Agni Swaroop, she manages to exorcise the spirit. This movie also starred Sanjana’s brother, Rohan, who is also seen in the popular Tamil thriller 13B: Fear Has A New Address.
This movie is an interesting take on the “found footage” genre of Best Horror Movies in Hindi. It takes us into the terrifying world of how ancient evils silently and methodically kill families in cold-blooded murders. The movie also highlights the way that these crimes are ignored and filed as ‘cold cases’ because the supernatural aspect of them is impossible to prove.
Sinister is a film that is worth watching and the demon-like bughuul, who looks more like a member of a heavy metal band, will definitely frighten you. The movie also has a few scenes that seem to be inspired by Paranormal Activity and the way in which the film’s main character tries to make sense of it all is quite amusing.
The only reason why this film isn’t on the top spot of our list is because it contains too many short stories that aren’t all that creative and they lack a certain amount of thrill. However, it is still one of the most gripping horror films ever and Ram Gopal Varma was at his best with this movie. It is a movie that will make you stay up all night thinking of the dreadful possibilities!
10. Bhoot Bungla (2004)
Despite the fact that it has an ageing cast, this is one of those movies that manages to keep you at the edge of your seat. It is a story of an old man whose wife dies, and when he starts receiving phone calls from his dead daughter telling him that she wants him to come home, he goes back to the place where he first met his wife, only to find that she has been killed as well.
A must-watch movie from the Bollywood stable of Balaji Telefilms. This is a film that is based on a true story and it is a great blend of horror, mystery and comedy. The film stars Prabhu Deva and Shiney Ahuja as the lead pair who are trying to solve a series of strange events that are occurring at their farmhouse. They soon realize that they are being haunted by a ghost who is seeking revenge for the death of her husband and daughter.
This is a movie that will keep you at the edge of your seat and is a classic piece of work from the director Ram Gopal Verma. It has some very scary moments and the performances of the main cast are top notch. The movie also has some excellent songs which are very catchy and add to the overall experience.
It is another one of those movies that has a very strong storyline and it also shows the effects of black magic in real life. The acting is also superb in this film and the special effects are excellent.
Mehmood started off his career as a hero and then switched to being the comedian of Bollywood. However, he was very good at both roles and this is another example of him being brilliant in his job. This is a very fun movie with plenty of scares and it also has some nice musical picturizations.
This is the second installment of the Bhoot franchise and it has better performances from all of the main actors. It is another nail-biting movie that will have you at the edge of your seat and it has a fantastic ending which will leave you stunned.
11. Ghost Stories – Why Women Write Them
A ghost story, at its best, taps into a deep-seated fear and transforms it into something both frightening and illuminated. Whether it’s a sense of insignificance, the loss of a loved one or the impending destruction of our planet, these stories help us to confront that which we most fear and find ways to understand it.
The ghost story draws on ancient traditions of folklore but it really took off in the mid-19th century when J Sheridan Le Fanu perfected the narrative form and published a series of books. Victorian writers like Charles Dickens (as in ‘The Signalman’) and Amelia Edwards were swept up into the new craze and editors stocked their periodicals with tales of haunted houses, haunted carriages and ghostly encounters.
In the West ghosts have a rich cultural significance that goes beyond merely entertaining or scaring. According to Northeastern University anthropology professor Carie Hersh, they’re often about life’s transition between death and rebirth, or what happens when that process goes awry. While other cultures have spirits that they regard as more malevolent, like the duppy in the Caribbean, ghosts in our modern culture are usually benign guide-spirits with unfinished business to attend to.
But a really good ghost story must have solid grounding in the stuff of real life, the grounding details of homes, furniture and routines. That’s what makes a ghost story so convincing, and that’s why many of the most compelling ones are written by women.
12. Shaapit After Raaz & 1920 – A Review
A curse in horoscope is formed when Rahu and Saturn are placed in conjunction with each other in one’s birth chart. It is known as ‘Shrapit Kundali’ or ‘Sharapit Dosha’ and it brings in numerous challenges and obstacles. Remedies to overcome this negative planetary combination may include performing certain rituals, wearing specific gemstones and seeking guidance from an experienced astrologer.
Vikram Bhatt has tried to bring something different in his latest release Shaapit after Raaz & 1920. It’s a story of a girl trapped in a generational curse which doesn’t let her get married or fall in love. She tries to break this curse with the help of her boyfriend and her best friend.
The movie starts off well and is pretty good at keeping you tense, especially the first half. However, the second half is when the movie gets boring as it stretches sequences and the story becomes cliched.
Despite all the flaws, it still manages to leave a few eerie moments which will give you a few goosebumps. The acting is decent with Aditya Narayan doing a nice job and Shweta Agarwal putting in a solid performance. Rahul Dev is fantastic in a supporting role. Overall, Shaapit is a decent watch and a worthy follow-up to Bhatt’s previous two horror attempts. But it could’ve been much better if the script had been tighter. Also, the cinematography is disappointing and the film looks jaded at times.
13. Durgamati (Movie Review)
The mark of a good suspense thriller is its ability to duck and dive, to keep us guessing about its intentions till the very end. Durgamati, which piles twist upon ludicrous twist, never heeds this logic. It’s a muddled mess, full of characters who behave like they’re being forced to moralize and a ghost that talks with the same monotone as a bad Bollywood song.
In a state where antique idols are being stolen from temples, a minister of the ruling party named Ishwar Prasad (Arshad Warsi) wins hearts of people with his promises to get back the stolen items. However, the CBI officer Satakshi Ganguly (Mahie Gill) decides to bring him down by framing him in a corruption case. To do this she hires Chanchala Reddy (Bhumi Pednekar), Ishwar Prasad’s close aide who is also an IAS officer. Chanchala is taken to the infamous Durgamati haveli for interrogation where she’s allegedly possessed by a ghost.
Directed by G Ashok, the film is a scene-by-scene remake of his own 2018 Telugu-Tamil hit Bhaagamathie. It stars Bhumi Pednekar, Mahie Gill, Jisshu Sengupta and Karan Kapadia in key roles. The film is produced by Akshay Kumar, Vikram Malhotra and Bhushan Kumar under the banner of Cape of Good Films and T-Series. It’s available to stream from 11 December on Amazon Prime Video. The film’s trailer has already made it a viral hit. It will be a huge breakthrough for Bhumi, who is best known for her work in Toilet: Ek Prem Katha.
14. The Conjuring 2 (2013)
After a lull of several years, director James Wan returned to the supernatural horror genre with this sequel to his sleeper hit The Conjuring. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga are back as real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, but this time around the story doesn’t revolve so much on the Amityville case, and instead focuses on the haunting of a British family. This sequel isn’t quite as good as the original, but it still boasts a classy level of craftiness, genuinely disturbing scares and characters you actually care about.
This film is a good example of how horror movies based on true events can work. It doesn’t rely on the usual horror tropes, but relies on the power of storytelling and a director who knows how to use his camera to frighten audiences. Cinematographer Don Burgess uses swooping and panning shots to create an uneasy feeling, while composer Michael Bishara’s choral score gives the movie an extra layer of dread. The director also knows how to ratchet up the tension with a single sound, such as a creaking floorboard or a ringing telephone, and turn seemingly ordinary objects, like an antique zoetrope or a crucifix, into symbols of free-floating evil.
It’s an effective premise, and one that works thanks to the performances of Wilson and Farmiga. The characters are so believable that when the film reaches its climax and Ed tries to calm his terrified clients with an Elvis sing-along, you can believe it’s happening. You half expect him to be cut short by a cheesy jump-scare, but Wan is too smart a filmmaker to cheapen the moment with such a tactic.
The film does suffer from the curse of sequels, though, as it becomes a bit of a bloated mess. Wan has crammed in so many elements of this case from the Warren files that it begins to feel more like a textbook than a spine-tingling horror movie. But the film is still better than most of what’s out there, and it establishes itself as a modern horror classic in its own right.
15. Bhool Bhulaiya 2 Review
Anees Bazmee’s sequel to his 2007 film is a poorly-crafted horror comedy that fails to deliver even a few decent scares. Tabu’s acting talents are not enough to save this standalone flick from slumbering into oblivion. Kartik Aaryan’s charm is also not enough to ignite interest. Kiara Advani’s petty endeavors and big-hearted gestures are unconvincing. The ghost’s backstory isn’t dignified enough to warrant a decent plot either.
18 years ago in Himachal Pradesh, Reet Thakur (Mehak Manwani) meets with an accident and her family assumes that she is dead. When she tries to contact them on the phone she overhears a conversation between her cousin and her fiancee who reveal their affair. To give them a chance at marrying, Reet decides to feign her death in front of them. To do so she travels to Bhawanigarh with a reluctant Ruhan Randhawa (Kartik Aaryan). There she finds a palatial mansion that is deserted and a priest who confines a malevolent spirit named Manjulika in a room.
The film’s climactic unraveling is a major letdown and exposes the movie’s poor structure and vain attempt at storytelling. The movie’s characterization of Anjulika is particularly unfavorable. Manjulika was Reet’s sister-in-law who practiced black magic and possessed her to kill a boy she loved and also pushed her husband off the balcony paralyzing him.
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 has an average story that is dragged down by its predictable plot. Its pacing is slow and the characters are forgettable. Despite having some good actors and a strong story, the film is mediocre at best. The movie’s songs are forgettable too except a rejigged version of the original ‘Mere Dholna’ song.
16. 13B: Fear Has a New Address
The horror genre has transformed over the years and it is not just about scaring people anymore. It is more about creating a nail-biting suspense that keeps audiences entranced and 13B: Fear Has a New Address is a perfect example of this. The story revolves around a normal family who is overtaken by paranormal occurrences that are linked to their apartment number 13. The director has done a fantastic job in creating a gripping film and the background music creates a perfect atmosphere of tension and fear.
When Manohar moves into his new flat, he and his family become hooked on a daytime soap opera called Sab Khairiyat (All’s Well). Soon the incidents in the TV show start mirroring their lives and foretelling their future. While most Indian horror films rely on large mansions as the setting for their stories and lack clarity on what the ghosts can and cannot do, 13B is a refreshing film with a well-crafted plot.
The film is a must-see for all horror and thriller fans. The story will leave you with a twisted sense of fear and the performances by the actors are impeccable. The director has made use of the limited space to his advantage and every scene is crafted with great precision. The climax is one of the best in Indian cinema and it will keep you at the edge of your seat. 13B is an underrated gem and it should be watched by all.
17. Bhoot Part One: The Haunted Ship (Movie Review)
In 2020, a bereaved shipping officer investigates the mystery behind a ghost ship that washes ashore.
When a huge cargo ship called Sea Bird breaks loose and runs aground on Mumbai’s Juhu beach, Prithvi Prakashan (Vicky Kaushal), a survey officer who lost his wife Sapna and daughter Megha in a rafting accident, is assigned to clear the wreck. Then he discovers sinister and inexplicable events linked to the ship.
The film does a fair job of establishing the psychological framework for Prithvi’s tormented soul. But its attempt to signal a deeper subtext about the vagaries of grief and the psychic toll it takes on a person by depicting a haunted Prithvi as a man warped by his own demons is ultimately wasted. The trappings of loss are there – in the unshaven face and bloodshot eyes, in shots of his messy apartment, in his reckless endangerment of himself – but the true physical and emotional vulnerability that makes viewers invest in and fear for the protagonist of a horror narrative is missing.
Despite a good performance by Kaushal, Bhoot Part One: The Haunted Ship is a dull movie. The direction is below par and there are a lot of flaws in the script. The movie is a typical Bollywood Horror movie with the elements like creepy dolls, wall-crawling young women, voiceover lullabies and jump scares being used in abundance. The music is also weak and doesn’t add much to the proceedings.
18. Creature 3D
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Bollywood actress Bipasha Basu on Tuesday hoped Indian viewers will appreciate the work of indigenous technicians in her new film Creature 3D which is set to hit the cinema halls this Friday. The actress was talking about the movie which is based on the legend of a wild creature that terrorises a small town in Himachal Pradesh.
The film is produced by Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar under the banner of T-Series. It stars Bipasha Basu and Pakistani actor Imran Abbas Naqvi in lead roles. It also features Deepraj Rana, Mukul Dev and a few other actors. The film marks the Bollywood debut of Imran Abbas Naqvi and is directed by Vikram Bhatt.
The VFX of the film is decently done but that cannot save the movie from being a total bore. The story is too clichéd to be taken seriously and the actors do not seem to put their heart in it. The film has a few laugh out loud moments but nothing can be salvaged from a stupid plot. One can only admire the makers for trying to make something different and not regressing to cheap jump scares. It deserves half a star for that effort.
19. Roohi (Movie Review)
Janhvi Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao and Varun Sharma star in Roohi, which reimagines a folk legend of a singing ghost that puts grooms to sleep so it can possess their brides. The film, which was initially titled as Roohi Afza, is directed by Hardik Mehta. The film releases on March 11.
Despite the wackiness of the plot Roohi is not just a comedy but it also raises pertinent questions about gender discrimination in India. It does so by using the monster metaphor to interrogate patriarchal sanctity. The film’s two main characters Bhawra Pandey and Kattanni Qureshi work as hatchet men for a boss called Guniya Shakil (Manav Vij). They are sent to kidnap girls from Bagadpur village for forced marriages in the form of “Pakdai Shadi”. However, before a girl is kidnapped there is usually some casualty in her family, which means that she will get married by default. This is what happens to Roohi, who gets kidnapped by Bhawra and Kattanni for a marriage but is kept in hiding because of the death in her family.
The story takes a turn when Bhawra and Kattanni realise that Roohi is not just a girl but is also a monster that has possessed her body. This shatters the idea of a monster as an Other that can be easily discarded through suppression or medical cure. Rather the monster possesses a human body and thus creates a sense of anxiety that is difficult to pin down. Michel Foucault argues that this is because the monster-human is both inside and outside the law and therefore cannot be fully demarcated through Otherization nor easily relegated to the realm of the non-human.
20. Darna Zaroori Hai Review
Like the prequel, Darna Zaroori Hai interweaves six stories that have a wraparound story to tie them together. This time each short film is handled by a different director. While some of them fail to work, there are others that ring true and offer some tingling moments. It also marks the debut of Nisha Kothari who gives a solid performance as a girl who gets haunted by a spirit.
Firstly we have the prologue which is directed by Sajid Khan [he previously did comedy movies such as Hey Babyy and Housefull] it pokes fun at Ram Gopal Varma movies and is quite funny. Secondly we have the first of the main stories which revolves around a biotech student who visits his professor at home to clear doubts about some exam question. When the professor points out something to him he becomes paranoid and thinks that there is a ghost following him. He takes the shortcut through the graveyard against his mothers advice.
Manoj Pahwa carries his character of a filmmaker who is making his first horror flick so much that it borders on being comic relief at times and it seems like Ramu has given him carte blanche to deride the movie even as he tries to make it scary at other times. This is followed by the spooky story of a ghost who goes to the home of an old lady and tries to kill her. Its a good story and the twist in it is very clever.
