7 Days of Bollywood Horror: The Ultimate Spooky Movie Marathon

Spooky season is here and if you’re not a big party animal, the best way to celebrate is to binge scary movies. There are the traditional horror films like The Conjuring (2013), Child’s Play (1988), and The Shining (1980). But if you tire of the classics, we have curated an advent calendar of Hindi horror movies for you to enjoy in the lead up to October 31st.

Day 1—Mahal (1949)

Starting off with this black and white classic starring Madhubala, Mahal follows the story of a rich man who moves into an ancient mansion and begins to see visions of an unnamed woman who claims to be his lover from a past life. Part horror story and part reincarnation story, Mahal has become the blueprint for many reincarnation romances including Karz (1980).

Day 2—Gumnaam (1965)

Though more of a mystery thriller than a horror film, this film from the 1960s based off of Agatha Christie’s novel And Then There were None, has enough eeriness in its setting and a catchy melody to haunt (or at least have you humming the title track) for a couple of nights.

Day 3—Raat (1992)

Directed by Ram Gopal Varma, Raat was the original pan-Indian film, shot simultaneous in Hindi and Telegu. It follows the Sharma family as they move into a house with an odd reputation. Strange happening begin to occur around and to the Sharma family. Atmospheric and unsettling, Raat can be considered Bollywood’s first true blue attempt at horror.

Day 4—Raaz (2002)

The Bhatt film family are known for their horror films and it all began with this film. Starring Bipasha Basu, Raaz is considered one of Bollywood’s best horror film. The film follows a married couple who are trying to save their marriage only to come to head with a vengeful ghost.

Day 5—1920 (2008)

Set in 1920s British India, this horror movie bears resemble to The Exorcist (1973) and follows a married couple who move into a haunted manor where the wife becomes possessed by an evil spirit. Though the film has since spawned into a franchise with follow-up films ranging from bad to terrible, the first one is still the best to watch.

Day 6—Dobaara: See Your Evil (2017)

A remake of the Hollywood film Oculus (2013), Alone stars siblings Huma Qureshi and Saqib Saleem. Though nothing can compare to the original, this Indian remake (surprisingly) holds its own maybe because the original film's creator Mike Flanagan served as executive producer.

Day 7—Bulbbul (2020)

Horror in the Hindi film industry has gone through several hyphenated phases, ‘horror-mystery’, ‘horror-thriller’, and ‘horror-adult’, and is currently in its ‘horror-comedy’ phase. So it was refreshing to have Bulbbul, a period horror film set during the 1880s Bengal presidency. The film stars Tripti Dimri as a child bride on her path from naive girl to freedom.

Of course, these are just suggestions. If you spook easy, you are more than welcome to stick to family-friendly horror comedies like Bhool Bhulaaiya (2007) and Stree (2018).