Borders and linguistic barriers are irrelevant to the horror genre. Every individual community in the globe has its own myths and horror tales, many of which frequently centre around that society’s own religious beliefs and cultural practises. While the United States and the United Kingdom have produced some of the best horror films ever, India also has a long history of frightening films that can compete with anything in the Western canon.
For movie fans who are prepared to look for them, India has produced a number of excellent horror movies. The greatest of the best are these.
Tumbbad (1980)
The 75th Venice International Film Festival was the venue for Tumbbad’s world debut, making it the first Indian film to screen there. It speaks not only to the film’s greatness but also to the fact that Indian horror is now a well-liked subgenre of cinema outside of the continent.
The inhabitants of Tumbbad, Maharashtra, who disobey the Goddess of Prosperity’s directions and incur a terrible curse are the subject of the fabled tale. One of the best horror exports from India, it features some absolutely excellent cinematography and spine-tingling horrors. The film has its origins in Indian culture.
Bhoot (2003)
Bhoot, which heavily borrows from The Exorcist, is a valuable contribution to the subgenre of evil demonic possession. This one is about a married couple named Vishal and Swati who move into a haunted apartment and start to suffer terrible consequences, namely Swati’s possession.
The film features some good possession-based shocks and is headed by Urmila Matondkar, who earned a Bollywood Movie Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Swati. Any audience will experience shivers as a result of her eerie performance.
Aamis (Ravening) (2019)
The 2019 Tribeca Film Festival had the world premiere of Aamis, English title: Ravening, which received very positive reviews. The narrative centres on Nirmali, a happy doctor, who meets a Ph.D. candidate researching Indian eating customs. The two get along right away and soon start experimenting with various kinds of meat. Nirmali quickly becomes fixated with tasting human flesh.
Its grisly plot, which was inspired by the extreme films of the 1980s that were outlawed for their excessive violence and perverted subject matter, would satisfy even the most jaded horror lover.
1920 (2008)
Haunted mansions are a common theme in some of the finest historical horror films, and 1920 fits well into this category. The film, which was first released in 2008, is about a married couple who reside in a spooky home.
The length of the film, an extravagant 140 minutes, allows for plenty of terrific supernatural scares and intriguing interpersonal dynamics including marriage. The fact that the picture was a great hit in its home country of India and gave rise to a series of four films demonstrates how appealing it is as a mainstream horror movie.
The House Next Door (2017)
The supernatural horror movie The House Next Door features several powerful jump scares that may both surprise and unnerve viewers. The plot centres on a brain surgeon and his wife, Krish and Lakshmi, who get agitated after a disobedient adolescent and her stepmother move in next door.
As Krish and Lakshmi try to purge their home of the ghosts, the youngster is confronted by a string of unsettling paranormal occurrences that spark a conflict between good and evil. Anyone who appreciates excellent paranormal-based horror is sure to be enthralled by this captivating old-fashioned ghost story.