10 Horror Flicks From Bollywood That You Must Not Miss

Bollywood horror flicks are not just about creaking doors, swinging chairs and a filthy, grey-haired witch casting spells. As the erotic horror film, Ragini MMS 2, releases on Friday the 21st, let us take a look at some of the most spine-chilling horror movies Bollywood has churned out over the years. Get ready for the edge-of-the-seat experience.

1. Mahal (1949)
Aayega aanewala... does the song give you goosebumps? That’s the magic of this song, crooned in the movie by the spirit of a woman who is waiting for her dead lover. It effectively adds to the eerie setting of this story of reincarnation, starring Ashok Kumar and Madhubala. Intriguing and haunting, Mahal is a must-watch, especially for Kamal Amrohi’s direction and the fine performance by the lead pair.

2. Bees Saal Baad (1962)
Starring Biswajeet and Waheeda Rehman, Bees Saal Baad is still remembered for the spooky song, Kahin deep jale kahin dil. Loosely based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s novel, The Hound of the Baskervilles, this flick is deliciously spooky in places, with many mind-numbing moments. Here you have a mysterious lady in a flowing white saree, the ghungroos, the haunting voice singing at night and many more incidents to keep you hooked. And the climax is juicy enough to entertain the connoisseurs of suspense thrillers.

3. Gumnaam (1965)
Gumnaam takes inspiration from Agatha Christie’s novel, And Then There Were None (also known as Ten Little Niggers). The basic plot of the film goes like this – 10 strangers stranded on an island get killed one by one. The film has everything that’s synonymous with edge-of-the-seat experience – suspense, thrill, fear, perfect characterisation and of course, a haunting song, Gumnaam hai koi.

4. Jaani Dushman (1979)
The story of Jaani Dushman is based in a village, which is notorious for the mysterious killings of brides dressed in red. The bidaai song Chalo re doli uthao kahaar is an indication that another bride is going to be attacked by a mysterious monster. The creature can’t be killed as every time someone tries to kill it, it leaves its own body and possesses the body of the person who tries to kill it. The multi-starrer film was a box-office hit.

5. 100 Days (1991)
More than a horror film, 100 Days is a spine-chilling entertainer starring Madhuri Dixit, Jackie Shroff and Jaaved Jaffery. Madhuri is gifted with extrasensory perception and she gets sudden glimpses of future incidents. One day, she sees her sister being murdered and after a few days, her sister gets killed the way Madhuri has envisioned it. Can she find the killer and unravel the mystery? Watch the movie and find out! By the way, it is a remake of the Tamil film Nooravathu Naal.

6. Raat (1992)
Produced by Ram Gopal Varma, Raat is an epic horror film. Leading lady Revathi’s life becomes a roller-coaster ride after a cat is accidentally killed by her father’s car. From spine-chilling encounters to possessed souls and haunted house – every possible bloodcurdling element is packed here. Raat is, indeed, one of the best horror movies ever made in Bollywood.

7. Vaastu Shastra (2004)
A family including a couple and their son, as well as the wife’s sister, shifts to a new house. Just when they begin to live happily, the boy starts interacting with kids whom no one else can see. Initially, the parents dismiss it as child’s fancy but as things start to take a gory turn, they begin to take notice. But unfortunately, it’s too late by then.

8. 1920 (2008)
Haunted houses are hot favourites of those who love the horror genre and 1920 is a period film that portrays a haunted haveli (castle). A married couple comes to live in the haveli and experiences mysterious happenings, which are out of human control. If you believe in God and His power to save one from evil spirits, you will enjoy this film.

9. 13 B
Although this movie is marred by poor direction, the plot makes it a must-watch. The protagonist, R. Madhavan, shifts to a new house 13-B but under a mysterious scheme of things, his life gets connected to a TV serial. Whatever happens in the TV serial, also happens with his family in real life. What’s more, that serial only comes on their TV. The film hooks you from the first frame till the last.

10. Ragini MMS (2011)
The movie has been partially inspired by the 2007 Hollywood horror flick, Paranormal Activity. It also takes cues from the real life incident of a Delhi-based girl called Deepika. She reportedly fell prey to a spirit’s wrath at a haunted house where her boyfriend took her and tried to make an MMS without her knowledge. The film was produced by Jeetendra and Shobha Kapoor of Balaji Telefilms.

Image: Indiatimes