They’re far from being the cringe story of an icchadhari naagin. Their effect is nothing like a wannabe Manjulika trying hard to scare the audience with smudged kajal and a croaky voice. They’re full-fledged entertainers that are sure to A) send chills down your spine. B) turn your me-time toilet trips into nerve-wracking ones. I am talking about the best desi horror films that are actually scary and not unintentionally funny. Bookmark these top seven Indian horror movies for major paranormal feels:
Bhoot (2003)
This Ram Gopal Varma flick had to be at the top of our best horror movies list. It is, after all, the OG scary movie for all the 90s kids. Vishal (Ajay Devgn) rents a lavish apartment at a much lower price, despite knowing that a widow killed herself in the flat after murdering her son. However, his belief system is completely shaken when his wife Swati (Urmila Matondkar) gets possessed and murders the watchman. Later, he discovers the reason behind the ghost’s actions with the help of Dr. Rajan (Victor Banerjee).
Streaming On Prime Video.
Vaastu Shastra (2004)
Vaastu Shastra is an eerie tale of a working couple–Viraag (J.D Chakravarthy) and Jhilmil (Sushmita Sen)–who move to a house in the suburbs with their son Rohan (Ahsaas Channa) and Jhilmil’s sister Radhika (Peeya Rai Choudhary). The house as well as the mysterious tree outside it are haunted by ghosts of the previous residents. Terrifying chaos ensues as Rohan befriends these ghosts and a series of brutal murders begin.
Streaming on MX Player.
1920 (2008)
This desi version of Exorcist is one of the best Indian horror movies that’ll leave you petrified. Arjun Singh Rathod (Rajneesh Duggal) forsakes his religion and abandons his family to marry his Christian lover, Lisa (Adah Sharma). The couple decides to start their new life in a lavish hilltop mansion. Things go awry when Lisa is possessed by a demonic spirit in the house. Arjun goes back to his roots to save her.
Streaming on Prime Video.
Phoonk (2008)
This RGV horror film is a story of an atheist realtor Rajiv (Sudeep), who publicly insults and fires his trusted co-worker after discovering that he sabotaged an important project for his advantage. His wife decides to take revenge for the insult by doing black magic on Rajiv’s daughter Raksha (Ahsaas Channa), who begins to behave strangely. After seeing the best doctors fail at treating her, Rajiv finally turns to Manja (Zakir Hussain), a man well-versed with the mystical world.
Streaming on Prime Video.
13B: Fear Has a New Address (2009)
R. Manohar (R. Madhavan) moves to a high-rise apartment number 13B with his fam to fulfill his lifelong dream of living in one. Little mishaps keep happening here and there but things take a serious turn when Manohar realises that a television series watched by the entire family is dictating real-life events around him. He’s then keen on finding the truth behind it.
Streaming On Disney + Hotstar.
Pari (2018)
Arnab (Parambrata Chatterjee) finds Rukhsana (Anushka Sharma) chained in a house after accidentally running his car over her mother. Assuming she’s a victim of abuse, he kind-heartedly offers to let her stay with him. But soon, Arnab begins to notice her strange behaviour and evil side that is a threat to his future.
Streaming on Prime Video.
Chhorii (2021)
Based on the Marathi movie Lapachhapi (2017), Chhorii is a scary story of a heavily pregnant woman, Sakshi (Nushratt Bharuccha) and her husband Hemant (Saurabh Goyal), who seek refuge in an isolated house after being forced to leave their home. They soon realise that there’s paranormal threat around them and they must save themselves. The movie has a deep message in the end and is one of the best Indian horror movies.
Streaming on Prime Video.
We’re sure that these horror Indian movies will give the Exorcists and the Anabelles of the world a run for their money. We dare you to watch them without letting a few screams out.
Featured Image: Twitter
