Halloween is just around the corner and you might not be able to plan a real spooky party with your friends, all thanks to the pandemic. But you can still prep for it. How, you ask? By watching these chilling movies and web series that will haunt you for long even after you’re done with them.
And if “horror movies don’t make any sense” has been your excuse till now, let me break it to you – It’s not 2000. Those grotesque devils who used to perform cheap tricks and simply jump out of nowhere to give you a laugh more than a fright are long gone. For years now, the genre has been exploring the kind of content where the thrill lies in experiencing the darkness of reality.
Thriller and horror in the cinematic world have become a depiction of our beautiful minds that can cause the most unthinkable damage. And one such move is the newly released Evil Eye. Produced by Priyanka Chopra, the movie is all about generational abuse and superstitions. And it can make you think deeply about the beliefs we have all grown up with.
7 Thrillers You Must Watch This Weekend
Here are some major thrillers that need to be on your weekend binge list to keep you spookified.
Evil Eye
The Desi Girl has settled well in Hollywood as an actress but she is still ‘unfinished’. Priyanka Chopra has produced a new horror, called Evil Eye, and just like most of her decisions, this one has hit the right spot too. She believes that there are not enough brown people in Hollywood (rightly so) and she would like to change that. Brownie points to PC for producing the first commercial horror movie in Hollywood that also features South Asians.
Evil Eye revolves around two female protagonists – Sarita Choudhary as Usha, a doting but traumatised mother of Pallavi, played by Sunita Mani. Usha lives in New Delhi and wants her daughter to settle down with the right man. Pallavi, who’s living in New Orleans, meets Sandeep (Omar Maskati), who fills the usual criteria of the right man for her. He is well-settled and has a preferred ethnic background. BUT, her mother is not happy.
From here on, the movie takes us into a series of traumatising events and superstitions that are bothering Usha. The audience gets a glimpse of the long-practiced beliefs of reincarnation, kundli, and the evil eye. Usha’s dreams and fear of Sandeep abusing her daughter has a lot to do with her own traumas and anxiety.
But, who is the real bad guy here? Usha or Sandeep? Well, we will leave that up to you to decide. Watch it on Amazon Prime
The Haunting of Bly Manor
Yes, the name suggests that we will find a lot of ghosts trying to kill people in a big, haunted manor. And, that’s exactly what happens. Then what makes this new Netflix series worth all the hype? For starters, The Haunting of Bly Manor reminds us that not everything that haunts us has to do with horror. It can be tragic too. That is what the second installment of The Haunting franchise is – a tragic and haunting love story.
The show is about generation-old love stories (some toxic, some not) that are still incomplete. Every character in the show, whether it’s the new au pair or splendidly lovely kids, is longing for something. Their souls, trapped in the mansion, ache for their loved ones. So while watching the series, please keep some tissues handy – don’t say we didn’t warn you! Watch it on Netflix
Raat Akeli Hai
If you have not watched this killer-thriller yet, you seriously are missing something major! The Netflix Original is about a diligent, small-town cop (all hail Nawazuddin Siddiqui) and murders in a dysfunctional family.
The owner of the Haveli has been murdered and his wife (Radhika Apte) is the first in the line of suspects. But, that does not spare the rest of the family members who are simply vicious and trying to hide their own deep, dark secrets. The blatant portrayal of the patriarchal culture in Raat Akeli Hai will boil your blood but don’t let that confuse you in spotting the real murderer. Watch it on Netflix
Bhram
This is one of the hidden gems and if you have not watched the Kalki Koechlin-starrer web series yet, then mark it on your calendar for this weekend ASAP! This is a classic ‘I see a dead girl’ movie where Kalki’s sanity is being questioned by her family. There are murders, allegations, PTSD trauma, and some secrets so sinister that will change the entire plot of the story. Watch it on Zee5
Ratched
This psychological thriller is about the sinister nurse, eponymous to the title, she grows downright evil at the mental asylum where she works. Interestingly, this one is the prequel to the highly acclaimed movie One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. Yes, she is the same Nurse Ratched and it’s the story of her unbecoming. Well, now we know what we are dressing up as for at-home Halloween 2020. Watch it on Netflix
The Owners
After Don’t Breathe, everyone knows that home invasions are not a safe option. Maisie Williams should have known that before her character invades an empty mansion with her friends in The Owners. The elderly couple, who own the house (veterans Rita Tushingham & Sylvester McCoy), look old and weak and they are quite rich. So, everything should work out for the best for Maisie and her friends, right? Except, the old couple are not really that meek and have a very, very, very nasty side to them. Are you really ready for this kind of adrenaline rush? Watch it on Amazon Prime
Asur
This 2020 psychological thriller on Voot will take you on an extremely dark ride. Asur explains that evil is not born but made and intelligence can be a curse if you don’t channelise it in the right way. Asur follows the story of Shubh (played by different actors) who has chosen satan over God. Arshad Warsi, Barun Sobti, and Ridhi Dogra try to chase the culprit in this extremely smart and fast-paced thriller.
Hope your Halloween thrill is sorted… I know mine is!
Feature Image: Instagram
