Bollywood once had a strange but fascinating relationship with horror. In the 1980s and 1990s, Hindi cinema became a playground for B-grade horror films that thrived on eerie mansions, revenge-seeking spirits, exaggerated background scores and low-budget jump scares.

These films were often dismissed by critics, yet they enjoyed a loyal audience in single-screen theatres and on late-night television. Actors like Mohnish Bahl, Gulshan Grover and several famous stars frequently appeared in these productions like Veerana, Bandh Darwaza, Purana Mandir and more, which were more about atmosphere and campy entertainment than cinematic finesse. Despite their flaws, they gave Bollywood a distinct horror identity.

Then came the early 2000s, when horror briefly evolved into something far more mainstream and ambitious. Filmmakers began treating the genre with seriousness, bringing in major stars and stronger storytelling. Ram Gopal Varma changed the landscape with Bhoot, starring Ajay Devgn and Urmila Matondkar. The film proved that horror could succeed without comedy, item songs or over-the-top theatrics. It relied on psychological tension and urban fear, making audiences genuinely uncomfortable.

Soon after, Bollywood experimented further with films like Vaastu Shastra starring Sushmita Sen, Kaun featuring Manoj Bajpayee, and Kaal led by John Abraham and Ajay Devgn. These films may not all have been perfect, but they reflected a time when established actors were willing to take horror seriously as a genre rather than treat it as niche entertainment.

But somewhere along the way, Bollywood stopped making pure horror films. The industry gradually shifted towards horror-comedies, where fear became secondary to punchlines and meme-worthy moments. While these films have found commercial success, they rarely deliver the chilling experience that horror fans crave. The last notable attempt at mainstream pure horror arguably came with Bhoot Part One: The Haunted Ship starring Vicky Kaushal.

Today, instead of investing in grounded supernatural stories or psychological thrillers, the conversation around horror is increasingly dominated by gimmicks, excessive CGI and even AI-generated concepts like Haunted 3D: Ghosts of The Past. But horror cannot survive on artificial spectacle alone. What Bollywood truly needs is a return to emotionally rooted, genuinely frightening storytelling led by strong actors and filmmakers willing to embrace fear without diluting it with comedy or technology-driven shortcuts.