Globalization is the ongoing trend in cinema right now, as international-language films continue to increase in popularity with western audiences. A part of the appeal of global cinema lies in their colloquialisms — the distinct charm in watching the cultural intricacies enacted on screen, and how that seems to paint the same emotions in a more vivid color.
Nowhere else is this effect more apparent than in the horror genre. Fans of the horror genre in the west have been privy to the offerings of international cinema for many years. Horror films from countries like Japan, Korea, and Thailand have maintained special repute. Their unique filmmaking sensibilities coupled with the eerie folklore inspirations behind their horror movies have given them a steady fanbase in the west. And while the horror genre never gained such heights in Indian cinema, its filmmakers are no strangers to taking inspiration from their myths and folklores.
More so in recent years, Indian filmmakers have produced some noteworthy entries in the folk horror sub-genre. Here are 10 Indian folklore horror movies that you must watch.
1 Kumari (2022)
With the growing success of regional South Indian film industries, Kumari is the latest horror offering to come out of Malayalam cinema. Directed by Nirmal Sahadev, the movie stars Aishwarya Lekshmi of Ponniyan Selvan fame in the titular role. Kumari is an interesting mix of fantasy with folk overtones. The movie follows events in the life of a cursed clan, forced to worship an otherworldly abomination at the threat of pestilence and death. The origin of these creatures, narrated at the very beginning, sounds certainly familiar to someone who’s grown up in the Indian context, as it resembles so many real mythological stories that exist in the country.
2 Kantara (2022)
Kantara was a breakout hit last year, becoming one of the highest-grossing Indian movies of the year. The movie took over the viewers’ imagination with its spellbinding portrayal of bhoota kola, a real-life tradition where sacred dancers channel the spirits of protector gods. Despite not being marketed as a horror film, Kantara has an extremely effective horror component to it. The movie verges on magical realism as supernatural elements are woven into the rural storyline with deceptive ease. Kantara is a layered story full of mythological motifs, and succeeds in conjuring up deep, primal emotions from awe to fear.
3 Lapachhapi (2017)
Familial secrets often act as a potent plot element in Indian horror films, frequently hiding horrific crimes and secret customs perpetuated by mysterious families. The Marathi film Lapachhapi is a good example of one such movie. A pregnant couple lands in the middle of a sugarcane field, seeking to hide from debtors who are after their lives. The husband hopes to leave his wife with a rural family near the fields while he goes to make arrangements to pay off the debtors. But this family is apparently hiding a dark secret that puts the wife and her unborn child at risk.
4 Tumbbad (2018)
Listed on IMDb's top 10 horror movies, Tumbbad is generally considered the gold standard when it comes to Indian horror, a unique offering that seemingly came out of nowhere and remains unlike anything else in Indian cinema. This movie is a story about greed, and makes the point through a fictional creation myth that is as repulsive as it is enticing. Sprinkled with the undeniable hints of cosmic horror, Tumbbad follows a family that uses its knowledge about a forbidden story of genesis to climb to affluence.
5 Jallikattu (2019)
India’s official entry for the Best International Feature Film award at the 93rd Academy Awards, Jallikattu remains an unusual title within Indian cinema. This psychological horror movie is a slow burn, following the gradual decline of a village community into complete chaos as they search for a missing buffalo. Good movies about communal madness are few and hard to come by, and Jallikattu is a must-watch if you love that particular horror sub-genre. The movie fully immerses you into the rural cultural context, developing the story over the course of innumerable everyday conversations.
6 Bulbbul (2020)
The Indian horror movie Bulbbul deals with the most famous creature of horror in Indian folklore: the chudail. Sometimes called the daayan, she is always borne out of a violent death, often as a result of sexual violence or violence at the hands of her in-laws. The chudeil is a popular subject for Indian horror movies, and Bulbbul is certainly not the last movie on this list centered around this creature. But it is certainly the most memorable, with a dreamy cinematic design that is almost like a musical. The lead performance by Tripti Dimri received much praise as she perfectly executed her character’s duality of innocence and vengefulness, conjuring an era of mystique that worked well with the movie’s unique audiovisual design.
7 Kothanodi (2016)
The Assamese-language movie Kothanodi is an adaptation of four tales from a famous collection of folk stories called Burhi Aair Sadhu. The four stories that play out in the movie are disturbing to say the least, as they follow bizarre occurrences in local communities and the consequences they have for those involved in them. Familial secrets and bizarre communal rituals are the source of horror for Kothanodi, and the viewer enters a deranged world where events such as child sacrifice and wedding with serpents are an everyday affair.
8 Paheli (2005)
Paheli belongs to a bygone era of Bollywood cinema that was defined by its grand aesthetics and high melodrama. The movie is based on a Rajasthani short story and set in the same region of India, telling the story of love between a housewife and a ghost. Paheli is led by the most beloved stars of the last generation, Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukhaerjee, and was critically acclaimed for its spellbinding visual and costume design, an important characteristic of this era of Bollywood.
9 Pari (2018)
The movie Pari is a praiseworthy attempt at combining eastern folklore with horror tropes that are typically found in Hollywood movies. Anushka Sharma stars in this movie as a woman of dubious birth, seemingly destined for a dark purpose with cults and Islamic demons in her pursuit. Pari was praised by audiences for bringing a different kind of story to Indian cinema, and while the execution is far from perfect, audiences were all praise for its elaborate plot and special effects.
10 Stree (2018)
Led by popular dramatic actor Rajkumar Rao alongside the new generation star Shraddha Kapoor, Stree found mainstream success as a horror comedy. The movie is based on a folk custom from Karnataka where people write “come tomorrow” on their front door to dissuade the entry of evil spirits to their home. Stree takes place in a town whose locals are gripped by fear of a chudail believed to haunt that locale. When Rao’s character meets a beautiful woman with a mysterious background, he puts his fears aside in hopes of finally having a romantic relationship.