What are some of the best Bollywood horror movies?

 Bollywood is famous for commercial cinema, over the top drama and masala entertainers. However, the Hindi film industry has given us many gems over the years in a variety of genres. While horror doesn’t make for the best genre of Bollywood, it does have a few movies that can keep you awake for nights and invoke your belief in spirits and curses. These movies go beyond the typically funny costumes, sounds of creaking doors, blatant jump scares, or creepy looking characters. Some movies have avoided these tropes and instead given us some intensely thrilling and scary stuff. When it comes to scaring the audience with creepy plots, nail-biting sequences and spooky background score.

Here are some such Bollywood horror films that are actually good which can fill the hunger of every horror movie lover.

1. Tumbbad (2018)

This movie is obvious to make it to the top of the list. It’s more of a mythological thriller with beautiful chained story and scary scenes. The story and curiosity of outcome binds you infront of screen. Beautifully played and justified incident. No absurd scenes, no stupid sudden popping of ghost.

• Plot- When a family builds a shrine for Hastar, a monster who is never to be worshiped, and attempts to get their hands on his cursed wealth, they face catastrophic consequences.
• IMDB rating- 8.3/10.

2. Haunted -3D.

This movie is my personal favorite in horror genre as it had given many sleepless nights. Its a real horror movie with jump scares, spooky background sound effect, a crime history, revenge and a strong storyline. I have no idea why IMDB rated it so low.

• PLOT- The narrative revolves around Rehan, a realtor who arrives in Shimla to sell a mansion believed to be haunted. After meeting a mysterious rag picker, Rehan experiences attacks during the night while staying at the mansion. In an attempt to prove there are spirits inside, Rehan ends up stumbling upon a letter that reveals about a violent incident. Soon, he finds himself sent back in time in order to undo the one act of violence that led to the mansion becoming haunted for years.
• IMDB rating- 6.2/10.

3. 1920 (2008).

Again typical horror movie. Scary faces, spooky background sound, crime history of the house, beautiful places and melodious playback music.

• PLOT- Arjun falls in love with Lisa and abandons his family and faith for her. They move to a manor in Palampur but when Lisa gets possessed by a demonic spirit, Arjun must save her.
• IMDB rating- 6.4/10.

4. Raaz. (2002).

Raaz is the most celebrated horror film in India for obvious reasons. This movie gave us a new dimension to horror genre. Timeworthy and strong storyline. Typical horror movie.

• PLOT- A young couple's marriage is on the rocks and in a bid to save their relationship, they decide to spend a romantic break in picturesque Ooty, where they first fell in love. But events take a sinister turn.
• IMDB rating- 6.5/10.

5. Pari (2018)

Its a supernatural horror film which based on dark mythological theme. I liked the concept of spirit falling in love with human, their chemistry and the protectiveness. Performance and cast are wonderful.

• PLOT- A kind-hearted man tries to help Rukhsana, a chained woman in a hut who is probably a victim of abuse. However, he soon realises that things are not as they appear to be.
• IMDB rating-6.6/10.

6. 13 B (2009).

The film spooks you with its (serial) killer of an idea. It based on very different concept. NO creepy faces, no excessive makeup and still one of the most horrifying movie. Both the storyline and execution are tremendous.

• Plot- Manohar, along with his family, moves into a new apartment on the 13th floor. However, their peace is disturbed by a spirit that uses the television set as a medium to communicate with them.
• IMDB rating- 7.2/10.

7. The House next door. (2017).

Amazing movie and a Hindi horror flick which matches up to Hollywood standards of films like Conjuring & Oculus. Lot of thrills and scary scenes with a gripping storyline. The film is also shot beautifully in the Himalayan valley and there are some breathtaking shots.

• PLOT-Neurosurgeon Krishnakanth and his wife Lakshmi welcome their new neighbours, whose elder daughter Jenny has a crush on him. When Jenny gets possessed, Krishnakanth intervenes to help the family.
• IMDB rating- 6.8/10.

What are some of the good bollywood movies that were flops at the box office?

 Although this movie has had several mentions, I felt it deserved one more:

Lakshya

​Directed by Farhan Akhtar (the man behind Dil Chahta Hai and the more recent Don remake and its sequel), this is a story of an aimless young boy who finds his true calling as an Indian Army soldier when, following in his friend's footsteps, he casually registers to appear for the IMA's military exam. Here was a movie that chose to tackle the delicate and important subject of the feeling of aimlessness and career confusion faced by today's youth in the guise of a war movie. In an industry dominated by love stories and romantic comedies with formulaic plots and execution, this one was certainly a breath of fresh air in many ways.

It had an extremely talented team behind it. From the brilliant script written by the great Javed Akhtar who almost came out of a retirement of 14 years to write this film (the last film written by him being Main Azad Hoon back in 1999) to the eye-popping visuals by Christopher Popp which matched up to international standards. And although it had just five tracks, each of those was a memorable and original composition by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy unlike the hefty junk that gets churned out these days. And of course, who can forget the amazing background score, especially the one in the rock climbing scene (which the trio later reused as the title theme of Rock On).

Hrithik gave an amazing performance (and an amazing dance sequence as well which, back in the day, left many scratching their heads over how he did it) as did Preity. Amitabh Bachchan and Om Puri, in relatively smaller roles were highly effective as well as also were Hrithik's parents played by Boman Irani and Anjula Bedi. The film also had a very visible campaign with impressive trailers and song promos leading up to its release with the first trailer airing 3 months before the film's June 24 release date.

​So why did it flop ? Why did such a quality film, made on a budget of just Rs. 32 crores lose money and ended up collecting only Rs. 23 crores when crappier films have earned more ? I guess a lot had to do with the film's second half which was criticized as being too war-heavy and war movies was something Indian's had had enough of courtesy J. P. Dutta's L.O.C. and some other efforts back in the day. The film's length I think was another issue; it ran at just over 3 hours.

​On a personal level though, after viewing it multiple times, I feel the war sequences are actually the best part of the movie. I can only imagine the amount of effort that must have gone to recreate those as well as Hrithik's training sequences at the IMA. And the attention to detail in these sequences is really impressive for a Bollywood movie (and even more so for a decade old Bollywood movie). Its hard to believe this was directed 10 years ago; it still feels fresh as new and with the kind of movies being churned out, I believe this movie deserves a re-release.

Source for Images: I bought the DVD way back when it was released.

What are Bollywood expensive flop movies?

 Shaandaar

I'm sure there were many like me, who genuinely felt bad for this film made at a budget of 75 crores. Once called one of the most awaited movies of 2015, it just took a day for its fall despite a fresh pairing, luxurious sets and superhit songs. Alas! Nothing could save Shaandaar which had no script.

2. Bombay Velvet

Another big flop of 2015, Bombay Velvet has become a scar in the career of director Anurag Kashyap. Cinefans rejected the film so enthusiastically that the 125-crore film had a loss of 100 crores. Many call it the biggest flop in the history of Bollywood. Even actors Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma would prefer to disown this disaster.

3. Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja

It is said that producer Boney Kapoor put all his money in his most ambitious project. At a time when films were made in lakhs, this one had a whopping 9-crore budget. We're assuming even its original director, Shekhar Kapoor, realised how shoddy the film was, before leaving it halfway. Trade analysts held poor dialogues, weak music and a silly story-line responsible for the debacle. We still feel sorry for actors Anil Kapoor, Sridevi and Jackie Shroff.

Bunty Aur Babli

4. Kites

A superstar son, a brilliant director, a Mexican hottie and a melodic album, but none could save the film. Kites could've been a dream crossover project for Hrithik Roshan onto international cinema. Rakesh Roshan even had a Brett Ratner cut of the film for American audiences. But unfortunately, he also had a cliched script. 150 crores wasted!

5. Asoka

Shah Rukh Khan's dream project refused to go down well both with critics and fans alike. The 3-hour long period film failed at a time when 13 crores was a massive investment.

6. Love Story 2050

With VFX teams from Australia and New Zealand, the film was much hyped in terms of special effects. But producer Harry Baweja's plans of giving his son Harman Baweja his dream launch failed miserably due to a "senseless" script. While Harman ended up with the tag of a Hrithik-lookalike, the corny film also lead to his breakup with his rumoured girlfriend and his female lead Priyanka Chopra. Ouch!

7. Raavan

Mani Ratnam was supposed to make a comeback with this mega project starring Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai. With a sloppy script, the 100-crore film lost more than 50% at the box office.

8. Mangal Pandey

We know how much time Aamir Khan took to prepare for this film to completely look his part. It was also one of the most eagerly awaited movies. But the basic idea of a prostitute romancing one of India's favourite freedom fighters didn't go down well with many. All we remember in this 35-crore film is Aamir's long hair and his big moustache.

9. Saawariya

Under Sanjay Leela Bhansali's banner, it could've been the perfect launchpad for Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor. But the story wasn't well received in the Indian market. Completely shot on 'blue-coloured' sets, the 40-crore film, after a point, left the audience gasping for some sunlight and fresh air.

10. Raju Chacha

It was made at a budget of 30 crores at a time when lavish films required 15 crores tops. Even its Christmas release couldn't do it any good. It's unfortunate resemblance to the 1965 classic The Sound of Music, a long and poor screenplay, and insipid lead performances crashed the film, much to the loss of producer-actor Ajay Devgan.

11. Blue

At 129 crores, this film became Bollywood's most expensive in 2009. It had some brilliant underwater shots, expensive action choreography, a long schedule in Bahamas but no grace! The hefty paychecks of Akshay Kumar and Sanjay Dutt took the film's budget overboard and its flimsy story about an under-sea bounty left many disappointed. Special appearance by Kylie Minogue (who was paid 6.6 crores) added to the producers' pockets.

12. Drona

It is always a risk to invest 87 crores on Abhishek Bachchan, right? But good friend and producer Goldie Behl took the risk, only to realise what he lost when the film bombed heavily at the box office. A superhero flick, so to speak, was too full of imaginary rubbish.

13. Ajooba

A film with a budget of 8 crores in 1991 was solid money! So much so, that Shashi Kapoor had to close down his film production company after this film. His friendship with Amitabh Bachchan fell back real hard it seems. This highly hyped superhero film failed to make any impact on the audience.

14. Besharam

Sometimes we just wonder why brilliant actors like Ranbir Kapoor end up doing such poor films. His super stardom did draw the audience to the theaters but, ultimately, the content has to do the talking and it was declared an absolute letdown. The 85-crore film only managed to cover 35 crores.

15. RGV Ki Aag

Let's save the best for the last. So if I call it the biggest box office disaster till date, I hope most of you will agree. Many also listed it among the worst Bollywood movies ever made. The basic crux of remaking a classic Sholay raised many eyebrows. Ram Gopal Verma messed the older version making Amitabh play Babban Singh on the lines of Gabbar. Poor casting, bad storytelling and horrible reception made this big budget film a catastrophe!

What are some interesting facts about movies that you probably didn't know?

 1 – The sound of the velociraptors communicating with each other in the Jurassic Park scene was actually the sound of turtles mating.

2 - Psycho was filmed in black and white by choice of Alfred Hitchcock himself.

He felt that using color would make the film too "bloody."

3 – The scene in Pulp Fiction where Vincent pricks Mia with a needle was filmed in reverse.

Actually, John Travolta was pulling the needle back.

4 – During the filming of Poltergeist , Robbie actually panicked during the take with the clown robot.

Spielberg only realized this when the boy started turning purple.

5 – In Django Unchained , there's a scene where Leo DiCaprio smashes a glass in a fit of rage, causing his hand to bleed.

It turns out it was nothing more than an accident, but Tarantino decided to keep the incident in the film.

6 – The story of Silent Hill was filmed in a real ghost town.

Centralia, Pennsylvania, had about 5,000 inhabitants in the 1960s when an underground fire devastated the region, and the flames continue to burn in the ground, even after so much time.

7 - In The Hangover , actor Ed Helms was actually missing a tooth during filming.

He received an implant during his adolescence, then a dentist removed it for filming.

8 – During the scene where the creature bursts out of the chest in Alien, the actors didn't know what was about to happen.

Their reactions of horror are so real and spontaneous! Imagine filming a movie like that completely on edge!

9 – When Alex is repeatedly being drowned in A Clockwork Orange, he wasn't acting.

There was an air tube underwater through which he could breathe—however, the tube became clogged, so he was actually drowning.

10 – Scream was somewhat based on a real massacre in Florida in the 90s.

What are some of the best South Indian Hindi dubbed horror movies?

 Demonte Colony

Ezra

Kishkindhapuri

Mension-24

Kalinga

Arundhati:Ek Anokhi Kahani

Chandramukhi

Kanchana

Kanchana-3:Kaali Ka Karishma

Raj Mahal

What movie has the best cinematography you've ever seen?

 Cinematography by Roger Deakins. He doesn’t have a unique style, but conveys the mood of the scene excellently. It’s not about magnificent lighting or colors, but about clarity in what belongs in the frame. For example, this iconic shot from The Shawshank Redemption

The camera moves from him to the sky; what better conveys the joy of freedom than rain bestowing blessings from above? We can feel what freedom means to a victim who was wrongly convicted; we feel emotional along with him. These little joys make the movie iconic beyond generations.

The shot from “ No Country for Old Men” that inspired Vanga to replicate in Ranbir’s “Animal”. A brutally violent scene turns iconic in the way it’s shot.

Blade Runner 2049 — the way the light moves in this scene when they walk forward. Pure cinematic magic.

If you remember this single shot running scene in 1917. Christopher Nolan says this is one of the best shots in war movies

Prisoners - no words to explain

James Bond’s Skyfall - entire fight shot in silhouette against distinctive neon-blue signage

The monochrome shots in the thriller The Man Who Wasn't There

Hail Caesar - this shot has been copied multiple times in various films across the globe

Sicario

And yes, The Beautiful Mind. Every shot will speak about how his mind processes the images around him as mathematics. Particularly, the writing in the glass window