- Halloween 2025 is here, and Bollywood’s horror tales are calling. From Shabana Azmi’s witch in Makdee to Shraddha Kapoor’s eerie turn in Stree, these five films redefined desi horror. Watch them this spooky season for scares, nostalgia, and a bit of local magic.
- 5 times movies recreated desi horror in style
Halloween 2025 is here, and Bollywood’s horror tales are calling. From Shabana Azmi’s witch in Makdee to Shraddha Kapoor’s eerie turn in Stree, these five films redefined desi horror. Watch them this spooky season for scares, nostalgia, and a bit of local magic.
The spookiest celebration of the year, Halloween, is just around the corner! If you’re looking for suggestions on what to binge-watch to make the night more thrilling, this article is for you.
Over the years, Bollywood has created several horror stories in its own unique way by blending desi folklore, notable costumes, and spine-chilling suspense. Here’s a look back at five memorable films that reimagined horror in a Bollywood way.
5 times movies recreated desi horror in style
1. Makdee (2002)
Shabana Azmi’s portrayal of an evil witch in the 2002 film Makdee is a true Halloween classic. Directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, the movie features Azmi in spooky makeup and a gothic look that makes it a complete fantasy-horror thriller. Besides her, the film also stars Shweta Basu Prasad, Makrand Deshpande, Amitabh Ghosh, and others. It holds an IMDb rating of 7.5.
2. Stree (2018)
The horror comedy film, Stree, produced under the banner of Maddock Films within MHCU, redefined horror comedy, with its impressively detailed settings and the chilling presence of a mysterious witch, played by Shraddha Kapoor, who preys on men at night. Directed by Amar Kaushik, the movie stars Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Banerjee, Aparshakti Khurana and others in key roles. The movie can be watched on Prime Video, JioHotstar streaming platforms.
3. Tumbbad (2018)
Set in 1920s Maharashtra, the folk horror film raised the bar of mythological horror. Directed by Rahi Anil Barve, Anand Gandhi and Adesh Prasad, the movie, Tumbbad, follows the story of a goddess who created the entire universe. It features Sohum Shah, Jyoti Malshe, Anita Date-Kelkar and others in pivotal roles. With an impressive IMDb rating of 8.2, the film can be streamed on Prime Video.
4. Pari (2018)
Anushka Sharma‘s unsettling transformation as Ruksahana must be on your Halloween watchlist. Directed by Prosit Roy, the fantasy horror mystery was released in 2018 and received mixed reactions from the audiences and critics alike, resulting in its IMDb rating of 6.6. Besides Anushka Sharma, the film also stars Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Rajat Kapoor, Rtabhari Chakraborty, Dibyendu Bhattarcharya and others in the lead roles.
5. Raat (1992)
Ram Gopal Verma’s directorial Raat is a cult classic film released in 1992. Starring Revathi, Om Puri, Rohini Hattangadi, Jaya Mathur and others blended haunted house tropes with Indian superstition. The horror mystery movie showcased how Bollywood can combine real scares with traditional storytelling with the help of costumes and settings. It holds an IMDb rating of 7 and is available to stream on Prime Video.
Also Read: Ramsay Brothers’ horror classics to binge this Halloween week 2025: From Veerana to Purana Mandir
