The horror genre has found an unlikely hero at the box office, with recent releases like Obsession, Backrooms, and Haunted 3D: Echoes of the Past performing well in India.
These films have tapped into the audience's desire for a communal theatrical experience, which horror offers in a way that streaming cannot.
However, Hindi cinema's relationship with horror remains complicated, with straight horror films struggling to find consistent acceptance.
Trade experts attribute this to the lack of investment in production values, with many Bollywood films incorporating comedy, romance, or other genres to appeal to a broader audience.
Despite this, the recent box-office trend suggests that Indian audiences are actively seeking out horror films, and the challenge for Hindi filmmakers is to create credible horror films that can compete with Hollywood's scare factories.
