Spooky film effect

ALTHOUGH Bollywood has sporadically attempted horror stories, going right back to the 1930s, films released in the genre have been few and far between.

Apart from the few huge hits like Jaani Dushman (1980), Raaz (2002) and Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007), the small number of movies made in that eerie space have been forgettable low budget efforts.

There hadn’t been a game-changer that really sparked the spooky genre into life in a major way until Stree became the biggest sleeper hit of 2018.

The directorial debut of Amar Kaushik, based on an urban legend of a female ghost who abducts men at night when they are alone and only leaves their clothes behind, clocked up huge box office figures.

The movie starring Shraddha Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao turned into such a big box office triumph that it unexpectedly triggered the comedy horror genre in Hindi cinema. One of the main reasons it created a stampede to make such similar movies was the massive box office return on a relatively small investment.

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2

That is why there is great excitement about the sequel Stree 2 releasing in cinemas across the world on August 15, with the same cast carrying the ghostly tale forward. Although the hotly anticipated follow up to the 2018 hit is expected to do really well, movies it has inspired haven’t emulated its success.

Instead, there have been a mixed bag of Hindi movies, which have mostly failed like Laxmii (2020), Bhoot Police (2021) and Phone Bhoot (2022). These flops have included those set in the same supernatural universe as Stree like, Roohi (2021) and the werewolf inspired Bhediya (2022). Recent Bollywood films that have attempted straight up horror without the laughs like Bhoot – Part One: The Haunted Ship (2020), Durgamati (2020), Chhorii (2021), Blurr (2022) and U-turn (2023) were seen as forgettable failures. Even 2020 anthology horror film Ghost Stories received a largely negative response, despite having Bollywood power-hitters Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, and Anurag Kashyap directing the various segments.

It hasn’t all been doom and ghostly gloom since that top Stree triumph. Comedy horror sequel Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 (2022) became a big success and the third installment, due for release later this year is also expected to be a box office hit.

And,Bhediya

In 2024 Shaitaan and Munjya also drew in such big audiences that sequels to both films are already being planned.

The few films that have done really well illustrate a demand for horror movies in Bollywood is there. But the many failures made due to Stree popularising the genre have shown that producers can’t take audiences for granted and need strong writing to make these movies work.

With Shaitaan, Munjya, Stree 2 and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, all looking likely to be successful in 2024, those wanting to make horror related movies should see what has worked. This will add a new dimension to Hindi cinema, which has been largely missing and perhaps help an industry in decline.

That is why all eyes will be on Stree 2 to re-energise a horror genre that it has popularised in Bollywood.