Vampires, blood and dance: Bollywood horror goes mainstream

Long written off as fringe, horror is back in India’s Bollywood, reinvented with comedy, mythology and big stars powering a box-office renaissance.

“There are new stories, fresh talent, and all of this is leading to a resurgence,” said director Deepak Ramsay of the renowned filmmaking family, which has created around 30 horror titles over the decades.

“Films that were once niche are turning out to be blockbusters.”

Once dismissed as pulp, bigger budgets, sophisticated special effects and A-list casts are pulling Bollywood horror out of the shadows.

“There is a huge audience wanting to watch such movies,” said director Aditya Sarpotdar, whose film “Thamma” — touted as India’s first vampire movie — releases this October.

Billed as a “bloody love story”, it stars popular actors Ayushmann Khurrana and Rashmika Mandanna, and blends Bollywood’s signature song-and-dance numbers with werewolves and sharp fangs.

Ramsay credits some the genre’s new-found success to prosthetics and computer-generated effects that have “gone to the next level”, noting that budgets have also shot up.

From as little as $25,000 to make a horror film, “now budgets are closer to $9 million”, he said.

Bollywood’s horror history runs deep.

The 1949 black-and-white hit “Mahal” is widely regarded as the first Hindi horror film, when Kamal Amrohi’s supernatural tale of a reincarnated lover introduced a striking aesthetic.

– ‘Get scared’ –

The Ramsay Brothers pushed the genre forward in the 1970s and 1980s, with low-budget “creature” features in the style of Britain’s “Hammer House of Horror”.

But despite occasional standouts, horror became associated with shoestring budgets, cheap effects and lesser-known actors.

“None of the big stars would be interested because the budgets were small,” Ramsay said.

And with horror films often restricted to adult viewers, “almost 50 percent of the audience would be cut off”, he added.

Even so, the Ramsays had a winning formula: Blood and sex pulled in crowds with lurid gore and scantily clad women.

A slow shift began in the 2000s, with Ajay Devgn starring in the 2003 success “Bhoot” (“Ghost”), while Akshay Kumar led cult hit “Bhool Bhulaiyaa” in 2007, a landmark that mixed psychological thriller and comedy.

The broader popular rise began in 2018 with “Tumbbad” — the first Indian film to open Venice Critics’ Week — and “Stree”, which drew on folklore and mythology to captivate audiences.

Today’s filmmakers are increasingly blending genres.

“There’s a very thin line between horror and comedy,” Ram Gopal Varma, who directed “Bhoot”, told AFP.

“The moment you get scared, your first reaction after the shock is to laugh.”

– Biggest star –

Sarpotdar said the lighter approach broadened the appeal.

“When catering to mass audiences, humour becomes key,” he said.

His 2024 hit “Munjya”, a 12A-rated tale of a vengeful spirit who wants to get married, turned into a family outing.

“Children pulled their parents to theatres,” he said.

Despite recent success, Sarpotdar believes Indian cinema has yet to give the genre its full due.

“We always looked at horror as pulpy,” he said.

He now has his eye on the ultimate prize: Bollywood’s biggest star.

“I would love to see Shah Rukh Khan attempt horror,” said the director.

“If these films are fun and entertaining, why not?”

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