Ghost Stories – Picture: Netflix
When Netflix started building its catalog of Indian Originals back in 2018, one of the first genres it leaned into was horror. Scary movies make up a small segment of Indian theatrical releases, so Netflix provided a welcome outlet for filmmakers and storytellers who wanted to delve into creepy content.
Here are all the Netflix Indian Original movies and series classified in the horror genre — plus some bonus spooky theatrical releases currently streaming on Netflix:
Indian Original Horror Movies on Netflix
Bulbbul (2020)
Bulbbul is one of the best Indian Original films Netflix has ever produced, and one of its most gorgeous as well. In late-19th-century Bengal, a young man returns from studying law abroad to find his family’s ancestral home in a distressing state. His childhood friend (and now sister-in-law) rules the manor and she’s… different. The night sky glows red, and there are rumors of a witch prowling the woods. Bulbbul is as visually stunning as it is thought provoking.
Ghost Stories (2020)
This anthology features short films by the four directors who also contributed to the anthologies Bombay Talkies and Lust Stories: Zoya Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap, Dibakar Banerjee, and Karan Johar. Akhtar’s story about a home health aide in a creepy apartment and Banerjee’s parable about big city resource cannibalism (literally) are standouts in this solid collection.
Kaali Khuhi (2020)
A young girl sees ghosts when she returns to visit her sick grandmother in the family’s ancestral village — apparitions that want revenge for the village’s cruel practice of female infanticide. Kaali Khuhi (“The Black Well“) is more eerie than scary, but it has its jarring moments.
Indian Original Horror Series on Netflix
Aranyak (2021) — 8 episodes
Twin Peaks fans will find a lot to like in Aranyak. A teenage girl is murdered in the gloomy mountain town of Sironah. Is it the work of the serial killer who preyed on young women 19 years ago, or was the girl killed by the mythical “leopard man” who lives in the forest and guards a crop of “mystery mushrooms”? This crime series is a lot of fun, and the wild closing scene alone makes it worth watching.
Betaal (2020) — 4 episodes
Blumhouse — producers of M3GAN and The Black Phone — is one of the production houses behind the series Betaal. A soldier tasked with forcibly displacing villagers to make way for road construction accidentally revives a zombie army of British soldiers who’ve waited a century to resume their battle.
Ghoul (2018) — 3 episodes
Netflix’s second Indian Original series ever is Ghoul, another limited series from Blumhouse. Set in the near future in a fascist India, one-time Netflix it-girl Radhika Apte plays a soldier at a government black site assigned to interrogate a notorious terrorist. As the horrible truth about their prisoner is revealed, the fearful soldiers turn on each other, even though their survival depends on them working together. With a total runtime of just over 2 hours, Ghoul is a quick and entertaining way to get started with Netflix Indian Original horror content.
Tooth Pari (2023) — 8 episodes
Tooth Pari: When Love Bites is more of a supernatural romance than an outright horror spectacle. A vampire with limited contact with the human world seeks help when she breaks a tooth, only to fall in love with the shy dentist who fixes her fang. Vampire hunters, clan politics, and an outcast cop cause problems for this couple on the cuspid of happiness.
Typewriter (2019) — 5 episodes
Years before directing the terrific 2023 thriller Jaane Jaan for Netflix, Sujoy Ghosh wrote and directed the limited horror series Typewriter. A trio of kid ghost hunters in Goa investigate a legend about an old typewriter that hurts anyone who tries to remove it from the haunted manor in which it resides. When a new family moves into the creepy old villa, the kids’ paranormal investigation takes on greater urgency.
Other Indian Horror Movies on Netflix
If all those Netflix Original movies and shows aren’t enough to keep you busy until Halloween, here are some other licensed Indian horror movies currently available for streaming:
- Andhaghaaram (2020) — Tamil supernatural horror; Telugu-dubbed as Andhakaaram
- Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007) — Hindi horror comedy
- Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 (2022) — Hindi horror comedy
- Bhoomika (2021) — Tamil horror thriller
- Chandramukhi 2 (2023) — Tamil horror comedy
- Conjuring Kannappan (2023) — Tamil horror comedy
- Kaal (2005) — Hindi creature feature
- Katteri (2022) — Tamil horror comedy; Telugu-dubbed as Shaitaan
- Kumari (2022) — Malayalam mythological fantasy
- Roohi (2021) — Hindi horror comedy
- Shaitaan (2024) — Hindi psychological horror
- Virupaksha (2023) — Telugu horror thriller
Which of these Indian horror movies or shows will keep you up at night? Let us know in the comments below!
