The horror genre was a late-blooming genre in Indian cinema. Regionally, there were some horror films made before the 70s, especially in Malayalam cinema, but Bollywood has lagged behind this trend, except for a few psychological thrillers disguised as horror. It was Ramsays who started the craze here and hasn’t looked back since. Over the past 20 years, Bollywood horror movies have also started making money at the box office courtesy of Vikram Bhatt and Ram Gopal Varma. But the highest-grossing Bollywood horror movies will surprise you.
There have been blockbusters in the horror genre such as Raaz, Bhoot, 1920, Stree, Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Haunted, and so on.
Raaz (2002)
Box office collection: ₹36 crore
It is a Hindi horror film directed by Vikram Bhatt. Sanjana and Aditya Dhanraj are the center of the story. Sanjana and Aditya decide to go on an outdoor trip in the hope of rekindling the flame in their smoldering marriage. He chose to go to Ooty because it was the place where he fell in love for the first time.
Things take an ugly turn when terrible things start happening around them! Sanjana frequently sees ghosts, including the spirit of a little girl. He soon learns that the spirit belonged to a girl named Malini, who was once in love with her husband. With the help of Professor Agni Swaroop, Sanjana drives away the spirit and at the same time protects her marital relationship. The film created quite a stir because of its inventive yet terrifying story.
Raaz 3 (2012)
Box office collection: ₹97 crore
It is the third installment of the Raaz series and is one of those Hindi horror films that did well at the box office. This is the story of a successful actress Shanaya who is worried about a young budding actress Sanjana. Her jealousy and insecurity lead her to use black magic, and terrible things begin to happen in their lives. Although the plot of the story doesn’t seem particularly scary, the visual effects and scenes are capable of scaring anyone.
Bhoot (2003)
Box office collection: Rs 15 crore
The film follows the story of Vishal and Swati, who move into a new flat and learn from the caretaker of the apartment that the previous resident died by suicide after killing his son. Insistent on renting the flat, Vishal hides this from his wife, but soon Swati starts behaving strangely. After many secrets of the flat are revealed, Vishal must do something to save his wife.
Bhoot was the second horror film made by Ram Gopal Varma, the first being Raat. It was a little different from other horror movies because it didn’t have any songs. Bhoot was dubbed in Telugu and also remade in Tamil. The film was praised by critics and audiences and was a box office hit.
Urmila Matondkar won many awards for her amazing performance in this horror film. Bhoot won 13 prestigious awards and is regarded as one of the best Bollywood horror films of all time.
1920 (2008)
Box office collection: ₹14.5 crore
It is a Hindi horror film with a love story. This horror film was written and directed by Vikram Bhatt. The film’s story revolves around Arjun.
n and Lisa, who are involved in an interfaith romance. Eventually, they settle in a manor in Palampur, where strange things start happening. After Lisa is possessed by a demon, Arjun’s main goal becomes helping Lisa.
1920: Evil Returns (2012)
Box office collection: ₹28.04 crore
The story revolves around the famous poet Jaidev who meets a troubled amnesiac woman. To treat her, he takes her to Shimla, a big hospital, but she is captured by evil spirits and spirals out of control, soon her situation takes a turn for the worse.
Stree (2018)
Box office collection: ₹180.76 crore
This is a horror and comedy film. The dialogue ‘O Stree Kal Aana’ of this film became very famous. This is the story of a small village called Chanderi in Uttar Pradesh, where the spirit of a woman continues to torment men at night, especially during cultural events. Hence, with the help of his two friends, the protagonist of the film decides to solve the mystery behind it. Stree achieved ten times its profit on a budget of 20 crores.
Bhool Bhulaiyaa
Box office collection: ₹82 crore
This movie is not a horror movie but a psychological horror movie. The plot follows that an NRI couple decides to return to their hometown and live in their ancestral home. Despite repeated warnings, the couple does not listen to what people around them say about the house being haunted.
They decide to stay in the house regardless, as a result, the wife (Vidya Balan) becomes possessed by Manjulika’s spirit. Being an unbeliever, the husband seeks the help of a psychiatrist (Akshay Kumar). He comes from America to treat Vidya and finds out about her dissociative personality disorder. His aim becomes to cure her.
The film was as scary as it was funny. Deserves a spot on your watchlist.
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2
Box office collection: 266.88 crore
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 is a 2022 Bollywood horror-comedy film directed by Anees Bazmee and starring Kartik Aaryan, Kiara Advani, and Tabu. It is a sequel to the 2007 film Bhool Bhulaiyaa.
The film’s story revolves around two strangers Rishabh (Kartik Aaryan) and Reet (Kiara Advani), who cross paths and move into a haveli in Rajasthan where a dreaded spirit had been trapped for 18 years. The people who live in the haveli believe that it is haunted by the ghost of Manjulika (Tabu), a dancer who was killed by her twin sister Anjulika 15 years ago. Rishabh and Reet must find a way to protect themselves and their family from Manjulika’s ghost.
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The film also features some funny scenes that will make the audience laugh. It also includes some of the songs from the original Bhool Bhulaiyaa, which are well-liked by the audience.
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 surpassed its predecessor Akshay Kumar Stirrer which earned Rs 8.2 crore in 2007. The film has been praised for its directing and acting by the main cast, especially Taboo.
Highest-Grossing Bollywood Horror Movies
There have been blockbusters in the horror genre such as Raaz, 1920, and Stree, but no film has grossed as much as Kartik Aaryan’s Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 which grossed over a healthy Rs 266 crore at the global box office.
Several horror films have crossed 50 million rupees over the years, and some of them have surpassed 100 billion rupees. After ‘Bhool Bhuaiyaa 2’, the highest-grossing Bollywood horror movie was ‘Stree’, which grossed 181 million rupees worldwide. Following this, ‘Raj 3’ earned less than 100 million rupees worldwide at the box office.
