The Horror! The Horror! Why Bengali cinema and OTT are finally waking up to fear

Horror creeps up quietly. It doesn’t always arrive with a scream—it can be a slow burn or a fast-paced shocker. Long sidelined by sparse productions and cultural bias, the genre was once dismissed as low-brow, but the tide is turning.

CT delves into why horror is trending again.Disbelief to demandActor-director Parambrata Chattopadhyay’s Bhog became Hoichoi’s most-watched title, but the path was tough. “In Bengal, horror is often dismissed as 'bujruki'— superstitious and unscientific,” he says. “When I pitched horror, I was met with horrified expressions! Today it is in demand, and I am free to explore the stories that fascinate me. Horror is no longer possible, it’s in demand."

Fear, finally in fashionLook across media—YouTube horror channels, podcasts, short films, OTT originals—and the signs are clear. From folklore-inspired tales to urban legends and psychological nightmares, Bengali horror is no longer an afterthought. The genre, once seen as “low grade,” is now being reimagined as a cinematic equaliser. It doesn’t need big budgets, dialogue-heavy scripts, or even language barriers.

It only needs the courage to unsettle.

And as platforms, filmmakers, and audiences converge on this rediscovery, one thing is certain: Bengali horror is no longer hiding in the shadows.OTT & horror talesOTT platforms like Klikk, Chorki and Addatimes have embraced horror, with ZEE5 close behind. Hoichoi has led boldly. “Parnashavarir Shaap was a milestone—Chiranjeet Chakrabarti’s first web series drew audiences in. Then came Nikosh Chhaya , but the real breakthrough was Bhog, one of our highest-viewed series in 2025,” says COO Soumya Mukherjee. Next up is Nishir Daak, premiering this Kali Pujo. ZEE5 is also pushing the genre. “We’ve seen audiences embrace horror with Kakuda & Bhootni. Now, we’re experimenting more. Through our horror web shows in this genre, we aim to deliver fresh, locally resonant stories,” says Rusa Banerjee, business head, Bangla ZEE5.

Why horror lagged behindSo why has horror been so underrated in Bengali cinema? Both Parambrata and Mainak point to stereotypes and cultural biases. “The Ramsay era made horror seem cheap and formulaic,” Parambrata says. “It was dismissed as boka boka,” adds Mainak. “But audiences have changed. They’re more accepting of fantasy and sci-fi now, and their cinematic awareness has grown. That’s why horror finally has space to thrive.

Horror doesn’t need dialogue. You don’t need to know the language to be scared."Bhooter golpoEven before OTT, Bengal loved ghost stories, but no one expected a radio show to revive them. Former RJ Deepanjan Ghosh recalls the suspense show on Sundays. “We didn’t want Feluda or Shonku, but lesser-known Ray, eerie shorts, Western horror. The response was overwhelming. Audiences loved mystery — we realised horror had its own loyal cult.”

A new kind of fearFilmmaker Mainak Bhaumik surprised with Batshorik, a psychological horror starring Ritabhari Chakraborty and Satabdi Roy. “I avoided horror earlier for lack of tech, I’m not a big fan of heavy VFX, but Ritabhari’s voice modulation added the perfect creepiness,” he said.