The Telugu film industry has produced movies in all the major Genres and continuously experimented with every new Genre. The family drama, suspense thriller, comedy, fantasy, Sci-Fi, romance, action, adventure, mythological, devotional, horror, spoof, satire, etc are a few to name. Read the article to find best Telugu horror movies.
The making of thriller and horror movies requires more mastery over the craft in comparison to other genres. It is very rare to witness a decent horror flick in Tollywood. Many first-time filmmakers tried their hands-on horror movies with cliched scenes and made the Genre look cheap. But some horror movies are timeless and are very well crafted. Let’s have a look at the best horror movies in Tollywood.
7. Avunu (2012)
The newlywed couple, Mohini and Harsha, move into a new house and soon start to experience the presence of an evil spirit. Mohini senses the presence of the spirit of Captain Raju. Initially, Harsha refuses to acknowledge the presence of evil spirits, but he witnesses it in the worst possible way. This movie didn’t just rely on a major plot. The subplots are interesting and make the film enjoyable. The Direction is an asset to the film as the film accomplished so much within a limited budget. Avunu is one of the best Telugu horror movies made within a low budget.
6. Raksha (2008)
Raksha is based on Yandamuri Veerendranath’s novel ‘Tulasi Dalam’. Though the screenplay is completely different which makes it an interesting watch. Rajeev, an atheist, seeks the help of a conjurer to rescue his daughter, who is battling death, due to the black magic. The major plot points coincide with that of Tulasi Dalam, but the treatment is different.
5. Deyyam (1996)
After the successful Ratri, Ram Gopal Varma came up with another horror film. Deyyam is a 1996 Telugu film written, produced, and directed by Ram Gopal Varma. The film is based on Hollywood film Poltergeist. Murali and Sindhu, a married couple with a 3yo son Chinni, move into a lonely farmhouse. Sindhu’s sister Mahi lives with them. Soon after their arrival, Chinni starts talking to ghosts which are ignored by his mother. Chinni gets killed and after that, they learn that the farmhouse was built over a graveyard. The movie gets spookier towards the end.
4. Arundhati (2009)
The career of Anushka Shetty can be defined as before Arundhati and after Arundhati. This is the film that showcased her acting skills. Arundhati learns that she is the reincarnation of her great grandmother ‘Jejamma’ who killed Pasupathi. The evil spirit of Pasupathi awaits vengeance. The rest of the film is about how Arundhati accepts her true self and destroys Pasupathi.
3. Ammoru (1995)
Bhavani, an orphan and a devotee of the village deity Ammoru, marries Suresh. The evil Gorakh returns from prison to seek revenge on Bhavani for his arrest. The rest of the film is about how Ammoru protected her devotee. This is the film that established ‘Soundarya’ as the star heroine. It is also one of the first Indian films to use computer graphics. Several scenes of the movie became a sensation for the never seen before visuals. It is definitely one of the best Telugu horror movies.
2. Tulasi Dalam (1989)
This is an adaptation of the novel of the same name. Sridhar and Sharada are a happy couple with a 10 yo daughter, Tulasi. Suddenly, Tulasi’s health starts deteriorating and Sridhar being an atheist strictly relies on medical care. As the doctors fail to treat her, his close friend, Abrakadabra, asks him to trace the origins of the problem to save his daughter. As they investigate, their finds lead to witch-craft. Tulasi Dalam was a sensation and its sequel titled ‘Kashmora’ followed the story. Several filmmakers rehashed the story many times and a TV series of the same name also became successful.
1. Ratri (1992)
Raatri is the first horror film of Ram Gopal Varma. It was a runaway hit and the success of the film was followed by the trend of horror films in the 90s. The humongous success of this film inspired many other filmmakers to experiment in the Horror Genre. It is considered one of the greatest horror movies ever made in India. The films makes it to the top of best Telugu horror movies.
Do you agree with the list of best Telugu horror movies? Share your favorite horror movie below in the comments.
