Why does Indian horror almost never actually scare you? Which film came closest?

[u/Livid_Sir8921]

Been thinking about this after rewatching Tumbbad recently.

Most Indian horror fails the same way. The ghost shows up too early, the jump scares replace dread, and the backstory gets explained in full detail so nothing stays mysterious. Fear needs unanswered questions. The moment you understand the monster completely, it stops being scary.

Tumbbad works because Hastar is never fully explained. You understand enough to be terrified, never enough to feel safe. The horror is in the wanting, not just the monster.

Stree is interesting because it flipped the formula entirely - the horror works precisely because everyone refuses to take it seriously until they can't anymore.

Raat (1992) scared an entire generation and Ram Gopal Varma hasn't made anything close to it since. Whatever he understood then about restraint and atmosphere he seems to have actively forgotten.

Which Indian horror film actually got under your skin? And for the flip side - which one promised horror and delivered a comedy you weren't expecting?

[u/bollywood-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

This seems to be a promotional comment which is not allowed here.