An Ancient house haunted by ghosts of its previous residents, walls covered with crimson red blood and eerie shots of isolated landscapes are all images that come to mind when horror stories are imagined.
Horror films often tend to be misunderstood amongst the mainstream movie goers wherein Horror is limited to those of Haunted Houses or blood tainted serial killers with their screaming victims hidden in dingy basements.
Bengaluru is no exception to this stereotypical nature but yet the tech forward city manages to foster its own alternative sub genre of fans. Horror and Thriller films have a way of presenting the problems faced by society in allegorical manner that leaves the viewer with a pit of uneasy emotions. This is intentional.
Movie goers are not passive in the sport of watching a movie just as a one-time dopamine rush–they are a willing participant in an ongoing discourse of a film. The horror genre is able to this by inciting mixed emotions in the viewer when they watch a film.
Heart pulsates louder , skin crawls when on-screen grotesque crimes are being committed and an insatiable feeling is left when leaving the theatre that can only be satiated with needing (wanting) to know more.
A filmmaker often lets their art speak for itself once it is released to the public. And few have answers when film endings are ambiguous and left up for the viewers interpretation. That is afterall, the point of Horror in cinema.
The Black Mirror Effect
In the popular Netflix show ‘Black Mirror’– A series anthology that explores the effects of advanced technology in the personal lives and behaviors of modern people, the satire underscores the disconnected nature of its characters.
One particular episode titled ‘Nose Dive’ is set in a fictional society that depends on the social status–in this case the social media following of its characters as a means of determining access to basic necessities.
Everything from the background to the clothes that these characters wear are shaded in lighter hues of blues, pinks and greys that is to portray the separation between those with higher status and those without. Here, the lowest being completely isolated from the grid of society.
This dystopian world is not far from the climate that people are living and experiencing at the moment. Horror in its simplest form is a precursor to the unknown tragedies of the world. It is able to connect to the deepest of depths of human desire through contemporary, and wacky stylistic choices that are not too on the nose.
The genre offers no hand holding of sorts while violent grotesque scenes play out on screen. The scores are meant to incite fear and trigger the fight or flight mechanism but also reduce viewers to be unable to turn away from the on-screen violence. Thus, the conundrum of Horror viewers begins.
Youth and Horror Culture
Horror is not just limited to mainstream stories of ghouls and vengeance seeking spirits of wronged women. There are other, more experimental flavours of horror that is less sought after. ‘Quirky’ Horror with its overly exaggerated kills followed by deadpan dialogue delivery evokes a certain kind of silliness in its premise.
In today’s sprawling urban landscape, horror has evolved far beyond the cliched haunted houses with their creaking doors and blood-stained walls. Instead, it has become a reflection of a city’s unique anxieties rooted in the relentless pace of tech jobs, constant connectivity, and growing social isolation.
This modern horror resonates deeply with today’s youth, who are able to resonate the allegorical nature of horror films with their own experiences of pressure and uncertainty in the fast-moving metropolis.
The city’s youth increasingly turn to tech-savvy horror content through web series streaming on local OTT platforms, YouTube creators specializing in original horror shorts, and even immersive digital storytelling experiences that blend folklore with contemporary fears that are crafted to suit short attention spans and online consumption.
Bengaluru’s Suburban culture mirrors the horror narratives with tech-forward identities: eerie glitches in a virtual world, the terror of data breaches, or the unsettling feeling of being watched through smart devices. This blend of digital-age paranoia and classic horror motifs then create a genre that is distinctly urban and Suburban.
Grotesque Horror that keeps you looking
Pascal Laugier’s Martyrs (2008) captivates through its merciless torture sequences with graphic floggings and ritualistic peelings that build to a haunting meditation on agony and the afterlife, splitting audiences between outright revulsion and fervent admiration for its bold philosophical pivot.
This devoted fanbase revels in the film’s divisive edge, where extreme horror purges deep-seated fears via scathing commentary on organized cruelty, evoking everything from walkouts to standing ovations at festivals. The core allure? A gripping “joy paradox,” where visceral disgust transmutes into cathartic insight, probing the shadows of human depravity.
Pascal Plante’s Red Rooms (2023) centers on Kelly-Anne, a poised Montreal model whose courtroom obsession with serial killer Ludovic Chevalier ignites a deranged fixation. Chevalier stands charged with livestreaming teen murders in a pay-per-view dark web “Red Room.” From passive trial spectator, she plunges into hacking, victim cosplay, and alliances with fellow obsessives to seize unreleased snuff tapes. This fractures the boundary between righteous pursuit and unhinged depravity.
Audiences flock to Red Rooms (2023) for its unflinching probe into true crime fanaticism, where viewers mirror Kelly-Anne’s descent into dark web depravity, satisfying a voyeuristic itch for the psychology of killers and snuff culture without real-world peril. Fans on Reddit rave about the slow-burn unease and ethical gut-punches, debating if it’s a thriller masterpiece or pretentious slog, with many hooked by its fresh spin on obsession over jump scares.
Beyond The Screens
Horror also thrives beyond screens, manifesting vividly in amusement parks and haunted houses that attract thrill-seekers year-round. These spaces offer a controlled adrenaline rush where visitors confront fear in a safe environment, blending imagination with real-world sensations of suspense and surprise. The appeal lies in the shared experience of navigating darkness and jump scares, allowing people to explore primal anxieties while bonding over collective thrills
K.D. Kempamma, dubbed Cyanide Mallika, holds the grim distinction as India’s first convicted female serial killer, luring vulnerable women from temples with promises of spiritual solace before poisoning them with cyanide-laced offerings to steal jewelry between 1999 and 2007. Posing as a pious devotee, she targeted six confirmed victims facing personal woes like illness or lost loved ones, though investigations suggest up to 13 murders, evading capture through calculated deception in Bengaluru’s outskirts. Sentenced to death in 2012, her penalty commuted to life, her case shattered stereotypes of female criminality in a male-dominated narrative.
Indians’ obsession with real-life atrocities surges via OTT hits like Delhi Crime and Indian Predator, blending gore, mystery, and societal critique to top charts and spark cultural introspection. Women viewers particularly favor themes of online crimes, murders, and violence, drawn to narratives that mirror human frailties and justice quests amid enhanced production values.
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