MUMBAI: The horror genre has formed an important part of TV entertainment since the 1990s when Zee Horror Show, Aahat and Ssshhh...Koi Hai were anticipated shows. A resurgence of horror shows on TV has been noticed in the past one month. Ekta Kapoor's Qayamat Ki Raat, which airs on Star Plus, and Colors TV's Kaun Hai, both opened to incredible ratings in their first week. Vivek Dahiya and Karishma Tanna starrer Qayamat Ki Raat bagged the seventh spot with 5.6 million impressions while Kaun Hai received 3.89 million impressions and was at the 11th spot.

Bodhi Tree Multimedia has produced quite a few horror shows like Rooh and Fear Files for Zee TV. “Horror has always been a genre that has worked in the Indian market. It is also been an underserved genre with only our show Fear Files running for the past one year. So more horror shows coming was always anticipated,” says Bodhi Tree Multimedia founder Mautik Tolia. 

Endemol Shine CEO Abhishek Rege holds a different opinion. He feels that the Indian audiences are dedicated to all sorts of genres and horror was possibly an underserved one. “Although many shows are launching, how many does the market need will only be known after the ratings or the consumption pattern comes out.”

If horror shows want to create a mark today, they have to come up with good content. Earlier horror shows used to have just one story in an episode. Now horror shows have long term stories with a supernatural background. 

Earlier, late prime time was the slot given to the horror shows assuming that the kids are asleep by then. But now things are changing. The horror shows have got promoted to earlier time slots (7-9 pm). According to Rege, any time after 8-8.30 pm is a good time slot for a horror show. Shows like Aahat, Fear Files or X-Zone were hard core horror shows. Nowadays there are many shows which have different approaches and if they are not hardcore horror they can be broadcasted at early prime time slot.

Tolia thinks that the increase in the number of horror shows in India could be due to exposure to international content releasing in India. “A lot of good international horror has been produced over the past few years. Films from the Conjuring universe, Quiet Place, Lights Out, It, Mama and now Hereditary have breathed new life into the genre. So the rub off effect is surely being seen.”

Advertisers tend to stay away from horror shows due to their low viewership. The earlier shows couldn’t get advertisers due to the late time band. The sudden surge in horror seems to be the channels’ attempts at expanding its offering before festive season kicks in. They could then be replaced with reality format shows.

Madison Media Sigma CEO Vanita Keshwani feels differently. She says, “According to me, the crime/thriller genre works most for the Indian audience than the horror genre. Shows like Savdhaan India  and Crime Patrol garner more viewership than Aahat and Fear Files. Since shows like Qayamat Ki Raat, Laal Ishq and Kaun Hai have just launched it’s too early to give a judgment on those shows. According to me the horror as a genre is not doing well. But I think they are betting on it.”

Indian makers have even been plagued by budget issues and a very narrow approach towards the depiction of horror inspired by Indian imagery. However Indian horror is also seeing a paradigm shift in terms of quality of content over past few years. A new breed of filmmakers is churning out a spate of horror films and shows that are able to blend Indian imagery with great storytelling.

Even though the shows in this genre may or may not gain good TRP, the experimentation continues for adding variety to a channel’s offering.