For someone who has grown up watching desi horror TV shows since the 90s era, this is for you. While we may now find those shows hilarious and cringe especially due to poor graphics and editing, earlier, we didn’t seem to care a damn about it. Isn’t it? Spooky visuals and haunting background scores were enough to catch our attention back then and scare the sh*t out of us. So much so that most of us had stopped standing in front of mirror or couldn’t go to the washroom alone for years.
Let’s take a quick lookback to 10 horror TV shows from old days that scared us back in our childhood:
1. Ssshhhh…Koi Hai
Ssshhhh…Koi Hai, the classic Indian horror TV show, was first aired on Star Plus in 2001. Later, it continued for two more seasons, Sssshhh…Phir Koi Hai and Sssshhh…Phir Koi Hai 3 on Star One. After a few initial episodes featuring paranormal stories, it introduced its protagonist, Vikraal, the ghostbuster, played by TV actor Mamik Singh. Its introductory theme was spooky AF.
2. Aahat
Remember the opening theme of Aahat which had bats flying in the sky on a full moon? The show ran for six seasons from 1995 to 2015 on Sony TV. While the first season was mostly about crimes, later on, every episode featured supernatural activities in other seasons. Shivaji Satam, Ashutosh Rana, Mandira Bedi, and late veteran actor Om Puri appeared on the show.
3. Aap Beeti
Aap Beeti was the go-to show for someone who didn’t have cable TV back then but was enthusiastic about the horror genre. The 2001 TV series that aired on Doordarshan featured different haunting stories based on people’s paranormal experiences with ghosts, spirits, and black magic. ‘Ye aap beeti hai’….Remember?
4. Fear Files
Fear Files: Darr Ki Sacchi Tasvirein, the docu-drama horror TV series, aired on Zee TV from 2012 to 2019. The four-season show was based on the real life supernatural experiences of people across India and how some paranormal experts discovered the truth behind them.
5. Mano Ya Na Mano
Starring late actor Irrfan Khan as the host, Mano Ya Na Mano (2006), the horror TV series also sent chills down our spines. The Star One show featured dramatized versions of various real-life horror tales from every corner of India. Another horror show with the same name aired on Zee TV in 1995.
6. The Zee Horror Show
Presented by Ramsay Brothers, The Zee Horror Show, is touted to be among the first weekly horror TV shows that aired on Indian television. It ran from 1993 to 2001 on Zee TV. The show is mostly remembered for its iconic scene from the first episode, Dastak, which featured TV actress Archana Puran Singh’s devilish laugh while her face was superimposed on the saucer.
7. Kya Hadsaa Kya Haqeeqat
Starring actors like Pallavi Kulkarni, Rajeev Khandelwal, Cezanne Khan, and Shweta Tiwari, Kya Hadsaa Kya Haqeeqat was a thriller anthology show that aired on Sony TV from 2002 to 2004. The series that featured gripping stories like Hadsaa, Kaali Shakti, and Kash-m-Kash had several jump scares to create a sense of fear. It was produced by Balaji Telefilms.
8. Woh
Woh, the 1998 horror TV show, left us feel scared of clowns for lifetime. Based on Stephen King’s horror novel, It, the show starred director Ashutosh Gowarikar along with Mamik Singh, Liliput, and others. Liliput played the role of a scary joker, an evil spirit, who would kidnap children.
9. Achanak 37 Saal Baad
Achanak 37 Saal Baad, the supernatural and psychological thriller TV series, aired on Sony TV from 2003 to 2004. The plot featured a story of a fictional small town, Gahota, where hysteria and other paranormal activities take place after every 37 years. Woooh! Spooky. Isn’t it?
10. Raat Hone Ko Hai
Raat Hone Ko Hai was another horror TV show that scared many of us back then. It premiered on Sahara Manoranjan (now Sahara One) in 2004. The anthology series featured actors like Rajat Kapoor, Nigaar Khan, Yashpal Sharma, Rupali Ganguly and others.
So, which ones did you watch back in the day?
