2016: The year of horror thrillers

If the suspense thriller RangiTaranga emerged as one of the biggest victors at the box office, and chills and frights seem to be the order of the season in Sandalwood this year too, albeit if served correctly. Testimony to this is the fact that five of the most spoken-about and successful films this year have all been from the genre. In fact, 2016 began on a successful note with the horror-comedy Kathe Chitrakathe Nirdeshana Puttanna, starring Komal and Priya Mani, which was appreciated by both critics and audiences, giving the film a long run in theatres. Following closely on the heels of Kathe Chitrakathe... was

Last Bus

, a psychological mystery thriller from the stables of the Narasimharaju family. The

horror

trend further continued with P Vasu's signature touch in the Shivarajkumar-starrer

Shivalinga

, in which the supernatural element appealed to fans and critics alike. This film continues its run in cinema halls. Last month saw two more films with the horror element do well. The first was Pawan Kumar's U-Turn, which had a powerful message, along with the supernatural element. Following this was the horror-thriller

Karvva

, which managed to successfully woo audiences with its intriguing twists and turns. What needs to be noted is that the audience hasn't accepted every horror film that was presented to them. There were films that didn't work too. But the horror spree will continue this year, as there are a slew of horror thrillers lined up for release. Hemanth Hegde, who has so far made comic entertainers, is trying out the horror genre in his upcoming film Sa. Priyanka Upendra, too, is going to be seen playing a mother stranded in a haunted house with her daughter in the upcoming thriller, Mummy. Tilak Shekar, who was seen in the recently released horror thriller Karvva, is going to be seen in the film H/34 Pallavi Talkies, which is a supernatural thriller that is inspired by a real-life incident in Bengaluru. Also lined up is the Upendra-starrer Kalpana 2, which is the remake of the Tamil horror comedy Kanchana 2. The first part, Kalpana, was a big hit with fans of the genre. Another supernatural film that is ready for release is Naani, which stars Priyanka Rao. This film is said to be a good old-fashioned horror tale, replete with a female ghost.

Upcoming Horror Thrillers in Sandalwood
H/34 Pallavi Talkies Mummy alpana 2 Naani Sa