Watch Telugu horror with headphones. The regional ASMR-style dread (crickets, temple bells, whispered folk rhymes) is half the experience.
Starring a career-best performance by Nithya Menen, this film flips the haunted-house trope. A middle-aged archivist begins seeing a child’s shadow in her new flat. But the twist: the shadow is her childhood trauma manifesting. The horror is intensely psychological—doors open to wrong rooms, phone calls play her own forgotten screams, and the final act reveals a cycle of family violence that blurs reality.
A 5-minute single-take where the protagonist washes her face, and the mirror reflection slowly smiles differently. 3. Kampanalu (October 2025) – Folk Horror on a Budget Genre: Rural legend / Body horror Where to watch: Prime Video (Telugu with subs)
No jump scares for the first 40 minutes. Instead, the film uses silence, long takes, and the oppressive heat of the Indian summer. Critics called it “ The Wailing meets Telangana folklore.” 2. 36 Vayadhu… Chivaraku (December 2025) – Psychological Terror Genre: Home invasion / Memory loss Where to watch: Netflix (Telugu original)
The horror is partly shown through corrupted video files, glitched subtitles, and looping CCTV clips. Very Unfriended meets Shutter Island . 5. Uruku (November 2025) – Found Footage Experiment Genre: Paranormal documentary Where to watch: Sony LIV (originally direct-to-digital)
Gone are the days when Telugu horror meant only clanging doors and screechy Devullu . Over the last 18 months, the industry has delivered a fresh wave of terror—mixing folk legends, psychological dread, and high-concept thrills. Here’s your guide to the latest horror movies from Tollywood that are haunting audiences. 1. Nireekshana (March 2026) – The Sleeper Hit Genre: Slow-burn supernatural / Grief horror Where to watch: Theatrical release (streaming from May 2026)
Nireekshana surprised everyone with its atmospheric dread. It follows a pregnant woman who moves into her late grandmother’s isolated farmhouse in Telangana’s cotton belt. A local folk spirit— Pilli Jogamma (a cat-faced guardian)—begins to appear not as a monster, but as a protector. The horror lies in whether the spirit is saving her from or preparing her for something darker.