With theatrical audiences still favoring comedy or action-hybrid horror, pure psychological horror is finding a home on streaming. 2025 will see at least four Telugu horror originals on Netflix, Prime, and Aha.
Raghava Lawrence has teased a fifth installment in his blockbuster Kanchana franchise for a 2025 Deepavali release. While details are under wraps, Lawrence has promised “never-seen-before VFX” and a villain inspired by Chhinnamasta , a tantric goddess. Expect the signature mix of comedy, emotion, and over-the-top exorcism sequences, but with a reported ₹80 crore budget—the largest for any Telugu horror film to date. horror movies in telugu 2025
Directed by debutant Karthik Verma (formerly an associate to Sukumar), Project Z has been described as “found-footage meets folk horror.” Set in the Agency area of Alluri Sitharama Raju district, the plot involves a documentary crew investigating a tribe’s rituals to contain a Brahma Rakshas . The film’s teaser (leaked in late 2024) showed no CGI monster—just shadowy figures and distorted voice notes. This could be Telugu cinema’s The Blair Witch Project or Tumbbad . While details are under wraps, Lawrence has promised
The defining characteristic of Telugu horror in 2025 is the fusion of the modern with the ancient. The genre has moved away from generic vengeful spirits toward "Folk Horror." The film’s teaser (leaked in late 2024) showed
Despite the optimism, hurdles remain:
Consequently, the budgets for horror films have skyrocketed. In 2025, we are seeing horror movies with production values previously reserved only for action spectacles. The reliance on low-budget "cheap thrills" is gone, replaced by high-end VFX teams hired to create creatures and spectral atmospheres that rival global standards.
Sudheer Varma ( Swamy Ra Ra , Maanagaram Telugu remake) is rumored to be helming a zombie thriller set in a Hyderabad high-rise during a catastrophic vaccine trial. Titled 28 Days in Hyderabad (working title), it would mark Tollywood’s first serious foray into the survival-horror subgenre, moving away from ghostly apparitions to visceral, infected-rage horror.