​Bulbbul', 'Stree', 'Chhorii', 'Pari': Bollywood supernatural dramas tackling patriarchal oppression and feminist themes​

From gothic folklore to small-town legends, these supernatural dramas use fear to expose patriarchy. In 'Bulbbul,' a young bride in nineteenth-century Bengal becomes the subject of chudail whispers as violence closes in. 'Stree' flips the script in Chanderi, where a spirit targets men during a festival. 'Pari' follows a woman chained in a hut, tied to occult rituals and social suspicion. 'Chhorii' traps a pregnant woman in a village haunted by erased girls. 'Durgamati: The Myth' turns possession into a power shift during a corruption probe. Here are five haunting films to add to your watchlist that challenge patriarchal myths.

'Stree' stars Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, and Abhishek Banerjee, runs 128 minutes, and is available on Amazon Prime Video and JioHotstar. In the town of Chanderi, a spirit returns during an annual festival and abducts men after dark. The locals panic, put up warnings, and band together to survive the nights. The film lands its laughs but keeps the threat real, flipping the usual gendered fear by making men the hunted. Beneath the comedy, it nudges at how society polices women, then turns that anxiety into a sharp, crowd-pleasing ghost tale.

'Bulbbul' stars Triptii Dimri, Avinash Tiwary, Rahul Bose, Paoli Dam, and Parambrata Chattopadhyay, runs 94 minutes, and streams on Netflix. Set in late-nineteenth-century Bengal, it follows a young bride who grows up in a grand household ruled by men. When killings begin in the nearby forest, villagers whisper about a chudail. The film builds slow, personal dread, turning pain and silence into something supernatural. Triptii Dimri gives Bulbbul a quiet strength that turns heartbreaking, then chilling, as the story reframes horror as a response to cruelty.

'Chhorii' stars Nushrratt Bharuccha, Mita Vashisht, Rajesh Jais, and Saurabh Goyal, runs 129 minutes, and streams on Amazon Prime Video. A pregnant woman moves to a secluded village surrounded by sugarcane fields, expecting safety, but finds a place built on secrets. Whispering voices, ghostly children, and eerie customs lead her toward a truth the village wants buried. The supernatural scares hit harder because they mirror real-world violence against girls and women. Bharuccha anchors the film with fear that turns into defiance, as the story pushes back against tradition dressed up as destiny.

'Durgamati: The Myth' stars Bhumi Pednekar, Arshad Warsi, Jisshu Sengupta, Mahie Gill, and Karan Kapadia, runs 155 minutes, and streams on Amazon Prime Video. A government officer is taken to a deserted mansion for interrogation in a corruption case, and the night spirals into supernatural chaos. When she appears possessed by the spirit of a legendary queen named Durgamati, the balance of power shifts fast. The film mixes political games with ghost-story beats, using possession as a lens on how women are doubted, controlled, and reduced to symbols. Pednekar’s performance carries the menace and the momentum.

'Pari' stars Anushka Sharma, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Rajat Kapoor, and Ritabhari Chakraborty, runs 135 minutes, and streams on Amazon Prime Video. It begins when a man finds a young woman chained in a remote hut and tries to help her. His choice pulls him into a web of occult rituals and a terrifying prophecy linked to her past. The film relies on atmosphere rather than jump scares, and it stays uneasy because it shows how quickly society brands a woman as dangerous when she does not fit its rules. Sharma plays Rukhsana with raw vulnerability, making the horror feel painfully human.