There is not much time left for Halloween 2024 and there is no doubt that this year has been very exciting for the audience who like horror. From theaters to digital platforms, there was such a flood of scary as well as funny content that people were thoroughly entertained and it also had a deep impact on them. Be it traditional stories that shake people to the core or an attempt to make people laugh and scare them through horror-comedy, the year 2024 will be known for bringing out the scary aspects of entertainment in a strong way.
In the month of October, people got ample opportunity to enjoy the horror genre content which includes blockbuster films released on the big screen as well as stories presented on digital platforms. The immense success of ‘Stree 2’, the sequel of the extremely popular horror comedy film ‘Stree’ and the success of scary content on digital mediums has once again made us realize the popularity of this trend. The combination of folk tales and scary situations in ‘Stree 2’ entertained the audience a lot and the film proved to be the biggest hit of the year by doing a business of more than 600 crores. The film Munjya, based on superstitions and folk tales prevalent in villages, also managed to scare and entertain people and the film did a business of more than Rs 150 crore. Horror content was also seen in full swing on OTT platforms. Sonakshi Sinha and Ritesh Deshmukh starrer film Kakuda, released on Zee5, was a good combination of comedy as well as paranormal activities, which was well liked by the audience.
All the audio platforms are also not behind in this matter and through them too, one after another blockbuster horror series are being presented to the listeners. It is worth mentioning that Pocket FM has produced some amazing and original horror audio series this year, including Kaal Bhairavi and Bhay Nagar, which were well liked by the listeners. In Kaal Bhairavi, a challenge is presented to the patriarchal society through the story of a young girl and her aunt who has supernatural powers, using which the difference between reality and supernatural is erased. On the other hand, Bhay Nagar depicts a girl living in two different time periods, who swings between her past and present in the cursed Bhay Nagar and struggles to save her existence. Both these shows are such that they completely draw the listeners into the world of fear. This proves that audio is such a powerful medium through which stories of horror genre can also be presented in a very effective manner.
Speaking about this growing trend, Vineet Singh, Vice President, Brand Marketing & Communications, Pocket FM said, “Horror has always been a genre that has strongly evoked fear in people, but the year 2024 has seen a significant shift in our experience of fear, especially through audio. At Pocket FM, we effectively use the amazing power of sound to make people feel the extremes of fear, allowing listeners to imagine scary situations through their own imaginations. Listeners don’t just listen to our stories, but they feel as if they are present in these situations themselves, which makes them feel the fear themselves. With this trend becoming increasingly popular, one thing is clear that horror is no longer dependent on any one medium. Such scary stories continue to linger in people’s minds even after the episode is over. It leaves a deep impact, then it does not matter whether it is night or day at that time.
