Step into the realm of Tamil horror cinema with our meticulously curated selection of the top 25 must-watch films of all time. From spine-chilling ghost stories to adrenaline-pumping thrillers, Tamil cinema has produced a plethora of horror gems that have enthralled audiences for decades.
These films showcase the rich storytelling, innovative filmmaking techniques, and stellar performances that have earned Tamil horror a dedicated fan base worldwide.
Whether you’re a seasoned horror aficionado or new to the genre, this list promises to offer a diverse range of cinematic experiences that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Join us as we explore haunted houses, encounter vengeful spirits, and unravel supernatural mysteries in this comprehensive guide to the best Tamil horror films ever made.
Best Tamil Horror Movies of All Time List
| No. | Movie Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Devi 2 |
| 2 | Aatma 2 |
| 3 | Pathimoonam Number Veedu |
| 4 | Kanchana 2 (Ganga Muni 3) |
| 5 | Mohini |
| 6 | Chitram Bhalare Vichitram |
| 7 | Damayanti |
| 8 | Pisasu |
| 9 | Maya |
| 10 | Demonte Colony |
| 11 | Aval (The House Next Door) |
| 12 | Pizza |
| 13 | Eeram |
| 14 | Shivalinga |
| 15 | Karungaapiyam |
| 16 | Aranmanai 3 |
| 17 | Connect |
| 18 | Cinderella |
| 19 | DD Returns |
| 20 | Petromax |
| 21 | Operation Laila |
| 22 | Mangalavaaram |
| 23 | Pindam |
| 24 | Devil |
| 25 | Conjuring Kannappan |
1. Devi 2
A. L. Vijay co-wrote and directed the 2019 Indian Tamil-language comedy horror film Devi 2 (stylized as Devi+2). It is a continuation of the 2016 film Devi. In addition to Nandita Swetha and Dimple Hayathi, Prabhu Deva and Tamannaah reprise their roles from the previous film.
.The film marked Dimple’s debut in Tamil cinema. Kovai Sarala, Ajmal Ameer, RJ Balaji, and Saptagiri play supporting roles. Actress 2 was simultaneously filmed in Telugu under the title Abhinetri 2.
2. Aatma 2
Ravi Babu penned, directed, and produced the 2015 Indian Telugu horror thriller film Avunu 2. The film is a sequel to the 2012 film Avunu and stars Poorna and Harshvardhan Rane reprising their roles from the original alongside new cast members Sanjjanaa and Nikita Thukral. The narrative immediately follows the events of Avunu.
3. Pathimoonam Number Veedu
Pathimoonam Number Veedu is Indian horror movie which is also known as 13am Number Veedu. The movie is directed by Baby and produced by Asha Creation. The star-cast of the movie are Nizhalgal Ravi, Sadhana and Lalitha Kumari who are in the lead role.
The movie was released on 15 June 1990 and became a blockbuster hit. Later, the movie was remade in Hindi as House No. 13 in 1991 and the movie was directed by Baby.
4. Kanchana 2 (Ganga Muni 3)
Directed by Raghava Lawrence, this film is a comedy horror that revolves around a man who gets possessed by the spirit of a transgender woman seeking revenge.
5. Mohini
Mohini is a 2018 supernatural horror film in Tamil, written and directed by Ramana Madhesh and starring Trisha and Jackky Bhagnani. The film’s production, which was shot primarily in London, began in June 2016.
6. Chitram Bhalare Vichitram
Chitram Bhalare Chitram Bhalare Vichitram is a film in the Telugu language that came out on January 1, 2016. Chandini Tamilarasan and Manoj Nandam played the leading roles in the movie, which Bhanu Prakash directed.
7. Damayanti
Navarasan wrote and directed the 2019 Kannada film Damayanthi, a comedy horror movie based on a story. The movie has the same name in Tamil and Malayalam and is called Samharini in Telugu. The movie is made by Sri Lakshmi Vrushadhri Productions and is said to be a mythological horror-comedy.
8. Pisasu
Directed by Mysskin, this supernatural horror film follows the story of a violinist who encounters the spirit of a deceased girl and tries to help her find peace.
9. Maya
Directed by Ashwin Saravanan, this psychological horror film explores the life of a woman haunted by a spirit in her new apartment.
10. Demonte Colony
Directed by Ajay Gnanamuthu, this film is inspired by real events and revolves around four friends who enter a haunted bungalow and encounter terrifying experiences.
11. Aval (The House Next Door)
Directed by Milind Rau, this horror-thriller is about a neurosurgeon and his family facing supernatural occurrences in their new house.
12. Pizza
Directed by Karthik Subbaraj, this horror film follows the life of a pizza delivery boy who gets trapped in a haunted house.
13. Eeram
Directed by Arivazhagan, this horror mystery revolves around a series of mysterious deaths and a cop’s investigation into the incidents.
14. Shivalinga
Directed by P. Vasu, this horror-comedy movie is about a CID officer investigating a murder that leads him to unravel supernatural occurrences.
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15. Karungaapiyam
Deekay wrote and directed the 2023 Indian Tamil horror thriller Karungaapiyam, which means “Black Novel.”[1] It stars Kajal Aggarwal, Regina Cassandra, Janani, and Raiza Wilson.
Noyrika Bhatheja, Kalaiyarasan, Yogi Babu, Karunakaran, Lollu Sabha Manohar, John Vijay, Sha Ra, Aadhav Kannadasan, TSK, and Shelin Seth also have small parts. The movie came out on May 19, 2023. Sundar C. has written and directed the 2021
16. Aranmanai 3
Indian Tamil-language comedy horror movie Aranmanai 3. Stars like Sundar C, Arya, Raashii Khanna, and Andrea Jeremiah are in the film, along with Sakshi Agarwal, Myna Nandhini, Yogi Babu, Nalini, Manobala, Sampath Raj, Baby Ovi Bhandnarkar, Vincent Asokan, Madhusudhan Rao, and Vela Ramamoorthy in important roles.
17. Connect
Connect is a magical horror movie in Tamil from 2022 that stars Nayanthara, Sathyaraj, Anupam Kher, and Vinay Rai. It was directed by Ashwin Saravanan and produced by Vignesh Shivan for Rowdy Pictures.
After Maya, this is the second time Saravanan and Nayanthara have worked together on a movie. Prithvi Chandrasekhar wrote the music that played in the background. Kher is also back in Tamil movies after a long time away.
18. Cinderella
Cinderella is an Indian horror movie in Tamil that will be released in 2021. It will be Vinoo Venketesh’s first movie as a director, and it will be made by SSi Productions. Raai Laxmi plays the title part in the film, with Sakshi Agarwal and Anbu Thasan in the lead roles.
Aswamithra wrote the music for the movie.[3] The primary filming for the movie began in October 2018. The movie came out on September 24, 2021. The movie got mixed to good reviews but was still a failure.
19. DD Returns
Prem Anand S wrote and directed the 2023 Tamil comedy-horror film DD Returns. Santhanam and Surabhi play the main characters, and Redin Kingsley, Maran, Pradeep Rawat, Rajendran, Ramdoss, and many others play supporting parts. Dipak Kumar Padhy was in charge of the film’s photography, and N. B. Srikanth was in charge of the film’s editing.
Durai wrote all of the songs in the movie. OfRo did the music for the songs, and Daniel B. George did the music for the background. C. Ramesh Kumar made this movie through his company, RK Entertainment. Filming took place in Chennai and Pondicherry. The principal filming started on February 21, 2023, and ended on May 15, 2023.
20. Petromax
The 2019 Indian horror comedy Petromax is in Tamil and directed by Rohin Venkatesan. Passion Studios made it. Tamannaah, Prem, Yogi Babu, Ramdoss, Kaali Venkat, Sathyan, and TSK were all in the movie. This movie is a copy of the Telugu movie Anando Brahma, and reviews were mixed when it first came out.
21. Operation Laila
The Tamil movie Operation Laila came out in cinemas on February 23, 2024. The movie is about a police officer named Surya and his twin brother Ravi, who works as a school drill master.
Ravi falls in love with Anjali, a teacher, and the two of them meet a ghost named Laila who has ties to both the school and the drug gang that took Anjali.
Srikanth, Sidhika Sharma, Imman Annachi, and Vincent Asokan are in the movie, which was directed by A. Venkatesh as well. The film was made by Selvam Ponnaiyan, and Karthika Mahadev wrote the music.
22. Mangalavaaram
The Indian Telugu-language psychological puzzle thriller movie Mangalavaaram (Tuesday) comes out in 2023. It was written and directed by Ajay Bhupathi. It came out on November 17, 2023.
For Mudhra Media Works and A Creative Works, Swathi Reddy Gunupati, Suresh Varma M., and Ajay Bhupathi are in charge of making it. Music was written by B. Ajaneesh Loknath.
23. Pindam
Pindam is an Indian horror thriller movie released in 2023 in the language Telugu. It was directed by Sai Kiran Daida. Sriram and Kushee Ravi, who is making her Telugu film debut, star in the movie. Easwari Rao and Srinivas Avasarala play supporting parts.
The movie is based on a real event that took place in a house in Nalgonda in the 1930s. The movie came out on December 15, 2023, and got mixed reviews. The movie first aired on Aha and Amazon Prime Video on February 2, 2024.
24. Devil
The Indian Tamil-language horror movie Devil comes out in 2024. It was written and directed by Aathityaa. Worstna, Vidharth, and Thrigun play the main parts in the movie.Along with Radhakrishnan and Hari, the movie was made by Maruti Films and H Pictures.
25. Conjuring Kannappan
Conjuring Kannappan, which is also known as Conjuring Kannappan: Dreams Come True, is an Indian Tamil-language comedy horror movie that came out in 2023.
It was written and directed by Selvin Raj Xavier, who was making his directorial debut, and it was made by AGS Entertainment. Along with Nassar, Anandaraj, Saranya Ponvannan, VTV Ganesh, and Redin Kingsley, Sathish and Regina Cassandra are in the movie.
The movie was first talked about in September 2023. Before the announcement, the main filming had already begun and finished. Yuvan Shankar Raja wrote the music for the movie, S. Yuva shot it, and Pradeep E. Ragav edited it.
The movie Conjuring Kannappan came out in theaters on December 8, 2023, and got good reviews at the start.
Conclusion
As we conclude our exploration of the top 25 must-watch Tamil horror films of all time, we hope you’re excited to embark on a thrilling cinematic journey filled with haunted tales and chilling scares.
From classic masterpieces to modern gems, Tamil cinema has delivered an impressive array of horror experiences that continue to captivate audiences.
Whether you’re drawn to atmospheric ghost stories, pulse-pounding thrillers, or supernatural mysteries, there’s something for every horror enthusiast on this list.
As you delve into these spine-tingling films, prepare to be immersed in a world of fear, suspense, and supernatural intrigue.
So, dim the lights, grab your favorite snacks, and get ready for a fright-filled ride through the dark and haunting landscapes of Tamil horror cinema.
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