Best Telugu Horror Movies 2025 -

Director: Pavan Sadineni
Cast: Anushka Shetty, Naveen Chandra, Brahmanandam (cameo)

The year kicked off with a bang via Arundhati’s Echo. While technically a spiritual successor to the 2009 cult classic Arundhati, this 2025 entry stands entirely on its own. Set in the hauntingly beautiful ruins of a coastal Andhra fort, the film follows a classical dancer who accidentally breaks a bronze seal holding back a vengeful Yakshi (a malevolent female spirit).

Why it made the list: The visual effects have finally caught up to the vision. Unlike the dated CGI of its predecessor, Arundhati’s Echo uses practical prosthetics and atmospheric lighting reminiscent of The Wailing. Anushka Shetty returns in a dual role, delivering a performance that oscillates between graceful elegance and feral rage. The sound design—specifically the use of ghungroos (ankle bells) in a silent hallway—is pure nightmare fuel. best telugu horror movies 2025

Best for fans of: Tumbbad, The Ring, and slow-burn folk horror.

Director: Ravi Shankar Varma Where to watch: Theatrical Release (Prime Video streaming set for July) Director: Ravi Shankar Varma Where to watch: Theatrical

This film is the surprise blockbuster of the year. Set in the bureaucratic offices of Amaravati, the plot follows a rationalist lawyer who moves into a "haunted" government quarters. Unlike typical jump-scare fare, Nijam Kaadhu Ani Cheppanu relies on archival horror—ghosts that exist within forgotten case files and typewriters that type messages from the 1980s.

Why it’s great: The sound design is phenomenal. The use of the Telugu language's natural cadence to create rhythmic whispering is genuinely unsettling. Director: Pavan Sadineni Cast: Anushka Shetty

Horror meets Action Thriller

Starring Ashwin Babu, Shivam Bhaje represents the "Masala Horror" sub-genre that remains popular in Telugu cinema.

Where Mysticism Meets Murder Mystery

Released theatrically in 2023 but dominating the early 2025 streaming charts as a "modern classic," Virupaksha set the tone for the year’s horror aesthetics. It is the definitive example of the new Tollywood horror wave.