Creepy ghouls. Menacing laughter. Thunder 'n' rains. A dark date with midnight. Morbidly fascinating it may be but horror has never been Bollywood's favoured genre. Over the decades, however, it has inspired a significant, even if small, fraction in the vast resume of Hindi films.

The scenario has transformed dramatically from sari-clad spirits haunting a remote haveli to restless aatmas dwelling in high-rise apartments.

With the release of Mohit Suri's Raaz-The Mystery Continues just around the corner, rediff.com looks at the evolution of horror in Hindi films.