Khauf

The writer of the show Smita Singh said "I moved to Delhi...(When you're a woman and an outsider) the city crushes down on you. Working women's hostel is a strange beast... I wanted to tell a story of what women feel through the lens of horror, horror is something we can't confront... Fear is something that follows you home."

Khauf, when you look at it through that lens, is an amazing show. If you like the horror genre but would like to see something that's just surface level horror with jump scares, this is a show unlike the ones that we've seen before in Hindi. Can't necessarily explain the details but Smita's comments should give you an idea.

Monika Panwar as Madhu was awesome, just like she was in almost all her previous works. Sadly, the industry would never let her become a big name because she's not from a film family. The support cast was great along with her.

The "horror" parts of the show were....decent. The "lore" was confusing, so many unanswered questions around it but if you choose to look past these shortcomings, it's a refreshingly different show; an 8hr show that could have been a great 2.5 hr movie.

Khauf lives up to its name-delivering a steady dose of dread, mystery, and psychological tension that keeps you hooked, even when the pacing stumbles.

The show isn't just about jump scares or gore. It leans heavily on atmosphere, using shadows, silence, and suspense to build an eerie world where you never quite know who to trust-or what's lurking around the corner. The story unfolds slowly, layering secrets upon secrets, which works well most of the time but occasionally drags in the middle episodes.

The performances are solid across the board, especially the lead, who carries the weight of the paranoia and fear convincingly. Supporting characters have surprising depth, and the writing does a good job of making even minor roles feel relevant to the overarching mystery.

What really works is Khauf's ability to blur the line between supernatural horror and human evil. You're constantly left questioning: is this all in their head, or is something really haunting them?

The ending might be divisive-it doesn't tie everything up neatly, but it leaves you thinking, and maybe that's the point. It's not perfect, but it's well-crafted, visually haunting, and emotionally tense.

I feel incredibly proud to say that Khauf has been created by Indian filmmakers-what a gem! As someone who's a die-hard fan of the horror genre (but usually runs miles away from Bollywood horror), this series was an absolute surprise and a total win.

Khauf is a slow-burn masterpiece that grips you from the very first episode. Each episode starts with glimpses of the past, beautifully merging into the present-day narrative. The storytelling is so well-crafted that you just can't look away. Every episode incovers a new layer, keeping your curiosity and anxiety at peak levels.

The direction and cinematography? Just wow. The mood, the silence, the build-up-everything is so thoughtfully executed. I started watching the series thinking I'd just give it a try-and ended up binge-watching the entire thing in one go, from the same spot. That's how gripping it is.

To anyone who appreciates smart horror with depth and originality-Khauf is a must-watch. I promise, it's nothing like the usual horror tropes you've come to expect. Hats off to the creators for doing absolute justice to this genre.

Highly recommended. Don't miss it! It is available on Amazon Prime.

I'm not a huge fan of web series, but this one got me hooked. I finished all the episodes in one go, and boy, does this series give you the creeps. I can confidently say Khauf is one of the most technically brilliant and chilling horror shows to come out of India.

There are three main plots that run in parallel - they can be a bit confusing at times, but it all comes together with a satisfying ending. The best part of the series is the dingy locations - they really add to the overall sense of dread.

Definitely give it a watch if you're a horror fan and appreciate good storytelling with solid production.

Khauf is a well-made horror show and a welcome change from the cringe algorithm-driven stuff that passes for web series in today's times. The show is created by a woman and she tells the story from a female gaze. I mention this because every male character here is problematic, lecherous, creepy, condescending, misogynistic and whatnot. If this were the case for a show from a male director, it would be considered problematic. But that's a minor aside. The show is engaging, has good actors and is technically quite well made. You could find it a bit long-drawn towards the end and predictable at times, but it is written and performed with a lot of heart. The most interesting storyline is that of Monika Panwar who is sexual assault survivor who believes she has finally identified her masked assaulter. This forms the most thoughtful and well sketched out storyline of the show. Two other strands play out - one involving a hakim with black magic abilities and another involving the scared hostel girls who cannot leave the premises. This bit too is interesting but loses steam after a while. The bit involving the mother/constable searching for her lost son forms the connecting tissue for the stories and seems at times like a unwanted diversion. Of course it all comes together at the end, and the finale might leave you both thrilled and perplexed. Why only one of the dead from the hostel turned into a vengeful ghost while another person from the hostel who also died didn't is a question you don't want to ask. Why did all the people killed by the hakim not turn into vengeful ghosts? Again, don't ask. The finale is apparently about ghost wanting control over the woman and she fighting back. Why that desire specifically? And by the end, when the revenge is completed, is she now controlling the frightening ghost? Such questions can spoil the engagement so its best not to ask them.