Reviews: Ghost Stories (2020) Movie Review
Genres: Horror, Thriller, Anthology
Subgenres: Anthology, Haunted House, Mystery, Psychological, Supernatural, Cursed, Dysfunctional Family, Folk Horror, Haunted, Religion, Urban Legend
Our take on Ghost Stories (2020) explores its plot, scares, and horror highlights to help fans decide if it deserves a place on their watchlist.
Ghost Stories (2020), an Indian horror anthology, brings together four eerie tales woven around the country’s deep-rooted superstitions, folklore, and existential fears. Directed by Anurag Kashyap, Zoya Akhtar, Dibakar Banerjee, and Karan Johar, the film serves as a follow-up to 2018’s Lust Stories, but instead of romance, it dives into unsettling horror narratives.
Ghost Stories (2020) – A Mixed Bag of Horror and Folklore
Plot, Themes, and Character Development
The four segments explore themes of isolation, trauma, grief, and supernatural forces, each with a distinct directorial style. While the concept is ambitious, the execution is uneven, making some segments gripping while others feel drawn-out and predictable.
The stories revolve around:
- A nurse taking care of an elderly woman in an abandoned house.
- A pregnant woman whose paranoia intensifies after strange events unfold.
- A small town attacked by flesh-eating creatures.
- A high-society wedding plagued by supernatural forces.
While the individual segments carry intriguing concepts, the pacing and impact vary, leading to a disjointed experience rather than a seamless anthology.
Acting and Cinematography
Each segment boasts strong performances from its lead actors, especially Janhvi Kapoor, Surekha Sikri, Sobhita Dhulipala, and Gulshan Devaiah, who manage to bring emotional weight to their eerie surroundings. However, the writing doesn’t always allow them to shine, leaving some performances overshadowed by slow pacing and underdeveloped narratives.
Cinematographically, the film excels in creating tense, atmospheric horror. The use of muted color palettes, eerie lighting, and unsettling sound design enhances the psychological dread. Each director brings their signature style, with Kashyap opting for surreal, unsettling imagery, while Johar leans into gothic aesthetics. Banerjee’s segment is the strongest, featuring claustrophobic camerawork that intensifies the horror elements.
Directing Style, Strengths, and Weaknesses
Each director offers a unique interpretation of horror, from psychological terror to supernatural dread. Dibakar Banerjee’s flesh-eating monster tale stands out as the most disturbing, while Zoya Akhtar’s ghostly house segment is visually chilling but predictable. Kashyap delivers a surreal, cerebral experience, though it’s less terrifying and more abstract, while Johar’s segment feels misplaced, leaning too much into drama over horror.
Strengths:
- Visually haunting – Each segment uses eerie cinematography and unsettling sound design to create an immersive horror experience.
- Diverse horror storytelling – The anthology format explores different horror subgenres, catering to varied audience tastes.
- Strong lead performances – The actors bring intensity to their roles, adding depth to otherwise uneven narratives.
Weaknesses:
- Inconsistent quality – Some segments feel underwhelming or too slow, making the anthology feel uneven.
- Lack of genuine scares – Despite its atmospheric tension, the film relies more on slow dread rather than outright terror.
- Weak final segment – The last story fails to provide a strong conclusion, leaving the anthology feeling incomplete.
Final Verdict & Score: 5/10
Ghost Stories (2020) is a beautifully shot yet inconsistent horror anthology that delivers eerie visuals but lacks the narrative cohesion needed to be truly terrifying. While some segments shine, others fall flat, making it a mixed experience for horror fans.
Similar films like Ghost Stories can be found in horror anthologies sub-genre(s), check them out for more movies like Ghost Stories.
Sources Used to Shape This Review
Insights in this review are drawn from director interviews, fan commentary, production notes, and long-form breakdowns across genre-specific platforms. Content is written uniquely and reviewed for accuracy.
- Ghost Stories Rating Scores
- Our Score: 5/10
- Overall Score: 4.35/10
- IMDB: 4.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 3.6/10
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Browse: Must See Best Horror Anthology Movies / Horror Anthology Movies List