The Hollywood supernatural horror film Obsession created a strong impact at the Indian box office upon its release, emerging as a major success both domestically and internationally. As the film continues to receive praise from audiences worldwide, filmmaker Vikram Bhatt has shared his thoughts on its popularity, revealing that the storyline reminded him of his 2002 horror blockbuster Raaz.

Vikram Bhatt draws parallels between Hollywood’s Obsession and his cult horror film: “This is Raaz”

Speaking to Firstpost, Bhatt reacted to the global success of Obsession and drew a comparison with his acclaimed supernatural thriller. He said, “I haven’t seen Obsession, but someone was telling me the story, and I sat back, laughed and thought, ‘This is Raaz.’ It’s basically Malini of Raaz throughout the whole film. My take is that if you make a good horror film, people are going to come. This one was really good.”

The filmmaker also spoke about the unique nature of the horror genre and why it does not necessarily depend on the presence of major stars. Explaining his perspective, he said, “When you have big actors, you cannot possibly have them getting scared and running around. Either it starts looking like a comedy, where they are comically scared, or it doesn’t feel believable. In a realistic story, if you have an A-list hero who already has a larger-than-life persona, like an Allu Arjun or a Ram Charan, it’s not going to work. There’s a resistance from A-listers. Secondly, as I have observed, people come to experience the sensation of fear. They don’t come for any actor. That’s the nature of the genre.”

Directed by Curry Barker, Obsession stars Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette in lead roles, with Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless and Andy Richter playing supporting characters. The film has reportedly earned over $300 million globally and collected ₹77.95 crore in India, making it one of the country’s highest-grossing horror films.

Bhatt’s comparison naturally brought attention back to Raaz, which starred Dino Morea and Bipasha Basu alongside Malini Sharma and Ashutosh Rana. The film followed a troubled couple who travel to Ooty to mend their marriage, only to find themselves haunted by a mysterious spirit. Both a critical and commercial success, Raaz emerged as the second-highest-grossing Hindi film of 2002.

Meanwhile, Bhatt’s latest release, Haunted 3D: Echoes of the Past, a spiritual sequel to Haunted – 3D, has also found commercial success. Starring Mahaakshay Chakraborty, Chetna Pande, Gaurav Bajpai, Hemant Pandey, Shruti Prakash and Praneet Bhat, the film has crossed ₹20 crore worldwide within 10 days of its release despite receiving negative reviews from critics.

Also Read : 1920 Franchise expands! Vikram Bhatt and Anand Pandit reunite for new horror film 1920: Cold Winter following the success of Haunted 3D: Echoes of the Past