While both Bollywood and Hollywood aim to scare the viewers, their horror movies have distinct features that set them apart. Each industry is shaped by influences from their culture and different styles of storytelling. 

In Bollywood, music and dance are often incorporated into the plot, which is very different from Hollywood where music, other than ominous background music, is rarely significant.

In movies such as Bhool Bhulaiya 3, music and dance are a key part of the viewing experience and essential to telling the plot. Through the musical scenes, which can last as long as a whole music video, more pieces of the story are revealed while the music keeps things entertaining.

Although the music is mainly used to fill in gaps in the story, it also adds suspense and buildup for scarier scenes involving the main conflict and characters through bold cinematography. 

In addition, music also helps when advertising for the film. The scenes with songs are turned into official music videos to create hype for the movie. In contrast, Hollywood horror movies rely more on posters and flashy trailers. 

In movies such as Bulbbul, there is a lot of context needed about Hinduism and Indian folklore. This is why there are more serene scenes before the conflict.

Many of the costumes are also vastly different from those in Western horror movies. The costumes can reflect ancient Indian themes because the plots are often set in the past and based

around royalty. Characters often are seen in traditional South Asian clothes, such as sarees, a wrap dress commonly worn by women.

In American horror movies such as Ouija Board, Birdbox, and Smile, the costumes are more casual. The plots often revolve around regular characters rather than the elite, who are often the focus in popular Bollywood horror movies. 

Although both the Bollywood and Hollywood horror movie cultures are unique, they share some similarities, including their downgrades when it comes to sequels. Both drag the plot more than necessary and the story becomes uninteresting. 

For example, The Conjuring has five parts and Bollywood’s 1920 has four parts. In both these sequels, the story gets dried out, and seems like the company ran out of new ideas.

Regardless, the biggest shared factor is that both industries’ horror movies fulfill their goal of scaring the viewers in their execution. These movies can be found across platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime.