Cert 15
137 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong supernatural threat and horror.
I am sure that most Western horror fans wouldn't lend a thought to looking to Bollywood for their kicks.
And yet, as Ek Thi Daayan proves, Indian cinema can hold its own when it comes to scary movies.
Kannan Iyer's film drips in witchcraft, menace... and blood.
It stars Emraan Hashmi as a famous magician whose astonishing act includes a trick in which he appears to take his own head off.
He is at the height of popularity but is being literally haunted by memories of the death of his little sister many years before.
Thus, he undergoes hypnosis to try to piece together how the tragedy happened but when he does a greater than expected horror emerges.
In the meantime, his girlfriend (Huma Qureshi) is desperately trying to prevent him being sent mad by images which are now flooding his mind.
And, as he literally tries to fight his demons, along comes Kalki Koechlin whom he becomes convinced is a witch.
Ek Thi Daayan is certainly tougher than many Bollywood movies - the scares come aplenty and the violence is more graphic than is usually seen at Indian cinema.
This may explain why it has such a poor score among Bollywood critics and fans but I found it gripping - largely because a threat to children is at the heart of it.
Vishesh Tiwari plays the magician in flashback alongside little Sara Arjun as his sister. Both add a splendid layer of spookiness to the storyline.
Raaz 3D was the first film to convince me that Bollywood could have a really dark edge. Ek Thi Daayan emphasises the point.
Laughs: none
Jumps: Three
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 8/10