By: Manzoor Hussain

Horror is a genre of drama that instills a sense of fear among viewers. Famous horror fiction writer H.P. Lovecraft defined horror in this way: “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.”

Horror movie or drama is something which tides you with screens until end (no matter how scared you are), you always sit till the end to watch it. It is a game of feelings and stirs up emotions as it is the only genre named after the feeling it evokes. Horror speaks to human urge of feeling safe and certain. When we don’t feel safe, we naturally seek to fill in the blanks. There are atmospheric stories and blood-chilling horror scenes, enough to make the drama truly horror and leave viewers afraid of turning off the light. Viewers appreciates concepts of horror packed with thrilling moments and twisted story. No family gathering ends without a horror stories segment. Concept of supernatural creature dates back to the history of mankind but horror as practicing today linked with ancient Roman and Greek empires where evils got religious standings. Demons, ghosts, witches, Jin, black magic, death, apocalyptic loneliness, near-permanent darkness, remote location, isolation, a sense of claustrophobia and concept of evil spirits are some of the true representation of what horror is all about. Horror drama has the ability to drag viewer inside and they started visualizing themselves in the story. In other words, it immerses viewer into the character. Vague descriptions, foreshadowing, disoriented reality, chaos, amazing ability to play tricks with brains, powerlessness, vivid sensory details, delusional imagery and multiple possibilities of danger create an increased sense of dread and viewers start nail biting. In the horror genre, characters are often damaged and flawed, dealing with feelings of escalating pain, grief, paranoia, loss, loneliness, trauma, depression, and mortality which might end up in terrible situations terrorized by supernatural creatures.

A truly scary drama /show/movie obviously has fear and it is an art mainly relies on producer’s ability to build tension by terrifying (for an adult viewer, at least) harder. Other necessary aspects include revulsion, surprise and terror. A really good horror story makes people feel disgust, arises fear of unknown that lead viewers towards very potent ingredient of our imagination-terror. Along with a good story plot, it needs relatable characters to make people realize that they are watching it first time. Adding twists and cliffhangers in the drama compels viewers to find out what happens in the next episode because it is widely believed that horror with suspense is the first kernel of presenting drama skillfully. Minor twists and turns are also considered good to maintain spooky atmosphere and keep viewers engaged by directing them away from what they might think the ending will be.

In these days, horror shows have a compelling and frequently gruesome foray into the world of supernatural, fully-formed unfettered characters help growing emotions while facing significantly more intricate challenges. This drama genre creates tension and fear for viewers, it can be as simple as a shiver running down character’s spine when passing by a locked door, or a feeling of dread when walking down a dark corridor.

From some nostalgic horror series presented by Pakistan Television (PTV) in late ’90s to more recent shows or dramas/movies, Pakistani horror fans have many startling TV shows, because entertainment industry has produced a lot of dramas based on scary stories. But, one cannot forget to mention famous drama ‘Haqeeqat’ presented by PTV in late 90’s while discussing Pakistani horror dramas, especially those whom childhood memories are attached with the series. Maybe at this time, it would not be the best drama but for mostly Pakistani viewers (especially those who are in their early 40s now), it is their best and memorable drama of childhood. It was a family-based drama that left imprints on the minds of viewers. Coming to 2022, Pakistani horror slate is jam packed this year for both movies and dramas, but content does not seem to be stopping here. This year’s horror lineup ensures that it would be another busy year for viewers of this very genre. Plenty of new shows, dramas are coming up to sensationalize the audience in 2022.

There is good news for those who want 24/7 scares, sensationalism, mystery and thrill. Get ready to be spooky because upcoming drama “Aujhal” by aur Life is ready to scare you with horrifying effects of black magic, evil spirits and paranormal activities of supernatural creatures. It is a Pakistani horror drama filmized on some true stories and incidents that took place with different people at different places.

Aujhal tells a perfect story from start to end, leaving some questions unanswered in an intelligent way, episodes are full of clues, packed with action and great character development. Sure enough, this upcoming horror thriller will push the bounds of scary storytelling on television and will help in starting renaissance of small-screen horror in the country.

Here’s the official synopsis: “Aujhal is a horror show inspired by real life incidents narrated by alleged victims or by their friends or relatives. The show picturizes different accounts of haunting incidents stated at various platforms. As it is only inspired by true events, therefore characters, locations and other details are not the same and some fiction is also added in stories to make episodes more interesting and attractive to the audience.”

Aujhal is a series which will hopefully draw plenty of viewers, thirsty for supernatural folks by revealing haunting, scariest places on earth and unsolved mysteries. Shoot of the series is based on years-old arcane stories to develop sense of horror. Chilling adventures manages to scratch horror itch for fans of demonic magical metaphor. It is definitely a reliably well-acted, creepy drama visualized as personal, familial, and workplace play. Family oriented content of Aujhal is creative and imagination is squeaky in nature. Drama makers have successfully kept the secrecy intact and have not revealed the mystery until near the end to tap into viewers’ primal fears and let them fill in the blanks. Viewers will surely feel uncertain and could not be able to make any decision about next happening. Mysteries will raise further questions and at no point viewers will feel that they have all the answers. End of the drama leaves some element unexplained.

The drama consists upon overall 13 episodes where every episode carries horror story entirely different from the previous one. Twist revealed in the final episode is much heavier than one would expect to see. All 13 episodes will drop on aur Life very soon.