India, Oct. 24 -- Try not to scream. Horror is going through its own full-moon moment. Bollywood thankfully left its gloriously tacky Ramsay Brothers films and the Bhatts' sleazy-scary specials behind for atmospheric thrills. Hollywood has given vampires a high-school update, got us to fear cheerleaders, dolls and robots. And with all the streaming networks, we're wary of fast-growing mushrooms, slow-moving zombies, Korean nuns, anti-ageing drugs, and Japanese dudes who want to enlist us in group games.

The genre feels different. Horror stories have more meat, the shocks go beyond jump scares, the jokes are meta, there are very real concerns woven into the gory mix. Big studios are backing horror content, A-listers are signing up to slas...