Hot on the heels of Haunted 3D success, Vikram Bhatt announces return to 1920 horror franchise

Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt has officially announced his grand return to the iconic 1920 supernatural film series with a brand-new installment titled 1920: Cold Winter. This exciting development comes immediately after the surprising box office success of his latest release, Haunted 3D: Echoes of the Past, which hit theaters on June 12, 2026. Riding high on this massive creative momentum, the ace director is reuniting with veteran producer Anand Pandit to bring audiences another bone-chilling chapter in a franchise that has terrified Indian cinema enthusiasts for nearly two decades. The project will be written and directed by Vikram Bhatt himself, with Roopa Pandit and Rahul V. Dubey serving as co-producers to ensure the project meets high-quality expectations.

The journey to this announcement has been nothing short of a rollercoaster for the filmmaker, who recently opened up about the extreme hardships faced during the making of his latest hit. Haunted 3D: Echoes of the Past was plagued by severe financial crunches just ten days into production, forcing the crew to borrow money on high interest rates to keep the cameras rolling. Compounding these production issues, Bhatt faced major personal adversity when he spent seventy-five days in prison over legal allegations that he maintains were completely false. During his incarceration, the director even suggested releasing the film without his name attached, but producer Anand Pandit firmly stood by him, refusing to greenlight the release until Bhatt returned to complete the intense post-production and visual effects work.

Despite arriving in theaters heavily wounded by a last-minute legal challenge that left exhibitors and distributors incredibly nervous, the horror film managed to pull off an extraordinary victory. It completely defied conventional box office logic by racing ahead of high-profile, star-studded theatrical competitors like Imtiaz Ali’s Main Vaapas Aaunga and the Kangana Ranaut starrer Bharat Bhagya Vidhata. Bhatt credited this surprise triumph to a highly targeted marketing strategy that focused strictly on core mass audiences in non-metro areas rather than expensive, widespread promotions. He noted that the unexpected ticket sales prove the enduring power of well-established cinematic brands, offering an important lesson to the entertainment industry that dedicated franchise followers can outdraw traditional star-cast blockbusters.

To deliver a massive visual scale within strict budgetary constraints, the filmmaker heavily integrated artificial intelligence throughout the production of his latest hit. While some critics initially questioned the use of digital technology, Bhatt defended the creative choice by comparing AI to traditional studio sets or computer-generated imagery, explaining that it allowed him to craft the eerie, dreamlike, and time-stuck atmosphere essential for a true supernatural experience. This same blend of distinct atmospheric storytelling and terrifying thrills is expected to define 1920: Cold Winter as it builds upon a legacy that originally began with the hit 2008 original starring Adah Sharma. Fans of the franchise can look forward to another deeply unsettling journey into the unknown as the creative duo moves rapidly into pre-production for this next winter-themed chapter.