Interview With The Author Of JustUtter Horror Series "Bhoota Gappa" About The Success Of "Bhoota Gappa -2" & "Bhoota Gappa - Part 3" Released On Oct 2025

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In Conversation with Pratiksha Misra:

Folklore Behind the Fear in Bhoota Gappa 3

For horror fans and folklore lovers, October 2025 brings more than a chill in the air — it brings the release of Bhoota Gappa 3 – The Burnt Smell of Fresh Ash. We sat down with author Pratiksha Misra, founder of JustUtter, to talk about the journey from viral 2-Minute Horror Stories to a global folklore horror series.

Q1. You’ve written across genres — from poetry to horror. What drew you back to folklore-driven horror for Bhoota Gappa?

Pratiksha:
Horror was my first love as a storyteller, not the jump-scare kind, but the quiet chill of a grandmother’s tale. Folklore is where horror began. It’s also where culture lives. With Bhoota Gappa, I wanted to capture that authentic voice before it disappeared under pop-culture tropes.

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Q2. Do you remember the first scary story you heard as a child?

Pratiksha:
I grew up in Rourkela,Odisha listening to real life encounters about restless spirits and true life like forms that sometimes shock as well as surprise you beyond explanation. One story about a headless man walking in the premises of Rourkela Steel Plant, while the people who were working spotted that unusual sight, another story about a lady in white that used to often visit the backyard of our Buxibazaar house in Servants of India Society. Most of these stories were narrated by my dad, or by my grandma, that has embedded in my memory.

Q3. Bhoota Gappa 2 made folklore horror a corridor-to-party conversation topic. What clicked with readers?

Pratiksha:
Authenticity. Readers saw their grandparents’ stories, the stories back in their childhood days, the stories of folklore creatures from the streets of their native villages on these pages. They also liked that there were true encounters narrated by real people, who have experienced the supernatural element first hand in actual locations, that they have been to. The viral "2 Min Horror Stories" as well as "Tell Me A Bhoota Gappa" campaigns proved instrumental in connecting the dots from various cultures within India as well as outside of it proving the fact that scares can travel fast.

Q4. What was the most memorable reader response to Part 2?

Pratiksha:
A college student from Karnataka wrote to say one of the tales reminded her of a story she herself encountered in her hostel's bathroom as she saw the spirit of a dead girl.Some folks also reached out to me talking about the mental trauma they face when these hallucinations are beyond their control. But no one tries to understand that a parallel world is actually trying to be visible through them and is seeking that unknown connection with them.

Q5. How did that success influence the making of Bhoota Gappa 3?

Pratiksha:
It encouraged me to go deeper and travel farther to listen to stories not just from Odisha, but globally. I started researching and writing about "Horror Folklore Creatures" in "Bhoota Gappa Research Log" segment, calling out folklore from forgotten lands like Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, that was a huge success in drawing the local dweller's attention. There were people who wrote to me from Assam, Tripura, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and that made me put the local views as well as a first time ever released picturesque segment of "Horror Folklore Creatures" dictionary in Part 3. The experiences are more rooted and realistically explained since the beginning of human existence amidst folklore and folktales that every kid needs to resonate with.

Q6. Part 3 introduces a Horror Folklore Creatures Dictionary. Why include it?

Pratiksha:
Folklore creatures often vanish because their stories are lost amidst smart devices and distracted mass. The stories that have been narrated by our ancestors needs to be told over and over again to the newer generations to understand their roots and their cultural upbringing. They need to recognize the sense of  community beyond social media, they need to recognize and protect the animals, the natural beauty, the authenticity of their cultural heritage that once their ancestors were proud about. This dictionary reveals those folklore creatures as historical record. Readers can now continue to share these forgotten tales with their kids and the future generations without fail about how a spiritual angel in Assam can save the farmers from dying of hunger. It is with history that one finds the truth about their lives.

Q7. If a new reader starts with Bhoota Gappa 3, what should they expect?

Pratiksha:
Thirteen new stories narrated by real people coming from different places but joining hands together fearlessly,  alongside the author's "2minhorrorstories" and a guide to over forty folklore creatures. Expect to travel across rivers, forests, mountains and find that our oldest fears are surprisingly alike.

Azagka's main story is growing interesting as well in this part with unraveling a lot of scenes that blends into a rather nail biting experience. This part also introduces new characters never heard before that might make the coming soon parts more exciting and enticing.

Q8. Which creature from Part 3 still lingers in your mind?

Pratiksha:
A new character that I introduced amongst others in Bhoota Gappa 3. It’s both a protector and a punisher. It embodies how folklore creatures can shift shapes and become the depictions of nature. The animals who resemble the characters also have a resemblance to folklore creatures both good and evil across cultures.

Q9. Why do you believe folklore horror resonates more deeply than cinematic jumpscares?

Pratiksha:
Because it’s inherited. When fear is tied to place, to custom, to family memory, it feels personal. You can’t shake it off when the movie ends.

Q10. If you could ask readers one thing to keep folklore alive, what would it be?

Pratiksha:
Share one horror story from your hometown, a story you heard from a grandparent or neighbor. Folklore only survives when it’s retold.

“Stories travel faster than we do.
From the riverbanks of Assam to the deserts of Afghanistan, the same fears whisper in different tongues.
That is what Bhoota Gappa 3 celebrates, the invisible thread of folklore that binds us.”

Bhoota Gappa 3 – The Burnt Smell of Fresh Ash is available now.
Step beyond jump-scares and meet the creatures that haunted our ancestors and still haunt the world’s stories.