Tunnel 26, also known as Tunnel 26: The Curse Beneath the Mountain, is shaping up to be one of the more unusual cross-border horror projects coming out of the Himalayan region, bringing filmmakers and performers from Bhutan, Nepal and India together for a supernatural horror-thriller which has been made primarily in Dzongkha.
A Bhutanese Horror Story With a Regional Cast
The film is written and directed by DD Kinley and was originally made in Bhutan’s national language, Dzongkha, and it is being presented by Sangay Tsheltrim Films and Pic XV Productions, with production involving companies from Bhutan, Nepal and India.
The cast is also a sizeable cross-border mix, including Sangay Tsheltrim, Anup Bikram Shahi, Anna Sharma, Roshini Dada, Nidup Dorji, Phuntshok Dhonden, Deky Lhamo, Jamyang Tenpa, Phuntsho Kinrab, Chencho Lama, Kezang Kaj, Tseki Wangdi, Kaya Gyeltshen, Namgay DJ, Jigme Carlos, Chablop Pasu and Ugyen Dorji.
The horror story is set around Tunnel 26, with the production describing the film as a horror-thriller rooted in Bhutan and inspired by true events, and the current available material points towards a film about a zombie-like outbreak trapped deep within an ancient mountain.
The Teaser Is Out
Three Countries, One Production
There is quite a lot going on behind the camera here as well – Nirvana Chaudhary, Managing Director of the Chaudhary Group, is making his first film investment with Tunnel 26, while Nepali actor Pradeep Khadka is also involved as a producer and creative producer. Indian filmmaker Prashant Kumar Gupta is another of the project’s producers.
The production companies involved include Dorjigs Production, Reltic Pictures, Domsip and Rolling Image Pictures, with Dorji Wangchuk serving as executive producer. Khadka’s involvement also marks his fourth production collaboration, following projects including Scape, Thulo Manchhe and Eklo.
And the technical crew is just as international – Dirgha Gurung and Sangay T. Tenzing handled cinematography, Raju Tamang is the action director, Krishna Sharma is production designer and Pema Lhamo handled production management, while the visual effects are being handled by Niphan Studio, while the music comes from Thai composer Terdsak Janpan.
The Bhutan-Nepal Connection
Bhutanese cinema is obviously still a relatively small national film industry compared with its neighbours, so a production built around a Bhutanese story, a Dzongkha-language original and a cast drawn from several South Asian countries is a fairly significant undertaking – it is not simply a Nepali production shooting in Bhutan, as the project has Bhutanese, Nepali and Indian performers and filmmakers, featuring production companies from the three countries, with plans to reach audiences across different markets.
The current plan right now seems to be for Tunnel 26: The Curse Beneath the Mountain to reach cinemas in Nepal, Bhutan and Thailand in October 2026, although a specific day has not been announced in the available reports as of writing, but for now, the film remains deliberately mysterious, with the teaser doing most of the selling at this point.
Check out some more Bhutanese horror movies
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