Page 33 - Seniorstoday Nov 2024 Issue
P. 33
Film
Horror To The Fore
Today’s horror comedies are aimed not at adults, but at young audiences,
who enjoy the chills, thrills, laughter and catharsis of these movies, writes
Deepa Gahlot
The box-office records have come in, Bhool Hollywood may have its own horror
Bhulaiya 3 is a super hit—even the third stories of vampires, zombies and
time round, this horror comedy franchise werewolves, and even Halloween, a festival
found success, even though its plot was to celebrate ghosts, ghouls, witches and
sketchy and the scares sporadic. other paranormal creatures, but Indian
However, a genre that was once folklore also is full of stories of daayans,
considered B grade when the Ramsay chudails, betaals, and beliefs such as a
Brother horror movies were being churned ghost’s feet being back-to-front, a chudail’s
out on relatively small budgets and no power wrested in her braid, or a ghost’s
expensive CGI, is now stepping into the image not being reflected in a mirror—
A game. In 2024, Stree 2: Sarkate Ka myths that the two Stree films utilised in a
Rahasya, sequel to 2018’s Stree turned out contemporary setting.
to be a blockbuster, as did Munya, a sleeper More sophisticated VFX have made
hit with no stars and no promotion. When horror movies worth a producer’s while,
Tumbbad, which had flopped in 2018, was and have also given free rein to the
re-released recently, it also proved to be a imaginations of writers and directors,
success. Earlier in the year, Shaitaan was a with directors like Amar Kaushik (Stree)
hit; Bhediya in 2022 was appreciated, and and Aditya Sarpotdar (Munjya, Kakuda)
a big enough hit to merit a sequel to be out leading the pack, and Dinesh Vijan of
next year. Maddock films going for a now lucrative
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #65 | NOVEMBER 2024 33
