Halloween 2017: Five Ramsay Brothers horror movies which are so bad that they are good

These horror movies might provide a little unintentional humour.

Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood, hasn’t produced any noteworthy horror movie till date. More often than not, Hindi horror movies star struggling actors, are low-budgeted, and produced by small studios. Thus, the resulting production too is tacky. But some of the classic horror films by the likes of Ramsay Brothers can actually be good to watch especially when you have nothing better to do and need to kill time. Sometimes over-the-top acting, cliches and melodramatic emotions can make for unintentional humour too. You may have heard about a very peculiar genre called ‘so-bad-it-is-good’. Plus, Halloween is here, and there is no better time to watch horror movies. We are giving you a list of 5 such Ramsay Brothers horror movies that you absolutely must watch this Halloween.

Most of these movies might seem dated (honestly, they are), and might not be scary now that we all are spoiled by Hollywood. But they are still entertaining and also reinforce the point that Indian folk tales of dark arts and myths are a good source of horror, only if a big production house would delve into the genre that is long being scorned.

Shaitani Ilaka: If there is one thing Ramsay Brothers knew, it was to make masala horror movies that appealed to the masses without taxing their brains too much. Shaitani Ilaka is my personal favourite and it was actually pretty scary. The demon in the film, called Shaitan, was creepy, insistent and hirsute (it seemed like the result of an unholy union between a man and a she-bear). A tale of evil sorceress sacrificing virgin brides at the altar of Shaitan, even with its miserable effects, Shaitani Ilaka is interesting, to say the least.

Bandh Darwaza: Another Ramsay Brothers film. They were clearly very active in the late 20th century. Bandh Darwaza tells the story of a woman who is unable to conceive a child and seeks the help of an ancient vampire, who is clearly a Dracula ripoff. But as we know asking the help of supernatural entities never ends up well, things go wrong here too.

Tahkhana: One thing Ramsay Brothers’ movies did well is to draw elements from Hindu mythology and folk stories involving tantriks, chudails, taveez, shaap and so on. Even if they did not do a good job, at least they tried. Tahkhana doubles up as a treasure hunt story apart from a horror film and is notable for a really frightening monster.

Purana Mandir: It had actors like Mohnish Bahl and Puneet Issar who would gain fame later on. The film was an unusually complex story of an evil curse encompassing multiple generations. Again, like all Ramsay Brothers films, it was highly derivative, but who cares, right?

Veerana: A genuinely scary film thanks to some really unsettling makeup of the witch. Fans of Ramsay Brothers insist that this film is the best they have made. Gory, atmospheric, and bloody, this film is certainly a horror movie fan’s delight.