The death of horror films

BENGALURU:  I was watching a horror web-series recently, hoping to catch some mid-week chills. I parked my posterior on the chair and hoped for the best. Unfortunately, I was as scared as Chacha Chaudhary when Gobar Singh threatened him (If you’re too young for that reference - I mean, ‘not at all’). 

I was always a horror enthusiast, but my parents forbade me from exploring this side of my personality. While my friends watched and raved about Zee Horror Show at school, I was allowed access to Mowgli and his semi-clad adventures. Perhaps they felt that dealing with my Maths teacher was horrific enough. Upon growing up, I made sure to watch horror films in theatres.

The fact that most horror films don’t run to packed houses only made the experience more immersive - with empty seats on either side. While watching Bhoot, I nearly peed my pants. Thanks to Annabelle, I quickly scamper past toy stores in malls to this day. 

But my grudge against Indian horror films is that they aren’t very original - they’re mostly clones of Western films. If American ghosts were exorcised by a priest chanting verses from the Bible, Indian films had a tantrik chanting mantras. The ghosts always had a backstory - they were harmed by a rich, evil man in the past, and were out to seek revenge. The only real Indian contribution to horror films were the ‘naagin’ films - where a shape-shifting snake seeks revenge from someone who killed her lover in the past birth. It took a Ram Gopal Verma to bring respect to the Indian horror scene - by churning out a handful of horror films every year, year after year. 

It’s been years since I enjoyed a horror film. You see, horror films simply don’t work in the era of social media and dwindling attention spans. Earlier, you had one dude screaming in the hall to provide some extra chills to the audience. But now, I can simply unlock my phone and look at dog videos, baby videos, or dog-with-baby videos. Smartphones can draw viewers out of even the most immersive visual experience. 

If you’re a reader of my column, you’ll know that every week, I offer humble suggestions to make the world a better place. This week, here are a few ways to make horror films more immersive. Consider screening horror films in government offices. The brown files, the cobwebs, and people moving around slowly like zombies could add to the ambience of horror films. Of course, not all government offices are like that. And so, here is my second suggestion.

Collect people’s phones at the entrance. No messages, no pings, no emails. Imagine the horror people will feel when they cannot take pictures of the title credits of the movie. Imagine having to deal with the ghosts and spirits in the movie, while already dealing with the constant anxiety of looking for your phone in your pockets! Or, simply wait for the next pandemic. Watch as people are locked indoors and spew hatred at each other. As they insinuate horrific theories and prove that social media is actually a gateway to the dark entrails of their minds. 

Either way, horror films will find it difficult to survive in the age of smartphones and social media. A ghost is less scary than one’s boss, and an evil spirit is no match for a deadline stomping towards you. While the tantrik was the enemy of the evil spirits in the past, smartphones are the enemies of horror films today. 

BENGALURU:  I was watching a horror web-series recently, hoping to catch some mid-week chills. I parked my posterior on the chair and hoped for the best. Unfortunately, I was as scared as Chacha Chaudhary when Gobar Singh threatened him (If you’re too young for that reference - I mean, ‘not at all’).  I was always a horror enthusiast, but my parents forbade me from exploring this side of my personality. While my friends watched and raved about Zee Horror Show at school, I was allowed access to Mowgli and his semi-clad adventures. Perhaps they felt that dealing with my Maths teacher was horrific enough. Upon growing up, I made sure to watch horror films in theatres. The fact that most horror films don’t run to packed houses only made the experience more immersive - with empty seats on either side. While watching Bhoot, I nearly peed my pants. Thanks to Annabelle, I quickly scamper past toy stores in malls to this day.  But my grudge against Indian horror films is that they aren’t very original - they’re mostly clones of Western films. If American ghosts were exorcised by a priest chanting verses from the Bible, Indian films had a tantrik chanting mantras. The ghosts always had a backstory - they were harmed by a rich, evil man in the past, and were out to seek revenge. The only real Indian contribution to horror films were the ‘naagin’ films - where a shape-shifting snake seeks revenge from someone who killed her lover in the past birth. It took a Ram Gopal Verma to bring respect to the Indian horror scene - by churning out a handful of horror films every year, year after year.  It’s been years since I enjoyed a horror film. You see, horror films simply don’t work in the era of social media and dwindling attention spans. Earlier, you had one dude screaming in the hall to provide some extra chills to the audience. But now, I can simply unlock my phone and look at dog videos, baby videos, or dog-with-baby videos. Smartphones can draw viewers out of even the most immersive visual experience.  If you’re a reader of my column, you’ll know that every week, I offer humble suggestions to make the world a better place. This week, here are a few ways to make horror films more immersive. Consider screening horror films in government offices. The brown files, the cobwebs, and people moving around slowly like zombies could add to the ambience of horror films. Of course, not all government offices are like that. And so, here is my second suggestion. Collect people’s phones at the entrance. No messages, no pings, no emails. Imagine the horror people will feel when they cannot take pictures of the title credits of the movie. Imagine having to deal with the ghosts and spirits in the movie, while already dealing with the constant anxiety of looking for your phone in your pockets! Or, simply wait for the next pandemic. Watch as people are locked indoors and spew hatred at each other. As they insinuate horrific theories and prove that social media is actually a gateway to the dark entrails of their minds.  Either way, horror films will find it difficult to survive in the age of smartphones and social media. A ghost is less scary than one’s boss, and an evil spirit is no match for a deadline stomping towards you. While the tantrik was the enemy of the evil spirits in the past, smartphones are the enemies of horror films today.