"HORROR, however modern, should be Indian at heart", says director Shyam Ramsay.

Film maker Shyam Ramsay,  believes that the spurt of horror films based in cities are a sign of changing times, but the success lies in its execution of a story.

For decades, Indian horror film was often equated with purani havelis, chudails or possessions triggered in isolated places. Its only the in the past one decade that the horror elements have been brought to the city. Ram Gopal Verma”s Bhoot was one such film that changed the trend where the story of possession was set in a penthouse in Mumbai.

Do you feel the times are changing for horror films in India?

A. Yes, which is why we see a spurt of upcoming horror  films set in cities or carrying an urbane ring to it. For instance, Ragini MMS 2, darr @The Mall or even” Neighbours”, which I have directed.

The audience have seen enough of horror films based in havelis. So how do you engage then now?

A. Today it is the young that make up for a large segment of audience. They are exposed to all kinds of films, including horror flicks from the West, most of which are set in cities. When you set a story in a city, it’s a back drop that an audience instantly connects with. And the fact that these familiar places can breed horror intensifies the fear factor. The audience is able to collect and identify with the story unfolding before them. What Ragini MMS did is tell a story. A format made popular by The Blair Witch Project and Paranomial Activity series. This kind of a story telling not only turned out to be a novelty for the Indian audience, but also lend authencity to the horror experience.

Does that mean that a horror film set in a city works better than the ones set in a castle?

A. Not really. Backdrops are relevant only to a certain point. They are decided according to the script, which is why Vikram Bhatt”s 1920 set in a castle worked as well as Bhoot, which unfolds in a penthouse. After pioneering the trend of horror films in India, 32 in all, my next” Neighbours” is unlike any of our previous films. It is set in Mumbai city and introduces vampires as a source of horror. The heroine of the film, a horror buff finds that her neighbours are blood suckers and on a killing spree. But whatever the backdrop, what really matters in the end is the execution of the story. Besides today, there’s state of art technology (like special effects ) available to support in the making of a film, or even watching it with surround sound. I don’t have to use extensive make up or prosthetics in my horrors like I did in the past; it can all be achieved with the help of special effects.

 

Do you take inspirations from the west for your films?
A. Yes I do but taking inspirations from the west or experimenting with horror films, one must not forget to keep the soul of the film Indian. Because finally, its one element that draws our audience to connect with the films.” Go Goa Gone”, which was Indias first zombie flick, was a well made film, but it didn’t do too well because too western for our audience.

Besides, one should also remember that a western plot cannot be stretched for three hours, it then becomes a documentary.