QUICK SCHLOCK: BOLLYWOOD HORROR COLLECTION
Bollywood has produced plenty of horror films over the years but they have had precious little distribution beyond Indian home video companies, particularly in English speaking countries. One of the few to pick up the gauntlet during the DVD era was international horror specialist label Mondo Macabro, who released a trio of fondly-remembered releases under the moniker Bollywood Horror Collection that delved into the back catalog of the Ramsay Family, India's premier specialists in horror fare.
Those DVD's are long out of print and go for a pretty penny now but thankfully Mondo Macabro has revived five of the six titles (*) they released in that series via a blu-ray box set also entitled Bollywood Horror Collection. All but one of the titles in this box has gotten a fresh HD transfer and there are plentiful new extras for this set, including exclusive interviews on each disc plus an epic squarebound booklet with an in-depth essay on the history of Indian horror filmmaking.
Read on for quick capsule reviews of each title in the set: taken together, they offer a colorful and imaginative overview of the interesting and unusual shapes the horror genre takes when informed by the cultural and commercial concerns of a different country.
AATMA: "A lot of fun and probably a good introduction to Ramsay family horrors for modern viewers used to shorter, slicker films." https://boxd.it/49LnTv
PURANA MANDIR: "...when the Ramsays go for the audience's throat, they manage to summon up a fierce intensity without ever going too far with gore." https://boxd.it/4fhkcH
PURANA HAVELI: "...fans will want to tune in because it starts and finishes with strong shock sequences and boasts a memorably freaky monster..." https://boxd.it/4dzjrf
TAHKHANA: "...rockets from one element to another and delivers several gruesome shocks, paying off with a really intense storm-the-dungeon/monster battle finale..." https://boxd.it/4fhkTr
VEERANA: "The most impressive thing is the way that the humor, family melodrama and gothic horror stuff are all woven together in the finale." https://boxd.it/4dziwD
BANDH DARWAZA: "...the final half hour is like a fever dream of jump scares, pseudo kung fu battles, vampire attacks, black vs white magic and gothic theatrics..." https://boxd.it/49Lnwh
(*) The one title not revived for Mondo Macabros's box set is Mahakaal - and if you want that film, Massacre Video has released their own blu-ray for it. Here's a bonus review for that title...
MAHAKAAL: "...a buffet of entertainment with a horror edge that's designed to entertain a cross-section of people rather than just a genre crowd." https://boxd.it/4iFJYr