From Ram Gopal Varma’s 'Bhoot' to Rajkummar Rao's 'Stree,' how horror genre grew at box office

In 2003, Ram Gopal Varma’s Bhoot managed to do what a number of successive horror films failed to — scare the hell out of the audience. While there have been attempts at making good films in the genre since then (the most recent one being Pari in March this year, which did average business at the box office), it’s difficult to think of a classic scary film that stood out for its treatment or content. But think of frights mixed with something else — humour, satire, drama, mystery — and a few names pop up in mind. For instance, Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK’s 2013 zom-com Go Goa Gone, Rohit Shetty’s horror comedy Golmaal Again (2017), Raj and DK’s supernatural comedy, Stree (2018), which blended folklore and satire, and the most recent Tumbbad, directed by Rahi Anil Barve — a mystery thriller with elements of horror. These are examples of filmmakers weaving in different treatments to tell a spooky tale.

FUSING GENRES

Writer-filmmaker Raj Nidimoru believes directors have realised that one doesn’t need a classic movie template for it to be a success, anymore. “So, jeepers-creepers can be mixed with comedy or satire. And it’s pretty exciting when genres are blended. Horror and comedy are two basic instincts, and when combined, it makes for a terrific result,” says Raj (of Raj and Krishna DK), who have earlier mixed genres in their movies like Shor In The City (2011) and Goa Goa Gone (2013) as well. Their horror-comedy Stree crossed the coveted Rs 100-crore mark in its third week. Raj says that their effort with the film was to take a satirical look at the mob mentality and gender reversal, etc. 

Raj adds, “Maybe people are appreciating the newness in the way horror is fused with something else, like in Stree or Golmaal Again.” 

For actor Sohum Shah, who stars in Tumbbad, it’s about having an emotionally fulfilling experience, regardless of the genre of the movie. “It’s like being on a roller coaster ride, which is so emotionally-charged yet spooky, that by the end, it will consume you with this overwhelming sense of passion,” he adds.

CONTEMPORARY WRITING

In what turned out to be one of the most talked about scary thrillers in recent times, the three-part series Ghoul went beyond ghosts and evil spirits. In its dystopian world, it came out in the form of the government keeping an eye on its citizens and silencing those who rebelled. Stree has a ‘naye Bharat ki chudail’ who has Aadhar card details of all the people in the town. The chuckles elicited by such dialogues are proof that the audience has immediately responded to the contemporary writing. “Gone are the days of voodoo dolls,” believes Girish Johar, film and trade business analyst, “One has to connect with the audience at a level where they believe what you’re trying to say.” Raj adds, “It’s when a movie sets out to be something else and transcends into something else altogether, that’s when it goes from being just another film to something more relevant.” 

BRINGING IN THE FAMILY AUDIENCES

When it comes to the economics of flicks that give you the heebie-jeebies, Girish opines that here, as well as in Hollywood, they have the highest Return on Investment (ROI). “Post Bhoot, which was a cult horror, we haven’t had a successful film of that level, although movies like Ragini MMS and its sequel did well,” he states. The film certification, too, matters. An A certified movie will not see as many seats occupied in the theatre as a U/A rated one. “A classic scary movie becomes a risky venture as you tend to lose out on two major revenue chunks — the female family audiences and satellite rights. But, if it’s well-made and you’re confident of the content, then it’s a sure-shot winner,” he adds.

Although Raj says that he did not make a conscious decision to dilute horror by adding comedy to Stree, he does see the point of there being fewer takers for a scare fest, as it would be slightly more niche. “I’d rather take horror as a device to push across something else that I want to say,” he says.