5 reasons why Indian horror shows cannot match upto International Standards!

The Indian Television industry has given us all types of content. We have seen some great love stories like Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon? and Madhubala...Ek Ishq, Ek Junoon. We have seen amazing suspense shows like Laut Aao Trisha. The industry is known for its all time favourite Saas Bahu Drama's all the way from Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi to Saath Nibhana Saathiya. We have excellent comedies like Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai and Bhabhiji Ghar Par Hai. But there is one genre that we Indians terribly suck at- Horror! Period.

Indian horror shows have become a joke! Indian horror shows are mostly based on Indian folklore. Well, I am not saying that Indian folklore has bad horror stories. There are Indian ghost stories that will give you goosebumps! There are stories that will make you think. There are stories that have driven people crazy! So what goes wrong when production houses try to attempt a horror show?

There was a time when India had some really nice episodic horror shows like the first seasons of Aahat and Shhh...Koi Hai. That is because these stories were a mix of Indian and international stories. For example, I remember watching an episode of a headless jailer when I was a kid. That was one scary episode! It gave me the creeps for days! The way it was shot was totally amazing! So why aren't we able to make such shows anymore?

Well, there are quite aAa few reasons why our horror shows are not doing well. After going through a lot of related content, I came up with a few-

1. Over use of VFX.

Back in the day, we used special effect makeup, dummy bodies, generous amounts of fake blood, non-computer generated sounds and much more. We Indians have the habit of overusing something that is good. Computer generated imagery, effects and sounds are very effective tools. But we decided to be lazy and let the computer do most of our job. In the past, if we wanted to show a Naagin, people would take the effort to make a legit costume for the actress. The Naagin of today looks like a Mermaid! She isn't scary at all! There is no emphasis on the Naagins Hypnotic and Alluring eyes! We shot half of the actresses body and pasted it on top of a cheaply animated snake body!

2. Religion Kicked in Yo!

In the past not all episodes showed the victory of good over evil. Sometimes the monster or spirit would be too strong to be beaten and the protagonists would lose. But now times have changed. Good Has' to triumph over evil! It has become sort of a compulsion! One thing Indian Horror has taught me-

Easy steps to do an exorcism-

Step 1- Tie the victim to the bed.

Step 2- Call the doctor who will tell you he knows nothing.

Step 3- Chant the Hanuman Chalisa repeatedly into the victim's ear.

Step 4- Step back and see the spirit go away. You can grab some popcorn at the same time!

3.Lack of experimentation.

Indians are not ready to experiment with different type of horror themes! Most Indian horror shows have similar themes. And all of them have a love angle to them. Why aren't we trying and experimenting with new concepts instead of over using the same old Ghisa-Pita' formulas? How can they expect good viewership when they aren't providing anything new? Psychological horror, cannibalistic horror, alien horror, Voodoo Horror, there are so many themes to choose from! But no we want the guy saves girl or vice versa type of themes.

4. The Star Factor.

If you are making a horror show your main concern should be picking a face that can make the audience connect with him. The audience should feel his every expression; they should be as scared as he is. Horror shows should pick faces for star value at all!

5.The actual shooting.

Producers should get one thing straight. Zooming in and out while shaking the camera, using Win- Amp animation and crappy sound effects aren't going to scare anyone! Instead, a ghost popping out of nowhere right in front of their eyes would give them goose bumps! Minimal VFX can help enhance the scare quality of these shows.

Well, this list can go on and on. All these things apply to Indian movies as well. One thing is clear. Indian Horror is not going anywhere unless and until we start experimenting. We don't need 1920. We need another conjuring!