dissertation title page

Manipal University, MBA in Media & Entertainment 2012

COMPARATIVE STUDY OF HORROR FILMS MARKET (HOLLYWOOD AND

BOLLYWOOD) IN INDIA.

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the award of the

Degree of Master of Business Administration in

MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

By

NEELAPU VIKASH RAO

Manipal University Bangalore Campus

December 2011


CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the dissertation entitled “COMPARATIVE STUDY OF HORROR

FILMS MARKET (HOLLYWOOD & BOLLYWOOD) IN INDIA” submitted by

NEELAPU VIKASH RAO,

In partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of degree MASTER OF BUSINESS

ADMINISTRATION IN MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT to Manipal University Bangalore

campus is a record of the candidate’s own work carried out by him under my supervision.

The matter embodied in this dissertation is original and has not been submitted for the award

of any other degree.

Date :________________


Acknowledgements

We are extremely grateful to Ms Padma Srinivasan and Ms. Shinu Abhi for giving us the

opportunity to work on this dessertation. Their constant guidance and motivation have helped

us learn valuable lessons in research.

We would also like to thank our friends and family who stepped up to the occasion and

helped us in data collection and took our research one step forward.

Special thanks to our celebrity interviewees, without whose input our research would have

lacked the industry insight that it requires.

Thanks.


S.No. Title Page No.

1 Certificate 2

2 Acknowledgements 3

3 Executive Summary 5

4 Introduction 6-8

5 Introduction to the problem

I. Title of the study

II. Statement of the problem

III. Objectives of the study

IV. Scope of the study

V. Limitations of the study

9-10

7 Industry / Company profile

I. Industry Profile and Com-

pany Profile

II. Products/services profile

10-13

8 Review of Literature

I. Operational definitions

II. Literature review

III. Theories applicable to the

study

13-16

9 Research Methodology 16-17

10 Data Analysis 18-21

11 Comparative study and growth of

Bollywood & Hollywood horror

films.

21-25

12 Summary 26-27

10 Conclusion 28-30


Executive summary

The market : Horror is a genre that never goes out of style. These films provide best

risk/reward ratio in the movie industry, and often enjoy box office success and video/DVD

sales without major stars. They have lower budget than other genres and have a loyal

audience in a most desirable demographic (18-35 year old)

The industry: low budget horror movies are major economic forces within the film industry.

Haunted 3D in 2010 grossed Rs. 14.30 crores in week 1. 1920 took it over 4 crores in the 1st

week in the year 2008, Darna Zaroori Hai in 2006 crossed 3.2 crores in the 1st week again. All

these films were produced for under 1 crore approximately.

Global box office revenue of the entire industry is projected to grow US$ 10 billion to US$

18 billion between 2000 to 2010, according to Baskerville communication. The National

Association of the Theatre Owners (NATO) reported annual domestic ticket sales of $7.5

billion by the end of past decade, a 55 percent increase since 1990. The top 10 countries

house 80 percent of the world screen count, while the United states, China and India account

for 67 percent of the global screen count.

Risk factor: although investors have the potential of making huge profits in the movie

industry, the business of producing and distributing low budget films involves certain risk

that are uncommon in most business. Such a venture is only suitable for person who do not

require liquidity in their investments and who are prepared to lose the entire investment.

No assurance can be give for the economic success of any motion pictures specially ‘horror

films’ which has a limited audience. If distributed there is no guarantee that the film will

make money for the investors, the success of the project depends on many intangible factors

including, but not limited to, public acceptance, which cannot be predicted. Therefore,

investors should consider these factors carefully before making a decision to purchase any

interest in the film project.

INTRODUCTION


Acc. to Willinsky – Lloyd : Horror is a genre that never goes out of style. These films provide

the best risk/reward ratio in the movie industry, and often enjoy box office success and

video/DVD sales without major starts. They have lower budgets than other genres, and they

have a loyal audience in most desirable demographic (18-35 years old).

The theme of nightmares, the psychological thrillers and terror, raise the dopamine level of

our mind, it focuses or rivets our attention and captures our, albeit, base instinct, and forces

us to undivided attention.

In some ways, the conventions of realistic fiction and drama may impose serious limitations

on a story. For one thing, if you play by the rules and respect the preparation and pace

required to establish realism, it takes a lot longer to make a point than it does, say, in fantasy.

At the same time, it is possible that this very work that contributes to a story's realism may

weaken its grip on the unconscious. Realism is probably the best way to dramatize argument

and ideas. Fantasy may deal best with themes which lie primarily in the unconscious. I think

the unconscious appeal of a ghost story, for instance, lies in its promise of immortality. If you

can be frightened by a ghost story, then you must accept the possibility that supernatural

beings exist. If they do, then there is more than just oblivion waiting beyond the grave."

It is difficult to do justice to horror films in Bollywood with the lack of documentation and

material available on the subject. Therefore, this article has been written almost entirely on

the basis of memory. As a result there will be certain oversights but the idea is to pay some

kind of homage to a genre that has managed to maintain its niche in India’s massive film

industry.

The earliest ‘horror’ films in Indian cinema revolved around themes of reincarnation and

rebirth. Basically they were the typical old-fashioned ghost story. The attempt was not to

scare as mush as to give the love story a new dimension. The most famous is probably

Kamaal (Pakeezah) Amrohi’s debut film Mahal, where the story lies in moving into an

abandon mansion with a tragic history. Atmospherically photographed in the German

expressionist style appropriately by the German cameraman Joseph Wirsching the film is

heralded as an all time classic.


the 1980s saw Indian horror become synonymous with low budget schlock churned out by

the famous Ramsay Brothers.

This family of filmmakers cornered the low budget market and for decades to come managed

to produce horror film after horror film. The films were safe bets at the box -office often

making their money back in their first week or then grossing impressively at the smaller rural

'B' and 'C' centres. Somewhat unfortunately, it did mean that the horror genre became ghet-

toized and never really broke out of that narrow mould. The horror film genre continued to

remain stuck in a warp which saw films that were made on a shoe string budget, had amaz-

ingly awful special effects and repeated all the same people film after film. And yet the films

had great entertainment value and at least offered something different from the mainstream.

In an industry known to be formulaic, making a horror film can be quite a terrifying

proposition

When Karan Johar decided to produce the big-budget Kaal, he admitted that he was petrified

of the horror film genre. Whether the film's story scared him is not known, but its distributors

sure had a frightening experience after its release. Making horror films is not very high on

Hindi film-makers' agenda, and apart from the Ramsay films spanning three decades — the

70s, 80s, and 90s — there have only been a handful that spring to mind.

Ram Gopal Varma, who has given the genre a new lease lately, disagrees. "Fear is a universal

emotion. And you would be surprised to know that many so-called 'high-society' multiplex

audiences are extremely superstitious and believe in ghosts and spirits," says Varma, whose

latest film Phoonk (releasing on Friday) deals with black magic.

Varma was one of the few directors to have dabbled in a horror film early on in his career

with Raat, and in spite of not achieving massive success in the genre, he has been dishing out

horror films once every few years. Vaastu Shastra, Darna Mana Hai and its sequel, Darna Za-

roori Hai, may have done average to bad business, but 2003's Bhoot was a hit.

“A number of horror films were announced after Bhoot's success, none of which saw the light

of the day due to lack of buyers," says Deepak Ramsay, of the aptly named production house

Ramsay House Of Horrors, who now carries forward the family tradition of making horror

films. "We make much fewer films now. However, we still stick to our old formula of casting


newcomers, coupled with a small budget and a strong story to back it up," says Ramsay, who

directed the small-budget Aatma in 2006.

Few know the ingredients for a successful horror film. The one-dimensional motive of creat-

ing 'fear' is something that a viewer, shelling out big bucks for a film has more often than not,

rejected. Maybe that's why, when the Bhatts decided to make the 'supernatural thriller', Raaz,

they ensured the audience got more than jus a few hair-raising moments. "Raaz had some

great music and was packaged as a 21st Century film. Every time you say 'horror' in Hindi

films, you think of C-grade films with bad special effects," says Mahesh Bhatt, who wrote the

film. He believes that it was the blend of Indian mythology and a Western approach that did

the trick. "We plan to take that forward with our next, Raaz — The Mystery Continues," says

Bhatt.

Varma, however, has stuck to a more traditional approach of making horror films — where

creating fear is the most important motive. And he believes that doing that takes some effort,

and talent. "Unlike in romantic or comedy films, you need a certain amount of technical fi-

nesse while directing horrors. Besides, you need to have an interest in the genre itself," says

Varma.

That fact is: Not many are willing to put money in the genre due to its poor track record. Raj

Kumar Gupta, who directed the critically-acclaimed Aamir, says that in an industry governed

by success, you need one hit horror film to make it the 'hot' subject among film-makers. "If

one works, there'll be a slew of them made in its wake," says Gupta, who admits that he

wouldn't mind making a horror film if he gets his hands on a 'scary' enough script.

Title of the study:


COMPARATIVE STUDY OF HORROR FILMS MARKET (HOLLYWOOD AND

BOLLYWOOD) IN INDIA.

Statement of the problem:

Hindi ‘horror’ films have been operating mostly in the “B” grade halls, offering a sleazy kind

of entertainment to a lower class audience. Such films have suffered from all sorts of

problems arising out of working in the underbelly of the industry. These used to be typically

low budget films. But recently, one can observe a change in the production of horror films.

Films dealing with supernatural subjects have been catching up with their romantic or other

generic counterparts. But what is more interesting about this phenomenon is the use of sound

in them. There is much debate whether Indian films can be classified into genres, but

definitely there are instances where a certain group of films can be clubbed together

according to thematic preoccupations. The Indian horror film, in that sense, can constitute a

generic object for us.

Why do audiences in India prefer Hollywood horror films than Bollywood horror films?

Objectives:

To study the loyal demography of horror movies.

To study the international industry (market and business model) of horror movies

(horror movies have lower budget than other genres.)

To understand the scope of production and distribution of horror films.

To study the risk factors involved in horror movies.

To understand the audience’s perception for the Bollywood horror films.

Scope of the study:

This research would give a clear understanding of the horror film industry of both Bollywood

as well as Hollywood. This findings would help the audiences to understand the market of


Bollywood horror films and give a clear idea about the business and reasons behind this

sudden upsurge of the films which can be loosely clubbed under the ‘horror’ genre.

Limitations of the study

Whether the concerned people would use our findings is a matter of worry and doubt. Since

Some research findings on this topic are well known people could lose interest in answering

our research procedure. The industry may not find anything novel in our findings. Since most

audiences are in favour of horror films, the questionnaire results would not tell what lies

beneath the iceberg.

Industry profile: Bollywood

Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based

in Mumbai,

Maharashtra, India. Bollywood is the largest film producer in India and one of the largest

centers of film production in the world. The term "Bollywood" has origins in the 1970s, when

India overtook America as the world's largest film producer. Credit for the term has been

claimed by several different people, including the lyricist, filmmaker and scholar Amit

Khanna,and the journalist Bevinda Collaco.

History:

Raja Harishchandra (1913), by Dadasaheb Phalke, was the first silent feature film made in

India. By the 1930s, the industry was producing over 200 films per annum. The first Indian

sound film, Ardeshir Irani's Alam Ara (1931), was a major commercial success.There was

clearly a huge market for talkies and musicals; Bollywood and all the regional film industries

quickly switched to sound filming.

In 1937, Ardeshir Irani, of Alam Ara fame, made the first colour film in Hindi, Kisan Kanya.

The next year, he made another colour film, a version ofMother India. However, colour did

not become a popular feature until the late 1950s. At this time, lavish romantic musicals and

melodramas were the staple fare at the cinema.

Genre conventions:

Bollywood films are mostly musicals, and are expected to contain catchy music in the form

of song-and-dance numbers woven into the script. A film's success often depends on the qual-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_film

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kisan_Kanya_(1937_film)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alam_Ara

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ardeshir_Irani

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alam_Ara

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ardeshir_Irani

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dadasaheb_Phalke

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raja_Harishchandra

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumbai

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_industry

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindi


ity of such musical numbers. Indeed, a film's music is often released before the movie itself

and helps increase the audience.

Indian audiences expect full value for their money, with a good entertainer generally referred

to as paisa vasool, (literally, "money's worth"). Songs and dances, love triangles, comedyand

dare-devil thrills are all mixed up in a three-hour-long extravaganza with an intermission.

Such movies are called masala films, after the Hindi word for a spice mixture. Like masalas,

these movies are a mixture of many things such as action, comedy, romance and so on. Most

films have heroes who are able to fight off villains all by themselves

Bollywood plots have tended to be melodramatic. They frequently employ formulaic ingredi-

ents such as star-crossed lovers and angry parents, love triangles, family ties, sacrifice, cor-

rupt politicians, kidnappers, conniving villains, courtesans with hearts of gold, long-lost rela-

tives and siblings separated by fate, dramatic reversals of fortune, and convenient coinci-

dences.

There have always been Indian films with more artistic aims and more sophisticated stories,

both inside and outside the Bollywood tradition. They often lost out at the box office to

movies with more mass appeal. Bollywood conventions are changing, however. A large In-

dian diaspora in English speaking countries, and increased Western influence at home, have

nudged Bollywood films closer to Hollywood models.

Film critic Lata Khubchandani writes,"..our earliest films...had liberal doses of sex and kiss-

ing scenes in them. Strangely, it was after Independence the censor board came into being

and so did all the strictures." Plots now tend to feature Westernised urbanites dating and

dancing in clubs rather than centering on pre-arranged marriages. Though these changes can

widely be seen in contemporary Bollywood, traditional conservative ways of Indian culture

continue to exist in India outside the industry and an element of resistance by some to west-

ern-based influences. Despite this, Bollywood continues to play a major role in fashion in In-

dia. Indeed some studies into fashion in India have revealed that some people are unaware

that the changing nature of fashion in Bollywood films which are presented to them are often

influenced by globalisation and many consider the clothes worn by Bollywood actors as au-

thentically Indian.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_culture

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooker_with_a_heart_of_gold

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melodramatic

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masala_(film_genre)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comedy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paisa


Bollywood horror films have been a sub-genre of the Indian film industry since its early

days. In common with horror films from other countries the films generally consist of

darkness, an old mansion, or an evil being in search of power or revenge. Although critics

have cited the films' violence, the films have garnered a niche audience and surprisingly some

of them have become mainstream hits.

If one carefully analyzes the evolution of the horror genre in Bollywood, it is observed that

the earliest horror movies turned out to be super hits at the box office, but the filmmakers of

the 80s and 90s were not able to do justice to such movies, since they lacked good scripts,

proper research, direction and resources which is a prerequisite to make a good horror movie.

The earliest groundbreaking Hindi horror film Mahal was released in 1949. Directed by Ka-

mal Amrohi, it had reincarnation as its theme, and was one of the biggest box-office hits of

the year.

The 1960s witnessed two major blockbusters; Biren Nag’s Bees Saal Baad (1962) and Raja

Nawathe’s Gumnaam (1965) that topped the box-office charts. Moving to the era of 70s, the

horror movies were usually based on the concept of the supernatural. The two films by Ra-

jkumar Santoshi featuring a huge ensemble cast; the 1976 Nagin and the 1979 Jaani Dushman

were major success and super hits at the box office. 1980s Gehrayee (inspired by The Exor-

cist) based on the subject of possession, is one of the finest and the most remarkable horror

films to emerge from Bollywood, which invested more in its plot and superb performance of

the actors, than the gruesome horror techniques and nasty exorcisms.

The 80s and 90s marked the entry of various new filmmakers who came up with numerous

low-budget films. Ramsays in particular cornered the low-budget market for horror movies

and continued producing such movies for years. Starting with their initial success Do Gaz Za-

meen ke Neeche in 1972, they kept the trend alive for almost two decades, few of them being

Bandh Darwaaza, Veerana, Sannata, Purani Haveli, Guest House, Tahkhana, Shaitani Ilaaka,

Purana Mandir etc.

The movies ran on an average basis and often grossed good collections at the box office The

creations were mostly B-grade films with low-budget, inexperienced cast which undeniably

failed to make a mark on the screen. The stories had nothing unusual to offer, the plot being

usually of distorted faced creatures and evil spirits haunting the villages or an ancestral bun-

http://theviewspaper.net/bigpage/flexible-budget/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_film

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bollywood


galow. The opening scene would usually be a dark-stormy night, pouring down ominous

hosepipes of rain, with the howling of dogs and wolves as the background music. The ghosts

wore those typical, ugly rubber-masks, seemed to have been bought from some substandard

shop. And they would end with a ridiculous exorcism being carried out by some brainless, ul-

tra-idiotic personalities (Read tantriks). Most popular attraction about these movies was

women with microscopic-mini skirts accompanied by the shower and bedroom scenes featur-

ing unattractive bimbos with voluptuous bodies. The cheesiest things perhaps were the

names, some of them being Shaitaani Khopdi, Khooni Aankhen, Chudail No.1, Bhayaanak

Panjaa, Khooni Dracula and the like. Can you imagine yourself watching such nasty flicks?

Then came Raaz in 2002, a thrilling and musical remake of the Hollywood flick What Lies

Beneath. The approach employed by Vikram Bhatt here was much better than the usual Hindi

horror movies. There were no ghastly rubber masks, nor was there much of nudity (though

the movie did have a few steamy scenes). The cast’s acting was far better than expected,

though viewers ended up laughing at a few scenes than getting scared. There was an exor-

cism, but the customary tantrik with a long-beard and black robe was replaced by a modern,

scholarly Professor who also possesses a sixth-sense. The film made for a good one-time

watch. At present, Ram Gopal Varma seems to be monopolizing the Indian horror film mar-

ket. It is evident that he spent considerable time in watching the foreign classics like Polter-

geist, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Evil Dead, The Exorcist, Ami-

tyville Horror, Childs Play, The Eye and so on. His creations, which include Raat(1991),

Kaun(1999), Bhoot(2003), Darna Mana Hai(2003) ,Vaastu Shastra(2004), Naina(2005),

Darna Zaroori Hai(2006) and the newly released Phoonk, are clearly a very Indianish blend

of scenes carefully morphed from all these films. But thanks to the strong performances by

the actors, good direction, subtle special effects and chilling sound effects, the movies have

done fairly well at the box office and proved successful in sending chills down quite a few

spines.

Literature review

The Hindi Horror Movie Genre


In the past, Hindi horror movies haven't fared quite as well as the musicals churned out of

Bollywood every year. The reputation of these once poorly made films seemed to follow

them throughout the decades and Hindi horror filmmakers have been working overtime to put

that reputation behind them. Some moviegoers even classified these films that were produced

with the purpose of scaring them, into the comedy category due to their weak plot lines and

laughable effects. All this is gradually changing, though it may be quite some time before the

horror films are as slickly produced as the Bollywood musicals that have experienced an

enormous amount of success worldwide.

Older Hindi Horror Movies

The plot lines in older horror movies made in Bollywood were centered around classic ghost

stories about reincarnated souls. In the late 1970's and 1980's, the plot lines in the films took a

turn from spooky ghost stories to movies featuring serial killers and the like. This is also the

time period where the most well known Hindi horror film directors, the Ramsay brothers, sur-

faced as the so-called "kings" of the "B-movie" horror genre in Bollywood.

Ramsay Brothers Movies

These brothers whipped out hundreds of horror movies over the decades. Almost all of the

Ramsay brothers' films followed relatively the same format:

A scantily clad heroine

A scantily clad best friend of the heroine

A muscular hero

A flashback montage in the beginning

Dark and spooky places

Ominous mood music that plays throughout the film

Scary monsters

The death of someone in the beginning that swears revenge on the people who have

done wrong by him (or her) in the beginning of the film.

http://movies.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Impact_of_Bollywood


Even though the plots of these movies all seemed to be the same, people never became bored

of Ramsay brothers produced horror movies. Thus they became known as the "kings" of the

horror movie genre. Even with this measured amount of success with these films, they were

still considered to be "B" type movies and not the special effects extravaganzas of the typical

western horror film.

Present Day Hindi Horror Films

The success of the Ramsay brothers' movies began ebbing a bit in the 1990's. Audiences be-

gan yearning for more sophisticated films to scare them. Horror films began evolving out of

the sort of "monster movies" to supernatural and psychological thrillers. Of course, the Ram-

say brothers continue to make the "monster movie" type films, which continue to have a

strong and loyal following.

Some Movies to Check Out

Here's a short list of some websites where you can check out a few clips and trailers from a

few different types of Hindi horror films and maybe get a few suggestions along the way:

The Hot Spot Online

The Bollywood Horror Society

Bollywood Sargam

Calcutta Tube

Planet Bollywood

Something for Everyone

The production of Bollywood horror films has definitely come a long way and they may still

have a ways to go before they reach the sophistication of western produced horror films. You

have to remember, these films don't have the multi-million dollar budget that most American

made films have, so they really shouldn't be compared side by side. Hindi movies generally

have about one-tenth of the budget that American made horror movies have. Even with the

much smaller budget, the films produced are, if anything, entertaining.

http://movies.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Free_Hindi_Movies_to_Download

http://www.planetbollywood.com/Film/Bhoot/

http://calcuttatube.com/2008/02/02/ghutan-2007-horror-film-bollywood-hindi-movie-watch-online/

http://www.bollywoodsargam.com/bollywoodsargam_search.php?search_term=hindi+horror+movies

http://horrorsociety.com/2008/06/05/bollywood-horror/

http://www.thehotspotonline.com/moviespot/bolly/BollyHorror/bollyhorror.htm


It doesn't matter if you love the monster type movies akin to an Attack of the Killer Toma-

toes western produced film or if you love scary movies more along the lines of psychological

or supernatural thrillers, Bollywood horror films definitely have a little something for every-

one to enjoy.

Hypothesis:

The hypothesis is that the audience would prefer to watch Hollywood horror films than

Bollywood horror movies.

Sampling:

1. The sample size taken for this paper is 100 respondents.

2. The respondents are from various cities in India – Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai,

Manipal, New Delhi.

Tools for Data Collection:

The major tool used for this report was online questionnaire. In addition to this, we conducted

telephonic conversations.

Methods of Data Analysis:

Interpretation of Interviews and Articles.

Data Presentation and Statistical Analysis.

Research Methodology:

The type of research and research design:

1. Exploratory

2. Descriptive

3. Causal

Our research is fundamentally exploratory and causal in nature. It involves an analysis of:

what-why -when-where-who-how a descriptive type of research would help us in:


1. Description of population characteristics

2. Estimates of frequency of characteristics

3. Discovery of associations among variables

Causal effects are a primary study.

The types of research-

1. Reporting

2. Descriptive

3. Explanatory

The research environment-field conditions formal survey and interviews with directors/cast &

crew and audiences of horror films observation of the audience's likes, I am conducting an

analysis and assessment to understand the ‘reason why do people watch horror films and

what are the conventions the audience look forward to watch a horror films’.

The types of marketing research done-

1. Film promotion research: to track the efficacy of promotions through various media,

to get attention, communicate the message, build the brand's image and motivate the

consumer to purchase the product or service.

2. Brand attribute research: what are the key traits that describe the brand promise that

lure the audience?

3. Commercial eye tracking research: examine film promotions, film distribution,

websites, etc, by analysing visual buying behaviour of the consumers.

4. Cool hunting: to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing

cultural trends in areas such as fashion, music, films, television, youth culture and

lifestyle.

5. Buyer decision processes research: to determine what motivates people to buy and

what decision making process they use.

6. We are studying the audience level of attention, motivation, entertainment and

communication, as well as breaking down the movies flow of attention and flow of

emotions.

7. Segmentation research: to determine the demographic, psychographic and behavioural

characteristics of potential buyers.


8. Online panel: groups of individuals who have accepted to respond to research online.

Our stages of research: purpose-population-procedure-publication

Where:

Purpose: covers the objectives

Population: prompts the researcher to consider the target audience, customer

Procedure: concerns data capture, processing and analysis

Publication: communicating results by written report and spoken presentation summary of

findings, analysis and suggestions.

Data Analysis

According to the graphical representations of Age groups and their preference to

watch horror films.

Horror movies have designated target audiences of the age group between 21 to 30

years old.

14%

80%2%

4%

Age groupA 16-20B 21-30C 31-40D 40 & abv

\

From the graphapical representation and analysis of what scares people the most

in a horror film?


We found that people get invoked to the atmosphere of ‘dread’ with more real life

situation documentary in a horror films

0

20

40

60

80

14.5%25%

11.8%

39.5%

9.2%

What scares you the most in a horror film?

From the cross tabulation and graph representation of within horror movies,

what are their favourite genre of the audiences?

The factor analysis of attitudes related to the favourite genre after studying the ranking

preferences of the audiences, we understand that people mostly prefer Monster based

movies followed by Blood and Gore and so on with the least ranked is Psychological.

Blood and Gore

Psychological Thriller Monster based

Paranormal0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Rank 1Rank 2 Rank3Rank4Rank5

When asked people do u think that Bollywood creates as horrifying horror films

as Hollywood?


Clearly 91% with no bias and inclination towards the Indian cinema people said NO.

6%

94%

Do you think Bollywood creates as horrifying horror films as Hol-

lywood?

Yes No

When asked “What do you think Bollywood movies are based on”??

And the options given to them were as follows:

1. Original script

2. Real life situation

3. Copied from Hollywood

84.3% said “It’s copied from Hollywood”.

11.8 3.9

84.3

Bollywood Scripts are based on??

Original scriptReal life situationCoppied from Hollywood


The factor analysis of the attitudes and preferences of the audiences, If given a

choice to between an upcoming Hollywood horror film and Bollywood horror

film?

The graphical representation says:

90%

10%

PREFRENCE

Upcoming Hollywood Horror MoviesUpcoming Bollywood Horror Movies

Comparative study and growth of Bollywood & Hollywood horror films

The downfall of Bollywood horror films with the re-definition of “spookisim” by Ramsay

brothers who actually defined the B-grade film genre with some pathetic movies, some of

which were actually runaway successes, the movie plot revolved around evil spirits and de-

formed creatures terrorizing villages. The most popular targets were thinly clad women. In

between the horror (if there was any) there was a liberal sprinkling of sex and as much nudity

that could pass un-censored! It was their “success” formula which they rarely deviated from.

Well the situation did not improve in late eighties when lazy rip-offs from Hollywood were

made. We had the classic Exorcist remade as Jaadu Tona!Poltergeist was remade as Raat by

none other than Ram Gopal Verma. Where in Hollywood, horror and thrillers were emerging

as a competing and memorable genre with path breaking films like Rosemary’s Baby, Psy-


cho, Hell Raiser, The Shining and Frankenstein to name a few; in Bollywood we saw this

genre being cornered by low budgets, stereotyping and bad filmmaking.

In 1999, we saw Ram Gopal Verma return with the psychotic thriller Kaun? which was like

fresh air for this dying area of films with Urmila Matondkar’s performance. However, later

years were disappointing. The Bhatt camp produced the famous Raaz which was an adapta-

tion of What Lies Beneath. There was a string of some bad films like Hum Kaun Hai starring

Amitabh Bachchan which was a blot on The Others, Hawastarring Tabu, which I never saw

and some others which no one really bothered about.

In the recent past, we have seen only Ram Gopal Verma trying to come up with horror

movies which really don’t scare you but just disturb you enough to make you think why you

come to see this movie in the first place. Bhoot was an exception due to good acting, but as

far as the plot is concerned, the lesser said the better. Then of course, the Darna Mana Hai se -

ries, Vaastu Shastra and Darling proved to be detrimental to the careers of the actors con-

cerned. I would like to remind you of the apple story in the former which was “really” scary!

This was some movie which dragged people to the theatre after a person suffered a heart at-

tack while watching it. Bless the poor soul! Question is: did he suffer from fear or sheer

agony of the movie?

Well the director does not want to give up. Seems he is not going to till he gets a forced super

hit (no pun intended). Here I find it necessary to mention the recent Phoonk which was actu-

ally the inspiration to write this article. Apart from the weird name, it really has not much in

it. And I don’t know how critics are giving it positive reviews as it has nothing new. Probably

they are tired of ripping apart all movies that have come their way this year or maybe it has

been really a long time since some horror film hit the silver screen.

In a bid to overcome the punishing losses it suffered last year, the Hindi film industry is

turning to a new genre of films - horror movies - to lure fans back to the cinema halls. But

while Bollywood directors might have summoned the courage to break away from story lines

with time-tested formulas, whether they can tell a scary tale on the big screen well enough

remains to be seen.

Films like Raaz (Secret), Makdee (Spider) and Raat (Night), which dabble with the

supernatural, have all done well at the box office. The runaway success last year of Raaz - it

made Rs 280 million (US$6 million) on its Rs 50 million investment and is said to be among


the most profitable movies made in recent years - appears to have ignited the idea that scaring

sells.

And now comes the huge success of Bhoot (Ghost). Over the first weekend of its release,

Bhoot recovered the Rs 65 million invested in its making. Bhoot confirmed the signals sent

out by Raaz last year that audiences were sick of saccharine-sweet love stories and wanted

something different.

Frightening audiences out of their wits, moviemakers realized, would not be such a bad idea

after all. At least 10 horror films are scheduled for release this year. In Hawa (Wind), the

rapist is a sinister spirit. In Saaya (Shadow), a surgeon's dead wife tries to reach out to

him. Rudraksh (Seed), the source of the demon king Ravana's powers, sets off genetic

mutation.

The horror films that have been lined up for release from the year 2002 have much in

common. For one, several of them are suspiciously similar to Hollywood films. Raaz was a

remake of What Lies Beneath,Hawa is similar to The Entity and Anjaane (Unknown) is

inspired byThe Others. Besides, all of them are being made with small budgets and tight

schedules. Shooting for Saaya was completed in less than two months and on a budget of Rs

25 million, Anjaanewas made on a budget of Rs 40 million.

In the past, Bollywood's horror movies were set in remote bungalows; the ghost was usually a

woman, long hair flowing, floating around in a white sari at night. Weird things happened

only on stormy nights. The current wave of horror films is set in real surroundings - a flat in

middle-class Mumbai or Delhi. The face of the supernatural is often unseen, the sound and

visual effects more sophisticated. The recipe for a horror movie does not necessarily include

blood-soaked teeth or chopped limbs. As Namrata Joshi points out in Outlook, "The idea is

not to offer horror neat but as the main ingredient of a heady, entertaining cocktail."

Bollywood is turning to the paranormal to pull it out of the red, which is a rather scary

thought.


Why have horror films continued to find decent audiences at a time when many are

shunning movie theaters?

With all the talk of a box-office slump afflicting Hollywood in the year 2005, the lowly hor-

ror flick, which often lacks big special effects, bankable stars and favorable reviews from

critics, has been a bright spot for the industry.

"The Exorcism of Emily Rose," which debuted three weeks ago, has been a surprise hit

for Sony(Research), generating nearly $63 million in ticket sales.

Earlier this year, a remake of "The Amityville Horror" did about $64 million while "The Ring

Two," a sequel to the 2002 blockbuster, brought in about $75 million.

"Horror is one of those genres that have a seemingly inexhaustible supply of audience," said

Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations Co, a box-office tracking firm. "And

this year there has been a preponderance of ones that have done well."

Robert Routh, a media analyst with Jefferies & Co., said that the subject of horror films lend

themselves to more creative advertising campaigns. In addition, there's often a greater onus

on making sure the story is interesting since horror movies usually don't rely on well-known

movie starts.

"The key is quality. Who plays what part is not as big of a driver that leads people to the box

office as it is in an action/adventure film," said Routh.

With this in mind, horror movies are also a boon for many studios. Since production costs are

relatively low, it's a lot easier to make a healthy profit on a horror movie.

"Horror always has a consistent audience. That doesn't often translate into blockbuster num-

bers but since they tend to be cheaper anyway, they don't need to do over $100 million," said

Brandon Gray, president and publisher of Box Office Mojo, a movie research company.

Take last year's "Saw." It was the first movie for its writer and director and its main star was

Cary Elwes, a relatively well-regarded actor, but not someone in the league of Tom Cruise or

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http://money.cnn.com/quote/quote.html?symb=SNE


Brad Pitt. "Saw" only cost an estimated $1.2 million to make but generated more than $55

million in box office receipts in the United States, according to Box Office Mojo.

Lions Gate is obviously hoping to strike gold with the sequel and the small studio has a his-

tory of taking chances on horror movies.

The studio released "The Devil's Rejects" this summer, a movie made by musician Rob Zom-

bie. Although that generated just $17 million at the box office, it only cost an estimated $7

million to make. Lions Gate also had a hit with last year's minimalist shark attack movie

"Open Water," which featured two unknown actors and cost just $500,000. It did about $30

million at the U.S. box office.

"Lions Gate has generally been successful with horror and it's not surprising. Horror is the

sort of thing that smaller independents have historically done well," said Dennis McAlpine,

an independent media analyst.

He pointed to how New Line Cinema, which is now a part of Time Warner (Research), made

a name for itself in the 1980s with its popular "A Nightmare on Elm Street" series. (Time

Warner also owns CNN/Money.)

But Dergarabedian said that horror success isn't limited to independents. He said Sony has

done a solid job of producing and marketing hits through its Screen Gems label.

Summary

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http://money.cnn.com/quote/quote.html?symb=TWX


Horror, at least after pornography, is perhaps the least reputable among all categories of

film. The emotions it deals with are often tied up intimately to the body – rather than to the

mind or the soul and these might be understood as unpleasant – fear, disgust and revulsion.

Yet, there is a huge appetite for horror which continues even when other popular genres in

cinema have lost their attraction. One of the key elements in most horror films is the ‘mon-

ster’ – the horrific or repulsive object that no horror film can do without.

I will try to investigate the reasons behind this sudden upsurge of the films which can be

loosely clubbed under the ‘horror’ genre. But I do not intend to limit the study to horror, but

will try to address a larger domain, i.e., the realm of ‘dread’. While doing so, I will also touch

upon films that use sound to invoke the atmosphere of ‘dread’. One could take into account

any mainstream Hindi film having some emphasis on the sound design to create the atmos-

phere of ‘dread’. But before I start my analysis, I would like to suggest a distinction between

two terms, ‘dread’ and ‘fear’, which will help me explain my point. Let me say what I mean

by the distinction between ‘dread’ and ‘fear’. By ‘fear’, I point to emotions of a more visceral

kind, something like a physical threat, which does not leave its impact on a psychological

level for a prolonged period. I do not mean fear does not have any psychological impact or it

does not have any psychological basis attached to it. I am trying to point out that ‘fear’ is

more inclined towards an instant reaction and is definitely a short-lived one. In short, ‘fear’ is

more of a bodily reaction. ‘Dread’, on the other hand, is a purely psychological phenomenon.

It is meant to stay and it is often culture and class specific. ‘Dread’ does not lie in the threat

of being physically hurt, but in the anticipation of an unknown attack. I will try to elaborate

on these terms further as the discussion proceeds.

It is evident from the nature and subject of the films that there is a definite difference be-

tween films with supernatural subjects and those dealing with other subjects but using sound

to invoke ‘dread’. Therefore, I have tried to treat these two categories differently. Firstly, I

will take up the case of horror films. The primary purpose of these films is to frighten the au -

dience. Now, in the process of frightening people, horror films use two methods: either create

some kind of a monster, or adopt a device to produce some kind of shock, Indian horror films

can be divided distinctly in two different generations depending on their visual style, treat-

ment and target audience. But what intrigues me is the marked shift in sound design over the

last few years in horror films. Definitely, there is a shift in the visual style as they move from

monsters to shock, from visceral ‘fear’ to psychological ‘dread’. But to study the change in


sound design I would draw attention to the devices used to create ‘dread’ and ‘fear’ on

screen.

The Bollywood horror genre has changed significantly since the days of women screaming in

bikinis. A sign of these changing times are the incoming fright flicks, armed to the teeth with

new technology such as 3D to scare the pants of the modern audience.

One such advocate is filmmaker Vikram Bhatt, whose next is touted to be the first Indian hor-

ror film in 3D.“It’s been my most challenging and fulfilling movie. It was all new, the style

was new, the technology was new,” he proclaims.

Also on the horizon is filmmaker Ekta Kapoor’s paranormal film. Ekta had described its orig-

inal presentation, “The way the film was run is a grabbed footage feed.” This style means the

footage appears like an amateur home video. The method, which involved 24 cameras posi-

tioned at various angles in the house, is pioneering in Bollywood. The appearance of the

footage as raw makes the story more believable because it downplays the presence of a movie

crew and suggests it had happened in real life. Ekta had further stoked these fires saying,

“The footage is based on a true story.” The method used to film the horror flick has invoked

comparisions to its Hollywood counterpart Paranormal Activity.

But ask trade analyst Komal Nahta about the revolutionising of the horror genre with the lat-

est technology, and he assesses that technology alone cannot be relied on to make a success-

ful fright flick.

Conclusion


The Bollywood horror genre has changed significantly since the days of women screaming in

bikinis and a sign of the times is the incoming fright flicks, armed to the teeth with new tech -

nology such as 3-D to scare the pants of the modern audience.

One such advocate is Haunted 3D, that is credited asIndia’s first stereoscopic 3D film and

masterminded by horror maestro Vikram Bhatt. The director boasts just under 30 years of ex-

perience but still regards the film with precedence, “Haunted is my most challenging and ful-

filling movie. It was all new, the style was new, the technology was new. It is a unique mile-

stone in Indian cinema,” he proclaims.

Leading man Mahaksahy Chakraborty attests to the change in requirements of shooting in

3D, “At first it was difficult to cope with 3D standards; you have to change how you talk,

how you stand, and your body language. It was ten times tougher than a normal film.” Ac-

cording to Chakraborty, the hard work paid off. “Haunted is absolutely revolutionary, it’s ten

leaps ahead by being in 3D and five leaps ahead in the Indian horror genre.” He believes the

film’s themes are a far cry from the blood and guts of Bollywood’s Old School horror, which

had earlier populated Bollywood. “Haunted is very eerie, there are a lot of silences and it

thrives on the emptiness of horror, leaving the audience guessing ‘what’s going to happen

next’,” he describes.

Also on the horizon is Ragini MMS, featuring a couple on a romantic getaway that is terror-

ized by a supernatural spirit. The producer, Ekta Kapoor, had described its original presenta-

tion, “the way the film was run is a grabbed footage feed.” This style means the footage ap -

pears like an amateur home video. The method, which involved 24 cameras positioned at var-

ious angles in the house, is pioneering in Bollywood. The appearance of the footage as raw

makes the story more believable because it downplays the presence of a movie crew and sug-

gests it had happened in real life. Kapoor had further stoked these fires saying, “The footage

is based on a true story.”

Though novel to Bollywood, Ragini’s has drawn comparisons with the Hollywood counter-

partParanormal Activity because it was filmed in a similar format and even has the same sto-

ryline. Although admitting Ragini was inspired by the way Paranormal Activity was filmed,

Kapoor had denied any further likenesses.

Ragini is another example of Bollywood filmmakers revolutionizing the horror genre by

adopting innovative practices and Kapoor was reportedly optimistic for success, stating confi-

dently, “Ragini MMS will be the scariest movie to date in India.” Trade analyst Komal Nahta


believes Haunted 3D will benefit from the novelty factor of being the first Indian film shot in

3D, but says horror films cannot count on technology alone for frights. “Everyone is relying

on technology to add to the horror but first and foremost the subject of the film must be horri-

fying, it needs a good story.”

Also, the Hollywood movies do not lose touch from reality which Bollywood movies do

very easily. Hollywood movies have good actors and mostly that is why the actors don’t need

too much make up because the acting does wonders whereas in Bollywood movies too much

make up and the urge to prove to be better actor than the other spoils the soup. More than just

making a big budgeted horror movie the west tries to make small budget movies with strong

scripts and new talent so that the movie feels fresh. In Bollywood however the actors are

repetitive and major actors are roped in or movies to make an effect on the box-office but the

story and script are very weak!

Hollywood movies are preferred any day rather than Bollywood movies because there

are not much clichés and most of them are based on original script and real life situation and

has something different to offer in every movie, whereas Bollywood continues with its love

story and singing behind the trees and its USP that is melodrama which Indian audience is

tired of watching. In spite of an apt with new technologies like 3D, better sound effects and

VFXs Bollywood horror movies have failed to create an impact on Indian audiences.

“Everyone is relying on technology to add to the horror, but first and foremost the subject

of the film must be horrifying, it needs to have a good story.”

For references please visit:


http://movies.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Hindi_Horror_Movies

http://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywood/news/2011/vikram-bhatt-dub-voice-haunted-

220211-aid0097.html

http://www.weknowfunny.com/HorrorBusinessPlan.pdf

http://www.phalanx.in/pages/article_i006_nation_and_transgression.html

http://www.jmionline.org/jmi6_8.html

http://money.cnn.com/2005/09/30/news/fortune500/horror/index.htm

http://money.cnn.com/2005/09/30/news/fortune500/horror/index.htm

http://www.jmionline.org/jmi6_8.html

http://www.phalanx.in/pages/article_i006_nation_and_transgression.html

http://www.weknowfunny.com/HorrorBusinessPlan.pdf

http://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywood/news/2011/vikram-bhatt-dub-voice-haunted-220211-aid0097.html

http://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywood/news/2011/vikram-bhatt-dub-voice-haunted-220211-aid0097.html

http://movies.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Hindi_Horror_Movies

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