IndIan fIlm promoters take cues from WIllIam castle For all of the genre’s we-dare-you-to-watch
swagger, there’s surprisingly little spectacle around English-language theatrical horror flicks today. Not since William Castle’s sta- tioning of ambulances outside screenings of 1959’s The Tingler has there been such grandiose showmanship. But where has it all gone? Like many things, it’s been outsourced to India. This past February, big-name Indian film-
maker Ram Gopal Varma threw down the gauntlet to Indian moviegoers: sit through his new production of Phoonk 2 alone, without getting scared, and collect 500,000 rupees (about $11,000 USD). “It is very much in the spirit of William Cas-
tle and I’m sure that [Varma], as a big student of film history, was well aware of the connec- tion,” says Pete Tombs, author of Mondo Macabro, the definitive text on international genre movies. Phoonk 2, which opened in India in April,
continues the story of Rajiv (actor/director Sudeep), a confirmed atheist who incurs the supernatural wrath of a witch. Phoonk writer Milind Gadagkar directed the
sequel, while Varma executive produced it. Varma offered a similar reward to the brave soul who could sit through the 2008 original. While several news accounts suggest that the money was never actually delivered the first time around, many seemed keen to give the prize wheel of terror another spin. This time, the contest was open to residents of
India aged eighteen to 60 who applied via text message before April 10. The contestants were to be whittled down to a single person after medical screenings and a random draw. That person, hooked up to a heart-rate monitor and watched via a night-vision camera (to discourage looking away during the scary bits), would then be placed in a theatre by him or herself to watch the movie.
If the heart rate remained the same as it was before the screening, the money would be awarded. With India producing approximately
1000 movies each year, competition is fierce. “Publicity stunts for movies are not
unusual in India,” says Tombs. “The film press there is a very important part of the promotional process, and any- thing to attract attention is welcomed.” A few days after Varma issued his
challenge, rival director Vikram Bhatt (1920, Raaz) told the Indian press that his latest shocker, Shaapit, needed no such gimmicks to garner an audience. Then again, Bhatt asked local hospitals to have ambulances standing by outside theatres showing Shaapit, just in case. “The weak-hearted in the audience may need medical attention,” he told the website
mid-day.com. “I want multi- plexes to take necessary precautions.” Sounds familiar. “[Yet], when it comes to random pro-
motions like these, Ram Gopal Varma is the man,” says Sujoy Singha, who frequently blogs about the latest Bolly- wood trends for his London-based site,
oneknightstands.net. “I don’t believe such an over-the-top promotion is com- mon in India. I mean, yes, we have had some marketing campaigns, some quite radical ones, but not ones that offer money.” In fact, this type of carnival-barker promo-
tion is traditionally pretty rare for India’s home- grown horror flicks, in part because until very recently they’ve been fairly lowbrow, low-bud- get affairs, he says. Yet Bollywood’s certainly been known to push the marketing boundaries on occasion to pack theatres for more main- stream cinematic events.
Phoonk 2 ups the ante on India’s growing horror marketing theatrics. At the end of December, top-tier Bollywood
star Aamir Khan promoted his comedy 3 Id- iots by disguising himself and visiting differ- ent cities and villages throughout the country, challenging his fans to find him. The prize: spending New Year’s with the star and his friends. Sure, nobody won, but 3 Idiots be- came the highest-grossing film in Indian his- tory. How’s that heart rate, Mr. Varma? A.S. BERMAN
RM8 D R E A D L I N E S
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