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Bandh Darwaza | Purana Mandir. India 1990/1984. Directed by Shyam and Tulsi Ramsay.

Uh-huh. It's time for two Indian horror movies, and both come from legendary Ramsay brothers Tulsi and Shyam. Bandh Darwaza deals with vampires who want the newborn baby of desperate mother. She makes a fatal deal with the bloodsuckers, but doesn't want to give her baby away. Naturally. But the great fangmaster Saamri rises from his grave, and makes the hell out of lives of the mother and her husband.

Purana Mandir, an Indian cult favorite from 1984, on the other hand features an evil creature called... Saamri. Yes, just like in Bandh Darwaza - although this guy looks ugly as hell. Saamri comes back to life to revenge the Singh family, since their forefather captured and buried the evil demon. Young daughter of Singh family falls in love in handsome bloke, and that's why Saamri can come back.

Although I am open to films from every corner of the world, the Bollywood thing just is not for me. Sure it can look kitschy and campy, when in the middle of exciting and exotic horror scenes people suddenly start to sing and dance. It could be fun, but when these films last for almost two and half hours, my patience wears a little thin. It's a little odd, since fresh Malaysian film Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam - which had a lot of similarities to Bollywood horror- didn't bother me so much.

Still, both Bandh Darwaza and Purana Mandir have details that deserve to be mentioned here. Ramsay Brothers sure know how to build different kind of atmospheres with vivid colours, dark shadows and demonic voices - I just love the way that Saamri sounds in Bandh Darwaza! The sensual (say:mild) eroticism seems laughable at first, but after a while you realize how it can really work great when it's done right. And of course there are lots of action, suspense and pure old-fashioned horror scenes that I really enjoyed. Honestly.

Indian horror is not for everyone, and on the basis of these films, it's not for me. But if you already love Bollywood films and have a taste for classic horror films, this Mondo Macabro release sure pleases you.

Mondo Macabro DVD release contains two discs. Both films look good, although we got the warnings about the condition of original film material that was used for this release. On the second disc, Purana Mandir is labeled as a "bonus feature". The text extras include Pete Tombs telling about singing and dancing in Indian movies and the history of Ramsay Bros. He also commands to "get used to [singing and dancing]". I sure like to, but I don't know if I can! Also included are the interview of film critic Omar Kahn in 13-minute featurette "Freddie, Jason & Saamri" and 24-minute, Mondo Macabro-made documentary "South Asian Horror" - which is absolutely great work, and pleases my eye and ears much more than the films in this disc...Sorry!