Mahakaal

We're in. Hello everyone, and welcome to the Bollywood Cinema Club, a show where we take a look at Indian cinema every other week. I am your host, Christashue up the Culture Cast, where this show was fun off from. On this episode of the show, I am joined by my good friend. She is here all the way from where she sets up shop on the internet.

Your friend and mine Mondo Header's ether Drain. Good evening, everybody. I think tonight is going to be a thriller. Oh, I think tonight is gonna resemble something that we've seen before, but uh, you know, like a not great version of Yeah we like way way way too long. Yeah God, yeah for yo.

Yeah. On this episode, we're gonna be talking about a movie that is up until recently, was rather hard to find with English subtitles, but yet on YouTube about a year and a half ago, somebody finally posted a four k rip of this film with subtitles. You can find it in the link for the episode if you want to listen along or join in the discussion in your head, because we're gonna be talking about nineteen ninety four's Maha Call otherwise known as Maha Call the Monster. So The film is directed by Shayam Ramsey and Toulsi Ramsey and its stars Karan Shah and Archana Puran sing as Prakash and Anita, two teenagers question Mark. Sure, let's put some big quotations around that some teenagers who who fall asleep at night and a man with a glove with finger knives on it torments.

Yes, this is actually a remake or reimagining, or as Wikipedia puts it, plagiarized now loose plagier. It's souburb of a Nightmare on Elm Street, the nineteen eighty four West Craven film. But I think we've got plenty to say about the inspirations for this film, because it's not just a night Mare on Elm Street number on at all. Specifically, there are some things that are from the second and third movie, So we we're talking about a movie that is really and again I don't think I want to put it this way, but to get someone's attention, it is Indian a nine marow elms, and that does get people's attention. In fact, this is one of the I'm trying to think of this as the first film you and I've just guessed that actually has a recent US like Legit Blu ray release or it's either Blue Ray DVD.

But Massacre Video have released it and and they do good work. But if you're gonna support them, and you should have, I recommend buying another movie from that spoiler. Uh, they have Hackle Lantern on that label, and Hackle Lantern is a joy, complete joy. Well it's sold. It's sold out on Massacre Video, which is which is why I didn't mention them, because I'm totally assuming somebody just ripped it and threw it on YouTube, which is they just gets sold out.

Mate, you got a big dew. Oh what a shame. Sold out people should have bought Hackle Lanner and this bullshit. I don't think anyone should be buying this movie. I'm throwing shade on all of you that spit your harder and coffers on Mahawk Call when you could have been buying a better Indian movie or Hackle Lanner.

So, Heather, tell me what you thought about Maha Call aka a Indian remake of I don't want to play Call. Plagiarize it's a remake like it's over. I would say reimagining it because it takes celebrities. I mean, it's not like it's crazy jurism Jesus Christ like right, I mean, granted, if this was if Harlan Elmson and I love Harlan our Pa, if he was still alive and they did this to one of his stories that they would get to, they would and he would probably win. So maybe it's it's great.

It's a great it's great area. What did I think. I'll start with the positives first, because I don't like being a negative Nelly. There is like when you have the horror sequences, the lighting, like there's some really good lighting. Some of the camera works really good, like their use of color.

The mutated version of Charles Bernstein's and I hope I'm saying his name right, the original the man who composed the original Nightmarine elm Street score. They do like a mutated version of it. They has stings that are very similar to it. But that's kind of cool because that's just a great piece of music. So I liked that.

The did I mentioned some of the camera works, Oh my god, that this film. And I usually I'm okay with some tonel whiplash and you and I have we've we've dealt like when we saw I Believe Muthu. Yeah, it was all over put a little bit, but it was like jubulant and it was so good, Like you're dam the right. But that's the thing for a film to do that you better be well probably not a horror movie. Like horror is so hard.

It is one of the harder genres to do, you know, to do right in any country. So when you have total whiplash and horror, it's kind of like doing that in comedy too, where it's like everything's hahahuck yuckin' and then by the way, the baby's dead and it's like why, Like but the fright you can't. So this film has so much tonal whiplash it gets to the point where it's kind of exhausting and you're just kind of done with it. There are some characters that wear out there. Welcome that's a nice way of putting it.

Uh, the very Uh, I'm trying to think of the best word for this, Like, uh, the treatment of sexual assault is is a lot. It's a lot, and that's coming for somebody who's watched a lot of eighties material that it was a lot in that man, Like, I'm definitely not gonna because I know it'd be easy for western to be like, oh, well it's India. Well, in India does have a problem certainly with how women are treated, but so does this country, So nobody needs to judge. So like, yeah, let let's point fingers yeah at ourselves. Yeah.

But meanwhile, while teenage girls are getting their their periods tracked if they want to be on a sports team. So uh so, no judging. It's a judgment free zone here. We're not assholes. We are we are libertines.

We are celebrators of great art, which is not I prefer to be. I prefer to be referred to as a decadent philistine like that best Like you used to have your own brand act or something and it ruffled hits. Yeah I do. But but Chris, what did you think about Mahaka? I wanted to like it.

I think you did as well, obviously, Oh absolutely, I wanted to love it, right, And you know, I think that's that may have my enthusiasm may have finally kind of gotten the best of me. I think in a lot of ways, like I went into this with no expectations I had. Actually, you know, there's kind of an interesting history with me in this movie. This is a movie that Cullen Gallagher, who you know, I know he's on the first episode of this show and he's one of the biggest supporters of Indian cinema that I know, because again, like he's he's been the one that was in my ear early on, like you should do this all the time. So like it was, it was advantageous and also kind of like you know, opression that he was saying that.

But one of the movies that him and I had talked about many moons ago was Maha Call. But up until it was re released recently, you could not find an English sub version. It just didn't exist. You would have to pace someone to do the translation for you. And and yeah, and like that it's not worth it, Like it's not that it's not well, it's not that it's not worth it, but I mean, it's not worth it, like it is.

I don't know how to put it. But I'm not trying to be mean, but I can't. I can't abide translating a movie that I don't know the quality of right well, and this one, like I hate to think that there's gonna be like a Westerner that this is their their their entry into Indian cinema. Like that actually kind of bothers me because this journey that you have taken me on throughout the series. I probably have said this every episode because every single time, and some movies we've talked about it better than others, of course, but every single time, I am like so grateful, and it makes me want to just research more and and watch more, because you know, it's it's rewarding.

Indian cinema is a rewarding thing as a whole. But like anything, some rewards are better than sometime. Sometimes you get the golden ticket and sometimes you get pencil shavings with the water chewing tobacco on it. It looks chocolate. It ain't chocolate, taste like chocolate, but it's crunchy.

But I guess my question to you is, but before we delve too far into the movie, that's plot is so close to Nightmare on Elm Street, we're more or less probably going to be just comparing it. Unfortunately, can this film be seen as anything other than a novel? That's what I'm curious, and that was the question I was trying to see if the film could give me an answer to or at least inform an answer that I could come to while I was watching it, because again, like yourself, I am an engaged viewer of film, and you're expecting analysis to some extent. And that's one of the questions I went into this movie with, is is there a way to watch this movie and enjoy it without it inherently just being a novel because oh, it's Indian Nightmare on Elm Street like it, it ends up in my mind being that because it's not really trying to do more than that, right, Yeah, I think unfortunately because of the way this movie is made, and especially because some of the just again just like some of the you'll have like something really serious and like you'll have like a really cool nightmare scene, and then there's like, you know, a character who works at the college canteen who's uh and I can't remember his name.

I want to call it Johnny River, but I know he's got Johnny Rivers. Thank you. Johnny River was like an American sinker from the fifties. You've seen him before, thank you. Was he in Muthu, he was, he was an Ish, he was he was he was Oh my god, he wasn't it.

I kept trying. He was the Oh he was the guy that owned the shop. Who was he? An Ish? I remember it was like the brother in law of one of them.

Ship You're right, Yeah, you're right. And he was awesome in Thish. Yeah, I mean he was. He was we I remember you and I both liking him an Ish. This is very much like like super early in his career.

But he starts acting in eighty two and this is in ninety four, so I mean he's known at the time. There's a reason they're casting because he is Johnny Leeber is one of the considered to be a one of the first Indian stand up comedians. So oh wow. Now I did see something and I don't I can't fact check it that this film was actually shot in the eighties, But you know, because it looks eighties, it looks ury I mean even like the films, And that's not a bad thing the film stock. I actually like how this film looks.

That's one of the few positives I have to say about it. But yeah, and uh, but yeah, but we see him come out and you hear like a little like thriller sting, and he comes out kind of doing this permutation again, it's everything's had a permutated Michael Jackson, but he's pretty funny. But then it's like kind of a gay panic thing, which they really kind of lean into. And one of the musical numbers where he's trying to blow up a beach ball and he looks sexually frustrated and I don't it's a I don't even I don't even know, Like there's so many things in this in this movie, Christopher, I was just sitting there going what And that's me, Like, this is somebody who has made an entire lifetime of trying to find and be a curator of esoteric cinema.

You know, I kind of live for things surprising me, but sometimes this surprised me in ways that I that didn't work I think is the problem. And that's the thing is this film was a better movie, then I would say it could escape the whole like comparison. I mean, I think there still would always be people that would be like, oh, it's the Indian Nightmare Nolme Street. But I think it would be evaluated a lot better if it was a better movie. R So you can you can do a remake, you know, even if it's kind of a ripoff.

Well, I mean, look at the like in nineteen thirty one they had a Spanish language version of Dracula like at nighttime when they weren't when Todd Browning and his crew weren't using that set. So it's the same sets. I mean, that's not a ripoff because it's studio. But you know, but it's different actors, different directors, and pretty much historically it's consider or does superior movie right, except that it's like, you know, it doesn't have a goosy like Lugosi's kind of like the one factor. You can't I mean, Kamani's bell Lagosi.

But but it's very well regarded because everything else is so well Like, it's such a well made movie. This is not mahar call, Maha call. It's like the tonal Whiplash where it's like, hey, it's goofy, you know, it's funny. Just cheer up, let's go to the park. Here's this guy that wants to rape our heroine.

Oh, just cheer up. Like she's literally almost viciously violently sexually assaulted in public and like in cafe yeah, and her friends are like, oh, you just need to get over it and cheer up. Here, we'll go to the lake. I mean, what the fuck, get over it and cheer up? What the I mean?

I just it's stuff like that that make this film like you can't Unfortunately, the film itself will not let you evaluate it. I think as its own thing. Does that make sense? Because the stuff that's not attached to Nightmare in Elm Street is so I mean, the best of this film is the stuff attached at Realm Streets. I think that's the other issue.

Well, that's and that's I mean, that's I'm total agreement with you. For me, it's you know, that's kind of what I was driving at. It's this idea that like the movie sets itself it's like anything else, right, it sets itself up with the biggest boulder possible to push up the hill, and then by it being a Nightmare on Elm Street thing, it's a big boulder, but then you're remaking it essentially straight up, so it's essentially instead of an incline, it's like a vertical cliff face, Like, what the fuck are you gonna do? Like you've made it so hard for yourself to land this movie just based on what this is that like it would take someone clearly much more adept at writing a story than what we get here to really do a good job with this story.

Look, there is another Bollywood film that came out five years before this one, Kooni Murda, which is another Indian cinema version of a Nightmare at Elm Street. I haven't seen that one. I would be curious, but this is the more well known one. I mean, this is the this is the one. I mean again, like you mentioned, it got to re release, and you know, I think that's for me.

That is the most disappointing part is that we get a movie that the Nyber and elm Street parts not great, but it ends up being better than the other stuff, which is not in affront, but it's it's barely entertaining if it is at all, Like, none of none of the actors I would say, have a fair amount of like they're not given much to do so even if they are charismatic, I don't know. Yeah, yeah, and that's kind of the that's the sad thing, is like, because at first, yeah, it's one of those things where okay, maybe the acting isn't as good, but then like the more you get into it's like, well, actually the actors are fine, you know, it's just the material. I mean, you have to be like you know, you'd have to be like an Emir Khan or if we're going to use like a European example, like a Christopher Lee, like, you have to be like somebody who is it's just like a gold teared charisma ba to rise above shit material.

Most can't do it, Like even really talent people can't do it. I mean, look at Phantom Menace, like no offense, anybody don't come for me. Okay, if you love it, that's cool. But in my personal opinion, there are actors in that movie that are really great actors in other movies, but seem kind of stiff and wooden in it, you know. And I don't think anybody's gonna ever give George lucas An a word for writing dialogue.

They shouldn't less it's harass. Wow, what way? Oh he can go cry on his bed made of money. He's fine, his billions of dollars. I love if people get all hurt, like, oh, lets just say that about oh the man who could buy and own your because he has more money than Yeah, he's fine.

True, It's true he did sell it to Disney, and we should feel that for it. Go worry about recycling your number two plastics and donating to a homeless shelter. Okay, worry about real shit, guys. True for everyone, Tea Mom, this movie maybe cranky. I'm sorry.

It just maybe so salty because it was so it was so long, and the music wasn't that good. And that's the other problem is I mean, I don't think the music sucked. I will say that I think this is probably one of the weakest musical entries that we've you and I have talked about well, and that you know there there are three songs and they're all Why in God's name they didn't have a song that the Monster sings is beyond me. Look, let's yeah, we haven't even really talked about this yet, which should serve as a sign to those of you listening along. The Monster sha Chakall, as he is so aptly named, played by Mahavir Bular, is the biggest missed opportunity because Freddy Krueger talks, and he is a big personality, right, and he talks in one, two, three, and then after three he doesn't shut the fuck up and like that's part of the character.

And I say all this because yes, this movie may have been shot in the eighties, but this movie came out in nineteen ninety four. And I know for a fact, as do you, because we're both fans of the franchise. There are things from the other at least Nightmare two and three that show up in this movie, which means they had to have seen and made this movie at least after nineteen eighty seven, because there is a sequence in this movie that is directly from Dream Warrior. It's either Dream Warriors or Dreammaster. The thing where the with the bed with the water bed like that's from a Nightmare on Elle Street.

Yeah. Actually, I think the waterbed's from one, isn't it, because that's where Johnny Depp gets killed. No, no, Johnny gets sucked down into it. But there's a waterbed sequence where the kid gets trapped in the water. Oh no, you're right, you're right, because you know, uh, and that's what's the one that has It's the one that's got the Vinnie Vincent invasion on the South.

So it's I think that's four. Yeah, because Dawkins on the Dream Warriors and that's three. Four, it is four. Yeah, it's four. Then you're bright, Oh my god, yet because they show the girl in the waterfed and the rere for Love kills right, and she's topless.

In the American version, here it's not. That's not the case because again a little bit more conservative, but that is straight out of four, which came out in eighty eight, So this movie was made sometime in between eighty eight and ninety four. So my point more is less like, oh, they saw the first Nightmare on Elm Street and we're like, hey, that's Freddy Krueger, let's do that. It's like they saw all of them and didn't decide, Yeah, Freddy Krueger can clearly talk, so why don't Why don't we have him talk? Yeah?

Yeah, That's the thing is that the monster isn't We're not really we're we're not really given a lot of him. And what's weird is they kind of I feel like they kind of go a little more blatantly into his backstory than we got with Freddie. And one certainly we're yeah, one we know that he was, you know, a child killer and all that he was a kid did he was a kid diddler, I legit have had fans argue with me like, oh, he just killed the like guys, I don't want to be that dark person. But I mean, if you look at true crime, people that pray on kids to kill them are doing other things. You know, it's disgusting.

It's disturbing. I don't like thinking about it either. But also you're defending Fred Braddy Krueger. It's got like people be like, you know, well, you know, Dracula doesn't lack dudes, I'm okay with him drinking baby blood, but you know, did not hear that when the BBC did their version of Dracula a few years ago, and a bunch of like fanboys were complaining because Dragcula's a bi sexual all right, right right yeah yeah, which still cracks up, like really, like, okay, why did he care? If you were immortal, you wouldn't care.

Also, your home a, your homophobic beat. Dracula is not real, so he could literally be anything he wants, right, I don't really care. It's like being like if old characters fictional characters not real. Yeah, but I digressed. Yeah, they don't really do a lot and the design I don't know.

I'm trying to. I've been trying to figure out if I like the designer or not, because at times he looks kind of like a burn victim Chris Catan with the mullet his hair. The hair is the hair, is it for me? Like that's where that's where I that's where I'm on board. Is the hair he's got like totally like this light mullet, like a black mullet.

Othertimes he kind of looks like like that, like a like a cheap version of Trickster from brain Ski. Oh yeah, and oh yeah, totally okay, see that's the but yeah, why isn't he talking like Freddie? And I'm not saying he has to do monologues or anything, but like but even even even in one which when Freddy was still legit scary and not like a cartoon character, yeah, he would say little things like I'd be your boyfriend now, Tina, you know, and you're like, fuck, that's terrifying. And this guy isn't really like my you know, chicall even though we get like we get it. Really there's a great set design of his, like you know, sacrificial area where he kills children to build his powers in the black arts and like they definitely go harder I think on the whole shy killing thing than the diabery Elm Street did.

But well we actually see it. We see yeah kid, and we see him throwing Anita's sister like I guess into the fire pit the Well of Souls, like I don't know what it was, like a giant circle tube that just goes somewhere that you can't return from. Can we form a metal band called Tube of Souls, sol Tube, soult Tube, We are soul Tube, but this is our forty five minute jazz odyssey. Oh my god, it is the second coming of Soul Tube. But uh yeah, the monster.

Also the characters we get, I think that's the good thing. Is like with dibern Elm Street at least you know, especially the first few like it one to four. Do you like all the characters? You kind of you don't want these kids to get even though you know some of them are going to edit. And it's not that you don't care about our main protagonists in this film, because I think the actors you know, are largely likable.

But everything, like the pacing is like like on cocaine. It's like on pure fucking amphetamine that you can't focus enough, you know, so it's like, do you even really know these characters? The movie is a few hours long, and they still feel like they're sketches. They don't feel like people to me. You know, no, I completely agree.

I mean and even I mean even charkall feels the same way. It's you know, I was, I was sitting and watching it, and all I could think to myself was even when Nightmare on Elm Street has a moment of levity to it, and there are some I mean there are you know oo stuff like that. I mean, that's the Johnny Depp I mean, Johnny Depp's character is a lot of the comic relief. Yeah, I mean there is comic relief in that movie. It's still a horror movie, and it feels like a horror movie with bits of comedy in it.

This movie is tonally not a horror movie. It is a teenage slice of life rom come adjacent with a monster, and in a lot of ways it more or less speaks to in my mind. And again, like, there aren't a lot of them, and it's not like a it's not a genre that is very well represented Indian horror films just it's not as big of a genre as it is in Western cinema, like it just the representation is not there the way it is here, And I wonder why. I again, like I've been be able to suss out specifically why, but it's not as big of a genre, And I wonder if it's because, like tonally, it's hard to land a film with musical numbers that's also a horror film, because a lot of the horror movies that are coming out now are sands, a lot of the typical things you would expect from an Indian horror film or are an Indian film in general, like Tumbad, which we talked about Father Malone and I several episodes back.

No musical numbers at all, none, And it's like an hour and forty five minutes, Like it's not even it's not this like expansive narrative too. It's an expansive narrative, but it's not two and a half hour, right, And like it seems like in a lot of ways, at least best I can suss out, some of it may just be horror movies are hard to do if you're trying to transpose your own style onto them, because sometimes the restraints of horror are not willing to bend in that direction. Sometimes they just can't bend in that direction. And like maybe Mahakal having Shakl do a dance and kind of do his thing, maybe that would change my tune. But even they didn't think it could work, so they didn't even try it.

Maybe it would have worked, but I don't know. We don't know anything about the villain in this movie more than what they give us, and what they give us doesn't feel like enough, and what they give us about our heroes doesn't feel like enough either. It's just like the movie just kind of floats from scene to scene. Yeah. Well, and the thing I hate because you're I mean, all the point you just made are are spot on, but I hate it because I think somebody I think you could do it.

But the problem is like to weave in musical elements and a horror film without it feeling just like somebody throwing a you know, cold water in your face, like you'd have to kind of just keep you have to keep the tone and you can have humor. I mean, Return of the Living Dead is a movie that's a perfect example of having like you could have moments that are really brutal and at times even really sad and bleak. There's some the stuff that's sonny is fantastic, and there's a great use of music in it too. Not musical, but the music in it's super important. But I mean, I think you could totally.

I would love to sell to see somebody do that. And I was trying to think of, like top of my head of musical numbers that work in a creepy way that's like and it's weird, but like there's that whole thing with the sirens and no brother, we're out there, okay, and that has almost like a sinister undertone, and that's really beautifully done. That's obviously not a horror movie, but I think you could do it. But yeah, it like you said, it's it's hard, and I think it's just hard in general to do good horror. I mean, there's so many and I love I'm a Monster kid, but there's so many horror movies out that you know, are just so rode yo, And maybe that's kind of the problem with the I don't even know it's you seen Have you seen twenty fourteen Stage Fright?

The movie has like meat Loaf and Mini Driver in it said, I've seen a review of it, I have not actually seen it. I'm more familiar and familiar with the Micalay Suave Stage Fright, which is fucking awesome and is a masterpiece. But I've not seen the meat Loaf one. It's it's interesting. It's a horror musical and like it works more or less.

Like again, I'm not I'm not gonna sit here and be like, oh, it's the best movie I've ever seen, but like again, like it's in my mind, shows that you can kind of get away with it, like again, it if you also if you buy into the premise, like if you the creator are just like going for it, like you got to just go for it, like and that's why I think you would agree, Like in my mind to go for it in this movie is to have the monster sick? Is to how God don't have the monster not be part of the story. Since when in Indian cinema is the villain not given some some characterization like that is it? Clearly it's surprising to you as well that the villain of this film gets no characterization, because like I can think of a movie like the sequel to Enthron or Doom three or Doom two or god even Pathon where it's like these villains are as well fleshed out and realized as our heroes are.

And that is something that I consider to be a positive for Indian cinema is that they take the time and go to the lengths to give you a reason to maybe even see from the villain's point of view. And then this is like, nah, he's just a bad guy. Yeah, he cackles evily, and that's it. Like it's so lame. It's like a bad haunted house and right down to throwing.

I don't think that's part of one of the nightmares to girl, like skeletons are thrown on her. No, yeah, I don't know why it was. It was cute, you know I I I was thinking, you know, comparing this because the reason we watched this, do you remember why we're watching this right? Well, yeah, we wanted to do a horror movie, right, but also because in Ish there is a scene with like a horror scene with a mere Khan. Remember, Oh it was so good.

It was Oh see you just looked in my spirits because you reminded me of that that great scene and a mere con. So it's like when when and Johnny Leeber was in that movie. So that's so that's why we're doing this. But I remember, you know, you and I talking like, oh, Indian horror, and it's like, you know this, this is a poor example of a Indian horror movie. But that's not really the point.

This is a poor example of a horror movie. Yeah, it doesn't. It's it being from India's almost just more of a factoid really than a factor. And my uh and it's and it's weird because it's like I I definitely think it's also and not in a good way. I mean it's still I mean, India has a much more conservative country.

But is this is kind of the slaziest film we've done. There's a lot of like layering and a girl gets her ass slab yo. There's literally a zoom in on poor Anita's boobs like they're clothed. You know. There's no nudity or anything that's not it's not really slazy.

It's not lazy by American standards for sure. But is there nudity in the original Nightmare? I guess there's there's underwater breasts at one point, which aren't Heather Lang in Camps. Yeah, assu me, that's a body double in that scene because she was like barely of legal age. So yeah, yeah, it had it been a body double.

I hope. I don't know if God it was the eighties, who know, there's not there's not any nudity in that first Nightmare. But again, like this movie. See here's the thing that feels like the big missed opportunity. And that's why I mentioned when this movie came out and when this movie had to have been filmed at least post ninety seven.

Like they have every Nightmare on Elm Street movie to mine from. Yeah, outside of New Nightmare, which again for me that that one is as important as the first one is, but they don't have that one to draw from, but they have all the other ones, and they and instead of really doing a real amalgamation of the movies into something uniquely Indian, they just go, we're gonna retell the first movie and throw in a couple nods to the second and third movie because it you know, in the second in the in the Nightmare on Elm Street Gay Edition, the second movie, they have this whole thing about him being possessed by Freddy. And that's what happens to Anita in this movie, is she's possessed by Chakl at one point right us like Nightmare on Elm Street too, And it's like, okay, so you've seen that movie there, so you know Freddy Krueger talks, So why does Chakoll not talk.

It's just like it's such a strange choice because it is it is an obvious, intentional choice, and it doesn't feel like the right one to the point where it really detracts from my ability to enjoy the movie or even understand what why Vitiagi saw in the original movie that made them think, like this is a movie I want to remake and let me do these things. It's like, man, like you really didn't even stretch, You didn't even really push yourself to do much. In a lot of ways, it doesn't feel like much of anything. No now well, and it's like it's also like kind of taking like obvious things and not but not understanding how they were, which is why a lot of like like it's hard it's harder to find really great remakes in general because a lot of times people will remake a movie, they'll be like, Yo, they'll take the obvious things, but they don't even bother to study why did this work?

Like with two, that character he had legit angst over being like, what's wrong with me? Am? I killing people? And I don't know it? And you know you care about him, like you're legit worried about him and you don't want him put in a situation you know when Anita gets possessed, and by the time that happens, you're just like, Okay, cool whatever.

I mean, even though there is like this whole thing where the this bad guy that's called I guess the boss who at one point I have to make a comment on this is wearing a blue collared shirt, like an IAD type collared shirt that's got Iron Maiden the cool guy. But I've never legit and I I mean, I'm one of my best friends at junior high was a metal head, Like I love Eavy metal. I'm very familiar with the culture. I have never seen a collared Iron Maiden shirt in my life. Are you saying that we should like have some Maid for us like matching?

No, would that hurt our style? It would just make me think of this movie our our style being all black all the time. Yeah, where more the goths. We need goth collared shirts and we'll have baja. I thought you were saying baja men who let the dogs out chakall did?

Yeah that that scamp eat that you know? But and that's it, and there's a whole thing this guy sees. He goes to a club and sees this act but he keeps seeing Anita like minding too. And I actually think that's actually probably the better musical number because of the editing and like that's kind of a cool idea where it's almost like is he hallucinating? Is she messing with him because she's possessed by she call?

Like the seeds there are good, but it's like everything that's and I get frustrated with movies like this where there are seeds that are really cool, but everything is such a mess, right and it's not stitched together like it should be. That you get you just get really frustrated. Also, this guy legit doesn't understand why she doesn't like him, even he I to rape her, like uh, I mean talk about not reading the room, Like, hey, anybody listening. If you want somebody to like you, don't assault them. Right, it's pretty easy, like it don't assault anybody, really, I mean, that's that's terrible, Like and just don't don't be an asshole, you know, don't do and that, for me, I think is kind of the excuse me.

That for me is kind of the big issue with this movie is I didn't find it in the character characters likable. I didn't find them easy to get invested in and or quote root for against Chakol. They just they seem to be kind of just as surprised and confused as we are. I mean, in the original movie, it seems like the parents know more than they're letting on, and that they're doing their best to protect their kids, but not really they think they do what they're doing, what they think is right. Right.

There's none of that here. It's just like this guy keeps killing us and we don't know why. And then by the end of it's like, well, uh, by the way, yeah, like Chakol killed your sister and killed a bunch of kids, But like, how did chakall die? How did Chakol become Chakol? Like that's not an answer that is given in the movie, and it's not one that's needed to be given.

But it's a part of the framework of the original movie as to why he's doing what he's doing. It's never made clear he's just doing it because whatever. But like that I guess, but that's not particularly interesting, Like even in the original movie, it's not particularly interesting, Like it's just those kids happened to go to that school and this guy happened to be there. There's nothing interesting about it, and that's kind of what makes it work. But then again, like what really makes it work is that the parents are so kind of still invested in, like, well, we don't want to even know what is going on, and we're hiding and we have the glove and the hat in the furnace, like all of that is part and parcel to the original story because that's how you find out how Freddy Krueger has it in for them.

There's none of that here. There's not even a character's motivation as to why our villain is doing what he's doing to the heroes of the peak. Well, and also, like the parents aren't nuanced characters here because like in the original, like you like both of Nancy's parents, like her mom, you know, seems like a good person and James kind of haunted and you understand why, like especially once you find out more of the details. But it's a good performance. And of course her father's John excuse part of my friend, she've that cuss all the time, John motherfucking Saxon, because he is the man, right, uh, he is like my American American I love I almost blushed Saint John's Exon.

I love him. But Nancy's dad is not like her dad's a good dad, Like he's skeptical and he's a cop and he's a man, but he also just you know, he's not coming from a bad place, like he cares, but he's clueless, but he's not an asshole. Anita's dad in this movie is just straight up dick. Her dad is not a good person. Like if a cab exists in India, it's probably because of people like her dad, right, her dad, and he doesn't redeem because like you find out all her sister died and it's like, boy, okay, you can see that kind of fucking Obviously I would fuck anybody up.

Your kid died and a violent of course we don't know at that point how she died, but just losing your child, I mean, that's a that's heavy, that's very heavy. But her dad is so woody and it's just like wow, like that that is his whole level. The entire movie is oooh like that noise, that tension, right, there's no humanity to him, and it's not even funny. I think that's the problem. If this movie was just so over the top bad, then it would be entertaining.

But it sits an uncomfortable middle because you know, and I think that that hurts it too, because you can't even really watch it for you know, like camp purposes. I guess if you're going to watch a movie for that reason. Well, and you know, if we have one to one characters in the movie, the Johnny Lever character is a addition to the mix that is not in the original series. Yeah. Yeah, and he's like trying the hardest, I feel like of anyone.

But that's also because he's seemingly given the most to do. It's almost like he's the main character of the movie. Well, and he plays three different roles, right, like great, yeah, yeah, and it's bizarre, it's some of that's so bizarre, but he does put an effort and he, at least early on after a while that character kind of wears its welcome the first or second seed. Yeah, but initially it's like, oh this guy, you know, but uh and that's the other thing too, is like by the time he gets the late later section. There's been another scene where two girls almost get raped in public Donnie Leaver's character them while as a character made famous by Amita yep.

Like never movie filmmakers don't ever mention even an actor that would make your movie better. Don't mention that because Omi Top. I'm like, Ombi Top could have lifted some of this shit, right And and on top of that, I'm sure the movie that they're alluding to is gotta be a lot, but it's gotta be well it has Omi toob in it exactly. And uh, I do, and I do wonder like if this movie had gone the route of casting a well known actor as the villain, if that would have been, oh, well, now we need to characterize the villain and now he needs to be important. But it was like, well, we didn't cast anyone of note as cha call, so there you go, like if he's just gonna be the villain that and you know, you know, you mentioned the design of the character, his design.

I think it's fine, but it is egregious that it is just the exact same glove painted gold. That is the one part of this movie that I do have a hard time forgiving it for because you've done effectively nothing creative with that glove and it is so iconic on its own, like you can't help but just be like, that's the glove from Nightmare on elmstre Yeah. Well, and you know that's the thing too, is like even if the actress of that well known, I mean, Robert England wasn't a huge star. No. When he was cast, he was like kind of a supporting character actor at best.

I mean, he'd done some notable roles. He was the last and he had Toby Hooper set and alive, which is amazing to be as well. He was cynthy. Yeah, I mean so he was, you know, he was a working actor, but I don't he definitely wasn't a hasshole name. But the thing is England being the great character actor he is.

It is one of those guys that can bring a presence and I kind of demented charisma, like he's not charismatic as Freddy in a sexy way obviously, but he's charismatic in a way that you know, you could feel. And that's what makes Freddy kind of so scary too. It's like anybody could be some goon that's like, you know, I'm gonna haunt your dreams, right yach so piac that you know. But England, there's something about England that is very magnetic and that's kind of what makes it even scarier is because you feel that poll with the repulsion, and that's like the sweet that's a sweet spot with any kind of great, truly great villain or monster. Is that that uneasy mix, like a quick sand kind of thing.

And we don't we don't get that at all. And it sex because like some of the atmosphere, like there were some talented people that worked on like a lighting and set design and some of the camera works really good, like there are some there was some effort made, but the rest of the movie doesn't match up with it, so you know, it's just kind of like a flat effect right well, and and you know, you know, looking into Mahabir Bolar's career still acting today, mostly known I think in India for being a supporting actor, supporting character and things. So again, like you just said, I mean, it's not like the actor that they cast couldn't have given it more. I still think there was more to give it. I don't know, it just I think they I think they were focusing on the wrong things.

From night Mare at Elmstreet, I agree, right. Yeah, So Chris, with this film, I don't know if you did this, but I kind of like was thinking, like, whoa, like if you and I were involved in the creative process and be like, Okay, let's do this first of all. And they give us hints with this, but they're not related to it because they contly refer to him as an evil spirit. And at one point the mother who that actress, by the way, is only like five years older than the actress playing Anita, Like I kept being like her mom looks amazing for her age to right, right, yeah, because she's five years older than her. Uh but uh but like they meet like a guru or a master that gives her like an ambulance that doesn't come into play at all for rest of the movie.

Go figure. Yeah, but uh, but like what if they and that'd be another way to kind of divide it a little better. More from a craven film is lean into mythology, make it like a like an ancient demon kind of thing, like kind of make it, you know, lean into that aspect of it. Make the musical numbers also make at least one of them a little scary, a little spooky. Keep that tonal the whole subplot with raping mcraperton.

Cut that shit out. This movie's too long as it is. It didn't add anything to it, and you're not invested enough in anything to care when he finally does get killed, like either in a pretty lack and in a pretty lackluster way. I feel like, I mean, it's not yeah, I spit on your grave. When I was watching it, I was like, well, here's the Johnny dep sy.

I mean, it's like that's that's that's where you're like, he's on the bed. Here we go. They subvert your expectations a little bit because all of a sudden, it's the bed scene from a different movie, a different nightmare where it ends up being you know, all the waterbed and trapped in the waterbed. But like the thing, it almost feels like it was because of it was a technological limitation, because that fucking room from nightmare is not something anybody should be doing again. If you watch the Never Sleep Again documentary, it sounds like that was a nightmare when they did that blood effect to the point where like the room tilted and shit was getting electrocuted and stuff like nobody should be recreating that.

It's an amazing effect still to this day, Like it is an impressive effect in an impressive movie. But like, if we judge this movie as a horror movie, it doesn't even have very interesting kills, not that it needs it, but it doesn't even, like you said, do anything with the fact that it's an Indian horror movie, because it totally should have been. This is you know, the God of Revenge or whatever, like something to that effect. A movie like Tumbad does it where it's like it's it's a monster, but we're leaning on the folklore and the religion and the culture of India to inform what it is, which makes it, like you said, uniquely Indian, and this doesn't even feel Indian. That's the thing, Like it's an Indian remake of a Nightmare on Elm Street, but it just feels like a bad remake of a nightmare on Elm Street, Like Indians Day without like the case, like it doesn't change any Yeah, yeah, this is a film.

And obviously, you know you're doing this podcast and we've we've talked about several films together. You and I are obviously not the kind of people that are like gonna whine about a film being long, Like if a movie's good, bring it, you know, we're down. But but this one, definitely, I think was the the one that we've talked about that I really felt the length on it just was too long. It was way way too long because it wasn't that good. I mean because some of the other films we've discussed, some films that were a little long, it could have been trimmed, but it wasn't a deal breaker, you know.

With this one, it's like, oh my god, there's like B and C and D plots not that shit out like just kind of out lean it up and give us a scary give us scary musical number. You can do that. There's tons of music that's li shit atmospheric and scary out there. I don't I mean, I know there's not a lot of precedents for scary musicals. Though you mentioned stage Fright made me think of a slumber party Massacre two, which does have a great musical number.

M I love it with it with It's like a rockabilla number though it's so much fun. But uh, I'm trying to think of like horror musicals. There's like, I mean rocky horror, but not really, I mean it has horror elements, sweeny, Yeah, as presented as presented by Johnny Depp and Tim Burton. Not like the stage plays kind of a state of slage place love more like like believe it or in Darker. But it's like also very kind of like tongue in cheek too.

It's more kind of like biting satire and less like Johnny Depp crooning as best he can or believes right well, and you don't have the prestiche of like the Tim Burton pastiche kind of thing going, which is already horror adjacent. Yeah, well at this point, and I hate this because I love Tim Burton. This is an aside love Timburton as a teenager, and I still love like Beetlejuice is forever my jam. But uh like but after a while it's like, Okay, I I know what merch is going to be a hot topic, you know, like you can just you can see it. But but yeah, that's a really good question.

There aren't a ton because recky horror is kind of an intentional sort of camp homage to horror and science fiction and bean movies. Uh I kind of what would would would repot the Genetic Opera count Yeah, but Father Malone is rolling his eyes somewhere. I wasn't a fan of it either, But I get it. I get it. But but I mean we're talking We're not talking about the ones we personally love.

We're talking about just in general. What about fandom of the Paradise You know, that's so funny. I love and I love that movie with the fire of a thousand sons. Likewise, like and I know, I never even think of it as horror because I just think of it as a fan of the parties, right well, but but it is. It's like it's inspired by a fan of the opera, which is one hundred percent horror.

So fan of the opera, bye be I be the gold standard, because I can't think of a horror musical that, at least in my opinion, I think is better. I mean, you can't beat that now track, like no, then they do a psycho. They do a cycle, like a little cycle homage in the movie, like, well knows what it is? I love the Oh great, now I just gonna want to go watch We should have watched, We should have watched Fan of the Paradise instead of all right, oh goodness, but it's a better musical. It's a better musical.

I mean shit, even Rapo just a genetic opera, which I don't like. At least it's short, right. Oh yeah, and Paul Sorvino really knows how to sing. Yeah. All Sorvino singing in that movie?

Is? Is it? Like? Have you seen Tommy? Like Ken Russell's Tommy.

Oh you need to see because I love Tommy. But Nicholson's things in it. And I'm gonna ask you which one you thought was the worst singer, Jack Nicholson or Paul Serna. I would submit for your approval A third, Oh, submit for your approval. Yeah, here's Brosnid and Mama me.

Oh well, okay that that's a horror movie in a different way, those happy days. Pierce, No, what's a job, but what's an abb of duty? You? Pierced Frosten show us on this doll where it touched your wenus. Piers said, weenus, here's Brosn's Weenus.

But it's it's too bad, but you do make me want to explore. Like I almost feel like it's a challenge. Now. I feel like we need to find a horror movie that's from India that's really good, that has a musical number. Right, it's kind of exists, right because it would it has to.

I mean again, it's just I guess the question is, and this is the thing that kind of we're walking around here ultimately is how much of it can be a horror movie? Right, because like it could have horror elements like ish did Ish had a horror scene? Doesn't make it a horror movie, right, Right, this movie's a horror movie because there are reoccurring horror scenes. But like again, it's a horror movie. But this movie's barely a horde like it kind of it barely works as a horror movie.

It works better as like a slice of life teen drama. Did we're using the wortine very loose, Like yeah, I mean at one point when Anita and it's not this attress is felt actress is fine, but she has a nightmare. She's crying for parents, and there was one point where I totally expected her dad to be like, Anita, you're thirty, you're an adult, now get out. I mean, did Heather langing Camp and Johnny Depp look like adults in Nightmare? Yeah?

They did? But she was a teenager, right, so legit it was like seventeen eighteen, right, But like Johnny Depp looked like I guess, I don't know again, like he did look thirty. No, but he also did look like a teenager that she did, right, And no, I mean Heather lank Camp has like has very soft features, so yeah, and she's so good, like that's the but that's the thing is Nancy. This is the Oh my god, you just made me realize this might have been the ultimate. Well yeah, deal breaker is like with Nancy in the original, you get a protagonist that you don't you not only care about, but she's intelligent.

She is a fighter, she is savvy, like the best fucking scream queen of them all. She's a bad ass. You love her, and it's better, Like who's better than Nancy? I don't like who? I mean, she's she takes it to him in the first movie.

She doesn't wait like she tries she could. She almost saves Johnny dipp in that movie. Yeah, I mean she's only like her and probably like Sigourney Weaver in like Aliens, Like those two are like the bass Mamma Jamas. But I still go for the Heather langing camp because that's like, even if Alien is a horror movie, Night Mary and Lmstrita is still pure horror, no sci fi horror. Well yeah, it's got the birth grit though, right it's picking vanilla chocolate ice cream, like you're not gonna be disappointed either way, exactly now, And they had their lanking camp.

It's such a great performance because you're totally by her being that resourceful like by she helps you make make you feel that character at Nita is basically and I hate this because that actress, like I would have loved to see her take that, you know, be given the opportunity to be like, you know what, fight him. He is. He has ruined your life. He's killing your friends, like he's possessing your body at one point, which is rapie. I mean, what's more what's more rape than somebody invading you that your permission that's rape and her fight back, and instead it has to be the men doing it.

I mean literally when they have the big confrontation at the end. You know, her brother tries to run him at one point when that like your baby, girls like, well what is going on? And it's like asshole dad and her boyfriend and again not I can't says enough. We're not blaming any of the actors. It's the writing and direction they say that.

It's just bullshit. It's bullshit. It would be like if Johnny Depp's ghost saved the day in Nightmare and not Heather langen Camp. It's utter nonsense. Well, and to your point, I mean our China Puran saying is given a raw deal here, like she's not a remotely relatable protagonist, Like there's nothing about her that's like memorable.

Even again, Heather langon Camp, there's a reason she comes back in two other movies, including the one that ends up being for Me, the Nightmare Movie, and she's part of the trilogy of movies one, three, and New Nightmare that I personally consider head cannon because that's a complete story told in three movie, the original, the sequel, and then this is what was actually happening here. It is in the real world like that awesome, Like, but that's a testament to Heather langen camp Like and her performance and her ability to be charming and charismatic and also, like like you said, believable. And it just shocks me that, like you said, our hero in this has no agency of her own. No. And that's the thing too, is that we've seen you and I have seen and talked about Indian movies that have strong female characters and strong female protagonists.

I mean, including Don gall which is literally based on a true story, you know, so it's not like, you know, it's a culture thing, like you can have a strong female and it's just that sheoose not to do it, and her dad isn't really I just I didn't care for her dad, And it's just it was weird that whole confrontation was were because literally the boyfriend really is the only one trying to save her properly, right, right, And like you kind of think the parents and it's almost like they're just like, maybe we'll start fresh after this one gets eckrified, right. I Mean, it's terrible. I wish this movie didn't feel like such a novelty like such kind of an aff like it almost like the movie itself is an afterthought and they just wanted to get butts in the seats because it's a retelling of a story that is a Western story.

But like, guys, just watch the original, Like, don't even watch this because like again, like this is beyond diminishing returns. But they don't do enough to even warrant this existing. In a lot of ways, the original Nightmare on Elm Street is a classic for a reason, and it will always be. It has stood the test of time, and it will stand the test of time no matter how many times they remake it, no matter how many sequels they make, it's still the best out of all of them. Even if even if my favorite is New Nightmare, the original is solid front to back.

There's nothing wrong with that movie as far as I'm concerned. It's almost a perfect It's a masterpiece, right, It's a masterpiece. It's just thinking about the blood Seed alone, like that is just like yeah, like everything about it, right, yeah, I mean, even even after watching this, you know this, you know I knew and I both like you mentioned, we let the series, and even after seeing Freddy become kind of like, yo, like this weird anti hero and I mean there was like Freddy Krueger Dulls and like games. Yeah, like I love Freddy though, but like it's heir. I do too.

It's super weird. But you can still, even with knowing all that, you can still go back and rewatch the first one and it still has that effect like it's such a great horror movie and it's scary. The first movie is scary. It's legit scary. And I mean, honestly, I mean that whole tongue coming out of the phone thing that fucked with me as kids.

I saw that movie at way too young. But I gets to the phone like Freddy was gonna try and French me and be like, I'm your boyfriend. Ow you know, I kind of like, I'm your boyfriend now. Whither to let get out of the end of the phone. I would prefer if it was stoke, I'm your boyfriend now.

However, in the back right you hear the glass break. I wouldn't want a date start cold either, but I just wanted to hear you say that, and it was it was everybody as good as I know. I know when to ask is less important than to just say, wouldn't it be funny? If I know? I like it?

Though, I mean, hey, you throw the ball in the air and I may take a swing at it. Who knows, we'll see. I never said I was subtle. I appreciate it. Say I appreciate that.

I was like, oh, I would prefer if it were this. It's like, all right, yes, let's do it, Chris, let me pause. It's a situation, right yeah, so uh yeah, it's it's too bad. But I hope somebody listens to this. And I think any country indie and fabulous, if you're American, cool, wherever you can be from Denmark make a horror movie that's a musical that's creepy.

I want to see this ship. I want to see because even my beloved Pansom, our beloved Fantom the parent. Yeah, oh yeah, I wouldn't say it's scary or creepy. I mean it is a horror musical. You're up?

Yeah, now flash nine And I mean, yeah, I get it. Like Paul, anybody is it? He is an interesting looking fellow. Let's put it that way. Oh but you know what theef can we all just swear of Garrett Graham, he's so dreaming, Oh my god, and may have may reportedly have what the the vernacular.

I don't know this proper venac have a hog hog chimp arm. I'm just there's a Branda Paula babe where you see you see it all? I packing. I wonder what would have been this movie's outcome if the Nyma and elm Street stuff had been handled in a more not respectful but interesting way and less a one for one way. I wonder what that movie would And I wonder if that movie would have been better than this, because again, there are other Indian remakes of things.

There's an Indian version of Forrest Gump that doesn't just do the Forest Gump story. It takes it and does something with it. Has had the shutters and shades and no George Scott hardcore over here, turn it off, turn it off. That's kind of how much When you should have read the trailer for that, I was like, I totally like I saw like a family member a berdos Like yeah, but again, like it's not like a remake of an American film by an Indian filmmaker is something that hasn't happened. But this it this this does verge on latont and this does verge on too close, Like, what's the point of remaking this movie one to one?

Just go watch the original. Yeah. Well, and the same thing is they do add a lot of new stuff, but none of it is to a greater good kind of thing, right, you know. I mean that's the I've been seeing more Johnny Johnny Lever, who's I mean, even though his character gets old fast like heat, right, I do enjoy staning him. He's got a great hairy curl, he's gotten a amazing Jerry Cole, and he's a good dancer.

That motherfucker get out dance me. I can't dance. He loves to dance. Apparently. If I tried doing some of those those late little knee groups he did, I would be on the floor crying because I have hurt myself.

I think he's the best part of this entire book. I agreed, one hundred percent agree with him. And the lighting. The lighting. The lighting was interesting to look at.

I'm not sure it was imminently successful all the time. It was very Italian lighting that's very like Giallo colored, like blue gels, red gels, like they love the blue gels. On his face, on the face I love. I love the use of color and horror because I don't think I think that trends, especially when she gets to the nineties and the aughts and even somewhat today. Now most horror, so many horror movies just look so washed out.

And I'm like, yeah, come on, guys like you gotta tal They love their realistic folks. See look all right, well they're gonna say folks spun for folksy ship lap. I feel like that that we could make a hard movie about call it, call it whittle. It's about it. A guy that whittles, you know, like the Little Sticks is Whitland and he kills rogue of teenagers with his whittling.

I think it would be called Whitland Whitland and and oh my god, no, this movie's gonna rock. I just hit. We have him played by Stephen mccattie or Lance Henrickson. Let's do Lance and he plays the musical saw over the dead bodies of his victims. That'd be so quick.

Have you never heard like a musical song? Oh? Oh sure, I don't. And then we hear, we hear like this, there's this law, there's this beautiful, lonely lady. We call her the Lady of the Swamps, and she sings like all of these death ballads, and she's got a pet crow.

This ship is top. I'm more interested in this. Oh I just I just came up out of the time. I had a better movie than my call. Your fantasy book did better.

And if anybody writes this movie, we will sue you because we have this ship Timestamps. Unlike the creators of Nightmare on Elm Street, we will suit you, we will go, we will grow full Harlan Ellison on your asses. Okay, it's time to get whoo oh, that's a catch trick. Let's get let's just we're gonna make We're gonna look at Disney and say, hold our beer mouse. Squeak, squeak, motherfucker.

Oh my good. This is why I love Cramp Like Chris is the bass. No other house is gonna come up with squeak, squeak, motherfucker. Hey, that's what the mouse wants. The mouse wants attention time to give it.

So, oh, here's your piece of cheese. Oh my god, I am living for all of them and cheese. I just love to say you want action, we'll give it. Yeah, that's even better than my previous favorite phrase. You got beef, so let's eat beef.

Let's eat up the grill and cook your boys. Sounds much worth threatening than mine. I feel like I still sound like a hostess. Hi, I'm Heather, and would you like some Southwest egg rolls with that? Yeah?

Oh, I highly recommend the Chipotle ranch to go with it. It's actually pronounced Chipolte chipolte ioli. That's the other one iol It's aoli and it's pronounced Chipotle Chipotle Aoli chipolte ioli. What are you screamed? What did you call me?

Everybody gets a fist five that over here, you chipolte Ioli. I only I only Southwestern egg rolls at TJ on Fridays. You know, the Texas Rattles. Date has been thrown out of at least a few Applebee's and Chili's. Okay, yeah, he has.

I mean when you when Southwest egg roll all the way through, it's a little cold in the center. Alright, jeez, every more chipolte iole. Sir, you just did a stutter on our manager. We're gonna have to ask you to leave. Guys, shake it in the back like the rock.

Jesu's selling it. He's really selling it. Where's my call to your bots of realistic Those lots Ofrello sticks don't have no chase pull get out of here. It's like, Jesus stone Cold, what is your problem? Sir?

This is a TGI Friday is not a WWE cheese the chee stone could talking about the cheese powl would be I mean again, That's why I stopped listening to his podcast, because he was like, what to try it? Oor Joes to get some orange cranberry relish and they didn't have any. Oh oh yeah, It's like, okay, you work cool At one point, Wow, yeah, that's where the beer. I were to Star Books and the Espristol machine was broken. Nobody cares.

I need to drink normal coffee, Like, welcome to the real light. How does that like the whiniest white man on the planet. Yeah, but the plain about Trader chokes right, and they're parking lot all these people drive and prayers is take it up the pigs face. It's like, okay, I know he's all bitching because they're out of truffle world. Where's my truth?

I can't make by Risto. This was more entertaining than the movie. Talking about this movie was more entertaining than this mook. Honestly, we should release this episode on Blu ray and tell it because it's it'll be your better use of your money. It's an alternative to Maha call.

And to your point though, that I think for me is the biggest shame in this entire issue with this movie is there may not be another movie that is a Indian cinema version of a Nightmare on Elm Street ever to come out, and the fact that it's this is the biggest kind of disappointment because I would love to see a director who's actually motivated do something interesting with the source material. But the likelihood that that happened is rather low because this would have been the time for it to happen, when that movie came out and when it was more part of the pop culture discussion than the movie is now. Yeah, yeah, exactly, well, and it's and it wouldn't be the first time. Think about how many different versions of say like Dracula, speaking of horror characters that we've seen in different countries too, I mean, like Japan, you had Lake of Dracula.

Jess Franco made El Conde Dracula, which was you know, you have so many. I mean actually there's a Turkish version called Dracula Instable, which I think might be lost, but I hope not so that you know. And that's the thing is every version of Dracula, by and large is a little different, even though it has like you know, source material that's literally a book in a lot of cases or play, each one's different, and especially when you go region to region, and it's like that's what makes it interesting kind of to view different for the Dracula, because each something a little different. Like otherwise, that's what's the point of remaking anything. I mean, that's why people are so cynical about things be remade now, is because we've seen a lot of people remake classic films that aren't good, like not the classic films, but the remakes themselves, and they're a great remake.

You know, It's not because the remakes is because they're lazy, I think though, And I'll mention it here because I've mentioned it and on other shows that I've been on where we talk about movies that are remade. Why are we remaking movies that are good anyway? Why are we going and remaking movies that are like okay to middle of the road and really elevating them or doing something different with them, or or something like why are we just going nightmare elms? Are you're gonna remake it? Rooney Mara, she's in all Right, Connie Nielsen, She's in all Right, Jackie Earl Haley.

We're gonna waste his time, Like like, that's what that felt like, And that felt like a waste of my time because they even in that movie, they had an opportunity to do something interesting where it's like they had a moment where they were like, it could have been that Freddy Krueger was actually innocent the whole time and he was killed by these parents who were convinced he was a child molester and a murderer. And the movie has this opportunity where it's like they're gonna pull the sheet back and there's either a tunnel to the secret sexual assault dungeon or not. And it's like, if that movie had pulled it back and there had been nothing, I think everybody would have been like, Wow, they've done something drastically different.

And now it kind of gives the story a different spin to it. Instead, it's literally, nope, he was a bad guy and yet he did I guess with the movie strange logic, deserve to have vigilante justice meted out against him. But why stop just remaking it? Like one for one, the movie still exists Jesus Christ like well, and you know, actually it's funny you say that because there's a point in Mahakal where the Dad's discovered having the glove. And at first, brief second, I thought, maybe this movie's gonna surprise me.

They're gonna have this whole twist if you find out that dad is the killer. Oh okay, but then that didn't happen. So yeah, now as I see, and I mean honestly, I think most remakes are not necessary unless yeah, I think the sessions if you're if the source material could use some improving. It's kind of like I've always use this example, like Willard, like the Crispin Glover remikes really good, and I mean the original one. Bruce Davis is fucking awesome, Like he's a great actor.

Is it like a movie classic? No? No, I mean, so it's okay, or if it's based on something because you can interpret a book or play in so many different ways. But otherwise, why don't you are maybe doesn't dump it, make stuff that's inspired, Like it just is so lazy to me at this point of like why don't we do this? You know?

Oh cool, another another frecking Friday the Thirteenth movie? Do we need that? No? Part of the reason why the slasher genre was so kind of like fascinating in the eighties because yeah, people were inspired by the success of movies Late Nightmare and like Friday Thirteenth. But you're getting people that you gotta make a slasher film that would be like, ooh, let's do our own thing with it.

I mean not every movie obviously did that. You got a little bit the ones that people remember talk about, like say sleep Away Camp. That's a classic, that's a movie that did its own thing a hundred percent with it. Even something like Graduate, Yeah, the Burning Graduate Day, Like there's you know, that's what you should do. Don't remake stop the remake shit, be inspired, use that inspiration to do something new that's your own in general, you know, like the it's otherwise it just ends up being like karaoke after a while, right again, I totally agree, like Weird Al is not making music that you or I could make, because I think he's genuinely a talented human being.

And parody is absolutely parody is impossible to do unless that's exactly what you are able to do, and that's your thing. And there are plenty of directors and filmmakers and artists of all kinds that do parody work better than anyone else can. Because it's so hard. I don't know why remakes aren't viewed the same way. It's like, it's damn near impossible to do this, right, yeah, I mean, and it can be done, but again, you have you can't just half asst you really gotta.

I mean, like Cronenberg's The Fly is an example of a great remake, but it's David Cronenberg, you know, like you had, and he did his own thing. That's one hundred percent his movie, right, That's what you have to do if you're gonna do that shit. But otherwise, just make something inspired, Like I mean, how many you know, how many cool like Weird, Atomic Fear Monster movies did we get in the fifties. We got a lot, and some of them are better than others, But they're all inspired. That's how we got Godzilla, and Godzilla inspired all of these great kaiju movies from Japan and some again some of other others.

But think of like the whole world that created like that inspiration. That's how we got Mathra and you know Gamera, which Gammera is very inter but he's a flying turtle and he's adorable. Okay, I know which one is your favorite? Okay, Well, authors my patron saying, oh, I thought King Caesar was with those ears. Oh, I do love him.

He's a giant dog back go on Zillafi. He's like a dog lion, and I love him. I think ultimately, when you have horror or genre films that can be you know, transposed elsewhere, I think, yeah, well, it's it's best to maybe not do the easy thing and do the hard thing, because ultimately the things that are worth doing aren't easy to just rip off. Nightmare on Elm Street yields results like this where people are like, oh, this is a ripoff, Like it wouldn't be a ripoff if they had tried. Yeah, yeah, just try and and and Honestly, when you're dealing with the supernatural, especially the whole world is your oyster as a creator, because you can literally write the own your own roles in logic, because you're dealing with a fantasy realm, right like, so there's really no excuse like have fun with it, like your mind wrent wild, like it's you know, and that's the beauty.

It's like if people try to apply logic, which some people, I mean, we've all earned. I think I've probably talked about on all the culture casts, sure at some point or at least ran it to you personally about like having you know, I think this is di Dan now. But when zombies, when we were dealing with that zombie saturation, they're a saturation, I was legiti. You will be like, well zombies, you know that sucks because zombies couldn't run fast and bubble and it's like they're not fucking real. How's that they're not chut too?

Like vampires look a lot different in Japan as a myth than they do in Malaysia or Italy or ancient Greece, you know, same with like and throat, same with ghosts, you know. And that's the thing. We have like centuries of folklore in every country that you can play and source from too. I mean, there's so much you can do. There's no excuse for laziness, even if the film isn't good.

If you fucking put in the effort, you have our respect. Like I'm never I'm never gonna fully shit on something. If I can tell somebody tried, you know, I might, I'll be honest, I'll still be like, well this, some of this didn't work the best, but at the end of the day, I'd be like, but you know what, good on you respect. Most people I can sit into shared, bitch. Somebody went out there and made a movie and they did it.

Good for that, that's awesome, you know. And I actually, I mean I actually obviously similar feelings, Like as far as I'm concerned, I can tell just like you can when someone's trying versus just like here's Nyma on Elm Street, but with Indian actors, it's like, yeah, yep, sure is. And you know, maybe if they had just remade Nymara on Elm Street one for one and it had been an hour and a half and it had been this, maybe I would have liked it. Maybe that would have been enough. But I don't think it would have been I think that this movie is you know, an interesting artifact of a time gone past when these kinds of things could happen.

But I just don't think it's a thing that would happen now. I don't think there's a need for it. Like I've seen Tumbad. That movie's amazing, and that's an Indian horror movie that is scarier than most Western horror movies being made and it has nothing to do with any Western anything like that is refreshing for me as a viewer because I don't necessarily want to see an American movie being remade in India and we're calling that good like goodness, it's not good, it's not enough, no, no, well, and it's an insult to like, you know, Indian culture and talent because the Indian film industry obviously, I mean you have a whole podcast about it, Like you wouldn't be doing a podcast about an industry that was shoddy, that was just making movies like this.

Yeah, but also like I mean, here has time for colonial attitudes where it's like, well, it's good to be the best, it's got to be American. Fuck that, I b I'm watching a foreign movie. I want to see a foreign movie. It's like if I go to Italy, I don't want to go to a McDonald you know, if I go to other than for the novelty of it, well they do have different items and for my right, but that but but but that's I mean, but that's more what happen. It's a novelty.

No, that's what I'm equating the movie to. In a lot of ways, it's like, it's just a novelty. It could have been more than a novelty, and all of it's it's all it ends up being, is like, oh, if you watch this, you'll notice things that you notice from Nightmare and Elm Street that will seem familiar. But they don't give you anything else. And so it ultimately just feels like this weird novelty act where it's like, yeah, you're doing the Nightmare thing with Indian actors.

Okay, yeah it's not, don't up. Yeah no, So maybe somebody I'm hoping this will be the year that we see an Indian horror film musical with Amir Khan. I can dream, okay, dream dreams of Amir Khan running through my head. This sweet, so sweet Thugs of Hindu Stan Amir Khan. Oh my God, he would be such a cute vampire like imagine him a little thing, a dandy daddy.

Oh so so no, oh no, that's it. It's a I'll talk through after the show. It's a sidetrack. So Hea the final thoughts on Maha CaAl. You know, when it comes to remakes, you can definitely do a lot better.

When it comes to rip offs, you can do a lot better. When it comes to Indian said about you can do a hell of a lot BETTERO. There are good facets about it, as we've talked about, but it's just it doesn't flat out sock as a whole. I mean, I was able to finish it, but it's disappointing. So I don't know.

It's it's a little bit of a of a loss. But that's the journey of film watching. You win some, you'd lose some. I'm with you. You know, I had been wanting to watch this movie for a couple of years now, and like I said at the top here, I mean, this is a movie that I had been keeping my eye out for a English dubbed version for as long as I have been doing this podcast, so a while now, and you know, I'm I'm glad I've seen it.

It is a disappointment, and in a lot of ways, it's a lot more disappointing than I thought it was goinged. But like you said, I mean, it's like anything else. I could watch a Western movie and just be just as disappointed or more so. It's like I'm more disappointed here because I love Nimara on Elmstreet. Like I'm just disappointed just the way you are.

It's just is what it is, ultimately, like it is nothing more than the original, and that is a lot of the problem with this movie is, like the original is so good. Don't make a movie that's a remake of a movie that is a classic. It's it. There's nothing else that is needing to be said about that movie that the movie doesn't say on its own. And ultimately, this movie doesn't do enough to justify its own existence.

And that's a shame because, like you said, I mean, most of the people involved this movie wanted to make a good film, wanted to make a movie that people were interested in seeing and excited to watch, and it's just it's not even okay, it's not even very good, frankly, and that's a shame. It is a shame. I wish it had been fun. At least if it had been fun, we could have been like, well it was fun, but it's not even fun. Just long in the tooth.

That's the shame. It's just meh, Like it's bad, but it's more myth than anything else. Like, Yeah, the one thing is it'll remind you how amazing the original night might Elms treat is and you could go watch that. It's readily available. It's a classic or or Hackle Lander if you want something campy, and it's got high pike and there's a use a cool number in it.

I just remember there's a heavy metal like music video in the middle of it, and there's like uh butt pentagreeons. I mean it's got everything except a mere con. Yeah, right, present of a mir Gan. So until the next time we talk in me in cinema and possibly even at a mere Con. So, where can people find you on the internet, Heather, Well, of course you can find me at my website Mondoheather dot com.

I'm also on Twitter and Instagram under at Mondo Heather and at a Patreon, so you can join me there at I know this is gonna shock you guys, at Mondo, Heather, And as for me, you can find me at Weirdingwaymedia dot com, along with all the other shows that I'm both a part of or the network is proud to offer, like Noise Junkies, which is a podcast that you host with Father Malone and HP Hell. Yes, come join us, get your fix of sonic talk and goodies, and we're actually gonna be recording at a new episode on Valentine's Day, so keep your ears peeled. And we promised it'll be better than Maha Call. That's not hard exactly. As for this show, Bollywood Cinema Club dot com is where you can find the show, but like rate and review the show on iTunes because I mean, that's where you're probably getting it, and that's where most people are going to be finding it, so that's where you should go to help us out.

If you don't want to help us out monetarily by going to where Heather's patreon is or to the patreon for the Culture Cast, which is you know, more or less, I can part and parcel with this in a lot of ways, So Heather, thank you so much for joining me. As always, I wish the movie had been better, but you know, like you said, such is the life of a movie. Watch. We all know it. And that's and it's okay.

It's about not the destination, but the chair. Leave it at that.