‘Shaitan Haveli’ Actor Varun Thakur on Cringe-Fest of 80s‘ Horrors

Revelling in other people’s misery, Varun Thakur tells us how he came up with the idea of ‘Shaitan Haveli’.

Varun Thakur talks to Almas Khateeb from The Quint. 

(Photo: The Quint)

Get ready for chudails, tantriks, punarjanams and the good old campiness of the 80's with Amazon Prime’s Shaitan Haveli with stand-up comic Varun Thakur.

The Ramsay Brothers are the creators of more than 30 horror films. But these aren’t just any horror films as they epitomised what the 80s were known for: cheap makeup, sleazy villains, predictable storylines, gory mugshots, monochromes frames, and so on. Yet, the Ramsay Brothers created a niche for themselves and created a cult with their “classics” like Bandh Darwaza, Purani Haveli, Veerana, and the TV series Zee Horror Show. Stand-up comic Varun Thakur cites the inspiration for his spoof, Amazon Prime’s Shaitan Haveli, to the Ramsay Brothers and the cringe-fests their films were.

Varun Thakur also lets us in on how it was working with Amazon Prime, and how different it is to create a web-series that is about the 80s style of cinematography. He also tells us his views on the #SoBadItsGood genre of films and TV Series, like Gunda, and specifically recalling The Room (starring Tommy Wiseau) that is said to be the worst film ever. 

The title of this Amazon Prime original is a parody of 1989 horror film Purani Haveli, obviously directed by Ramsey brothers. Purani Haveli, a B-Grade horror film, become one of the most popular Indian horror films of the time. Shaitan Haveli, however, does not take place in the 80s. It is based on these B-grade horror films that are being shot by Varun Thakur’s character and the crew.

The Ramsay Brothers really struck gold with ‘Purana Mandir’, released in 1984 in this cringe-horror genre. What is essential to know about ‘Purana Mandir’ is that it became the second highest grossing film, in a year that saw two Amitabh Bachchan releases. 

Watch what Varun Thakur has to say about his web venture, Shaitan Haveli. Or as Varun himself would put it, aao kabhi Shaitan Haveli pe. #OtherPeoplesKachra

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