Mahakaal (1993)

Country of Origin/Production: India

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trailer: 

*Spoilers Throughout*

What’s This About: This is an “official” Indian A Nightmare on Elm Street remake.

Here are some of my observations as I watched the film:

• Alright…this is already better than Freddy’s Dead. Then again so is hepatitis.
• They didn’t even bother to change the music! 
• “SPL Apperance Konica” Nice typo there.
• Sweet Vindaloo! This is 2 hours and 12 minutes long!
• I’m well versed enough to have seen a good handful of Indian movies (I worked at a movie theatre off Oak Tree Road in Edison, NJ!) and I know they love their song and dance numbers. However, I wasn’t expecting that in this Nightmare on Elm Street “homage”! The credits list a dance choreographer so now I cannot wait how this is going to take place. Maybe “Freddy” will have some nightmares on the victims in dance form. Anyway, I know why this is over 2 hours long now.
• I mean, I’ve seen Freddy rap with The Fat Boys so dancing to Indian music could be a step-up.
• The credits have named over 5 people regarding music (despite the theme is still VERY close to Charles Bernstein’s original score) and then in big bold font is Anand Milind for “Music”. This is weird.
• As the credits roll, we witness a young lady in a night gown walking in a creepy boiler room. Will this differ in any way, shape or form from the same beats that the Wes Craven version?!
• This Freddy has burned flesh just like Freddy but he has an amazing mullet of hair.
• This dream makes very little sense. Freddy chases this damsel in distress around the creepy factory, popping up behind her every time she stops to rest. Fine. But one shot has him grabbing her neck and throwing her back and the next shot is her running towards him from a few yards away while the knife glove is the POV. She just runs right into the glove before she wakes up in terror and sees that he forearm has 4 slashes on it.
• These are college students by the way despite them looking over 35.
• So Anita said she will be late for college and can’t fool around with her boyfriend, while also trying to hide their affections from her parents. Not sure if they disapprove of this Prakash or maybe she’s in an arranged marriage or something. 
• The flick turned into an Indian-style Grease all of a sudden. Tough-looking charmer laying on top of his car, singing along with friends and now they’re asking abut his relationship with Anita. Tell me more, tell me more.
• Everyone at this school looks 35.
• Michael Jackson makes an appearance! And Thriller is playing as another student mimics the King of Pop when he enters the dining hall.
• There’s also a poster for Rambo: First Blood Part 2 in this cafeteria.
• The chubby MJ fan brought over to the table of our protagonists a round of Coca-Colas. He then says he’s in a good mood and that drinks are on the house! He also assumed the chubby friend needs 3 cokes. Also I thought they were saying Canteen because they are in a cafeteria but nope this chubby fella’s (nick)name is Canteen because he works there!

• OK this is strange. A lady asks why the drinks are free and Canteen tells her that he was offered a role in a film made by the Ramsay Brothers. This film is a Ramsay Bros production!
• I should probably make mention that this film started production in 1988. Wasn’t released until 1993. So the MJ references aren’t so out of place. And I can’t be too baffled at why an Indian movie that is remaking A Nightmare on Elm Street is featuring MJ in 1988.
• Canteen is now entertaining the whole cafeteria with his slick dance moves. This may turn into an 18-minute dance number.
• Nope. Three obvious popular fellas enter the cafeteria and put an end to Canteen’s antics.
• Out of nowhere, the film cuts to a beach scene where Anita and Prakash drives toward the camera and they both have a song/dance number by themselves. Again, this is not relative to anything in the plot yet. It’s a song where they both proclaim their undying love for each other.
• I mean, this is a horror flick. I get that there’s a particular formula for Indian flicks that feature grand song/dance numbers but even in their horror flicks? It’s stylistically weird for a slasher flick especially.
• I have a feeling that I will come around to the song/dance numbers as the film progresses along. Not enough song/dance numbers in American slasher flicks.
• And as abrupt as it was to enter that song/dance number, we’re just as abrupt to come back to the “kids” in their classrooms. So jarring.
• The professor is giving a history lesson on the very college they are studying at. Huh?
• One of the popular dudes is directly staring at Anita’s breasts in class. She’s wearing a sweater and her cup size can’t be more than B for context here.
• Randhir is the head popular douchebag. His friend is wearing a Souxsie Sioux and the Banshees t-shirt. The teacher called them both out in class for the staring at Anita’s boobs. When the friend starts giving silly excuses, the teacher slaps Randhir across the face!
• Seema is Anita’s friend that had the nightmare during the credits. In fact she literally tells Anita everything practically beat for beat from her nightmare wasting our time since we already watched it.
• Anita laughs it off as just a bad dream until Seema shows her her scars on her forearm. A second later Anita is reading Agatha Christie and hearing Selma’s nightmare description AGAIN in her head!
• As Anita’s mother wishes her a good-night she mentions that her father pretty much ignores everyone in the family. Then kiss Anita good-night and leaves. Foreshadowing?

• The father is staring at a picture of a younger daughter. Anita’s mother tells him that she died 7 years ago and yet he’s still mourning. He wordlessly walks away. Maybe next year he’ll stop mourning his dead daughter.
• Now Anita is dreaming of her dead sister Mohini. I can’t think of any instance that Freddy used a deceased relative to manipulate or scare a victim in any of the ANOES flicks. So kudos for some creativity here.
• So at the right moment, Mohini lures Anita into a creepy room and then turns into a skeleton, thus scaring Anita who then bumps into “Freddy” and just like Tina in the first ANOES, she rips his face off like a chicken skin. Why reinvent the wheel right?
• Anita’s nightmare looks like cheap Carnival scary ride decor.
• Anita’s dad tells her to stop with this nonsense and concentrate on her studies. But it’s in the middle of the night when she should be sleeping!
• Anita also has the 4 slash marks on her forearm despite “Freddy” never even striking her.
• Why do I have the feeling a song/dance number is brewing?
• Now Randhir is wearing an Iron Maiden shirt.
• “There are many flavors of love” Man, that’s deep Randhir. He learned that at his internship at Baskin Robbins.
• He then goes on to say: “It’s not you I love, but your sweet body. And in physical love, it’s lust not respect that counts.” He then goes and tries to sexual assault her with all his friends around cheering him on. Man, this flick took a dark turn in the first half-hour. 
• “First let’s get you nice and wet!” Ewwwww.
• Oh he meant from a garden hose. Still.
• Here comes Prakash and his friend to save the day.
• With the over-the-top fighting foley effects this fight scene is top-notch! Literally everyone is kung-fu fighting.
• Great Gilgamesh! One fella even tries to kill Prakash with a mattock and misses and destroys someone’s windshield! Meanwhile two teachers come along and politely tell them to stop. A moment later they all stop.
• When Randhir lies and says that Prakash is a dickhead he again gets slapped hard across the face by the teacher. I’m realizing a pattern here.
• This teacher kinda looks like an Indian Dan Aykroyd.
• Anita’s friends are trying to convince her that her near rape was not that bad and that she should get over it.
• They suggest they go on a picnic to sing and dance! And by Ganesha, that’s what they are gonna do!
• This song/dance number is all about singing and dancing at a picnic.

• I’m not poking fun really but I always wondered why in the song/dance numbers in Indian flicks that the females singing voices are always so high-pitched and squeaky sounding.
• One of the friends is wearing a shirt with the Union Jack on it. I dunno, but that seems very odd to me.
• Is picnic a metaphor?
• I don’t know how far they drove to go to this picnic but they are forced to stay at a hotel when the car won’t start.
• Why is the hotel manager this crazy laughing dude with a Hitler mustache?!?!
• I can’t stop laughing at this manager’s performance! It’s hilarious!
• Wait a minute! The hotel manager and Canteen are the same actor! WHYYYYY?!?!?!?!? And this wasn’t me being short-sighted, the manager literally says that they look alike!
• Apparently, I did some research and the actor who plays the manager and Canteen is named Johny Lever and he’s one of India’s most beloved comedians. He’s now a preacher. Go figure. Also fun fact, he is known by Johny Lever because his father worked for UniLever. No shit!
• While I was researching Johny Lever, I found out that this is India’s second attempt at ANOES version. Fascinating right?
• Wouldn’t you know it? All the phones are dead at this hotel.
• Now Johny Lever (as the manager) is peeping in on hotel guests keyholes and breaking the fourth wall making silly faces like Bluto in Animal House.
• Meanwhile breakdancing Johny Lever confronts the lecherous Johny Lever while acting like MJ. I have to admit it’s a tad better than Corey Feldman trying to be MJ.
• Now both of them are fighting to be able to peep in on one of the female guest but all she’s doing is painting her toenails.
• They get caught and the girl kicks the ever-living Shiva out of them.

• I guess I’ve never seen an Indian horror movie but genres don’t matter in India, I’ve come to notice. There’s just one genre—Indian. No mater if it’s a comedy, drama, historical epic, action-adventure extravaganza or horror flick they all will have comedy, drama, action and horror as well as song and dancing in every flick. It’s kinda awesome in a way if you ask me. I used to find it confusing and dumb but over the years you have to go in with the right frame of mind and context. I mean, look at it this way, I chose this flick because it was a blatant ANOES rip-off made in India and I am being blown away at how bombastic it is so far and I’m only a 1/3 in. I thought it would be culturally backwards in its approach to the horror aspect but instead they incorporated their own culture into the horror genre as we Americans know it and made a unique experience. Now I can’t judge it yet if it’s going to be good on a cinematic scale but so far I’m rooting for it to be everything it can be and hoping it gets even more wackier.
• Hey! A random line in English! Was expecting more at this point but it’s still funny that Prakash chose to try to seduce Anita with a line in English.
• Maybe it’s the Kingfisher talking but I am kinda digging this flick. My only gripe is this is rated more or less PG. Unlike its American version of a slasher flick, I highly doubt there will be nudity.
• Apparently Seema removed the car’s spark plug and that’s why it wouldn’t start. She’s admitting that to a very horny Param who doesn’t seem to mind that she sabotaged his car to get laid. I mean, would you mind? 
• I don’t understand why they utilized Bernstein’s theme music. Did Indian audiences already see the original A Nightmare on Elm Street and are familiar with the iconic music? Even if they were, then why make a culturally different version? Why are they taking certain elements of the American version? It’s very baffling since the theme isn’t that important to the whole Freddy Krueger mythos. And I’m just talking about the theme music not the nursery rhyme (One, Two Freddy’s coming for you) which this film so far has not used. I can make the argument that Halloween’s theme music is highly important to the success to the Halloween franchise and you can’t have a Jason movie with out the iconic Ki-Ki-Ki Ma-Ma-Ma cues. But Freddy isn’t know so much for his theme music so it could be eliminated in a remake made on the other side of the world. It just cheapens this Indian version as a cash-grab rip-off instead of a cultural remake instead. 
• Seema’s nightmare has her looking at some random thrown beets(?) on her hotel window. Not sure what it is but this being a vegetarian-based country I can’t assume it’s meatballs right?
• This is already better than A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child.
• “Freddy” chases Seema back into her hotel room and like the original she is being killed in her dream while awake Param watches in disbelief. However, it’s done on a budget the size of a lemonade stand.
• It took over 45 minutes but we got our first death.

• Enough of the quick zooms!
• So Anita’s dad is the chief of police and he’s super upset at the crime committed at this hotel and basically blame Anita and her friends. Especially that upstart Param!
• The next scene has Param try to discreetly explain to Anita what happened regarding Seema’s death but within a minute Anita’s police chief father pulls a gun on Param. This didn’t take long. After a rather long and pointless chase, the whole police force surrounds Param and takes him away.
• Anita falls asleep in class and immediately sees her friend Seema in a clear bodybag speaking to her. Where have I seen this before?!
• I’m just waiting for the bathtub nightmare scene. As well as the killer coming through the wall scene.
• I won’t sugarcoat it, these nightmares are terrible.
• “Freddy” mocks and assaults Anita to frighten her and eventually pushes her to hot pipe which wakes her up hysterically in class again. I don’t even know if I should be calling these shot-for-shot remade scenes out. 
• At this point, I’m wondering if the myth of “Freddy” is the same as the original in that the parents of one neighborhood killed him because he was a child-murderer/pedophile. Somehow I doubt this Indian flick is going with that origin story but I’m still very curious.
• Prakash finds Anita sulking in a dance club. Why she’s there is known only to Vishnu.
• The whole Rod being the prime suspect in Tina’s murder in the original ANOES made sense since he was a delinquent and had a criminal record already. Param is a sweet college dude thus making his accusation for killing Seema totally out of character.
• Regardless, even Prakash doesn’t believe his old friend. He may live long enough to regret that.
• I’m still unclear why Canteen always wears a red Puma sweatshirt in every scene he’s in. Did he film all his scenes in the same day?

• This potential rapist ogling the women walking home from the cinema has the best widow’s peak of all time.
• And I don’t even know who these two chicks are! But despite them seeking refuge in a crowded restaurant, the 4 rapists try to rape them in plain sight of all the patrons! 
• Now there’s a bounty-hunter dressed like Mad Max strolling down the street. What’s happening?!
• Nevermind. It’s Canteen! Come to save the day!
• All four rapists stop the raping when Canteen enters the restaurant via revolving bar. No I’m not making this shit up!
• Kinda odd that this “horror” movie is making so light of the fact that these ladies were going to be gang-raped in a public eatery while dozens of people stand by and watch. Johny Lever is cracking jokes and pretending to be a notorious folklore hero now taunting the rapists.
• Fart-face!
• This better not turn into a song/dance number.
• Well it’s a brawl with loud music accompaniment so I was half-right.
• Canteen is kicking ass and taking names. However, what does this have to do with the plot and “Freddy”?
• I have heard nasty rumors that India is terrible when it comes to the abundance of rape crimes but if they are making light of this subject this much (they literally laugh at Canteen being made fun of pretending he was the hero from a film while he says lucky I arrived before you both got raped) makes me believe that those rumors are true. Remember, this is a teen-centric horror/comedy and they are joking about rape and this is the second time there was an attempted rape and I’m only a little over an hour in.
• I haven’t commented much on “Freddy’s” look yet. He’s got the same burned flesh make-up and the glove is the same as Krueger’s but Indian Freddy doesn’t have a hat (in fact he still has his hair which makes no sense if his whole face is burned to a crisp) and he wears a long trench coat instead of the red/green sweater. 
• Indian Freddy scratched some holes in the wall of Param’s prison cell and dozens of small snakes emerge from the cracks.

• These are the most tame snakes ever. They don’t seem to want to hurt Param who’s screaming in fear and laying on the floor next to them. 
• Even by 1988 there was already 4 Nightmare on Elm Streets for this film to get ideas or inspiration from and still the nightmares/death scenes are some of the lamest in the annuals of cinema history.
• Anita wakes up in fright because she has psychically seen Param’s nightmare. Now she’s in hysterics trying to convince her folks that she needs to go to him and save him. Her police chief father slaps her across the face to calm her down. Not 3 seconds go by when the police call the chief to tell him that Param is dead.
• As Prakash is leaving Anita’s house he sees a rather suspicious looking Anita’s dad, so he follows him. Her dad then unlocks a drawer and the Freddy glove is in there!
• I looks like the Freddy Glove is made of gold. This Indian Freddy is a pimp!

• Welp, cat’s out of the bag now as everyone witnesses the glove being held by her dad. Guess it’s exposition time kids!
• Shakaal is the actual name of Indian Freddy. Not sure if I’ll henceforth refer to him by his proper name or continue with Indian Freddy.
• So it’s basically the same Freddy back story. He was evil, kidnapped and killed children and he even kidnapped Anita’s sister and that’s when her dad took the law into his own hands and confronts Shakaal. But Shakaal takes Mohini and throws her down a Temple of Doom-style mine shaft to her death. Her father then fights Shakaal and traps him in a coffin and buries him. The confusing part is that in this flashback, Shakaal is already deformed by the burn scars. 
• And to further complicate things, the reason Freddy Krueger targeted various teens on Elm Street is because multiple families were complicit in forming the mob that burned him alive. In this Indian remake, only the police chief is responsible, so it gives Shakaal less motivation to target various kids other than he’s just an evil ol’ bastard.
• Now, Dad and Prakash go to where the dad buried Shakaal. However, the chief is making Prakash dig up the coffin by himself. And using a mattocks and not a shovel! This is going to take fucking forever!
• Also of note: They are digging in the middle of the day! Not exactly horror film savvy.
• Only snakes in the coffin. Again with the snakes?!
• And for some reason, Shakaal can control the weather while the coffin is open.
• Now random fire bombs are going off in this park. This remake don’t really care about the fact that he’s a dream killer.
• Is this a dream? Anita is driving her car and Shakaal just laughs and taunts her from behind the seat. She freaks out, stops the car, puts it in park and runs out. The movie don’t care if they explain that Shakaal is now in the real world. 
• Look. I get that ANOES was a global phenomenon and it’s going to get its imitators. And I totally get foreign nations trying their hand at something akin to ANOES but wouldn’t coming up with a whole new, dare I say, culturally significant or appropriate, character make more sense? Come up with a serial killer that can inhabit others’ dreams sure, but does he need a knife glove and be burned to a crisp? Nope. It’s just lame and looks dumb now.
• Maybe this is a dream because it’s putting me to sleep.
• It would be nice if SOMETHING, ANYTHING was fresh, new or original. She’s running around in the City Aquarium and if she rounds a corner, Shakaal is there to surprise her. Runs down another hallway, rounds a corner, he’s there again.
• Hahahahaha. OK, even though I was expecting Shakaal to be in one of the aquariums to scare Anita, it was still funny!

• After a few outbursts or mini explosions, the water from the tank rushes towards Anita and she faints. Huh?
• Anyway, now she’s back home with her folks. 
• Woah! God just showed up! And he’s advising Anita’s folks to give her talismans!
• So this priest tells Anita and her mother that Shakaal must be destroyed or he’ll continue on killing but he never tells them how.
• Seriously what’s the point of having a finger knife glove when it’s used to choke a victim? In fact, other than some post-dream scratches, he has not used this glove or its knives to kill someone yet.
• I know I’d complain either way, but Anita isn’t doing squat to help herself. Remember Nancy tried her hardest to stay awake as much as possible, but this scene started with Anita sleeping in her room alone. Now she’s being choked by the glove while her folks are locked out of her room.
• I’ll chalk this up to poor translation but her mom just asked “Anita, What’s up?” As she’s locked out of Anita’s room while they hear her struggle for her life inside.
• Dammit Anita, why did you take off the Talisman?! Idiot!

• Anita’s dad is approached by Shakaal but apparently Shakaal hates Johnny Walker thrown at him. He turned to vapor and blew away. Shakaal is a Crown Royal man!
• I kinda miss the song/dance numbers. Could use one right now.
• Anita’s sleeping again?! Isn’t this the same night?!
• Let me guess, with Shakaal’s flashy eyes, he possessed Anita. I didn’t even have to finish the sentence before the movie proved me correct.
• Already this movie is better than A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge!
• Hahaha. I love how the possessed Anita is walking to college and is still carrying her books. I don’t know what Shakaal is up to but I doubt it’s learning in class.
• Randhir is back. And still trying to hit on Anita. Then Prakash enters and tells Randhir that he’s gone too far before punching him in the face. I guess the sexual assault earlier wasn’t going too far but his unwelcome flirting now is?
• Another over the top martial arts fight. Why does Canteen have Nunchucks?!
• The weird thing is, in the previous scene he was talking all nice and chummy to Randhir and other students. Now he’s taking out weapons to battle him and his goons. 
• Most of these punches clearly are not connecting to the targets. Who choreographed this, Bruce LEEver?
• Hahahaha. Nice. As soon as I wrote that Canteen mentions Bruce Lee: “Bruce Lee told me never to punch a person in the stomach but on the back.” Can anyone tell me what that’s supposed to mean? 
• Shakaal as Anita just stood around and watched that whole fight. Why was he even there?!
• And now’s the perfect time for a song/dance routine of course.

• None of these songs have anything to do with the plot or theme of the film. Imagine if the cast of Nightmare on Elm Street just suddenly started singing and dancing to Walking on Sunshine in the middle of the movie. This is what it feels like.
• Nothing is of consequence in this flick. As Canteen dances with the dancers, Randhir is at the bar just looking on sheepishly. They were literally fighting to the death in the last scene! Bygones be bygones I guess.
• Anita gets into Randhir’s car and tells him to take her to his place. Inside the house Randhir tells her, “it’s a big house but I live all alone here.” I thought he was a college student?
• You gotta hand it to Randhir. Here he’s finally alone with Anita and he’s being as cordial, kind, and courteous as possible to her. Long ways since he tried to rape her with his buddies in the middle of the school’s quad.
• He gives her a towel (it was raining and she was standing outside before he picked her up) and she slowly walks upstairs to change/dry off. Why is Shakaal wasting all this fucking time for?!
• Sexy Shakaal! Hubba Hubba
• Seriously, a waterbed death scene? Where have I seen this before?
• And somehow they managed to make this waterbed death scene worse. 
• Did they just forego the whole he kills people in their dreams angle? Was messing with his coffin in the park supposed to imply that he’s out in the real world? This film just never wants to explain anything. If someone never saw any of the ANOES they’d be completely lost!
• Prakash tells Anita that Randhir died last night and she asks how. Granted I know that Anita is possessed by Shakaal but even so, that question is the mootiest question ever to be moot.
• Whenever they show Anita’s police chief dad I always think of Saddam Hussein because he’s always wearing this beige/tan military jacket with medals. Maybe not Saddam but more General Annan.

• OK, now Anita is expelling that Shakaal is in the real world to Prakash. A. How does she know? And B. I thought Shakaal is possessing Anita. Or are they eschewing that plot point now?
• Anita suggests that her and Prakash break up their relationship just to be safe. Was Anita dating Seema, Param and Randhir as well?
• Now’s a fine time for a Johny Lever song and comedy routine, sure.
• Fucking surreal. After they laugh at Canteen (or according to him, Canteen’s brother) Anita and Prakash go to her house for tea with her folks. The whole demon killing their friends and classmates ordeal is furthest from their minds. Anita is practically humming as she goes to her room to change.
• Anita’s reflection in the mirror was her burned face like Shakaal but only one half of it. 
• 3 dozen knife gloves come out of the wall. Someone’s seen Day of the Dead.
• Anita runs downstairs after being attacked by Shakaal and in hysterics she tells them that he’s trying to kill me. Her mom and Prakash both ask “Who?” I give up! I fucking had it!
• So Shakaal only possessed Anita to seduce and kill Randhir and that was it?
• Shakaal manages to kidnap Anita and brigs her to that same Temple of Doom from earlier where her sister died. Why this evil temple is still standing is a decent question to ask.
• This music sounds so familiar to me. Sounds like Poltergeist mashed up with Jaws.
• Anita is now being beat up and tossed around by an invisible force. 
• She starts swinging a shovel (there’s the shovel!) wildly around and luckily knows Shakaal’s knife glove off his hand. (He’s still invisible) Just then Prakash and her folks enter the temple and the glove flies toward Anita but her dad pushes her out of the way and gets stabbed! But don’t worry it’s just in his arm.
• Prakash then tosses the glove into that deep mine shaft and that enrages Shakaal to show himself. However, he still has the glove on his right hand. Does anything matter in this flick?!
• Prakash decides to man-up and starts to fight Shakaal mano a mano. The other able-bodied people stand and watch like dopes.
• No matter if it’s a punch or a kick, the same old style martial arts ‘whaposh’ sound effect is used.
• Finally Anita’s dad wakes up from his little daydream and throws an ax towards Shakaal who’s strangling Prakash. But don’t worry, he’s an ace ax thrower and got Shakaal right in the noggin!
• He’s more mad that it ruined his hair more than anything.
• As Shakaal stalks around looking form Anita, she grabs a long chain and swings it at his face knocking him into the guillotine that happened to be in this temple. She then cuts the rope to release the giant blade and it falls on his torso but he’s still in one piece. It apparently hasn’t been sharpened since Nehru was Prime Minister.
• Wait a minute, I guess he moved slightly because the blade cut off the bottoms of both his legs. Right now he’s crawling at her but I’m hoping he stands up like Dorf.
• Is this Shakaal’s temple? Because then he should know that he’s about to crawl underneath a torture device that has hundred of nails that could fall on him as he tries to grab Anita. 
• Prakash sees his opportunity to impress Anita (and Canteen!) and starts to release the bed of nails onto Shakaal.
• Now it’s the music from Night of the Living Dead?
• So Shakaal dies by a bed of nails slowly crushing him? I really assumed that the ghost of Mohini would grab him from the mine shaft and drag him down for a very emotional and satisfying death scene. Oh well. At least it’s over.

Final Thoughts: I didn’t have any hope that this would be at all entertaining or well-made but it actually wasn’t that bad. Sure, it’s bad, weird, poorly structured and paced and the tone is all over the place but it had its charm and the song/dance numbers was a nice change of pace for a Schlocktoberfest feature. While I would only recommend this to our fans that have an affinity for Indian culture because the Nightmare on Elm Street stuff is downright terrible. They took a lot of liberties with the homages (and complete carbon-copy rip-offs), I wouldn’t claim they slaughtered any scared cows with the original source material. They made a somewhat unique experience using the mythos of Freddy Krueger and for that I could salute them. 

How Indian 🇮🇳 is it: You can practically smell the sweet aroma of Garam Masala throughout the screen! Tariff Rate: 100%

Score: 5 Song/Dance Numbers About Picnics (out of 10)