Bhoot, baby: the November update
Thrills, spills and all things terrifying: tales from or about South Asia, plus other culture commentary by thehaughtyculturist
This month: The wicked satire of Foreigners Only, the true horror of Indian thriller Stolen, and a look back at Skyscraper’s heist homage.
This is the free edition of the monthly digest from thehaughtyculturist.com. Fill your boots.
Spotlight » Muriel Spark’s The Driver’s Seat and the ‘secret narrative’ theory | Books
Bhoot means “ghost” in several Indian languages. See Rohinton Mistry’s short story collection, Tales from Firozsha Baag - not just for the vocab, but for the delight of his storytelling.
What’s new
1. Foreigners Only: whip-smart horror gets under the skin of Empire | Review
Horror fable Foreigners Only exorcises the ghosts of Empire in cutting style.
“Nuhash Humayun’s horror short mercilessly – and monstrously – trolls the real and psychological incarcerations of Empire.”
2. Stolen: a nightmare born of India’s baby black market | Review
Karan Tejpal’s debut feature Stolen picks up the twin horrors of child abduction and mob mentality.
“There are two disparate Indias. Neither cares for the other. But sometimes they collide.”
3. Skyscraper (2018): how we tell tall tales | Analysis
What Skyscraper reveals about how we tell stories about money, morals and very tall buildings.
“Life in the world’s tallest building is just peachy … until terrorists seize control and start a fire that consumes the upper floors.”
4. It Lives Inside: taut teen horror can’t shed its own demons | Review
An Indian-American teen desperate to fit in finds herself battling bigger woes.
“Memorable horror does one of two things: it shows us something new, or it scares us silly. Which does It Lives Inside get right?”
5. Columbo | How to Dial a Murder (Season 7, Ep. 4) | Spoiler city
A psychologist specialises in motivational speaking and dabbles in murder ...
“the dance between killer and catcher centres on games that blur the lines between hidden secrets and open knowledge.”
London Film Festival: one to watch
Several of this month’s write-ups are from screenings held during BFI London Film Festival in October. I’ll leave you with a taste of my favourite.
Rizoo (2023), directed by Azadeh Navai
Eight-year-old Rizoo lives in Tehran with her mother and grandmother. Life is sweet - but when Rizoo has to have her photo taken for a class portrait, she must decide whether to cover her hair in the traditional manner, or find a way to bend the rules. Utterly charming, and my LFF pick. Watch the trailer on YouTube.
That’s all, folks! See you back here in a month.
Ruth / The HC
Pic credit: Varshesh Joshi via Unsplash
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