In the world of Indian horror cinema, the Ramsay Brothers are legends. They were the ones who gave life to many classic horror films that made people scared to even step outside after dark. From shooting in real cemeteries to strange encounters during filming, their stories are as chilling as the movies they made. Let’s dive into some interesting and eerie stories about how these famous horror films were made.
Using Real Graveyards for Horror Films
Today, horror films like Stree-2, Shaitan, and Munjya have done great business in theatres, proving the audience’s love for scary stories. But back in the day, the Ramsay Brothers started this trend of making ghost movies, and they did it in a very different way. Instead of using fake sets, they used real locations like old mansions, graveyards, and ruined buildings.
One of the family members, Deepak Ramsay, shared some creepy details about how his uncle, Kiran Ramsay, used to record sounds for these movies. According to him, Kiran would go into cemeteries at night to capture real, spooky sounds. He would stay in the graveyard from 9 PM to 4 AM, a time he called the “Special Graveyard Shoot.” The sounds he recorded, like the wind blowing or birds screeching, were used in their films to give them an authentic scary vibe.
Eerie Incident in the Cemetery
While shooting one of their famous films, Do Gaj Zameen Ke Neeche, the crew faced a strange and unexpected incident. Since the movie was being shot in a real cemetery, they needed to dig a pit for a scene. To everyone’s shock, they found an actual dead body in the pit! This freaked out the crew and created a lot of problems for the shoot. Despite this, the movie went on to become a huge hit and is still remembered as one of the best horror films made by the Ramsay Brothers.
The Lift Incident: Inspiration for Veerana
One of the scariest stories that inspired the movie Veerana is about filmmaker Shyam Ramsay. In 1983, Shyam was returning from Mahabaleshwar after completing a film shoot. On his way back, a woman asked him for a lift. Shyam agreed and let her into the car, but something about her seemed off. Her body language was strange, and she looked quite different from regular people. What scared Shyam the most was that her feet were twisted backward, just like the feet of witches in folk stories! Terrified, Shyam managed to get the woman out of the car.
This spooky incident stayed with him, and five years later, in 1988, the movie Veerana was made based on this experience. In the film, a witch disguised as a beautiful woman asks for lifts from travelers, and anyone who helps her meets a horrible fate.
Prithviraj Kapoor’s Ghost Mask Gave Birth to Horror Films
The Ramsay Brothers’ love for horror movies started with a simple scene from one of their early films, Ek Nanhi Munni Ladki Thi. In the film, legendary actor Prithviraj Kapoor wore a ghost mask to scare actress Mumtaz. The scene became very popular with audiences. Seeing the response, the Ramsay Brothers got the idea to make more films focused on ghosts and horror. This led to the creation of many classic horror films, with Do Gaj Zameen Ke Neeche being their first major hit.
Strange Sounds Recorded in the Cemetery
Another spine-chilling story involves Kiran Ramsay’s sound recording adventures in cemeteries. As part of their filmmaking process, Kiran would go to graveyards at night to capture real sounds of nature, such as the wind, animal cries, and birds chirping. One time, after returning from a recording session, he played back the sounds at home. To everyone’s shock, they heard the sound of a man breathing heavily in the recording, even though no one else was present during the recording. This eerie sound was later used in one of their films, adding to its terrifying effect.
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Horror Movies Released Only at Night
Another unique practice of the Ramsay Brothers was releasing their horror films only at night. Unlike today’s films, which are shown all day, the Ramsay horror movies were exclusively screened after dark to enhance the scary experience for the audience. Their movies were shot in real locations like graveyards and old, crumbling buildings, adding to the fear factor.
The Ramsay Brothers’ commitment to authenticity and their strange, real-life experiences helped create a brand of horror cinema that India had never seen before. Even today, their films are remembered as some of the scariest ever made in Bollywood.
