1920: Evil Returns

What is the genre of 1920: Evil Returns?

I think that the genre for 1920: evil returns was more of a horror than anything else however there was a bit of romance within the film. The reason I believe the film is a horror is because of the sharp tension building music and loud sound effects making the film eerie and jumpy to the audience and also and the film in general had a dark feel to it due to the camera shots being used. Also any film that has people being possessed just shouts horror straight away. The reason I believe the film could also be a romance is because of the main characters falling in love and typically the damsel in distress. Not many horror films also have a romantic narrative; this is why Bollywood can be compared to either British or Hollywood horror films because of how different there conventions are.

What production context does 1920 fit into?

The production context that 1920: evil returns fits into is Bollywood, the reason for this is first because of the low budget they spent on the film which in US dollars was $166,284. I thought that even though the special effects looked decent they were used at an inappropriate time therefore making it look over the top and tacky. Also I thought the acting was terrible and over the top cheesy especially compared to Hollywood and British films. Another reason I believe that this film fits into the Bollywood production context is because of the religious views such as when the male and female actors/actresses were together in a hotel room the male walked out instead of any romantic action that would usually be expected in a Hollywood and British film, this is probably due to there strict religion.

Were there any stars involved in 1920?

1920: evil returns did attract some well-known Bollywood actors/actresses such as Aftab Shivdasani who has been and stared in more than 40 well-known Bollywood films, for example: Daddy cool, Join the fun, Aloo chat etc. The fact that this film uses recognizable Bollywood actors/actresses shows that this would be a top Bollywood film and due to the well-know actors/actresses they would get more publicity and more people wanting to see the film due to these celebrities being in it.

How did the narrative, dialogue, characters and location relate to the production context?

Like I said before you don’t really get a romantic horror film in Hollywood or a British film, which shows how unique a Bollywood film is. I think that very slowly British culture is being pushed and used in Bollywood film, for example in 1920: evil returns the location was set in a big stately home, similar to downtown abbey which is very British with a forest nearby. Also in a typical Bollywood film no matter what situation the characters were in they would always burst into song.

How did the technology used relate to the production context?

I thought that 1920 had fairly good special effects however they were never used appropriately and always seemed to be over the top. I think they could have been a lot more resistant, and also I think that Bollywood seem to think that the more effects the better the film will be which isn’t correct.