Patrick Grahams latest Netflix miniseries Betaal follows a counterinsurgency squad that accidentally activates a curse in the eponymous mountain, where they have arrived to displace tribal villagers and make space for a highway.
The curse awakens an army of East India Company soldiers. Over 24 hours, the forces, led by Vikram Sirohi (Viineet Kumar), have to fight the zombie soldiers led by the undead Colonel Lynedoch (Richard Dillane). Betaal will be premiered on May 24.
The four-episode Hindi miniseries has been created by Graham and Suhani Kanwar, and directed by Graham and Nikhil Mahajan. Graham was the showrunner of the 2018 Netflix miniseries Ghoul, in which an ancient demon attacks its military captors in a totalitarian India. Mahajan has directed the Marathi-language thriller Pune 52 (2013) and the superhero-themed Baji (2015).
In Betaal, Graham merged his fascination for retro-zombies, like the Nazi zombies found in the video game series Wolfenstein, with Indian lore about the betaal, a reanimated corpse that haunts cremation grounds and dispenses knowledge.
Then came the idea of the evil colonel who commands zombies as the betaal-like vampire, Graham told Scroll.in. The betaal, the head of the necro-spirits, whispering and guiding Vikram, sat nicely into that idea.
When Mahajan read the screenplay, he was drawn by the human drama of a motley of characters thrown in an extraordinary situation, where their worst internal fears come true.
Drawing comparisons with the classic zombie films of George A Romero, Mahajan added: As you see in his films, even in the most drastic circumstances, people find it difficult to work together, and only when they are able to set aside their differences, they survive. So the aspect of different types of people, stuck together, trying to fight their own demons, as a bigger demon lurks outside, appealed to me.
While Graham isnt new to scary fare, this is Mahajans first release in the horror genre. Pune 52 had heavy drama elements within a thriller set-up, and Baji had a lot of high-octane action, and I drew from both these experiences for Betaal, which is a mix of drama, horror, and action, he said.
The series was shot in Igatpuri and parts of Lonavala in Maharashtra. We built our own village at Lions Point in Lonavala, Graham said. We also found these colonial barracks there, whose facade we repurposed for the series. In Igatpuri, where we shot in the beginning of monsoon when it became literally one of the best-looking natural locations I have ever seen, we found a fantastic railway tunnel which is central to the story.
Prior to the shoot, the directors divided their responsibilities on the basis of logistics based on locations and actors, Mahajan said. Both of them shot Betaal simultaneously with their respective units in different locations and soundstages.
Graham picked Viineet Kumar as the lead after his performance in Anurag Kashyaps Mukkabaaz (2018). The ensemble cast includes Aahana Kumra, Suchita Pillai, Manjiri Pupala, Jitendra Joshi, Siddharth Menon and Ankur Vikal.
The look of the series is dark and gothic, and nothing like anything else in Indian cinema and television, Graham said. We tried to make Betaal as identifiable as possible, with a look and feel unique to it, and with more time, we could be more experimental, he added.
A key element was the makeup of the zombie soldiers. We knew we had to create a cool, novel monster, Graham said. In fact, I am hesitant to call Betaal something in the zombie genre, since these are not traditional zombies, which are shambling corpses, but more like weird mutated husks of what used to be human beings. The United Kingdom-based Millennium FX worked on the masks and prosthetics.
In Ghoul, the theme of a totalitarian Indian state paying the price for mistreating minorities was overt. Betaal, with its premise of colonial soldiers pitted against their present-day counterparts hired by not dissimilar capitalist powers, appears to be just as political.
All I can say is that the theme Suhani and I were pursuing was that just because youre wearing an uniform or getting orders from above, you are not doing whats necessarily right, and neither does your position give you the right to abandon your morals as a human being, Graham explained.
Betaal follows the ongoing trend of social horror. In India, the parameters of horror are narrow, Graham observed. Besides the underlying horror of Betaal, it has emotional depth, drama, action, and suspense, quite like the films of Jordan Peele, which are horror, but do not have a jump scare every five minutes.
Any criticism of a horror movie that delves into sociopolitical themes instead of sticking with genre thrills doesnt hold water for Graham. If Im spending a year doing something, it has to say things Im passionate about, Graham said. The things explored in Ghoul and Betaal are quite general to humanity. I certainly do not set out to invite controversy, but I can only make something on a topic Im interested about.
Read more:
In Netflixs Betaal, East India Company zombies and horror with a social purpose - Scroll.in
- AI In Late Night With The Devil Sparks Controversy - Forbes - March 24th, 2024
- A horror movie based on a Stephen King novel with a disappointing Rotten Tomatoes score is climbing Netflix's top 10 - Gamesradar - March 24th, 2024
- This is why we're so obsessed with nuns in horror movies - according to the official source, a nun - Gamesradar - March 24th, 2024
- Stephen King reveals the one horror movie he couldn't sit through as he was too scared - UNILAD - March 24th, 2024
- Late Night With the Devil directors address the use of AI art in the film - JoBlo.com - March 24th, 2024
- David Dastmalchian on Late Night with the Devil, The Life of Chuck and Good Fiend Films - Kansas City Pitch - March 24th, 2024
- Welcome to the Poohniverse: Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey Team to Unite Pooh, Bambi, Tinkerbell and More in Low-Budget Horror Crossover (EXCLUSIVE)... - March 24th, 2024
- Late Night with the Devil is the best horror movie of the year so far - Yahoo Movies Canada - March 24th, 2024
- Sydney Sweeney 'wanted to be drenched in blood' in 'Immaculate' - Entertainment Weekly News - March 24th, 2024
- Film of the Week: 'Stopmotion' - The best horror film of 2024 so far - Euronews - March 24th, 2024
- How to Watch Immaculate: Is the Sydney Sweeney Movie Streaming? - TheWrap - March 24th, 2024
- THE FIRST OMEN: A Battle With The Devil And An NC-17 Rating FANGORIA - FANGORIA - March 24th, 2024
- Elevated Horror: The New Wave of Artful Scares Taking Over Hollywood - LRM Online - March 24th, 2024
- Late Night With the Devil Plot Explained: The True Meaning of the Movie - The Direct - March 24th, 2024
- David Chase is directing his first film in 12 years. Its a horror movie. - NJ.com - March 24th, 2024
- Us Was The Box Office Hit That Gave Jordan Peele True Power In Hollywood - SlashFilm - March 24th, 2024
- Cast of 'Gremlins': Catch Up With the Stars of the '80s Hit - First For Women - March 24th, 2024
- 'Immaculate' Review: Sydney Sweeney Is Wide-Eyed but Sly - The New York Times - March 24th, 2024
- Sydney Sweeney explains that bloody 'Immaculate' ending - Entertainment Weekly News - March 24th, 2024
- When Will Sydney Sweeney's Horror Film, 'Immaculate,' Be Available to Stream? - AOL - March 24th, 2024
- Blumhouse to Return Insidious and Other Titles to Theaters for Halfway to Halloween Fest - Hollywood Reporter - March 16th, 2024
- Every Movie In The Wrong Turn Franchise Ranked - SlashFilm - March 16th, 2024
- Blumhouse Celebrating 'Halfway to Halloween' With Five Horror Movies Returning to 100 AMC Movie Theaters - Bloody Disgusting - March 16th, 2024
- DeWanda Wise Sings Creepy Theme Of New Horror Film: 'Imaginary' - The Root - March 16th, 2024
- Hostel: Part II (2007) WTF Happened to This Horror Movie? - JoBlo.com - March 16th, 2024
- New LEPRECHAUN Movie Will Be Funny, Scary And Full Of Practical Effects - FANGORIA - March 16th, 2024
- Blumhouse Celebrating Halfway to Halloween With Five Horror Movies Returning to 100 AMC Movie Theaters - IMDb - March 16th, 2024
- The Horror Nail-Biter On Max With A Controversial Ending - Giant Freakin Robot - March 16th, 2024
- "Says the person who was in Madame Web": Sydney Sweeney is Getting Skewered for Saying Modern Horror Movies ... - FandomWire - March 16th, 2024
- First trailer for horror movie reboot The Crow features an unrecognizable Bill Skarsgrd on a bloody mission of revenge - Gamesradar - March 16th, 2024
- You'll Never Find Me Is Unforgettable Horror, See The Terror In Action - Giant Freakin Robot - March 16th, 2024
- The First Omen star has seen all of your internet theories about the horror movie prequel and, well, they're all wrong - Gamesradar - March 16th, 2024
- Sltface take on horror movies with their new single, 'Final Grl' - Dork Magazine - March 16th, 2024
- From 'Five Nights at Freddy's' to 'Imaginary': Why Blumhouse loves PG-13 horror - theday.com - March 16th, 2024
- The First Omen's Big Death Reveal Really Doesn't Bode Well For The Prequel - Screen Rant - March 16th, 2024
- 20 Scariest Horror Movies to Come Out in the Last 5 Years - MovieWeb - March 16th, 2024
- 'The Animal Kingdom' Exclusive Clip Previews the Gnarly Body Horror of Magnet's New Movie - Bloody Disgusting - March 16th, 2024
- 'Oddity' Review: This Supernatural Horror Film Will Tear You To Pieces | SXSW 2024 - Collider - March 16th, 2024
- "Marketing is failing this movie tremendously": David Dastmalchian's Late Night With the Devil Dubbed as One of the ... - FandomWire - March 16th, 2024
- STOPMOTION is a handcrafted tale of beauty and horror - Moviejawn - March 16th, 2024
- Horror Lovers Will Love this Dining Spot in Texas - klaq.com - March 8th, 2024
- Is Late Night With The Devil Based On A True Story? - Screen Rant - March 8th, 2024
- Kooky King: 6 of the Weirdest Stephen King Film Adaptations - Nightmare on Film Street - March 8th, 2024
- The Unknown, the Viral Willy Wonka Experience Villain, Is Already Getting Their Own Horror Movie - IGN - March 8th, 2024
- 13 Original Horror Movies We Can't Wait to See in 2024 - Screen Rant - March 8th, 2024
- From 'Imaginary' to 'Five Nights at Freddy's.' Why Blumhouse loves PG-13 horror - Los Angeles Times - March 8th, 2024
- Imaginary Movie Review: M3gan Meets The Boogeyman - Mama's Geeky - March 8th, 2024
- Christopher Nolan Originally Conceived Inception As A Horror Movie - SlashFilm - March 8th, 2024
- 'Whalefall' Movie in the Works From 'No One Will Save You' Director Brian Duffield - The Mary Sue - March 8th, 2024
- Horror Movie Based On THE UNKNOWN From Glasgow's WILLY WONKA Experience In The Works Horror Movie ... - CBM (Comic Book Movie) - March 8th, 2024
- Horrifying 'Late Night With The Devil' Trailer Released - Outkick - March 8th, 2024
- Imaginary review: M3GAN, take the wheel - Dexerto - March 8th, 2024
- The Unknown: Horror Movie Based on Unofficial Willy Wonka Experience Is in the Works - ComingSoon.net - March 8th, 2024
- Imaginary Film Review: Light on Frights - Loud And Clear Reviews - March 8th, 2024
- Dead Mail Directors on Their '80s Horror Influences - MovieWeb - March 8th, 2024
- HORROR BEAT: Blumhouse offers a non-update on the future of THE EXORCIST - Comics Beat - March 8th, 2024
- And the Oscar for best picture doesn't go to ... horror! - NPR - March 8th, 2024
- Shaitaan OTT Release: When And Where To Watch R Madhavan And Ajay Devgn Starrer Horror Thriller Film - Indiatimes.com - March 8th, 2024
- The 'Wonka Experience' Is Being Turned Into A Horror Movie - UPROXX - March 8th, 2024
- 8 new horror movies on Netflix, Max, Shudder and more in March 2024 - TechRadar - March 8th, 2024
- 10 Horror Movies More Deserving of the Best Picture Oscar Than the Winner - Collider - February 28th, 2024
- The Horror Movie That Inspired 'The Shining' Actually Scared Stephen King - Collider - February 28th, 2024
- 10 Most Anticipated Movies Of March 2024 (According To Real Data) - IMDb - February 28th, 2024
- 10 Best Classic Horror Movies with No Oscar Nominations - Collider - February 28th, 2024
- THE WATCHERS Trailer Puts Voyeuristic Creatures in the Irish Woods - Nerdist - February 28th, 2024
- Christopher Nolan Originally Conceived 'Inception' as a Horror Film - IMDb - February 28th, 2024
- The Watchers trailer: Dakota Fanning is stalked by the unknown - BGR - February 28th, 2024
- This Czech Horror Film Turns the Terror of 'The Zone of Interest' Into Weird Comedy - Collider - February 28th, 2024
- The Jennifer Lopez Horror Movie That's More Interesting Than It Seems - Collider - February 28th, 2024
- This '90s Kids Movie Is the Grossest Flick of All-Time - Collider - February 28th, 2024
- Eli Roth's Big 2024 Movie Couldn't Be More Different Than His Thanksgiving Horror Hit - Screen Rant - February 28th, 2024
- How The Butterfly Effect with Ashton Kutcher filled a void in US cinema - Post Magazine - February 28th, 2024
- 'Stopmotion' Review This Hand-Crafted Horror Film Is One of a Kind - Collider - February 28th, 2024
- 10 Tasty Horror Movies (Including Thanksgiving) Streaming on Netflix - Gizmodo - February 28th, 2024
- They Did the Mash, They Did the Monster Mash: 10 Epic Horror Crossovers You Can't Miss! - Nightmare on Film Street - February 28th, 2024
- 20 movies that mostly take place in one location - Yardbarker - February 28th, 2024
- Scream: What Happened To Jenna Ortega's Character? - GameRant - February 28th, 2024
- One of 2024's most anticipated horror sequels finally gets a promising update, as director teases "weird idea" for fourth ... - Gamesradar - February 28th, 2024
- DYK This Christopher Nolan Classic Was Conceived As A Horror Film? - Republic World - February 28th, 2024
- New Paranormal Activity Video Game Revealed by the Mortuary Assistant Team - Beebom - February 28th, 2024
Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero