Bollywood Horror Film Review: Shaitaani Ilaaka (The Devil’s Area) Is An Epic Road Trip

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Shaitaani Ilaaka released in 1990 and by then the Indian public started weaning away from the havelis and the kothis and what not in their horror movies. So, new horror films required to come up with something new, something that would boost the audiences who’d go watch horror films and gain a new audience. And who better than the Ramsays to give Bollywood a whole new character – too bad nobody paid attention back then.

Get the Ramsay Story Home:

Shaitaani Ilaaka Synosis:

Shaitaani Ilaaka starts with a woman frantically riding a buggy into a unknown area, kinda makes you feel happy that we have Uber and Ola and whatnot today. As the scene progresses, you’d say that the woman couldn’t book any of the radio cabs anyway, because she was taking a virgin woman as a sacrifice to her Aakah (Master). For now, we see only a heavily papier machied hand of the said Aakaah, who gains some life by the sacrifice of blood of the virgins.

We are then informed that the woman is sunlighting (because during the moon she’s riding those buggies, you see?) as a servant in the house of a rich family. Of course, it’s not like turning over a new leaf and wants to have dishwasher hands instead of bloodied ones, she has an agenda.

Her agenda is to sacrifice the daughter of the family, Anjali to her Aakah, so he can rejuvenate. Like how such agendas face problems, this one faces one too. Anjali is in love with Deepak. Anjali’s mother tells Deepak that Anjali faces creepy (well, literally) attacks in the night. Deepak decides to solve the matter and gets a tantrik baba in the mix.

The tantrik baba immediately understands what’s up or he wants the couple to take a break, whatever, but he tells them to go to a temple some 100 kilometers away and pray. To ward off the urgent evil, he gives them a talisman. Now, the woman introduces herself as Lalbai, who came into the house as a daughter-in-law, but her evil ways had her banished.

While this is happening, Deepak, Anjali and some other friends are already on their way to the temple. There are a couple of songs and stuff, making this one of Bollywood’s first roadtrip film. Lalbai sends her cronies to do away with Deepak and his friends, so that she can sacrifice Anjali to her Aakah.

Shaitaani Ilaaka Review:

This film has some of the most entertaining fight sequences, with men-in-mask-playing-to-be-zombie-henchmen and whatnot. Shaitaani Ilaaka also a fresh turn from the ‘Purana Mandir’ and ‘Purani Haveli’ kind of scripts of horror films. Though it is not one of the most scary movies coming from Bollywood, it definitely upped the ante for others.

Parting Shot:

Again, this is another iconic character created by the Ramsays which never got the interest it should have got. If this was a Hollywood film, this could be one of their most scary movies already. Here’s Lalbai, a legit witch who is serves a dark power known only as Aakah. That more films weren’t made about Lalbai is an atrocity towards cinema. We would definitely add Lalbai to the list of horror movies we would want made.