Scream Stream: What makes Sohum Shah’s Tumbbad the perfect epic horror film

“So ja warna hastar aa jayega! (Go to sleep or Hastar will come)”: This is the most crucial and terrifying line to remember from the 2018 horror-fantasy film Tumbbad. Through the medium of horror, the film comments on the vice of greed, especially generational greed. The story also presents an unheard folk tale about the Hindu God of Greed “Hastar”.

Tumbbad, led by Sohum Shah who also produced the film, has minimal appearances of any scary-looking supernatural beings but the horror tales and rumours that go around in the story make it an interesting and intriguing watch.

The film has elements like unending greed for material possessions and 1000-year-old curse and more.

CGI has not only made Hastar (ghost) the real deal, but also the horrifying looking great grandmother as well. Piyush Kaushik has set a bar as the century-old great grandmother possessed with a curse. While prosthetic artist Zuby Johal has set another bar by creating the most perfect old lady disguise on a man ever.

In the beginning, younger Vinayak Rao goes inside the great grandmother’s room to feed her dinner, while she tries to eat him. This scene was quite original and terrifying enough for the audience.

Meanwhile, another horrifying scene comes when Sohum’s 14-year-old son surprises him with a doll of flour that grabs the attention of Haster, who possesses the most unique devious look in the film and tries to eat them alive.

The climax has been the most shocking scene ever. Vinayak’s son, Pandurang, showcases even more greed and tells him to bring multiple dolls instead of just one so that they can grab more and more gold coins from Haster. The end shocks the father-son duo and the audience, who have watched the most horrifying scene of this slasher film.