Raat

'Raat' reeks atmosphere and is intense at several places. Revathi is brilliant and truly convincing in her efforts. This is one of the best horror movies and the milestone of Indian Cinema. Overall, this film will make you shiver for sure, the performances are very memorable.

Pick anything out of Ramgopal Verma Part I and you will find a gem mostly, as was Raat, which to my mind is the best ever ghost movie Bollywood has produced. Revathi is the star of the show, stupendous acting, and the eeriness felt throughout is unmatched in even the directors's later movies. 8/10

This is a classic early Indian horror much too advanced for its time in Indian cinema. A person watching this film in 2007 will inevitably have to bypass the trends and fashion which is can only be described as historic however horror fans will see Raat was a template for Ram Gopal Verma's later horror release of Bhoot.

I consider Raat to illustrate excellent example of direction and editing and production when obviously finances and resources may have been low. From excellent camera angles to inventive scare sequences this film in my view is a must to watch, I especially applaud the classic "cinema scene" in which the possessed character is involved.

Individuals looking for scare a moment action will be disappointed this is a thinking horror and watched intently through out will effect a lot more.

The film offers powerful atmosphere of unease throughout and although perhaps too long and involving an unnecessary cat, the film will leave one looking over ones shoulder at night.

I had started to become a fan of Ram Gopal Verma when I saw this movie. And I was all the more impressed by this talented film maker. The movie can remind us of Exorcist. But only as far as the main theme goes. Otherwise it is shot completely differently. Believe me, you will be kept on the edge of your seat if you see it in full attention. The atmosphere is kept tense all the time from beginning . The movie has many innovative scenes which I had never seen before (the one in the theater, and the one in the jungle off a road for e.g.). Not to mention, the background score, Revati's performance, and Om Puri's role. The possessed Revati's expressions really scared me.

Final note : See it !!

(Actually I was disappointed when I saw Bhoot recently. Why did he have to make a not-that-good horror movie when he had already accomplished more successfully in Raat ?)

I have recently been revisiting Bollywood because I felt I had been neglecting such a large and prestigious industry as a film fan. I first saw Raat with English subs on TV when I was on vacation in Bangalore, India, and was impressed by it, so impressed, in fact, that I went to the video store nearby and bought a VCD of the film. Years later, after much searching, I found a very scratched CD in my collection with no cover and it was "Raat", so I decided to watch it.

Ram Gopal Varma is apparently something of a legend over in Bollywood, but I've only seen two other films of his (Sarkar, the Indian remake of "The Godfather", and another very good horror film, "Kaun", which I have fond memories of), so I can't really vouch for that, but his direction here is stylish and he sets the mood perfectly. The movie itself reminded me a lot of several different Hollywood films, the possession scenes were reminiscent of "The Exorcist" and the majority of the opening half hour eerily reminiscent of "Evil Dead", but it has enough respect for those classics not to blatantly copy them, and it's successful because it learned from the very best, and applied it damn well.

9/10