From Zombos Closet

January 3, 2026

Purana Mandir (1984)
Or What the Hell?

/ Movies (Horror) / Leave a Comment

Purana Mandir 1984 Hindi horror movie

 

ZC Note: I wrote this movie review for It Came From Hollywood Book 6: The Movies From 1984. It Came From Hollywood publishes a series of books that are enjoyable and informative. I write for them, now and then, and aside from getting paid for the piece, I receive no money for telling you their book series is enjoyable and informative to read. You can find that out for yourself. Also, anytime I link to a book on Amazon, I do not monetize it. Just thought you should know because I just think you should read it. 

Purana Mandir (The Haunted Temple), a Hindi horror movie. There, I said it. Now it is up to you to turn the page or stay here. I know, I know. Hindi horror? Bollywood? Dancing, singing, slapstick comedy, and bhoots (ghosts) possessing people? Wild, right? But the Ramsay Brothers (taken from their family name, Ramsinghani), all seven of them, were avid horror fans. Heavily influenced by American movies that focused on a powerful supernatural evil being, they moved away from the usual ghostly haunts and created their own monsters instead, bringing a new direction to India’s horror genre.

Beginning with Darwaza in 1978, the Ramsay terror formula mixed a masala of traditional Indian cultural and religious values and symbols with American-styled terrors, along with the requisite comedy interludes and songs, some blood and ghoulish gore, graveyards, zombies, haunted houses, and stylish set pieces garnered from watching Hammer, Universal, and 1970s and 80s American horror fare. Listening to Ajit Singh’s soundtrack in Purana Mandir you will hear scoring that evokes Hammer terrors, surges with prowling Universal monsters, and chills with beckoning devilish vocals reminiscent of The Amityville Horror. Ramsay horror took ancient evil and placed it in a contemporary setting. …

Purana Mandir (1984)
Or What the Hell?Read More »

Dawn of the Dead (1978) Pressbook

/ It Came From Hollywood / Leave a Comment

Here’s a pressbook you can’t escape, from Paul over at It Came From Hollywood.
“In 1992, I bought a rather huge clutch of pressbooks from a collector who was getting out of the business. This was a “cold” buy, meaning I had no idea what I was getting for my money. I paid $200 for the collection. A king’s ransom back then, and because I lived the life of a carefree single gent living in the City of Chicago at the time, what I bought and when actually had escaped me over the years. Fast forward to 2021. Thirty years later. I finally (believe it or not) get around to digitizing those pressbooks, and I discover that, slipped into some pretty standard large-sized Paramount pressbooks, was this UFD Dawn of the Dead nugget. I was absolutely floored because I had never run across a Dawn pressbook in my life. I hadn’t even viewed one online.

“In 2023, I published the complete Dawn pressbook in It Came From Hollywood Book Four. I received some positive feedback on it as fans of the movie were, for the first time, ogling the actual pressbook. Now, three years later (and 33 years after I acquired the original book), I am happy to share the Dawn of the Dead-U.S. Pressbook (1979) with visitors to Zombo’s Closet, where it will be archived for generations to come.” (ZC Note: Thanks, Paul! George A. Romero’s DOTD is a classic.)

Dawn of the Dead 1978 horror movie pressbook Dawn of the Dead 1978 horror movie pressbook Dawn of the Dead 1978 horror movie pressbook Dawn of the Dead 1978 horror movie pressbook