Just in time for Halloween: 5 things you should know about ghosts, courtesy of Jaani Dushman (1979)

Happy Halloween.  I learned some valuable information about ghosts and ghost possession last night while watching  Jaani Dushman (2009), and thought I’d share it with you to keep you safe from harm on this ghoulish holiday.

Here’s a synopsis of the film in case you haven’t already enjoyed it:

Jwala Prasad is to marry the girl of his dreams. On the day of the marriage, she is dressed all in red, as is the tradition in India. Just before the wedding she slips off to meet her real lover. When Jwala finds out, he is so enraged that he turns into a monster and kills both the to-be bride and her male friend. The saga does not end here, and this monster continues to terrorize the region, first abducting brides dressed in red just before the wedding procession stops at a Mandir (temple). When a to-be groom finally confronts and kills the monster, it leaves the body of Jwala Prasad and possesses the body of its killer. And the terror continues. Years late another male has now killed this creature, and the monster has re-possessed its body, and it is again on the rampage. The police and men of this region do confront this creature, but find out it is invincible, bullets cannot harm it, nor can physical strength of fully grown men overpower it. The suspense mounts as one by one the brides are killed and no one seems to have a clue, and everybody seems to be suspect, including the village Poojari, the Thakur, his son, and several other people. Even if they do manage to kill this creature, it will simply re-possess the body of another male, and continue on its gruesome task. (source)

The film provides visual evidence  of a ghost possession.  Here we see a lustful character played by the legendary Amrish Puri during the ghost possession process:Afterwards, he looks like this:

Ironically, a soon to be wedded couple, recently terrorized by the ghost above, sees the same ghost on a train, but they don’t recognize him since he’s snapped back to his regular form.  This book he’s reading could be a vague hint that there’s trouble ahead.

The unsuspecting groom asks the gentleman about ghosts since he’s reading a horror story.  Amrish’s character kindly provides the groom with the 5 important signs of ghosts, which I share with you here as a public service.

 

Ghost sign 1. = Perspiring. Persistent sweating.

Ghost sign 2. = Chewing of the lips while talking.

Ghost sign 3. = Shivering of hands and feet.

Ghost sign 4. = Non-blinking eyes.

Ghost sign 5. = Terrorized by fire.

That’s scary stuff and you may ask,  “Are there any solutions?”

Well, as luck would have it, there are solutions to defending oneself against ghosts:

 

Now be safe and go break some spirits if need be!

For a comprehensive and very entertaining review of Jaani Dushman (2009), click over to Beth Loves Bollywood HERE.