Zinda Laash
Encyclopedia
Zinda Laash is a 1967
Pakistani Urdu
feature film
, directed by Khwaja Sarfraz. Its produced by Abdul Baqi, a Lollywood
film starring by Asad Bukhari (Dr. Aqil Harker), Habib (Aqil's Brother), Deeba (Shabnam), Rehan (Vampire), Nasreen (Vampire bride).
Zinda Laash is also known as Dracula in Pakistan (USA title) and The Living Corpse (International title). It is the first movie in Pakistan
to be X-rated
.
living, she carries him down stairs and slaps him into the crypt in the basement. Unfortunately for her, he rises from the grave and chomps down on her neck.
's novel, not from "Horror of Dracula".
Zinda Laash is also referenced in Omar Khan's Zibahkhana
, usually termed as its sequel.
1967 in film
The year 1967 in film involved some significant events. It is widely considered as one of the most ground-breaking years in film.-Events:* December 26 - The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour airs on British television....
Pakistani Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
, directed by Khwaja Sarfraz. Its produced by Abdul Baqi, a Lollywood
Lollywood
Lollywood refers to the Pakistani film industry based in the city of Lahore. The word "Lollywood" was first coined in the summer of 1989 in the now defunct magazine "Glamour" published from Karachi by a gossip columnist Saleem Nasir. The film industry in Lahore started in 1929 with the opening of...
film starring by Asad Bukhari (Dr. Aqil Harker), Habib (Aqil's Brother), Deeba (Shabnam), Rehan (Vampire), Nasreen (Vampire bride).
Zinda Laash is also known as Dracula in Pakistan (USA title) and The Living Corpse (International title). It is the first movie in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
to be X-rated
X-rated
In some countries, X is or has been a motion picture rating reserved for the most explicit films. Films rated X are intended only for viewing by adults, usually legally defined as people over the age of 17.-United Kingdom:...
.
Plot synopsis
Professor Tabini is experimenting on an elixir that he believes will beat death. When he tries it on himself, however, things don’t work out as planned and he dies. When his assistant finds him no longer among theliving, she carries him down stairs and slaps him into the crypt in the basement. Unfortunately for her, he rises from the grave and chomps down on her neck.
Inspirations
The plot borrows heavily from Hammer Horror's Horror of Dracula, in fact there are times when the music even has a noticeable similarity to James Bernard's score. There are some classical themes thrown in as well. "The Barber of Seville" is playing during the car chase scene and some other cues which are well eccentric to say the least. Some elements of the plot even come directly from Bram StokerBram Stoker
Abraham "Bram" Stoker was an Irish novelist and short story writer, best known today for his 1897 Gothic novel Dracula...
's novel, not from "Horror of Dracula".
Zinda Laash is also referenced in Omar Khan's Zibahkhana
Zibahkhana
Zibahkhana is an Urdu-English slasher film directed by Omar Khan. It premiered at the NatFilm Festival in Denmark and has since been screened at festivals all over the world including Toronto, New York City, London, Neuchatel, Stockholm, Cape Town, Austin, Philadelphia, Cambridge, Puerto Rico,...
, usually termed as its sequel.
DVD release
The DVD is available on the Mondo Macabro DVD label from around 2003. Zinda Laash has been restored so well it's hard to believe the film has languished unseen for over thirty years. The Hot Spot has secured Theatrical and Home Video rights to Zinda Laash for the regions of North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand as well as Home Video rights for Pakistan. The film is to be part of The Mondo Macabro series of DVD releases due in the near future and will therefore become the first Pakistani film to be released on DVD.Film Festivals
Zinda Laash also has the distinction of being the first ever horror film to be screened at two major film festivals abroad; the Sitges Fantastic Film Festival in Spain and the Neuchatel International Festival of Fantastic Films in Switzerland.Trivia
- It is the first movie in Pakistan to be rated-X.
- It was almost banned from its original release because of the censors felt that the movie was too vulgar.
- In its original release, all of the dance sequences were deleted because the censors felt that the women were shown to be too sexually provocative.
- This movie was so shocking in its time that a woman had a heart attack in the movie theater.