Tahkhana: The Dungeon / Purani Haveli: The Monster Wakes – Mondo Macabro (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: India, 1986 (Tahkhana), India, 1989 (Purani Haveli)
Directors: Shyam Ramsay, Tulsi Ramsay (Both Films)
Cast: Hemant Birje, Kamran Rizvi, Arti Gupta, Preeti Sapru, Puneet Issar, Imtiaz Khan, Sheetal (Tahkhana), Deepak Parashar, Amita Nangia, Shubha, Tej Sapru, Sikander Khan, Preeti Sapru, Anil Dhawan (Purani Haveli)

Release Date: May 12th, 2026
Approximate Running Times: 123 Minutes 4 Seconds (Tahkhana), 145 Minutes 19 Seconds (Purani Haveli)
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Films)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Hindi (Both Films)
Subtitles: English (Both Films)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $39.99

Tahkhana: "Two sisters, separated as children, share the secret of a hidden treasure. Years later, their secret falls into the hands of a bunch of sleazy adventurers who are determined to claim the riches for themselves. What none of them know is that the treasure is guarded by a hideous monster, animated by the blood of a vengeful black magician." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Purani Haveli: "A girl takes a group of her friends to visit an old mansion in the country, owned by her family. Unbeknown to any of them, the mansion is haunted by an evil entity. Many years before, the monster was trapped inside the mansion by an elderly man who now acts as its guardian. When he is killed, the evil is released and all who come near the mansion are its potential victims." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5 (Both Films)

Here’s the information provided about the transfers, "Brand new 4k transfer from film negative, digitally restored."

Tahkhana comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 34.7 GB

Feature: 33.2 GB

Purani Haveli comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 41.3 GB

Feature: 39.1 GB

The sources have some minor debris and emulsion stains, which vary in degree throughout. Flesh tones look healthy, colors look very good, image clarity and black levels are strong, and there are no issues with compression. That said, both transfers are a noticeable upgrade over Mondo Macabro’s DVD release.

Audio: 4/5 (Both Films)

Each film comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Hindi with removable English subtitles. These audio tracks are in good shape; any distortion is minor and never too intrusive. Dialogue always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, ambient sounds are well-represented, and the score sounds appropriately robust.

Extras:

Extras for Tahkhana include an introduction by Tim Paxton (4 minutes 31 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles).

Extras for Purani Haveli include an introduction by Tim Paxton (3 minutes 57 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles) and a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 58 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Hindi, no subtitles).

Summary:

Tahkhana: A dying man disowns his son, who practices black magic. Angered by his father's decision, the son kidnaps his brother's two daughters. While trying to rescue the two girls, one of them disappears. Twenty years later, the daughter who was rescued and her friends search for the treasure hidden in the dungeon of the family home.

If you get a feeling of Déjà vu while watching Tahkhana, that is because it reuses sets and locations from Purana Mandir. And though billed as a horror film, Tahkhana is actually never scary. That said, Tahkhana is a film that relies more on atmosphere than jump scares.

Tahkhana is a story about two sisters who haven’t seen each other in years. The family has relics hidden in their dungeon, and the only way to locate them is with two halves of a necklace, each sister holding a half. The most despicable character in Tahkhana is a pervert named Shahkal who rapes or tries to rape just about everyone in the female cast.

At just over 2 hours in length, the narrative moves along with good momentum. That said, the narrative has a few missteps, which are easy to forgive. Also, the monster does not appear until around the halfway point.

The performances are the most disappointing aspect of Tahkhana. Though they work well with the story that unfolds, there is no one performance that stands out. Fortunately, the actresses who portray the two sisters, Sheetal and Aarti Gupta, provided plenty of eye candy. Notably, a musical number in which one of them gets soaked by pouring rain.

From a production standpoint, despite there being more positives than negatives, Tahkhana is a letdown when compared to Purana Mandir. Once again, Shyam Ramsay and Tulsi Ramsay’s direction is solid. Also, the narrative is a satisfying mix of humor, horror, and musical numbers. Ultimately, Tahkhana is a rare misstep by Tulsi Ramsay and Shyam Ramsay, making it their weakest horror film.

Purani Haveli: Anita has been living with her uncle since her parents' untimely deaths. Her parents left her an inheritance that her aunt is trying to steal. One weekend, Anita and her friends go to an abandoned mansion. What starts off as a trip for pleasure quickly turns into a weekend of terror!

Purani Haveli is not a good example of genre blending in Bollywood horror cinema. Every time there is a tonal shift from horror to comedy, the narrative loses steam. Also, the bulk of the comedy scenes feel more like padding than narrative enhancements. The narrative is at its strongest when it focuses on Anita's inheritance and the dilapidated mansion where most of the film takes place.

The performances are adequate; no one stands out. And nowhere is this more disappointing than Amita Nangia’s portrayal of Anita. Her performance lacks the charisma that someone like Jasmin brought to Veerana.

From a technical standpoint, there are no areas where Purani Haveli is lacking. Shyam Ramsay's and Tulsi Ramsay’s direction is solid, and the visuals are once again filled with atmosphere. Unfortunately, a poorly constructed narrative and lethargic pacing are things that are hard to overlook. That said, for those who have the patience to make it to the film’s finale, you are in for an extraordinary conclusion. Ultimately, Purani Haveli is a fun film that fans of Shyam Ramsay and Tulsi Ramsay should enjoy. That said, a better starting point would be Purana Mandir or Veerana for someone who has not seen their films.

Mondo Macabro gives Tahkhana: The Dungeon and Purani Haveli: The Monster Wakes their best audio/video presentation to date. Highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer