Shyam Ramsay, one of the seven Ramsay Brothers known for cult horror films such as Purani Haveli and Tahkhana, died in a hospital in Mumbai on Wednesday, September 18. He was 67.

“He was hospitalised two-three days ago as he was not feeling well. He passed away in the hospital due to pneumonia at around 5 am today,” a relative told PTI.

 He has two daughters Sasha and Namrata. 

The seven brothers – Kumar, Tulsi, Shyam, Keshu, Kiran, Ganguly and Arjun entered one-by-one into filmmaking and Ramsay Brothers were born. 

Shyam Ramsay was one of the seven Ramsay Brothers, who for the longest time ruled the horror genre in Indian cinema with low-budget movies in the 1970s and 1980s. The films were widely popular for their unique mix of horror and erotica. Shyam, as part of the Ramsay brothers, made films like ‘Veerana’, ‘Purani Haveli’ and ‘Andhera’ which got cult status over the years.

Ramsay Brothers became synonymous with the genre and went on to make a string of B-grade films in the 1970s and 1980s, featuring zombies, vampires, werewolves, reanimated corpses and snowmen. Shyam Ramsay, who was considered the brain behind the group, directed most of the films. He also made the country’s first horror series, ‘The Zee Horror Show’, which went on to become a hit. 

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Shyam Ramsay returned to the big screen in 2000, when he started the production on “Dhund: The Fog”, which was released three years later. He also made Ghutan (2007), a comedy horror film, Bachao (2010) and Neighbours (2014).