The conjuring: Halloween goes desi as Indian retail looks to trick-or-treat

From Tangy Tantrik, an old-school horror villain facing a mid-career crisis, to Chudail, a witch from Indian folklore who rides pillion with quick commerce delivery agents, India is on to close encounters of the third kind with Halloween, being observed today.

The predominantly American spook fest—originally a day from Western Christianity’s liturgy to remember the departed and today almost singularly a celebration of the macabre and the supernatural, the raucous celebration has taken the world by storm in today’s post-social media world—one country at a time. So was there any chance that India could escape the contagion?

In India, it started with expat parties and ‘trick or treat’ romps at international schools. If that was the close encounter of the first kind, the second came with night-out spots and alcohol brands cashing in on the evening with theme parties and promotions.

Now, India is very much on to the third phase—Indian businesses taken to it with gusto, with one estimate putting the nascent market for Halloween in India at at least 1,000 crore rupees. From confectionery brands to e-commerce platforms to streaming giants, everybody wants their piece of flesh, preferably (fake) blood-soaked and grotesque. Not to forget, every other housing complex and upwardly mobile households are getting into the (spooky) spirit of things.

And in the process, as it has done with almost every other trend, product and service that has dared to enter the great sub-continent, India is desi-fying the day of the dead, too, in true apna style.

Not just nightclubs, but neighbourhood Halloween parties are now dime-a-dozen, with neighbours and friends prancing away in ghoulish costumes and wizard hats with dance steps that are more garbha than gremlins. But Indian businesses have been quick to catch on to the potential: take ITC’s CandyMan coming up with a desi Halloween campaign featuring Tangy Tantrik, a fictional horror villain who is worried since nobody’s scared of him anymore! His solution? What if fear could instead bring people together?

The rather outlandish theme, however, jells well with the target audience and the product – youngsters and candy, with ITC going all out with its desi Halloween campaign. As an ITC senior official put it, “By understanding how Indian consumers are embracing and adapting global celebrations, we are bringing a distinctly desi spin with this.”

Quick commerce sites like Zepto have rolled out special sections for Halloween masks, costumes and delicacies, too. Flipkart Minutes, the e-commerce giant’s quick delivery section, even roped in legendary desi auteurs Ramsay Brothers for a mini horror series designed exclusively for the platform’s tracking window. Titled The Last Delivery, the McCann-produced teaser (the show will debut later) is filled with familiar desi horror tropes like a witch riding with a delivery agent, sparking nostalgia and chills.

“While Halloween is steadily gaining popularity among younger Indians, it remains a relatively unfamiliar celebration for generations who did not grow up with it. The campaign draws on a more familiar cultural reference (like) haunted havelis, gory visuals and sinister music,” said a statement issued by Flipkart.

While it may still be a niche player in India’s festive business pie, it also comes bang in the midst of the peak Diwali rush; marketers believe it has great potential to grow now and in the coming years—especially with its increasing desi twist, which could make it more relatable. Though it has spurred cyberwarriors to question this craze, asking whether all those dressing up and partying for Halloween even know the pagan origins of the celebration and whether they show similar enthusiasm for Indian observances like Naraka Chaturdashi (which is incidentally the eve of Diwali when lamps are lit to remember and guide the souls of 14 generations of forefathers).