Tag Archives: friendship

The Devil’s Mouth

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Vampire Owl: At least the devil is doing better than the humans these days, I think.

Vampire Bat: Maybe the devil should go to Earth and leave hell for the humans.

Vampire Owl: Isn’t it where most of the humans are going sooner or later?

Vampire Bat: I am expecting the angels of heaven to be very lonely.

Vampire Owl: Do you think that there will be space in hell for this many humans?

Vampire Bat: Hell is infinite and eternal, and with separate circles.

Vampire Owl: So, it is the same as what Dr. Frankenstein had discovered.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein is a man of infinite circles of nonsense.

Vampire Owl: When did infinity start coming in circles of Frankenstein?

Vampire Bat: He has always needed them as he would be going to hell as a human too.

[Gets a paneer paratha and three cups of Darjeeling tea].

What is the movie about? :: Five friends from the United States, Sara (Kathryn Newton), Max (Lala Condor), Greg (Gavin Casalegno), Adrienne (Tommi Rose) and James (Nico Hiraga) are on a trip to South Asia, now visiting the beaches and going through underwater journeys in Thailand. As they are enjoying the open tropical waters off the coast, they do not realize that Sara is diving in the water, and as they ask for the boat to be moved to the land as Max feels that she is in the shower. Left alone, Sara is swarmed, and stung by aggressive jellyfish in all parts of her body, rescued later, but is left in pain. Max is supposed to be the one in control of the trip and also the one who said that everyone was aboard before the boat was taken forward, which leads to some tension, but Sara and Max are back together as best friends in no time. The friends are back together, and as they continue to feel that something is in the saltwater of ocean due to seeing dead fish and turtles cast ashore on beaches, they sign up for a guided swim through a fresh water remote cave system known as The Devil’s Mouth.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: This early incident leaving Sara as damsel in distress does manage to keep a rift between them right before they enter The Devil’s Mouth cave network, and despite Sara trying to keep up with the excited team against her pain and in spite of Max trying to tip the guide to take better care of her friend, there is some disagreement. While Sara asks for the easy way through the tunnel without that much of it submerged in water, Max who has always been the leader opts to go for the highly submerged red route, and Sara, despite her fears, agrees to the same. The team is led through a path which had its water level only somewhat come down from being fully submerged in a previous storm. They go through different caves which are interconnected through passages flooded with water, some of them even having salt water from the nearby ocean. But they soon find one of the divers who went before them dead, and within minutes finds themselves hunted by a shark which seems to have come in from the ocean during the flooding with nowhere to go as the tunnel lost its connection with the saltwater. Now, can they survive the creature sensing blood all around?

The defence of The Devil’s Mouth :: With the tide rising and oxygen levels dropping inside the cave system, the friends left on the isolated rock shelves where the shark cannot reach, do not find it to be a long-term option, but have nowhere to go in the maze-like chambers – this is perfectly shown here with each scene, and we have an environment which is so well created and maintained with danger all around the corner. The cave diving horror and shark survival are combined nicely here, as the subterranean setting makes it a different battle against the creature. The tight underwater struggles, internal disagreements, secrets and grievances within themselves, all add to the further tension here. The movie is also never really that long, and this length feels perfect for the total run-time. The signs of the same was established early enough, and that too in open water, with the attack of the jelly fish as much as being left alone in the middle of the sea – these are also basically the kind of horror which are scary enough even without huge fangs.

Positives and negatives :: The movie’s caves are among the best that you might ever see, and when you put a shark in there, it is just glorious. One then remembers that some fine foreshadowing has always been there, and all would lead to just disaster. The final moments when the protagonist lures the shark with herself as a bait is among the best of the movie, and when the characters try to escape from the shark at a ledge, and when they move through tight tunnels, we are all kept in the highest level of tension. We see that the situation places us in a world from where escape is almost impossible by logic with water all around, and the shark being able to thrive in both freshwater and saltwater settings. This also means that there is less visibility, and we can keep feeling the need to have more light around – keeping on looking at the darkness is not the best thing we can do around here. There is some repetition here and there with what the characters are doing, even though the same remains enjoyable.

The performers of the soul :: Here, we have Kathryn Newton once again doing what she does the best, and that is to survive against all odds, as she already did in Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, and had managed to get out of that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania level which was rather lower in comparison to where she stands now as a grand scream queen in the making – she seems to be surviving everything in a convincing manner, and here, she remains a lovable character, and it is her for whom we keep rooting for, as she knew that something bad was going to happen all the time, and in her senses, tries to avoid the worst, even though she has to finally give in to her friends. She is the survivor whom we would all love to have, maybe in a sequel to The Shallows. She is one young actress who seems to be bringing a certain amount of completeness. Lana Condor whom we would best recognize from Alita: Battle Angel, Pretty Lethal and X-Men: Apocalypse, also comes up with a memorable role, and it is another work that we are going to remember here. Tommi Rose also has some work that we will remember. Nico Hiraga as James might be one selfish character which is done well. Then, Gavin Casalegno also comes up with the needed.

How it finishes :: It can be seen that the movie maintains a certain amount of balance around here with a shark attacking in a flooded cave with nowhere to go – the horror gets more of the strength here with the same, while tensions also run related to the past among the characters. We have already seen the sharks and friends running strong in 47 Meters Down, Deep Blue Sea, Killer Whale and more, but this one takes a divergent and interesting approach with the same. Anchored by strong performances from Kathryn Newton and Lana Condor, the movie also focuses on the deteriorating, toxic friendship and further focuses on the terrifying situation rather than the shark. The predictability does not push this aquatic survival flick that much down, as the tension never leaves us and the lovely leading character always have us rooting for us, with the empathy right there to be taken home. I would consider this to be a surprise charm as one of the best shark movies in some time, and its release on Amazon Prime Video has left the same accessible to more of us who choose OTT over the theatres.

Release date: 29 July 2026
Running time: 104 minutes
Directed by: Jeff Wadlow
Starring: Kathryn Newton, Lana Condor, Gavin Casalegno, Nico Hiraga, Tommi Rose

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

<<< Click here to go to the biggest movie of last year.

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Masters of the Universe

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Vampire Owl: Aren’t we the true masters of the universe?

Vampire Bat: I do not think that they are talking about the vampire universe.

Vampire Owl: Every universe requires its own masters.

Vampire Bat: We already have Uncle Dracula here.

Vampire Owl: Yes, even Vampire Elders are there, but they are all symbolic heads.

Vampire Bat: So, you consider us as the true masters.

Vampire Owl: Well, this is the only working universe, isn’t it?

Vampire Bat: The only true universe with relevance, yes.

Vampire Owl: And the only realm without the pure human evil.

Vampire Bat: The human evil has already reached our borders. There is not much of magic left that seems to stop it.

[Gets a thattu dosa and three cups of Munnar tea].

What is the movie about? :: Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) works in human resources, while keeping on searching for a certain sword and lives with his only friend Hussein (Christian Vunipola) in Oklahoma City. People think that him keeping on searching for a sword and telling everyone a specific story about his escape from another planet are parts of his nerd madness which he always had since he was a kid. The search for the sword would affect both his work and social life, as he even tells the same story when on a date. Obsessed with finding the sword due to his memories about being part of another strange world in which he lived as the prince and had come to Earth with a magic sword, Adam receives an anonymous tip in the form of a text message that the sword is located and he reclaims it at a comic store, running away with it. But the next day, he is arrested for stealing the sword, but the police car is stopped in transit on the highway when a strange creature attacks them and halts the traffic. The ape-like creature turns out to be Beast Man (Gary Martin) who had come from another world and chases Adam.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: As Adam keeps running, a woman in white comes to the scene, identifying herself as his childhood friend, Teela (Camila Mendes). She tells him that the sword had given her a signal when it was claimed and raised to the sky, seemingly provided the same signal to many others of their planet far away. In this planet named Eternia which was once ruled by Adam’s parents King Randor (James Purefoy) and Queen Marlena (Charlotte Riley), no longer maintains that peace and prosperity after being taken over by Skeletor (Jared Leto), his sidekick Evil-Lyn (Alison Brie) and a number of other evil minions. This loss after being defeated by a cyborg and weapons expert of Skeletor, Trap Jaw (Sam C Wilson) had also left the commander-in-chief of the army of Eterna, Man-At-Arms a.k.a. Duncan (Idris Elba) to severe depression and alcoholism, much to the dismay of his daughter Teela. After training so many people of the planet to defend the evil forces, he along with many others had fallen into disarray after Skeletor took over and unleashed chaos.

And what more can happen in this world of chaos and destruction unleashed by forces of evil? :: It was the Sorceress (Morena Baccarin) who sent Adam to Earth to save him and the sword from Skeletor, and as it was the original home planet of the queen a long distance away from Eternia, safety was guaranteed, but as a child, he had lost the sword only to be found now, triggering alarms all around the universe. Adam and Teela manage to outrun the Beast Man and escape in their spaceship in front of shocked humans who could do nothing but stare. Back home, the resistance forces against Skeletor who are not imprisoned by Teela leaving her defence outpost and bringing a strange man with the sword, imprisons her and Adam along with an alcoholic Duncan and a former combat robot reprogrammed as a cleaning robot, Roboto (Kristen Wiig). But they escape with the help of the robot and keeps the sword with them while the defenders of the resistance are either killed or captured by Skeletor’s forces. As they try to escape them and come face to face against Trap Jaw, it seems to be the end for them, but can they find a way to defeat him and his shooters against all odds?

The defence of Masters of the Universe :: The movie has some stunning visuals with the setting in a beautiful planet. The world is too good with the fantasy model buildings and the environment which makes it feel like a colourful paradise. Nicholas Galitzine makes a fine impact as the protagonist, while Idris Elba brings the fun. But the best impact is made by Camila Mendes as Teela, who remains a stunner in those action sequences with her movement and style, as the only one true character who is a born-fighter continuing to be so at all times. Jared Leto as Skeletor is a villain to remember, and gets the screen-time he missed as the Joker in Suicide Squad. Morena Baccarin who gets back after The Wrecking Crew gets less screen time even as such a significant character. Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn works nicely too as one never sees any evil this cute and strong in magic. The humour in the movie also remains so much fun, and the elements taken from cartoon are nicely placed here without too much darkness ever coming into picture. Adora a.k.a. She-Ra played by Lauren Saliu shown during mid-credits also keeps us interested as the one scene itself seems to bring lot of hope for a possible sequel about which we are still not that sure.

Positives and negatives :: This is a feeling of nostalgia, and as we had the cartoon of the same name running in Malayalam in this part of the world, there is no other superhero who had this much of an influence on us as children. We had to return home early from school and then we would successfully watch this one. In the case of the movie, people might find that this is a little bit too cartoonish and as more for the children, but those would be the people who forgot how they grew up watching this, and if Avengers, Justice League and team could be taken as full action, this could be too. The supporting characters here could have had some more time, while cutting some time from the moments spent on Earth. The final fight is lovely to watch, even though the moments back on Earth coming in between do not impress much. The quality of the computer-generated imagery losses some quality at times, but remains stable and stylish for most of the time. Use of more magic could have made the world look more charming, and even more shown as part of an exploration like in Avatar, as the design here never far behind.

How it finishes :: The lack of some seriousness might be the reason why it had the same effect as John Carter at the box-office, but one cannot forget the fact that it was one fine movie, and one of the best of that year. We can blame the strange movie-watching habits of the biggest markets of the movie which did not even make Pacific Rim a super-hit, but Asia serves that title well. All these movies surely did well in this part of the world, and one keeps wondering if a better trailer could have meant better result for the movie at the box-office. I would surely love to see its sequel with the lady superhero, but one has to wonder if the same would happen when the total collection is considered. But this is sure to do well on Amazon Prime Video, and that should also mean something to everyone. For now, this is a charming adventure and entertainer which does not have a dull moment once the scenes shift to the far away planet. The beautiful spectacle of a world with a classic adventure with battles to remember is not something that we can always see with this much charm. People can find cartoon-faults, but I find this to be something I should have watched on the big screen with all of its big screen splendour.

Release date: 5 June 2026
Running time: 140 minutes
Directed by: Travis Knight
Starring: Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Alison Brie, James Purefoy, Morena Baccarin, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Kristen Wiig, Jared Leto, Idris Elba

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

<<< Click here to go to the biggest movie of last year.

<<< Click here to go to the most awaited sequel of the year.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Bhootnii

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Vampire Owl: Bollywood continues to have its ghosts, I see.

Vampire Bat: There are rarely the kind of ghosts that we accept among us.

Vampire Owl: Yet, even in human world, ghosts are real.

Vampire Bat: Let their ghosts be theirs and ours be as we need.

Vampire Owl: Dr. Frankenstein once researched on a new ghost realm.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein can research on nothing that really exists.

Vampire Owl: Frankenstein can do anything when provided the scientific equipment.

Vampire Bat: The only thing he can get is a ban from Uncle Dracula.

Vampire Owl: Scientists like him will rise again with new paranormal inventions.

Vampire Bat: Pseudo-scientists who claim to create life from lightning are not included.

[Gets a set of idli and three cups of Vagamon tea].

What is the movie about? :: In the campus of St. Vincent College, there is a particular strange tree known as the “Virgin Tree,” which is believed to grant true love to everyone who prays under it on a Valentine’s Day. But on the day of Holika Dahan, a student mysteriously dies, and people say that it is claimed by an evil spirit and that the tree as well as the area around it remains haunted. Shantanu (Sunny Singh) who is heartbroken after a recent breakup, creates a mess around the Virgin Tree, asking for true love while threatening to give up his life. He does not know if there was a result to his prayers, but the truth is that his earnest plea awakens Mohabbat (Mouni Roy), a vengeful and obsessive spirit bound to the tree. As Mohabbat’s obsession grows, she begins to haunt anyone who has a chance of coming between her and Shantanu, as she takes a human form in front of him, making him fall for her. Sahil (Sahil Arora) and Nasir (Aasif Khan) are his two best friends who are surprised that he is having a new girlfriend all of a sudden.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Shantanu’s longtime friend Ananya (Palak Tiwari) comes back to the campus after a programme and tries to help him get better after the earlier heartbreak, but quickly becomes a target for the spirit who understands that she has always been in love with him despite never accepting the same. As strange things continue to happen in the campus, and a few days after protests erupting in relation to a student’s suicide, the management is forced to find a solution, and they call a former student who has been dealing with similar problems all around India, a para-physicist Krishna Tripathi known only by the name Baba (Sanjay Dutt). He reaches the campus, and while seeing the protests against the tree, understands that the problem is not with the tree doing anything, but with some evil presence tied to the tree wandering around on campus. As the spirit begins to set an example with Ananya whom it captures with its never-ending vines, can she and other students be saved in time by Baba?

The defence of The Bhootnii :: The movie has some good humour all around, and the same works above most of the other horror comedy works with only a few exceptions in Bollywood that manage to raise the level. The performers also seem to be good with the humour and the leading ladies also with the romantic side added to the comic side. Sanjay Dutt remains a towering figure of the same, as he is the one name among the cast which we who watch only the big movies of Bollywood can recognize with ease. As Mouni Roy plays that demonic presence with conviction and Palak Tiwari becomes the cutest romantic interest around, we feel the danger and the need to do something soon for the characters, as scares take over from the humour. The setting of the college is really good, and the atmosphere has been nicely built around here. Except for the tree, the institution looks lovely as much as lively. There is a certain amount of Gothic-like beauty in here which makes one feel both the horror and romance suitable for this particular world. Then, the final moments leading to the end is nice with a twist which leaves us with a fine feeling.

The claws of flaw :: The movie does not keep away from being silly, and this particular silliness would keep the audience wonder if it is going the wrong way. There are moments when we feel that this is not going to end well, and some of the jokes get nowhere. Despite setting the horror, humour and romance mood well in the beginning, there is a struggle right after the first dance song, and then the situation gets better only when Sanjay Dutt faces the ghost for the first time and leads an escape – there is quite some time in there between the beginning and this, which is one-fourth of this, when things seem to be less interesting. Some of the special effects could have also used some more attention. The “true love” idea does not work at all, as we keep feeling that the same is far-fetched element in this one. The idea of love being misunderstood as friendship is also a little bit too old for this age. Considering the loss of pace in between, it is only safe to say that the movie could have indeed been a shorter one.

The performers of the soul :: Sanjay Dutt as Baba is the character who has to save everyone, and he plays the strong slayer of ghosts well, and reminds us of those whom we have been seeing in Hollywood, but this time with an emotional twist. There is no problem with him playing this particular character, as it suits his looks and the efforts here are surely working. Sunny Singh as Shantanu remains stable in a role where he has to be the campus lover affected by a ghost, and that also works well for him. Mouni Roy does a fine job as the spirit, and she manages to show the multiple sides of the ghostly presence with beauty, charm, terror and even a little amount of humour, as there is that stunning appearance that makes an impression every few minutes after the first introduction. This is the first movie I am seeing her around in a big role, and this is a memorable one indeed. I am also seeing Palak Tiwari for the first time in a movie, and she scores with a certain amount of cuteness and humour added with romance or even when facing the horror. One has to say that she suits well for this role, and she is indeed an actress who deserves more big roles as most of the other Bollywood actresses would overdo this one, but she maintains grace.

How it finishes :: While watching the movie, I could not stop wondering if this could be a sequel to Adi Kapyare Kootamani, a Malayalam movie with so much humour and a little bit of horror coming up in the final few moments, and there is no shortage of trees and search for true love there either. But we know that such a sequel could be a lot better with the fine ending maintained there. Back to this one, it works more as the comedy and less as the horror flick, something which we have seen throughout the Bollywood attempts at the same, from Stree, Munjya, Thamma and even those sequels of Bhool Bhulaiyya which might have lost the focus. Some of the horror elements of these movies were also unintentional horror in one way or the other. As far as our movie here is concerned, it is that horror comedy with romance that tries better than other movies of the same genre which do not have a franchise to go with it. With some stunning visuals and classic moments of humour established through one-liners and somewhat good scares, this one catches our attention despite somewhat losing its way in between.

Release date: 1 May 2025
Running time: 130 minutes
Directed by: Sidhaant Sachdev
Starring: Sanjay Dutt, Sunny Singh, Mouni Roy, Palak Tiwari, Aasif Khan, Sahil Arora, Meherzan Mazda

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

<<< Click here to go to the biggest movie of last year.

<<< Click here to go to the most awaited sequel of the year.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Eesha

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Vampire Owl: Looking for recent horror movies, we have to go into another industry.

Vampire Bat: Well, not all industries have all movies exactly as they project for outside world.

Vampire Owl: I think that the best movies are those which are not known to many people.

Vampire Bat: True. They do not release the best movies in the theatres.

Vampire Owl: Yes, the theatres are for heroes who fly and beat up thousands of people.

Vampire Bat: They do even worse things, and it is strange for our world, not for theirs.

Vampire Owl: Can’t one of these movies become highest grossers instead of that mass masala?

Vampire Bat: Well, mass has the advantage because theatres are for the masses.

Vampire Owl: Yes, strange humans and their love for the mass thing.

Vampire Bat: This is the exact reason why humans are not allowed inside the Dracula Castle. Even the worst of the witches or fully drained zombies would not let them in.

[Gets a Chicken curry puffs and three cups of Wayanad tea].

What is the movie about? :: Kalyan (Thrigun), Naina (Hebah Patel), Vinay (Akhil Raj Uddemari) and Aparna (Siri Hanmanth) are four youngsters who try to find the truth behind supernatural situations and expose fraudulent spiritual leaders who try to extort money out of unsuspecting believers – they find out that the easy targets for spiritual practitioners are those who feel that evil has possessed their own people or homes or maybe even believes that some curse has been unleashed, and death or hell awaits them. As they were childhood best friends, and Vinay and Aparna had managed to get married some time ago, and is expecting a child. But this has not stopped their plans to expose more people who are involved in spiritual practices and they become well-known for the same in the city. But they extend their plans to go for something much bigger, far away from their city, but Aparna is hesitant about it. But with the support of the rest, who are firm believers in rationalism, they set out to investigate the case of Aadidev (Babloo Prithiveeraj), a former neurosurgeon who has turned into a spiritual healer.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Aadidev has been treating individuals who claims to be afflicted by supernatural forces at an ashram which he found in a remote village in the border between Andhra Pradesh and Odissa. He had left his job as a reputed neurosurgeon who conducted so many surgeries which saved many lives after the death of his wife. The friends find a video of the woman before his death and feels that she was just mentally disturbed and the attempt at exorcism killed her. As they travel to the remote area on the border of two states through a twisted road on the hills, they almost meet with an accident when coming against a motor-bike carrying a family, but the woman who was sitting on the back of the vehicle dies as she falls down the cliff. But the friends remain unaware of the same as they reach their destination. When they reach the ashram, they are attacked by a strange man, but Aadidev saves them. But the friends call all of these to be staged with paid actors and Aadidev faces such strong lack of belief for the first time.

And what more can happen in this world of faith against another one which lacks the same? :: This makes him take the friends to an abandoned house in the middle of nowhere. He tells them that the place is haunted with spirits and after three days of living there, the friends will start believing in life after death. The friends accept it as a challenge, but he tells them that it is no usual place, as there have been so many deaths including murders and suicides right in the building. He also has his disciples write some incantations for protection along with leaving a few religious and spiritual items there. He also asks them not to cross a certain area which would take them out of his protection and the same would be extremely dangerous. They do not really care about the same as they find the spiritual man to be a fraud who uses the faith and belief of the locals to his best advantage – they feel that he had chosen this particular way of life as it seemed as the easier and influential job through which he could earn the most with the least efforts while taking no real risk. Can the friends stay there for three days and come back alive or will they lose all their rationalism and might even be killed by the evil spirits who roam in the area?

The defence of Eesha :: The movie has some very impressive visuals which serves the purpose or horror very well. The darkness, shadows, and the shades give the film an eerie, high-quality visual beauty of horror. The atmosphere is nicely created and some fine settings serve like a special boon here. The background score nicely supports the same. The beginning itself had nicely set the mood here. Babloo Prithviraj’s work is a big bonus here, and we see that even though not on the side of the protagonists, he scores so well that we like him from the beginning even when the heroes talk about him. Hebah Patel as Naina plays the biggest sceptic of the movie really well, and she reminds us of the actions and talks of Gayathrie Shankar playing Meena in the Tamil horror movie called Pechi, but there is no similar twist for this one. Siri Hanmanth as Aparna has her moments, while the male cast seems to be more in support with the two women seemingly deviating into their thoughts well. The dramatic twist which comes in the end remains a strong one, and it is something which make on think, and is not limited to one world.

The claws of flaw :: The movie leaves too many gaps in the tale as it seems to have some trouble about understanding what it really wishes to achieve. There is a certain amount of confusion about the dead person’s spirit coming back as revenge instead of anything else, but then the situation of the four friends explained in the end does not seem to match with the same leading to multiple confusions in the thread that binds all of them. Then the rationalist friends also act a little too strange even when they see things that could make even the most sceptic people believe in all of these, and after exploring so many fraud cases, they cannot seem to feel a difference here, as the act of being brain dead makes it appearance at times, but we knew that this was coming, but they surely manage to solve some of those problems in between, not aggravating the whole situation in any manner. Adding more cases and their comparison with this, as well as revealing the modus operandi of the friends to such situations, would have made the whole thing more interesting; yet we just have them just going through the whole thing with no real plan.

How it finishes :: The movie manages its horror with a difference, and the deviation from the usual can also be seen around. It can be considered a visually striking, technically superior horror film that feels like being pulled down by its own ambitions to make it more twisted than it should have been, especially considering the overall mood going on another path. When the standard paranormal terror strikes with that divergent twist, the narrative struggles to get them together. The concept of a rationalist group facing the consequences of their arrogance is still interesting, but the overlapping of reality, hallucinations and spiritual possession often asks for more, but we are happy with what we get here. One can thank the mood, background scores, and high-quality visuals which brings that creepy experience, as we horror fans get the horror we have always wanted. After all, for a horror movie, it is more about what is one the screen, and what experience we are going to have, with hope for fear more than anything else.

Release date: 25th December 2025
Running time: 127 minutes
Directed by: Srinivas Manne
Starring: Thrigun, Hebah Patel, Akhil Raj Uddemari, Siri Hanmanth, Mime Madhu, Babloo Prithveeraj

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

<<< Click here to go to the biggest movie of last year.

<<< Click here to go to the most awaited sequel of the year.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Running Man

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Vampire Owl: I have been wondering why humans keep running so much in their lives.

Vampire Bat: They search for meaning in their lives, but finds nothing in the end.

Vampire Owl: You mean to say that there is no hope for humanity.

Vampire Bat: Well, humanity never really had any hope.

Vampire Owl: I remember watching that old movie with the same name.

Vampire Bat: Well, we had also read the book with the same name.

Vampire Owl: Stephen King movies have often struggled to make an impact in the last few years.

Vampire Bat: Yet, Doctor Sleep was one of the greatest among them.

Vampire Owl: There are always It, Pet Sematary, The Monkey, Carrie, Salem’s Lot and others too.

Vampire Bat: We cannot expected all such adaptations to be classic horror stories.

[Gets one M&M McFlurry and three cups of mint tea].

What is the movie about? :: In a not that distant future United States of America, an authoritarian media network takes control of the nation while focusing on patriotism and the need to keep the country safe from its usual and common enemies, some of the inside and the others from outside. Most of the citizens of the United States live in poverty with minimal access to healthcare which leads to a high infant mortality and most children not even born among the majority who lives with minimum low wages. Most people are busy with the meaningless and unreal violent game shows and absurd reality television. The most popular programme running in the nation is The Running Man, hosted by Bobby Thompson (Colman Domingo), which has three runners selected with a big opportunity to win a billion dollars by surviving 30 days while being hunted down by five hunters selected by the media team itself. They are led by the furious Evan McCone (Lee Pace) as they are allowed to take any step to end the runners, while citizens are also provided with opportunities which would bring them rewards.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Starting with thousand dollars and a twelve-hour head start when they are not attacked by anyone, the runners are also required to video tape themselves and send to the media office or else forfeit their earnings and more viciously hunted with no rewards. The murder of the hunters would also bring rewards to the runners, raising their earning by a long way. This is where Ben Richards (Glen Powell) attempts to join, as he is not able to buy medicine for his little daughter after being blacklisted for union activism which had him standing for the other workers, leaving him jobless and not able to care for his family. He had planned to join a game with lesser risk, but was drafted into The Running Man with Jenni Laughlin (Katy O’Brian), a seemingly confident young woman in his neighborhood and Tim Jansky (Martin Herlihy), a nerdy character who seems nice to everyone. Despite trying to back down, Ben is made to agree to the offer by Dan Killian (Josh Brolin) with an amount which he had never seen in his life, despite his wife Sheila Richards (Jayme Lawson) warning him against it.

And what more can happen in this world of future chaos with no real hope for humanity? :: Despite giving a safe house to his family and also providing an advance, Ben is shown as an enemy of the state to the audience and his wife’s moral side is also questioned, much to his dismay, as he promises to be back and give them what they deserve. But he would have no time for anything, as his time started, with all three contestants keeping on running through their own paths. With the help of a disguise taken from a friend, he goes to New York City and manages to start there by staying in a hotel right in the middle of the city and blend among the crowd with his changed looks. He watches Tim wandering in the city as it is shown as part of the show in television, and as he just goes through a normal life, is shot dead by the hunters bringing excitement to the audience who call for the blood of the other two runners. Ben who gets scared about the situation, and not sure about his safety in the big city anymore, decides to escape to Boston. But would that save him from the hunt or will be able to finish the hunters instead?

The defence of The Running Man :: The dark and possible future of the world and with a feeling of Stephen King’s novel, this one makes us very much interested in the movie which also has some nice chase and fight scenes. The world has been very nicely created, and we see how will it suits the situation, and there is a certain amount of charm even to its dark side. The charisma and intense physicality of Glen Powell as the desperate hero of his family manages to keep the movie strong. He had to do something extra to match the original hero and he comes close. Josh Brolin becomes the true antagonist whom we will remember for that terrifying face within that visage. Colman Domingo’s energy makes this even more suitable for its premise and genre as that works so well. Among the ladies, it is Emilia Jones who scores the most, and she is that character whom the audience will fall in love and even brings a certain amount of humour here. They fit nicely into this dystopian society which is obsessed with the circuses of ultra-violent television while being told what to do and made to struggle by the ruling class with the help of the reality shows which reflects the world differently.

Positives and negatives :: There are some classic moments from Lee Pace, but that comes a little late for our liking. The fans of the original might not feel that this matches, due to the absence of Arnold as the man of unparalleled strength. There were still opportunities for more, as the other runners could have also had focus, especially that of the lady runner who was doing so well. The emotional side of the wife and kid works less here for some reason, and the wife role seems to be dismissed as an irrelevant one with Emilia taking over as the lady who decides to switch sides to save the hero. The 1987 version, despite its own deviations, had a more heroic version of the same, and it is only natural that people would prefer that Arnold version, as his work with the fights would also be more believable as he is provided with that kind of a past; the female lead in that movie also had that unparalleled presence in the film, but not anymore. The final battle in the flight could have also been bigger, and the lack of a huge spectacle makes sure that the movie struggles even further.

How it finishes :: Those who have watched that older version might wonder about the necessity of having this one around. There is the world that we have seen before, brought to the big screen again in a similar, but different form. There is the action and thrills in a fine world, and we are entertained enough to be interesting in the movie throughout its run. But when the familiar scenario keeps getting repeated, people will wonder if how much of the same returning to the screen and what all not being adapted from the novel would be the right thing for this kind of movies. The movie remains visually striking and adds to the Stephen King adaptations which have done a good job on the screen, but it was surprising to see it not going too good at the box-office – well, we never really go to know if the movie even released at this part of the world, and one has to guess that due to those lower quality imitations released in different languages in India, with even post-apocalyptic worlds cheaply imitated. This one is superior to those movies which ridiculously copies elements from Hollywood and other languages and presents them as their own, but does leave the audiences slightly wishing that the creative strength here had run stronger, but most of us would be happy with what is found here. Then there is the message against government control.

Release date: 14th November 2025
Running time: 133 minutes
Directed by: Edgar Wright
Starring: Glen Powell, William H Macy, Lee Pace, Michael Cera, Emilia Jones, Daniel Ezra, Jayme Lawson, Katy O’Brian, Sean Hayes, Colman Domingo, Josh Brolin

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

3BHK

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Vampire Owl: This is the first movie we are watching on a flight.

Vampire Bat: I do like the choices of movies which they have in Emirates.

Vampire Owl: Do you remember the last time we travelled on an Emirates flight?

Vampire Bat: Yes, the Airbus A380, the largest of them all.

Vampire Owl: This time, they were running a Boeing on the route instead.

Vampire Bat: Well, some vampires can fly. So, it is not really a problem.

Vampire Owl: They cannot watch movies when flying, can they?

Vampire Bat: If you can hold your mobile phone and fly, yes.

Vampire Owl: That would most probably cause an accident too.

Vampire Bat: You know that there is enough magic in our world to have a glided flight, right? As long as we do not cross over to the science-guided human world which has been drained of its magic with too many destructive weapons and wars.

[Gets some French fries and three cups of Yorkshire tea].

What is the movie about? :: Vasudevan (R Sarathkumar), his wife Shanthi (Devayani), their son Prabhu Vasudevan (Siddharth) and daughter Aarthi (Meetha Raghunathan) had moved into a rented house near St. Thomas Mount of Chennai, and from here, their dreams could begin to develop into a stage of determination focusing on buying a house as rent kept rising even for their small house as the city continued to develop and spread. The largest city in Tamil Nadu had become so huge that it was a long way ahead of the second largest city of Coimbatore and showed no signs of developing among the top five cities of India. People were continuing to flow into the city, and if the family had to move out of the rented home they were done, which led to a need for a home to change from dream to reality soon. The situation was the same for most of the big cities of India, but as the most significant town city on the east coast of India, and with people also from neighbouring states working in Chennai, the rise was only going to be quicker as time progressed.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The family begins to plan for the same, and they understand they have to save quite a big amount of money per month, along with selling Shanthi’s jewelry to reach their goal, as they prefer to have a home inside the city itself rather than on the outskirts which would still require them to spend a lot of time and money to travel inside for a better future with a sustainable job. Vasudevan begins to work overtime to meet the demands which feel a little bit out of the equation while Shanthi sells snacks to make sure that the savings are maintained at the required level. Prabhu struggles in his studies, and Vasudevan is forced to spend a certain amount of money for his tuition per month which reduces the savings. With the help of this tuition and also with the support of his crush, Aishwarya (Chaithra J Achar), his scores somewhat improve increasing the hopes of the parents in him contributing to the final savings after joining an engineering college and getting a job as soon as he passes out. But unexpected expenses come on the way and Prabhu scores low, while the cost of the house increases. Can the family somehow buy the house they wish to have in the end?

The defence of 3BHK :: It can be seen that the movie realistically portrays the struggles of common middle-class family trying to buy their dream house by respectfully and honestly raise money, making it easy for many viewers to connect with the characters. It feels like more or less that problem faced by the common man who struggle to live in a city. There is not much of those unnecessary commercial elements and the melodrama is also kept at minimum with the focus clearly on family emotions and everyday problems which make one feel that a responsible generation will connection this more than those dumb movies which have its young protagonists under the influence of drugs and alcohol, taking risks despite warning by authorities or living irresponsibly in schools and colleges while beating up their own friends in campus – but we know that those movies will score more at the box-office, and the best examples are among the top grossing movies in Malayalam movie industry whose audience used to have better standards. The movie here feels genuine and believable from the beginning to the end and for honest and reliable people, will bring tears to the eyes. The visuals and music remain interesting too.

Positives and negatives :: The emotional side might be the strongest for the movie as sacrifices are given importance – not like those movies about fake friendships powered by drugs and alcohol, for this one is about family and how it remains important in a life of chaos and hopelessness in a busy city. Those among the new generation or those just past that; those who have not had any hardships in life would not prefer this kind of movies, but it would be strange if someone never had any struggle, if not financially, then with academics or when trying to do the best for the family. The movie can also be considering slow moving and sometimes a little too emotional, but this is that kind of a movie which tries to stay on in the memories and with realistic situations and never letting go of faith belief and hope, it works well. Still, we see that there are too many hardships which the family has to face out of nowhere, and some of them seems to be in order to make the situation more and more difficult as time progresses, as hope is the thing with feathers and it waits for none, while flying away with those beautifully feathered wings. The length might still be a problem for some and so would be the repetition of problems, and romance could have been expanded.

The performers of the soul :: The movie has Siddharth in a role which connects to most of us who go through a struggle in one way or the other; forget the financial struggle, the job itself is a crisis as getting one would require a lot of the same, with these the freshers not given job for quite a long time, but when we get a little bit older, people keep searching for the stylish new-generation youth who can go viral so that the company itself will get some boost – note that many colleges are now preferring such girls who can do well online rather than teach, and those with PhD and NET are left behind. Well, Siddharth shows the struggle to get a job, stay in one without being too exploited and keeping himself there so that the home can be bought – then there is the romance which he has to choose or avoid as his family might need him to go through his personal way in a specific way too. R Sarathkumar as the fatherly figure reminds us of many elders who have sacrificed for their children and family and it is a really touching performance from him too. Devayani plays the motherly figure with affection as much as a loving wife while Meetha Raghunath feels like such a talent. Chaithra remains lovely, and with a performance to remember for her too.

How it finishes :: 3BHK is that kind of a movie which every common man who remains close to the family can relate to, with love and compassion. It is also that kind of a film which anyone from that generation of job seekers who had to struggle as a fresher when they passed out and now stare at the void when the viral freshers are preferred over them in a world where looks matter more than degrees, knowledge and wisdom. It is a sincere and emotionally driven family drama that captures the aspirations, sacrifices and anxieties of the huge Indian middle class, and it is done with effectiveness without relying on those commercial ingredients. These financial struggles, family conflicts, disappointments and the little moments of happiness which becomes the bliss of solitude for the common viewer feel genuine, and we connect with the characters, live with them and never misses out on the empathy. Having heart at the right place and all the honesty matters, but the new generation might still not like it, and those who do not want deep family dramas told in realistic manner can grow dislikes especially as the movie often slows down and repeats a few things in the long process lasting near two and half hours.

Release date: 4th July 2025
Running time: 141 minutes
Directed by: Sri Ganesh
Starring: Siddharth, R Sarathkumar, Devayani, Meetha Raghunath, Chaithra J. Achar, Yogi Babu, Subbu Panchu, Vivek Prasanna, Thalaivasal Vijay, Aarti Desai

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Lockdown

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Vampire Owl: Are we going to watch another movie about corona virus lockdown?

Vampire Bat: I do not think that this would have the lockdown at the core.

Vampire Owl: I thought so because it is too late for anything related to that.

Vampire Bat: Well, such movies have lesser chances of working with the audience now.

Vampire Owl: Yes, there are so many things to deal with other than the past.

Vampire Bat: The opportunities spread towards infinity itself.

Vampire Owl: I remember that Dr. Frankenstein had written an essay about.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein is not educated to write that good an essay.

Vampire Owl: Frankenstein is a man of his word and the only one of his kind.

Vampire Bat: Even Uncle Dracula would not agree to that.

[Gets a butterscotch cake and three cups of badam tea].

What is the movie about? :: Anitha (Anupama Parameswaran) has been looking for a job since passing out from an engineering college. Despite being a bright student with good scores at college and in spite of her expertise, she was rejected at so many interviews that it affected her confidence beyond repair. Her father Suresh (Charle) has been working hard to make sure that his family have enough, and hopes that his two daughters do well in life, as he is always worried about his friend’s daughter who had eloped with a local goon and married him despite everyone begging her to stay. Anitha is determined to make her parents proud and will not stop until she gets a job. For the same, she has to stay close enough to home and also opt out of night jobs as her family does not approve of the same. At the same time, there are many local young men who are trying to win her love, but she is only focused on getting a job and earn enough to support her family which also includes her grandmother along with the younger sister and parents.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Sudha (Nirosha), Anitha’s mother, decides to take special care of their children due to the news about the children of people they know not being happy ones. Anitha’s best friend is Swapna (Priya Venkat) who live in the same city. But as she goes to a party with another one of her friends where she meets a Human Resources Manager of a famous IT company, she ends up being drunk and passes out. She comes to her complete sense only after two days, and continues to search for jobs despite the assurance of an offer letter in a month. Two months later, she gets a call from the company asking her to join. But by then, some time had passed since the first corona virus case was reported in India. As she begins to join, more restrictions are applied, and soon, she begins to feel very unwell. She goes for tests at the hospital, but by that time, the lockdown related to pandemic was being applied, and she could no longer go out. Her health was getting worse, and she was slowly realizing what was happening to her. But with the lockdown enforced, it was too late for her to do anything. Can she survive this?

The defence of Lockdown :: The movie addresses significant issues of the present such as consent, bodily autonomy, unplanned pregnancy and societal judgment. These days, the messages are often not considered with the seriousness that it deserves, but not this time. This is dealt nicely with an emotional side that works so well, mainly due to the leading actress never staying behind with her performance, standing tall, and rising to every moment of relevance in the flick. She particularly excels in the final moments as she fights against all odds when hope seems to fly away from her. The character’s journey feels so real to us due to her memorable performance. The emotions only get deeper as the movie progresses, and the helplessness of the protagonist makes the stakes much higher. The significance of family in a person’s life is also asserted, as we are reminded that the worst can be handled in the family with their support. The music as well as the technical departments nicely work efficiently with the film’s emotional tone and dramatic moments, making sure that the feeling is never lost.

The claws of flaw :: The movie still remains slow, and sometimes provides the feeling that it is going through the same thing again and again. It seems to bring the same kind of solutions again and again that we feel that the protagonist just has that option which does not happen and therefore need to keep trying one option multiple times. A final answer to what really happened and the right solution is not really provided by the movie as a few things are just left unanswered. There is no real investigation into the same and there is no idea of justice, as the focus only seems to be getting rid of the trouble and move on like nothing happened. The unresolved mystery means that the suspense never gets the strength and a thrilling side never gets stronger than the emotional drama that never stops running underneath story, as it was already established with an elopement and marriage. Then there are also those scenes and dialogues which can feel overly message-driven and meant to preach about a few societal elements. Some of the subplots are also lost in the way as the movie keeps its focus only on the protagonist.

The performers of the soul :: This is a movie of Anupama Parameswaran who delivers an emotionally convincing performance and effectively carries the film. This one is surely all about her as we keep seeing her on the screen almost every minute, and the movie itself seemingly runs for her, based on her predicament from where she keeps trying to escape one way or the other, despite the corona virus and its lockdown affecting her attempts. One keep feeling that Malayalam cinema is yet to have the best of Anupama, as movies like the debut work Premam, then Jomonte Suvisheshangal and The Pet Detective are never enough for someone with her calibre, as she keeps reminding us how good she can perform. Priya Venkat who plays her friend supports really well, and has her moments, as she goes through as one of the best comrades that one could have, standing by her friend’s side against all odds. Charle who plays the father and Nirosha who plays the mother also come up with the emotional performances that we note down. The fatherly affection will be something that we particularly remember. George Maryan, Livingston and all contribute well to support too.

How it finishes :: If you think that this a movie about that nation-wide lockdown with happenings related to that, you are surely going to be disappointed, as it plays only a part, and affects the proceedings from a side, bringing difficulties to the protagonist – otherwise it is not the main thing or the central idea that runs right through the movie. This is still that kind of a work which deals with the main idea well with some messages to take home. It sometimes provides the feeling that it is going the preachy way, but returns to the main thing soon enough. This could have actually gone on to be a conventional thriller, but instead focuses on the emotional and social consequences faced by the protagonist and makes itself more of a drama – in doing so, some of the answers are not provided and the focus is in staying within the tradition and not to deviate too much from it. Considering the present situation of a new generation, it is not really a bad thing, but the level of deviation or divergence will always remain in question as generations pass.

Release date: 30th January 2026
Running time: 119 minutes
Directed by: A R Jeeva
Starring: Anupama Parameswaran, Charle, Livingston, Nirosha, Priya Venkat, George Maryan, Indhumathi, Rajkumar, Shamji, Redin Kingsley, Abhirami, Revathi

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

<<< Click here to go to the biggest movie of last year.

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Primate

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Vampire Owl: A movie with another monkey at the core?

Vampire Bat: This is an ape who is not really a toy like that movie.

Vampire Owl: I feel that Vampire Monkey will not be that happy. Neither will be Uncle Dracula.

Vampire Bat: Vampire Monkey is no longer affiliated with the vampire castle.

Vampire Owl: So, he is a freelance vampire with part-time work.

Vampire Bat: We do not offer part-time work anymore, as it affects overall quality.

Vampire Owl: Well, there has been some strange things going on around here.

Vampire Bat: Still, not that strange as the human field of work.

Vampire Owl: Well, humans have never been the species to look forward to. They are the fallen ones. Ask Dr. Frakenstein for details.

Vampire Bat: Even humans after death are not the kind of people we should choose. Compared to them, witches and zombies are clean.

[Gets a savala vada and three cups of Wayanad tea].

What is the movie about? :: Lucy (Johnny Sequoyah) is a young college student, who is on the way back to her home in Hawaii after spending many years far away from her family and friends. Her best friend Kate (Victoria Wyant) is also with her and meets her in the airport, but is dismayed to see that Kate has also invited an additional guest, Hannah (Jessica Alexander), without telling her earlier, and this particular acquaintance is not someone she is really fond of. While boarding the flight, the three friends also meet Drew (Charlie Mann) and Brad (Tienne Simon), two young men who are taking the same flight to have a grand vacation in the same place. In Hawaii, they meet up with Kate’s brother Nick (Benjamin Cheng) who drive them to the family home located on a cliff with all the modern facilities. They also meet Lucy’s father Adam (Troy Kotsur), who is a famous novelist, and a deaf man who mostly communicates through sign language. Then they also come across Erin (Gia Hunter), Lucy’s younger sister. Ben (Miguel Torres Umba), a chimpanzee owned by the family is also present at the house.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Ben is considered to be highly intelligent and has been taught to communicate using a software on a tablet by creating sounds by clicking on it. Ben lives in an enclosure outside the house, but comes into home when he is taken there by the family members during daytime. Later that night, Ben begins acting strangely after being bitten by a mongoose in his enclosure. He plans to take the mongoose to a lab the following morning to check for infections and asks Lambert (Rob Delaney), a veterinarian to check on Ben as he has to leave for a book signing. But as the friends enjoy the party by the outdoor infinity pool at the cliff’s edge, Lambert who enters Ben’s enclosure, is attacked and brutally killed by Ben, who is clearly infected by rabies after that bite by mongoose. Ben escapes the enclosure and moves towards the pool, towards unsuspecting youngsters, only to be noted by Kate and Lucy who found the teddy bear covered in blood. As Ben unleashes chaos, the youngsters enter the pool and hopes that the ape would leave, but is it possible?

The defence of Primate :: The movie maintains strong tension, jump scares and edge-of-the-seat situations which keeps the terrifying situation quite strong. The survival mode is activated soon enough, and after that, the movie keeps us close to the main characters, going through the journey of trouble with them. The attacks are also violent and the gore adds to the seriousness of the situation and reminds the pet owners to be careful, not just for themselves, but also for those who live around them, or with them. There has been too many cases of violent dogs affected by rabies attacking even little children and elders who cannot move away in time, and it has been more of the result of animal lovers not taking the right action and the pets being left on the road without care – replace the chimpanzee with dog and you have the exact reflection. The attack here seems to be unique and never exaggerated, making us feel close to the whole situation. The setting is too good, not just perfectly suited for the situation, but also visually stunning. The movie is of short length, and never really makes us feel bored as something seems like ready to make a difference all the time.

The claws of flaw :: The movie’s tale is just the usual repeated one with a number of youngsters hunted by a force which feels almost impossible to stop. Some of the characters are just generic, and feels even less important than other horror movies which at least brands them into a group as even more clearly said in The Cabin in the Woods. This one has the extra characters seemingly just to get killed by a chimpanzee which is too smart and is powered as much by his earned skills as by the rabies which just got into him. There are two friends of the main girl added here instead of her coming alone, but the use of the characters seems to be in the minimum. As in other horror movies, they remain not that smart, but in those movies, they were at least smarter than chimpanzees in the forest around them. There is also that chance to bring innovation being lost here, as there was such a fine setting, and so much to be done – here, they just have the swimming pool, lost phones and the cliff which are not used to the best efficiency.

The performers of the soul :: The biggest performers of the movie is indeed its main antagonist, the work with the ape has been quite remarkable. The rest of the work is led by Johnny Sequoyah, who comes the closest to what should be called the protagonist-like character, even though this one is also not written that much with never really getting enough time alone or with a past that could make the movie and performances stronger. It is more like the character is placed there and the rest, we have to create with imaginary characterizations. But she surely becomes what would be the closest to the scream queen around here, leading the way as the movie nears the end as much as the lives of the remaining characters who have somehow manages to be not ripped into pieces by the ape. Jessica Alexander just supports well and so does Victoria Wyant while Gia Hunter manages just fine. Troy Kotsur is good when he is around, while Benjamin Cheng, Charlie Mann and Tienne Simon are there mostly to serve the ape purpose.

How it finishes :: The movie’s journey is quick and strong, even though there is not that much of a focus on the story. The reminder to keep the pets checked and the fact that animals will always remain with their characteristics is reiterated here with ease – those who were chased by some dogs on the streets or those who were frightened by the neighbour’s dog will know this the best. The thrills are surely there, and the strength of a survival movie is also present along with being a horror flick with moments that will stay for the quick effects and the everlasting gore. The terror of the ape feels real and lasting. But the storyline, predictable structure and mostly shallow characters hold it back from being a memorable one which is there to stay. Yet, it you want entertainment or is with a wish to be scared, this one is definitely there for delivering the same. For the other kinds of survival movies, there is always something like The Shallows in the ocean and Gravity in space or even Bollywood’s own Trapped in an apartment, but this one is more about bringing the scares as much as providing the need to survive against all odds.

Release date: 18th September 2025
Running time: 89 minutes
Directed by: Johannes Roberts
Starring: Johnny Sequoyah, Jessica Alexander, Victoria Wyant, Gia Hunter, Benjamin Cheng, Troy Kotsur

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

<<< Click here to go to the biggest movie of last year.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Influencers

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Vampire Owl: I still do not understand why humans call some online people influencers.

Vampire Bat: These online people have the power to affect the purchasing decisions and behaviours of others, through their presence and content on social media platforms.

Vampire Owl: But we are influenced by everyone around us.

Vampire Bat: Yes, but these people consider this as their job.

Vampire Owl: We also influence people, don’t we?

Vampire Bat: Yes, but we do not make people buy things.

Vampire Owl: That should be because we do not take cash to talk of a product.

Vampire Bat: So, technically, the influencers are those who do ads.

Vampire Owl: It feels like celebrities coming in advertisements.

Vampire Bat: True, those celebrities have always been the influencers, never really using the products, but taking cash to speak high of them.

[Gets a uzhunnu vada and three cups of Yercaud tea].

What is the movie about? :: The movie begins by showing a visibly disturbed woman cutting her own throat after looking at the mobile phone. Meanwhile, it is seen that Catherine (Cassandra Naud) had left behind her past of taking on the identities of influencers on social media after abducting or murdering them. Her last victim Madison (Emily Tennant) had remained a suspect in the murders of influencers and their friends while nobody had any proof to make her a suspect – at least a photo of her to prove her to be the mastermind behind identity theft and killings was never to be discovered anywhere. Madison’s influencer life ended as she was continuously blamed online for the murders despite the court letting her go – she no longer remains a face for the advertisers who have gone after new viral names. Meanwhile, Catherine manages to hide nicely in France, and also finding a lesbian partner in a photographer named Diane (Lisa Delamar). This relationship goes stable as it becomes more and more romantic and intimate with their first anniversary which they decide to celebrate with another trip.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: As they decide to get the best room in a hotel to share their intimacy, Catherine is frustrated to find out that the hotel had given the same room to an influencer Charlotte (Georgina Campbell), seemingly to get some promotion of their property. As Charlotte seems to message her and ask her to give her company on a journey, Catherine is further irritated. She gets out of the room early, and after finding Charlotte, tells her that she will accompany her and will take some nice photos. They go to an abandoned monument to take some special photos and she pushes Charlotte off to her death. After the act, she begins to impersonate the influencer on social media as she had done a long time ago. She even messages Diane from Charlotte’s mobile phone that she had left for Spain to make the disappearance feel natural to her. As Charlotte, like many other online influencers, did not have many friends in real life, which leads to her going missing being attributed to her usual journeys.

The defence of Influencers :: There is the strength of dark humour that this movie uses to effectiveness, as Cassandra Naud seems to make use of the same perfectly. Her negative role is something that need to become a measuring scale for similar performances of later – the close shots show the perfection in her facial expressions, and it is like the mark on her face also performs with her. The movie does make fun of the hashtag obsession, digital narcissism and unmatched addiction for social media in a way in which the movie world is in the realistic mode. In a world in which people create videos for money praising something and call themselves influencer despite not really knowing a product, the question remains if the word “influencer” can ever be used in a positive way. Well, during these days, people get viral by doing all the nonsense, and otherwise, there is the option to show partial nudity as much as it is allowed on the social media; Instagram being the most affected platform. It is always fair to satirize this kind of a situation as it influences the youth so much, and even causes suicides.

Positives and negatives :: There are moments when the movie seems to have missed chances for making it bigger, and the psychological terror could have reached bigger heights – but those are just small elements in a movie which makes uses of its minutes so well that even if it was a longer movie, we would have continued to watch it with the same interest. The visuals are so good with locations in France, Thailand and Bali. We get immersed in so many moments of the movie, as the antagonist’s manipulation is so good, as she known when to be a psychotic killer with a knife or axe, an intimate and romantic lover, a seductive beauty who sheds her clothes or a damsel in distress with tears coming out of her eyes as the situation demands. The way in which this difficult character with multiple shades has been done to perfection by Cassandra Naud is something nobody will miss around here. We would love to see her in a full horror movie with a psychotic serial killer or supernatural entity on the other side – she could be a scream queen of something like Evil Dead, Scream, Halloween or other long franchises or the next generation ones like X, I Heart Willie and others that we are to cherish for a long time. Just watch the final scene of fighting and stabbing and you will know.

The performers of the soul :: Cassandra Naud’s performance here might be the strongest element of the movie, as she elevates the whole thing at the beginning itself. It can be seen that she carries the movie with unparalleled confidence, and she does the same for a role which would have made the common actresses struggle or even overact, as we have seen in many cases. Even in those scenes which seem serene, her expressions and body language create such tension and the fear that the whole situation is going to be more twisted. The chaos in her cuteness and beauty will be something that we remember, and the way in which she manages that with grace is her class as an antagonist to remember. The chance to be a loud and exaggerated villain is avoided, and she is just too good in this manner – calm, calculated and manipulative like never before. Her friendliness and detachment and going there and back feels so good. The facial birthmark adds to the uniqueness of her character’s screen presence making the character so much visually and intellectually memorable. The others, especially Emily Tennant, Lisa Delamar and Veronica Lang shines and Jonathan Whitesell nicely adds to the same.

How it finishes :: Influencers is that movie which keeps one interested with dark humour and a possibility of infinite horror that too in a realistic way, as Cassandra Naud leads the path in a manner that not many lady antagonists have done before. She breathes life into this movie and raises the bar, keeping us wondering and surprised with different moments. Even though I have not watched the first movie, it feels that this can only be an improvement on that one unless that one had some special ingredient other than being the first of the franchise. The sharp commentary on influencer culture is the need of our world indeed. If you enjoy those modern psychological thrillers about identity, fame and online obsession, this is surely the movie for you, and Cassandra Naud’s magnetic performance attracts you more and more as your time in the movie passes, and despite her being the antagonist, you want to see her more, and keep asking for a sequel. Such a demand is just natural as she is indeed too good.

Release date: 12th December 2025
Running time: 110 minutes
Directed by: Kurtis David Harder
Starring: Cassandra Naud, Emily Tennant, Georgina Campbell, Lisa Delamar, Jonathan Whitesell, Veronica Long, Dylan Playfair

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Sukhamano Sukhamann

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Vampire Owl: Are they asking if we are doing well here in this realm without all the human chaos and hatred?

Vampire Bat: Well, in the Dracula Castle, everyone can only be well.

Vampire Owl: Yes, immortality itself makes one feel better.

Vampire Bat: I see dead people walking in this movie too.

Vampire Owl: Are they real or just hallucinations?

Vampire Bat: A few things which are real to some people might be unreal to others.

Vampire Owl: Yes, just like humans do not believe that we, werewolves and witches exist.

Vampire Bat: Like we do not believe in the nonsense by most of those romantic movies.

Vampire Owl: Most of the new generation movies are clear nonsense to us.

Vampire Bat: I am actually surprised that some of them really made so much money.

[Gets a paneer patty and three cups of boba tea].

What is the movie about? :: Theo (Mathew Thomas) is a shy and lonely young man who has been living alone since the death of his father. He was mocked and isolated by his schoolmates and later by the people around him, with no real relative or friend for support. Those who knew his father tries in vain to get him settled, but his strange behaviour always comes in the way, and he ends up losing his jobs one after the other, the last one being that of a driver. Going on and on with the trauma and loneliness, he finally gets the job as an ambulance driver with Ipe (Jagadish) who is in charge of a funeral home and spends much of his time collecting and transporting the dead bodies for funerals. As he continues with this kind of a work for a long time, Theo begins to have some strange visions of the dead people, who become his unusual companions that visits his home and stays with him as new members of a family which never existed. Ipe remains a kind-hearted mentor for him too, as he seems more settled in his new job than ever, but still feels incomplete.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Theo’s world gets more life with dead people such as Vallyapachan (Spadikam George) whom he first meets and finds in his house, followed by Vallyammachi (Kudassanad Kanakam), Unni Chettan (Noby Marcose), Tabalist Gopu (Akhil R C Kavalayoorand), Rapper Porottakkaran (Abin Bino) and even a Japanese lady who dies in Cochin, and these are the people who bring meaning to his life. All these people point to the fact that Theo needs a lady love in his life. It is then that he comes across the flex about the death of Charu (Devika Sanjay), and it turns out that she was never really dead, but someone who is dying, with doctors giving her a maximum of two to three months maximum to live. Meeting her in an act of death in advance with paid actors, both Theo and Ipe become good friends with her, as she had come to Australia searching for her relatives. They try to make her believe that they are her relatives as she hopes for the best final moments of her life. Can they give it to her or will she have to leave for Australia too soon?

The defence of Sukhamano Sukhamann :: The way in which the movie explores isolation, and the human need for companionship in a sweet manner with hope needs to be appreciated – it is not an easy thing to do as we cannot always have the same in control with the deviations in such a topic so easily possible. The creation of emotional bonding with the dead to live in a world of humans is an idea less tried, but with an emotional touch and never going through the darker side, this one achieves its goals rather easily. The combination of fantasy or rather magic realism with comedy running through to give a cute and comforting feeling makes this movie one real feel- good. Wherever you look, you never really find tense moments; the abiding sadness and feeling of loss would be there, but it never gets to that level when we are thrown into an abyss of hopelessness. At least that much is expected to survive in our world of chaos, hostility and hatred. We understand loss as part of life and we move on with this movie, with the understanding that the world needs us. There are moments when we fear that hope is going to be lost, but the same is not the case, and we get the brighter side.

Positives and negatives :: One can still blame the script for not fully developing into a story with heavy motivational strength, and can keep hoping for a push during some occasions. The uneven pacing does not serve the purpose at times, and there is a certain lack of attempt to elevate it to a classic magic realism or fantasy. The ending would also seem like something which arrived too quickly, that too when everyone was getting even more interested. Yet, one can notice that the lightest moments here are delivered by some of the ghostly characters who also serve as comic relief as much as they are the reminders or metaphors of a past that refuses to leave a world which has already said goodbye to them. The visuals also support the overall mood of the movie, and how it supports the progress also needs some appreciation. The emotional depth works exactly as we would want it to, never really letting the melodrama in, but we are left to ponder over the feelings. The short tun-time also works in its favour. The music and sound track provide some smooth support from behind. At least some hope in humanity gets restored with this one, and we can only be glad about it.

The performers of the soul :: Mathew Thomas successfully comes up with a natural and believable boy-next-door charm to his character, and he is once again the character we sympathize with, just like he had in Kumbalangi Nights and Thannermathan Dinangal. Despite the seemingly negative campaign against him online, one has to say that he has continued to deliver fine performances in most of his works. The emotional impact that he has managed to deliver is indeed memorable, unlike those bigger rated actors of the same age. At the same time, we see that after that classic performance on debut in which she played another dying girl in Njan Prakashan, and that charming work in Makal, Devika Sanjay has come up with another performance to remember. There is a certain quantity of happiness factor about her performance, and the positivity of the character is only balanced by her joyful screen presence. Jagadish remains solid in this movie, and extends the feel-good as much as the emotional side. Among the rest of the cast, Sphadikam George and Nobi Marcose stands taller than the rest.

How it finishes :: The movie serves as a small-scale fantasy drama that tries to tell a heartfelt story about loss, loneliness, grief and the importance of human connection in life. It scores with an unusual premise on a young man who finds companionship among dead people living with him. This feel-good with an emotional touch makes sure that those who love the gentle fantasy stories above the fast-paced commercial entertainers are not to be disappointed. The fact that the more delusional feel-good Sarvam Maya released a month or two before might have affected the total run of this movie, but this is that flick which deserved better. In the world of new generation Premalu, Avesham and Vaazha, this is the kind of movie that we need to come up with the real feel-good, something which does not glorify silly violence or alcohol, but people who wish to make the world better. Being a sincere, good-natured film which never ceases to have a kind heart and hope for the future is much needed in a universe of chaos and inherent evil. If people do not like this one enough, it is a change which might not be in the right direction – well, people did not even like Mili, which reminds us that our people rarely like divergent people who are good at heart, and instead go for the alcoholics, goons and drug addicts like most of the relationships of these times reflect.

Release date: 13 February 2026
Running time: 107 minutes
Directed by: Arun Lal Ramachandran
Starring: Mathew Thomas, Devika Sanjay, Jagadish, Sphadikam George, Kudassanad Kanakam, Nobi Marcose, Akhil Kavalayoor, Manikuttan, Jibin Gopinath, Abin Bino, Taba Reema, Gayathri Mayura, Sandhya Manoj

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Killer Whale

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Vampire Owl: I remember talking to the Vampire Whale last night.

Vampire Bat: There is no Vampire Whale among us. It could only be a fake vampire.

Vampire Owl: Why not? I have already checked the teeth. The fangs are fine.

Vampire Bat: Everyone with fangs is not a vampire, or even a werewolf.

Vampire Owl: So, it was a Demon Whale or a resurrected shadow demon?

Vampire Bat: Couldn’t it have just been a usual creature of the ocean?

Vampire Owl: This could have been better known if Aquaman became a vampire.

Vampire Bat: He could no longer breath underwater if he became a vampire.

Vampire Owl: Oh right! Vampires were never really water resistant.

Vampire Bat: You have never really listened to the study classes, which becomes a problem now.

[Gets a plate of nachos and three cups of Korean tea].

What is the movie about? :: Maddie (Virginia Gardner), an aspiring musician, is very close to making an impact, and also in taking the next step with her long-time crush Chad (Isaac Crawley), as he feels that the happiest moments of her life are just a few days away. But as Chad tries to protect Maddie from a robbery, he is run over by one of the robbers, and she also losses most her hearing ability to the continuous gunshots. This begins a life of melancholy for her, as she stops playing music and keeps to herself at home for most of her time, with no entry for friends into her life. Her best friend Trish Stevens (Mel Jarnson) who is a PhD student studying gene editing and a social media influencer who attracts a huge fan following visits her after a year to make her feel better. She surprises her with a luxury vacation to Thailand in the Andaman Sea, as she uses her influence with her fans of exclusive social media content to find a perfect place where they could have fun and forget the gruesome past, with her own exotic journeys already making an impact.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Trish also finds a new interest in another tourist named Josh (Mitchell Hope), and they together visit a local attraction featuring a captive orca. Disapproving of keeping the creatures in captivity, but finds out that orca had already killed someone who had fallen into its pool. The park management decides to get rid of the orca on the same night by just flushing it into the sea, where it is not known to attack humans. The next morning, the three decide to explore a secluded lagoon which locals consider to be haunted and therefore not explored by curious tourists. But soon, Josh and Trish riding a jet ski are ambushed by the same orca who kills Josh while Trish manages to swim and reach Maddie’s inflatable boat. The two are forced to swim on to a rock and with injuries on their leg, are forced to stay there with nothing other than bikinis on their bodies and a torch. They try to signal to a distance with the torch, but with no result, as time passes. They try to survive against all odds and at the same time share a few secrets with each other, but it remains to be seen about how long they can do the same.

The defence of Killer Whale :: The movie’s premise is more interesting than the usual movies featuring danger from underneath the sea, as the main character is already set, and the possibilities of the orca is also being talked about. There is also a message in support of these mammals to be taken out of captivity to their original habitats. The idea that years of captivity and mistreatment can make animals more of a monster is asserted here, and supported by the protagonist. There is that scene when the two girls are moving in the inflatable boat, and the orca is moving underneath them, as they look in terror. Then there is orca moving around them as they take shelter on a rock surrounded by water. We also have both protagonists swimming in full strength as if their lives depend on their quick movement through water, and those are all tense moments, as much as their search for anything useful. The survival skills are nicely put into test here, and we see them fighting nature’s predator as much as their own emotions, with this becoming another movie of fighting against all odds.

Positives and negatives :: One cannot stop noticing that the whale could have looked better as the creature features and the effects of the sea often looked cheap, seemingly due to a low budget, but that does not make us feel the danger to be that far away or of lesser strength. People can feel that this is another shark movie, and just ended quickly without adding some extra strength, but considering the fact that this is film of different dimensions, the same can indeed be forgotten. The movie also has us sympathetic to the whale, and makes us wonder about what humans to do to each other as much as to the creatures of nature. There are multiple shots of the main characters surrounded by the orca from above and underneath, all of them making one feel the danger of the situation. The camera shots also keep us close to the characters, and we also go through that journey with them with what they see as much as what the creature see of them from underneath the sea. Then there are some beautiful shots of their world in the end at sea and out of it, which facilitates an ending that looks well.

The performers of the soul :: The movie focus on two characters, played by Virginia Gardner as Maddie and Mel Jarnson as Trish Stevens, with others and their performances being less relevant, even though we would remember Isaac Crawley and Mitchell Hope more than others. The movie perfectly moves towards a female-sisterhood-survival movie in that manner. Virginia comes up with a charming and emotional work, as we see her character move through emotions, from that romantic happy beginning to chaos, while she tries to survive. Mel Jarnson also handles the emotions incredibly well, with guilt and attempt for hope gaining on her. She remains stunning out there as she was perfect in Witchboard, but this time having an influencer and social media powerhouse running right through her character. This is where beauty comes also with performances, and the two on the rock is a sight to behold not just with those looks, but also with the emotional performances. There is no artificiality here, as they strive through their characters’ toughest times for survival as much feelings.

How it finishes :: If you have watched The Shallows and 47 Meters Down, this can be felt as a repetition, but this one also has that emotional side, and the weight of the past, which makes the world of two best friends different around here. In between, there are some beautiful moments, as the emotions surely have more than one side. If you like creature thrillers with a touch of deviation, but never losing the survival mode, this would be entertaining. If you are expecting a big budget classic with realistic orca behaviour with terrifying high budget world on the level of grand shark attacks, this might lag behind at times. The movie is available of Lionsgate Play which would come as an addition with the usual Airtel unlimited recharges, and therefore is an easy watch, in the form of a never-boring survival adventure with hidden human emotions that power through, while compassion, remorse, guilt and forgiveness remains themes to look out for, even though not always coming to the front in a direct manner. You know if you like the survival mode, like in Survive, Oxygen, Meander, Nowhere, Crawl etc.

Release date: 6th March 2026
Running time: 89 minutes
Directed by: Jo-Anne Brechin
Starring: Virginia Gardner, Mel Jarnson, Mitchell Hope, Isaac Crawley, Ron Smuck, Aliandra Calabrese, Mia Grunwalkd, Shinji Ikefuji, Scott James

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Housemaid

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Vampire Owl: We have waited for this movie to come in the OTT for some time.

Vampire Bat: And it is on Amazon Prime Video, which is for the best.

Vampire Owl: Well, we all needed our Amazon Prime deliveries.

Vampire Bat: There is no Amazon delivery in Dracula castle.

Vampire Owl: Well, we can always pick them up from the borders of the realm.

Vampire Bat: What we need are very much here, and at best quality.

Vampire Owl: The vampire apprentices are really working hard, aren’t they?

Vampire Bat: We have shifted to magic for doing the work for us.

Vampire Owl: Dr. Frankenstein had invented enough to help with that.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein’s pseudo-science actually helps and saves nobody. Frank no longer has enough access to our work.

[Gets a vegetable samosa and three cups of Kodaikanal tea].

What is the movie about? :: Wilhelmina Calloway a.k.a. Millie (Sydney Sweeney) is on parole after committing a murder in self-defence. It is then that she is hired by Nina Winchester (Amanda Seyfried) as a live-in maid, much to her surprise as her criminal records did not stop her from being hired for such a big job after so many rejections. The home also has her daughter Cecelia Winchester (Indiana Elle) and husband Andrew Winchester (Brandon Sklenar) who are surprised to see her around there, but Nina is determined that she should have a housemaid as she cannot manage household work even though Enzo Accardi (Michele Morrone) takes care of the work outside. Mille is given an attic bedroom that can be locked from the outside, much to her surprise, and she tries to get a key for the same. But she is so desperate to keep her job as it is a term of her parole; due the same, she just goes on with the process despite the problems that come in her way, and feels that there is something wrong with Nina and the family seems to be slowly falling apart.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Mille further learns that in the past, Nina was locked in a mental hospital for a period of nine months for trying to drown Cece in a bath tub under the effect of drugs and for has tried attempting suicide by overdose. Nina is considered mentally unstable by different people, and some of them seems to keep a distance from her too. Millie also finds her to be very angry towards her, and breaks things while keeping on shouting. It could also be seen that Nina says one thing to her and forgets the same later, keeping on saying that Millie decided to do that thing against her instructions. The neighbours consider her to be a dangerous woman, without a family, and has attached herself to her husband who is rich, handsome, and sweet to everyone around. Andrew’s mother Evelyn Winchester (Elizabeth Perkins) is also that high society lady whom everyone revered, and keeps telling the family about a few things which they should always follow without fail.

And what more is to happen around here as a crisis seems to be on the way? :: A similar case occurs as Millie books Broadway musical tickets and a hotel for the Winchesters in one of the richest areas, but later, Nina just denies having given her those instructions, and tells her that she will take the money out of her salary as the tickets are not refundable. But when Nina was talking her daughter to the ballet camp, Andrew tries to cheer Millie up by secretly taking her to the show, and after enjoying dinner together, they check into the hotel. Millie receives a large number of angry texts from Nina, but Andrew, and the two start and intimate relationship in the hotel bedroom. Then, when they return home, and Millie realizes that Nina has found out that she spent ten years in prison for murder. Nina uses this knowledge to make sure that police arrest her on stealing their car, after reporting a stolen car. But this would not be the end of it, as her plans might be more sinister, and the family secrets would mean more trouble. Can Millie survive this?

The defence of The Housemaid :: The movie maintains a certain level, with nice red herrings and the suspense always ready to come out, with thrills going on strong – the performances of the leading actresses are also to be noted, as Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried blends into the situation really well. Sydney seems to be very close to becoming the next scream queen in a horror movie, and we have seen her capability with thrillers earlier itself, through The Voyeurs. Amanda had a more complicated role, and she maintains a certain amount of skill to go through the transformation of the character. Brandon Sklenar also joins well here. The tension is nicely built, as the viewer gets curious with secrets to be revealed, mind games and twists which might not be the kind that one can predict with ease. There is the feeling that we are watching the kind of thrillers which we had during much earlier times. The dramatic side also works and entertainment is guaranteed, with most of the action set in a big and isolated house which is set far away from the city.

The claws of flaw :: The movie’s ending seemed to be too quick and forced. After that, there is another scene which feels like not relevant at all, as Sydney Sweeney’s character was surely not fit to that situation, and it is not a kind of job that one could take when on the list of police; strange that some fine endings feel the need to be made further complicated by an additional scene – even if it was created to bring hope for a sequel which also would not fit in. The predictability also comes in after the grand twist, and after that, the situation feels just going on and on, and nothing more. There was also the slowing down in between, and seemingly an attempt to divert the movie a little too much. The length of the movie is surely a little too much, as sometimes, time is just lost in the dialogues. With the movie becoming too much filmy, we can also see that the realistic side, despite being present, sometimes losses its charm. The flashback and the explanations are also too long, and the main character, without any prior knowledge of the predicament, seems to guess and thus understand everything with relative ease.

How it finishes :: This particular movie had successfully become more than what is seen on the outside, and we know that movies like this one and Deep Water, as well as Gone Girl, strikes because they have something more than what is seen on the surface. Compared to those titles, this one also ultimately stands as a highly watchable but not the best psychological thriller that leans more towards providing the old-style entertainment rather than focusing on the much-needed depth. Powered by the performances led by Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney, the movie could create an engaging atmosphere having tension, secrets and dramatic twists. It chooses the commercial side instead of the intellectual, and manages to work well in the same. It still relies on familiar tropes, some predictability and moments of too much talking about the past to reduce the overall impact. But you are sure to enjoy this one because the movie is made in a way that the appeal to the audience would be more, and catering towards the regular thriller fun side is here to be taken home, even if it is from Amazon Prime Video.

Release date: 19th December 2025
Running time: 131 minutes
Directed by: Paul Feig
Starring: Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried, Nicholas Galitzine, Julie Walters, Alex Wolff

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Fall for Me

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Vampire Owl: I have heard about vampire penguins falling from the top of Dracula Castle.

Vampire Bat: I am sure that it is not exactly what they mean with the falling here.

Vampire Owl: All other types of falling do not happen around here.

Vampire Bat: Well, this is the kind of falling that happens more to humans.

Vampire Owl: We are not people who watch over the fall of humans.

Vampire Bat: Well, the human falls are just normal and natural in that realm.

Vampire Owl: Such a terrible realm to be born to, if you ask me.

Vampire Bat: Especially if you do not turn into vampires early enough.

Vampire Owl: We should not be taking more human turned into vampires.

Vampire Bat: Well, we also need more workers at the castle.

[Gets a chilli porotta and three cups of Ooty tea].

What is the movie about? :: Lilli (Svenja Jung), and auditor from Germany travels to the island of Mallorca in Spain to visit her younger sister Valeria (Tijan Marei). There, she is surprised to see that she is engaged to a French man named Manu (Victor Meutelet), and are planning to open a bread and breakfast establishment. The two had also planned to buy his uncle’s property for the same purpose, but for the same, there is the need to sell the property of the sisters’ mother, which was meant to be kept for Valeria’s university education. But Valeria who is too much attached with the idea of starting a life together with a supporting hospitality business that she no longer wishes to study any more. The university dreams just seem to be that of their mother, not hers. Lilli wonders if she was invited there so that her signature is required to sell mother’s property, and is worried that her sister has had too many lovers in the past, and wonders if this one is also temporary in nature, which would bring a new crisis to their world.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Valeria feels that Lilli is not happy about her, as her own relationships have been going terribly in the last few years. But things get different when Lilli meets up with the local club manager Tom (Theo Trebs) who is also from Germany, both share a romantic attraction from the flight sight itself. Soon, Lilli meets real estate investor Nick (Thomas Kretschmann) who offers an amount of €900,000 for the property, which he considers to be more than what would be given by anyone else, and Valeria along with Manu supports the cause. Nick’s wife Girasol (Lucia Barrado) also tries to make the transactions quicker, and tries to get close to Lilli to make her more interested in them. But Lilli is of the opinion that she requires more time with this, and at the same time, has her relationship with Tom going to an intimate level after he comes to her home to repair a broken pipe, with the rest of her making way for them having sex multiple times.

And what more can happen here as something never seems right? :: She places her trust on him and gets someone else to look at the plot to know exactly how much it costs, and gets an analysis of €700,000 for the property as most of it cannot be destroyed due to its historical past and location. He advises Lilli to accept the earlier offer, and she agrees. But it is then that Bea (Antje Traue), the former lover of Manu comes to their life, and she seems to be obsessed with him, even though Valeria is not that bothered, as she also had many lovers in her life, and she had gone very intimate with most of them, leaving some of the relationships just within a short time. Lilli feels that her little sister is in trouble, and tries to come to the bottom of it. But chasing Bea does not lead her anywhere, but she does comes to know that Manu has not worked in the hotel where he told her that he had prior experience. At the same time, Nick is forcing her to sign the deal, but with her doubt about Manu, will she do that soon enough?

The defence of Fall for Me :: The movie is shot in some of the most beautiful locations that we can get anywhere. Mallorca of Spain has that stylish, vacation-like vibe with scenic locations which keeps us so much interested throughout its run, and also makes us wish to travel, not just to one place, but any similar areas. The romance, deception, scam and relationship revolve around without that much of an overdose, as everything goes on through a simple path with smooth transitions. The twists are not that shocking, but they remain effective due to the performances and the emotional side that has something in store. The lead actors like Svenja Jung and Theo Trebs goes on well, and Svenja feels like too good in this role, as everything including the emotions are so well portrayed – she remains the loveliest part of the movie, and goes through the character’s troubles well as the central character. Then there is Tijan Marei whose performances feel even more realistic as much as cute in the form of a little sister. The romance here is never really overdone, and this is a movie which feels having just enough around.

The claws of flaw :: The movie just moves through what seems to be just the usual process, and the surprises and shocks do not count as among the most effective or memorable ones. It never gets to be that serious or with serious danger. The focus on the story is not really that much as we look closer – it just feels like taken from different earlier movies which deals with similar themes. The thrills go too smooth with the suspense and got enough predictability around. The focus on romance is sometimes not there, and at times, just comes out of nowhere. Some of the decisions of the characters also feel strange, and there is not that much of development among them – even the talks about the past just feels repetitive rather than bringing something special out of them. There is not that much of depth, and the strength of a classic thriller has gone missing. The ending also seems to have been done in a comfortable manner, not thinking about making it suited to bring a memorable finish. The absence of that much thoughts about the movie’s progress can surely be seen here and there.

How it finishes :: The movie seems to be that smooth journey like a journey through some beautiful areas with charming people all around. At a time when traveling has not been that easy in a world of chaos, we can keep wandering through different lands with movies like these which never really misses out on the chance to capture the location. There is romance and we also have those deceptions, and despite seemingly going nowhere at some points, brings the whole thing to an end, even though there is nothing special about it. For going through a tale that does not claim anything huge, but gives enough of a normal tale, this one is a harmless watch. One would feel that the lack of intensity is something that favours the movie in maintaining a cool effect throughout its run that does not feel too long even when it slows down. Getting some German movies on OTT is quite a rare thing, one has to acknowledge the same. We do get one more here, to add to the foreign movies list which has been dominated by Korean, Spanish, French and Russian movies.

Release date: 21st August 2025
Running time: 105 minutes
Directed by: Sherry Hormann
Starring: Svenja Jung, Theo Trebs, Thomas Kretschmann, Tijan Marei, Victor Meutelet, Antje Traue, Lucia Barrado

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Thalavara

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Vampire Owl: So, this is what humans call destiny related to a mark on the head.

Vampire Bat: There is no destiny that humans can create in any world.

Vampire Owl: They could still seal their own fate.

Vampire Bat: They are the fates that the world is forced to endure.

Vampire Owl: You remind me of the cursed fates of the northern witches.

Vampire Bat: Still, humans come up with motivating movies with some feel-good.

Vampire Owl: Humans do not really make any species feel any good.

Vampire Bat: Well, feel-good is that mask which humans need.

Vampire Owl: Yes, they need that reason to live.

Vampire Bat: Well, you do not need any reason to live forever.

[Gets a Kadai paneer puffs and three cups of Darjeeling tea].

What is the movie about? :: Jyothish (Arjun Ashokan) suffers from a skin condition called Vitiligo which provides visible white patches on the skin due to loss of pigment, clearly visible on his face. His dream is to become an actor, and had won many accolades for his efforts during school days as a leading drama performer. He had left all of these behind and after taking a graduation in commerce, started working in a mobile shop, only to be fired from there due to his movie craze leading him to take day off on almost every Friday on the day of movie releases with some lame excuses. Now jobless, he is forced to work with his mother Asha (Devadarshini) in the supermarket where she works in the sales, as the new person supposed to the home delivery. He is ridiculed by people for his skin disease, and even his best friends call him names and make fun of him, despite their close connection with each other. His father Kannappan (Ashokan) has been movie enthusiast who had planned to go abroad, but ended up jobless at home due to the same craze for cinema much to dismay of the family.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: It is then that Jyothi (Athira Mariyam), Jyothish’s sister elopes with his friend Ganesh (Sarath Sabha), who had full freedom in their home, leading to Asha, as the breadwinner of home, disowning her. It is then that a new girl Sandhya (Revathy Sarma) arrives near home in Palakkad, from the other side of the state border, Coimbatore. She works at an agency which deals with foreign education, focusing on UK, and Jyothish ends up meeting her in her office as well as the supermarket. Even though everyone around seems to be attracted to her, she falls for Jyothish, and their love story slowly blossoms. But without a good job, her family is surely not going to agree to this wedding, and the family history of her sister eloping with someone was not going to help the cause at all. He gets a small role in a short-film which becomes viral on YouTube, but is humiliated for his looks while looking for a role in the upcoming movie. Can he go beyond the restrictions imposed on him by the society which do not accept the divergent or will there be a union of bad luck events for him?

The defence of Thalavara :: The movie nicely addresses something which is not usually shown in the mainstream cinema — the life of a person with vitiligo and how he has to go beyond the opinions of society and achieve something. Here, we can see that the same is done without adding that much of a melodrama, which would have been the main thing if this was taken in Bollywood. The romance here is also very well managed in a realistic manner. It should be considered as a fine quality as most of the other industries of the nation would have clearly overdone the same and might even add a quick dance in a nation with a lot of snow with greenery and classic streets. Its reflection of a common man’s life and the regular problems which becomes part of the crisis will never leave our attention. The idea of accepting oneself and living with dignity work very well. Even the romantic scenes show that understanding, and it just becomes a usual thing rather than a glorified piece of garbage – it is there and it an extended form of friendship and not a stalking, lusty, infatuated absurdity like in movies like the lesser appreciated Maine Pyar Kiya and for that undeserving very much appreciated Annayum Rasoolum.

The claws of flaw :: The movie does deviate the main concerns at times, maybe to try and make it feel more entertaining, and it is also a little bit too long for this kind of a content, as one and half hours would have been perfect in this case. When we consider that it does not take into account, the psychological side that much except for the negative feeling and lack of confidence, something might feel left out. The movie just goes through the simple journey, which makes it feel no need to go in a more intense manner or launch that dramatic punch which will leave a big difference. The ending does not really solve the problem, but makes one feel good enough that there could be a better future soon. Even a movie which dealt with a lesser problem like Mili had an even more consistent solution to its crisis. The movie’s beginning might have also left many people with not much of an interest in the journey forward, as it just feels too ordinary a start to the kind of message it would intend to deliver with that special dose of motivation.

The performers of the soul :: Arjun Ashokan strikes gold with this performance, and it is as realistic as one could be, with him maintaining a common man’s feelings throughout the journey – this might also he his best work in a leading role till now. Revathy Sarma plays the Tamil girl whom we might remember even more than the one we had with Sai Pallavi in Premam with the realistic touch rather than that overstretched one. She plays the role with so much realistic touch, and remains a lovable character – something which she achieves with so much of ease. Among the friend characters, Muhammad Rafi stands as the most notable one, as he has always been in that television show of Flowers channel which keeps coming back to us. Sarath Sabha also remains very much notable. Athira Mariyam’s realist work will also have our attention. Then you see how good is Devadarshini in the mother role and how well Ashokan supports in the father role, with a little bit of humour and emotions also present in the journey.

How it finishes :: The movie does manage to finish off the whole thing well, and there is closeness to humanity that works like a dream here. This is the kind of movie that works with motivation really well, and reminds people that there could be those journeys with some type of crisis which is often overlooked in favour of some others which get all the attention. We remember that some problems get more attention than others, but it is to be remembered that for some people, some troubles are bigger, and that it has to be individual-centred. Well, not all people are the same, and the problems of some people are just of a grander scale than one would think. The movie reminds us that it is all about the individual, and if there is some support when required, things can only get better – it is important to keep everyone close to the heart as we are all in this together in one way or the other. This is no blockbuster material with scenes to get fans clapping, for a human tale that inspires and gets some feel-good into the scene.

Release date: 22nd August 2025
Running time: 120 minutes
Directed by: Akhil Anilkumar
Starring: Arjun Ashokan, Revathy Sarma, Shebin Benson, Ashokan, Devadarshini, Athira Mariyam, Abhiram Radhakrishnan, Prasant Murali, Sam Mohan, Harish Mohan, Sohan Seenulal, Shaju Sreedhar, Vishnu Reghu, Muhammad Rafi, Manoj Moses, Aswath Lal, Amith Mohan, Naseer

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Premalu

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Vampire Owl: We were never really planning to watch this one.

Vampire Bat: We are way past romantic comedy right now.

Vampire Owl: Well, who falls in love during these days of chaos?

Vampire Bat: There are always people who falls in love.

Vampire Owl: It is a human thing, I guess.

Vampire Bat: Yes, just like violence, hatred and hostility.

Vampire Owl: Humans are trying to hide their true nature with this?

Vampire Bat: They will have to show their terrifying true faces at some point.

Vampire Owl: We will enjoy this veneer applied on them for now.

Vampire Bat: Their world, their movies, their valentines.

[Gets a Kolkata Kathi Roll and three cups of Darjeeling Tea].

What is the movie about? :: Sachin (Naslen K Gafoor) is a jobless young man who managed to get his degree from a random college where he had fallen in love with a girl whom he know, but that thought itself never made any sense as the girl hardly even knew him. He gets back home and finds that his visa to the United Kingdom is rejected. He meets his old friend Amal (Sangeeth Prathap) after a long time, and decides to go with him to Hyderabad and attend GATE coaching, even though he has no clue about what he is doing. They are invited to the wedding ceremony of their teacher Shobi (Althaf Salim), scheduled to take place in Andhra Pradesh. At the function, he falls in love with Reenu (Mamitha Baiju) who had recently joined an IT firm in Hyderabad and was there with her colleagues. Their first meeting is not that great to talk about, and fails to create an impression as he almost kills her colleague and admirer Aadhi (Shyam Mohan M) and Reenu’s best friend Karthika (Akhila Bhargavan) feels that they have other motives.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: As Reenu and Karthika has no way to return to Hyderabad after the function, they choose to go back with Sachin and Amal. Aadhi who has been in love with Reenu since they first met, does not agree to the same. The journey makes them good friends and Sachin wishes to make sure that Reenu falls in love with him. At the same time, Karthika feels that Amal has fallen in love with her, which should be the reason why they keep contacting the two girls. Sachin and Amal invite Reenu and Karthika to a pub to attend a part for couples, but in the absence of a partner for their flat mate Niharika (Meenakshi Raveendran), they decline the offer. But this brings them to Thomas (Mathew Thomas), a science-addict who is paired with Niharika. The visit to the pub is messed up as they realize that nothing good is going to come out of all of these. But Sachin is still infatuated with Reenu, but is there any way for him to make love happen, and what can Amal do about all these?

The defence of Premalu :: The simple fun movie mode is turned on with this movie from the beginning to the end. The happy and light mood keeps making things better. The funny counters are really good, and might be repeated in the comedy shows for the new generation, as we see this as the first full comedy of the year. The movie becomes the reminder that there can be jokes which are suitable for everyone, even though sometimes it seems to show small tendencies to deviate to the other side. Friendship and romance, even when not new, feels refreshing, as the attempt to keep this interesting with moments can be seen. The stars have also been doing some great job in promoting the movie – saw them from a distance at Puthettu Cinemas, Palai last week, and that seemed to be a cheerful group of Mamitha Baiju, Sangeeth Prathap and Meenakshi Raveendran. The happy nature seems to be reflected in the film very well. We do have this movie showing the naïve nature of the youth that works pretty well.

The claws of flaw :: There is almost nothing to be taken seriously in regards to Premalu, as we see the characters go through the simple problems touched with humour. In the attempt to remain funny at all times, we see that trivial matters gain importance over everything else. This means that the amount of silliness that comes in between might be too high, but that kind of a feeling would be suitable more for films like Kunjiramayanam that could thrive on the foolishness of the characters from the beginning to the end, typecasting them. The movie is also a little too long for one’s liking, as there is not that much of a content to continue to ponder over. There is too much of a repetition for people who are less interested in the genre. The idea of having a foolish hero getting to marry a smart and intelligent heroine remains ridiculous; the happy ending seems forced, and these people separating forever would have been the right choice here. The weakness of second half is clearly seen in this movie, as the film seems to be confused where to stop.

The performers of the soul :: Naslen K Gafoor has been the boy next door for quite a long time, proving his point multiple times often considered in combination with Mathew Thomas of Kumbalangi Nights fame. The two made a fine combo in Thanneer Mathan Dinangal as well as Jo and Jo. He shines with the shades of comedy, even though there is some overdose. Naslen has gone further, as it was earlier somewhat shown in Kuruthi while Mathew also has a cameo role here which raises the interest of viewers. Mamitha Baiju has been a favourite among the youth more than ever in the recent years, starting with Sarvopari Palakkaran followed by Varathan a long time ago, but getting the big roles in Operation Java and Kho Kho. She has once again proven the point that she is perfectly suitable to this kind of roles. Meenakshi Raveendran is a joy to see again after that feel-good of Tholvi F C, but has too less to do. Sangeeth Prathap provides very good support here with shades of humour all over. Akhila Bhargavan is a lovely addition and Shyam Mohan with some memorable comic dialogues also add to the interesting young cast who make the impact here.

How it finishes :: Premalu is that kind of a romantic comedy which focuses on the humorous side so well that it remains entertaining throughout its run, and provides nothing more with content. The movie has found that kind of a cast that works like a dream. It becomes an enjoyable journey for families including children and youth, but not that much for people who are looking for some serious content. If we look at the same as we have intended it to be, there would be a smooth run here, and one can be left happy in the end, while going through laughs in between, without brains. It could be the bliss of solitude in parts, as there is no attempt to get into a darker mood even when things seem to go down for the protagonist. The success of the movie is a reminder that we have not lost that touch in enjoying the movies with no serious content, even though thrillers have remained the big scorers at the box office, with the last two being Abraham Ozler and Neru. Well, we still know that there are more big releases coming up and Premalu has to fight hard to maintain its good spot at he box-office.

Release date: 9th February 2024
Running time: 156 minutes
Directed by: Girish A D
Starring: Naslen K Gafoor, Mamitha Baiju, Sangeeth Prathap, Shyam Mohan M, Akhila Bhargavan, Meenakshi Raveendran, Althaf Salim, Shameer Khan, Ranjith Narayan Kurup, AR Rajaganesh, K S Prasad, Mathew Thomas (cameo)

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.