Tag Archives: serial killer

Dheeram

Posted on by

What is the movie about? :: Assistant Commissioner of Police Stalin Joseph IPS (Indrajith Sukumaran) has built a fine reputation as a police officer who could solve even the most difficult cases. This makes the Police Commissioner, Rama Das IPS (Renji Panicker) assign a clueless case to him, especially as it involves the murder of the son of Inspector General of Police at the parking lot of a night club. This victim named John Kurian (Maahin Krishna) was brutally stabbed to death in front of his newly found girlfriend Fidha Fathima (Ashika Ashokan), who reluctantly agree to be the eye witness to the crime while being held back due to the fact that she is engaged to someone else, with a wedding set to happen soon. Circle Inspector Jose Thomas (Nishanth Sagar) and Sub Inspector Diya Prabhakar (Divya Pillai) also join the team of Stalin, but the situation feels too complex with Fidha not able to provide any extra relevant information. But a woman named Radhika S Nair (Avanthika Mohan) who runs a nearby café is known to have problems with John, but she reminds them that the case was withdrawn after he made payment for the destruction he caused in the café.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Radhika reminds the police officers that there was a friend of John who had a fight with him in her café on the same day. The police track him and find his name as Kiran Sivadasan (Mahesh Nair), who is part of a family which has NRI connections. But they soon find him hung on a tree, dead by midnight. They try to find any clue, and can find only a vehicle which had passed through the area – they feel like it is a significant finding. But the vehicle they tracked is found as owned by Kiran’s sister Keerthy Sivadasan (Sandhya Nair), but she had just returned from the United Kingdom after her brother’s death. It feels like a dead end, and they feel that the two friends were murdered by someone who had a problem with their ways of life. The notes about murders which were identified around there also means nothing to the investigation. A local reporter Sradha Das (Reba Monica John) is also after the murders with her own investigation trying to make a name.

And what more is to follow here as deaths keep happening with a murderer on the loose? :: Stalin has further problems with his stepbrother George Joseph (Sagar Surya), as he has not been doing anything substantial after the death of their father. The police soon find another dead body in the nearby river, and it is Deepak Dinakaran (Sajal Sudarshan), son of the local MLA who has significant hold on the ruling party and is close to the Home Minister of the State. He was earlier chased by the police for possession of drugs, and the MLA is angry that no breakthrough was made in the case. There is a note found related to this murder too, and this is proven as a clear case of serial killings. They are able to link all of these incidents to a school where all these victims had studied together, where a particular incident had happened and came on news. This make them feel that the next victim could be Althaaf Hussain (Deepak Manohar) who was part of their gang, but they do not realize that there are more twists to follow, and he might not be the next target. Can this puzzle be solved before more murders occur?

The defence of Dheeram :: This is a solid investigative thriller premise with nicely interconnected plot points that keep it interesting from the initial stages to the end. The mood of the movie could be nicely established, and we see that there is the dark thriller mood initiated early enough. From the beginning to the end, there is suspense maintained, and there are twists to make the audience ponder over the same, and with some nicely placed red herrings in between, there are not many easy twists for the audience to get it right. The movie feels technically sound right from the beginning; there seems like a certain amount of quality on what we see – the visual tone supports the overall theme of the movie which do not have much for redemption in a world of chaos which reflects the reality of humanity. The background score supports the movie really well, and the music remains effective, as we are transported to that world not just visually, but with what we hear, and the world remains what it really is, affected by human evil, and when it comes from the past and still exists, hope is surely not a thing with feathers or wings. For the same, there is zero humour in this dark, chaotic self.

Positives and negatives :: With performances to remember, the movie gets its own addons to the positives. Reba has always deserved more from the Malayalam movie industry, and Nishanth Sagar after his returning roles makes us feel that he would need more screen space every time. There is a message about parenting and the emotional connection is active. The way in which connections are made and how it all comes to an end with some classic dialogues in the end needs mention too. The movie focus is also completely on the case, and there are no deviations, certainly no subplots which had the tendency to drop in; no silly romance here too, as we see a film which never tries to move out of a set path. The excessive violence in the end felt unnecessary, as the flashback was already talked about and the movie was already coming to an end, and violence over violence was never going to add anything to the already established mood. Maybe the idea was to justify the murders committed by the killers, making the viewers feel that the victims deserved their fate more than hundred percent, but that was already established for most of the audience – for bringing pure evil right out of burning hell, this is not a fantasy horror slasher movie from any angle. For now, we can fast forward something on Amazon Prime Video.

The performers of the soul :: Indrajith Sukumaran manages a different level as a police officer, and this divergence was clearly visible in Angels, another movie with its own serial killer, whose identity is revealed in a different way, and with some fine twist that comes out of nowhere in the end. He plays that kind of a police officer who never really deviates from his path, and that determination along with the need to do what is right, is reflected well, and with his moments by the ending, we are left intellectually satisfied. Divya Pillai makes a fine police officer, like we had seen with Anju Kurian in Others – Divya’s support role works really well, and so does Nishanth Sagar’s police avatar. The three police characters feel different in essence, and thus seems to complete the team well – then there is Renji Panicker in a usual role without any trouble. Meanwhile, Reba Monica John is brilliant in her avatar that goes beyond a timeline, and this would be her performance to remember in Malayalam cinema. Varalaxmi Sarathkumar comes is all of a sudden, and scores well, while Sagar Surya and Avanthika Mohan’s work remains notable, and Aju Varghese has a good serious role.

How it finishes :: We have had so many investigation thrillers with serial killers on the loose, and this one has a fine place among them – from Memories to Anjaam Pathiraa, Forensic, Kooman, John Luther, Abraham Ozler and others, we have had some of the most memorable movies with less hype. But with our movie here, we should have had more hype, and more screens for sure. With some reduction of violence, especially in the final moments, it could have easily achieved the same, and the shows could have had more audience. Even now, it can boast of a fine place among its kind. If it had released some years earlier, I would not have waited for its release on Amazon Prime Video; the serial killer investigation movies are the kind of works which we never really miss at the theatres. But as the reviews at Movies of the Soul never really get shared by the celebrities or official pages of movies, the idea of early theatre reviews was lost for us. As we understand that movies have paid reviews going for them, we can only keep watching movies on the OTT platforms, most of which are available with a simple mobile recharge and Amazon delivery.

Release date: 5th December 2025
Running time: 149 minutes
Directed by: Jithin Suresh T
Starring: Indrajith Sukumaran, Divya Pillai, Reba Monica John, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Nishanth Sagar, Aju Varghese, Renji Panicker, Sagar Surya, Avanthika Mohan, Dinesh Panickar, Sreejith Ravi, Sabitta George, Sundarapandiayan, Devi Ajith, Sojan Angel Varghese

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

I Know What You Did

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: Nobody knows what we did last summer.

Vampire Bat: But nobody knows what we did during winter or monsoon either.

Vampire Owl: So, we are not popular enough, right?

Vampire Bat: Why should people know about what we do?

Vampire Owl: Maybe celebrity vampires getting attacked by serial killers is cool?

Vampire Bat: So that you can drink serial killer blood now?

Vampire Owl: Well, we have to keep trying something new.

Vampire Bat: They are just random psychotic humans with same kind of blood.

Vampire Owl: Well, different brands of ice creams taste different.

Vampire Bat: You should remember that we have been vegetarian vampires for long.

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

What is the movie about? :: Ava Brucks (Chase Sui Wonders) returns to her hometown of Southport, North Carolina for the engagement of her wealthy best friend Danica Richards (Madelyn Cline) and her rich and influential groom Teddy Spencer (Tyriq Withers). They are joined by their friends from the past, Milo Griffin (Jonah Hauer-King) and Stevie Ward (Sarah Pidgeon), along with their estranged friend Stevie Ward (Sarah Pidgeon) whom they are meeting after a long time as she faced the death of her father and drug addiction. They decide to see the fireworks of the day, and stops their vehicle on a cliff. There, Teddy stands on the middle of the road while on booze, only to cause a pickup truck to apply sudden brakes and lose control, plunging into the rocks below. Teddy’s father Grant Spencer (Billy Campbell) who is a powerful politician, manages to twist the incident in such a way that the driver had stolen the vehicle and speeding, which caused the accident at the curve which was prone to accidents. The youngsters are not even called for questioning with their presence at the area itself erased.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: An year later, it is seen that Danica and Teddy have broken up, and the former is now in another relationship, soon to be married. The group of friends return to the town to attend the bridal shower of Danica, with the exception of Teddy. Ava reaches last, after having some sexual advances with a slasher podcaster Tyler Trevino (Gabbriette Bechtel). When Danica receives a note “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer”, and after her fiancée is murdered with a note about the past, Ava is forced to turn to Tyler who is an expert in serial killers and psychotic murders. They investigate into the past of the town which had that terrifying history of the killer with the hook which has been mostly erased to support tourism. But they find the new killer in the old costume, and Tyler is brutally murdered. Now, they find themselves in trouble with cops not ready to help them. Can they escape this terror before losing more lives?

The defence of I Know What You Did Last Summer :: This is another movie that we have been waiting for, as most of the horror fans would agree to the same. It makes a fine use of the underlying terror and a perfect scream queen in the form of its leading actress whom we hope to see in more of horror movies with the same charm and beauty. This look surely suits her more in comparison to how she has looked throughout the internet and seemingly in her earlier works. The hook image remains classic like the Ghostface and Chromehead masks have remained, and darkness is nicely combined with music and silence to create the desired effect here. The final revealing is surely something that has all the strength, and the double twist adds to the same. The connection to the original movie is nicely made, and the scope for sequel is well set, and we really hope that Chase Sui Wonders gets to lead in that movie too, after all, she plays the one character with whom we relate and feels as the movie goes deep. Her friend characters who remain alive would also need to make a comeback, as they worked fine as a team too.

Positives and negatives :: The movie always had the scope for more, going by the traditional slasher standards. Surprisingly, violence and the other traditional elements of slasher flicks do not get to rise that much, even when suspense, thrills and twists get quite something to do. The cast is really good, especially the leading actress who maintains the horror mood and runs through as the scream queen. The rest just follows her lead and there are a few characters who do not get their due. The final moments could have been more intense, even though the twists and turns nicely come together for the finale. These are the kind of movies that we need, the slashers that keeps coming alive even without any dose of supernatural being added to bring back the dead antagonists. After all, humans are born killers, not needing any supernatural to support their cause – the non-believers in God have always been murdering without prejudice, before civilization came into place and rules of man and God set them. So, evil can always find a way and bring death upon all.

The performers of the soul :: The movie is led forward by Chase Sui Wonders who transforms into a perfect scream queen with ease. She is the classic central character who faces danger, screams memorably, survives terrifying situations and even takes the movie to the end, despite a multi-starrer feeling being present at all times. She shines and even surprises the audience at times in what seems to be her first movie which had a release in this part of the world, as part of one of the rare franchises that spread horror with quality an fanbase. Her character is as much nicely presented as it is well-written. In comparison, Madelyn Cline’s character in one-dimensional, and she maintains the same well. At the same time, Sarah Pidgeon makes a fine impact, without doubt. Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr bring further strength to the movie as much as they bring the nostalgia out of the original movies. Gabbriette Bechtel makes an impact in her short stay, while Tyriq Withers and Jonah Hauer-King provide the expected support.

How it finishes :: This return to that world of knowing what we did last summer works really well and brings the nostalgia back to us. This is one franchise which had brought us so many fine scream queens and one serial killer image which inspired many others, and therefore this return was much deserved. After so many years, it is nice to see Jennifer Love Hewitt to extend that nostalgia, even though watching her back in that old movie would mean more – originals would always have that flare despite multiple returns, sequels and reboots. This one reminds the new generation that we had such classic slashers at an earlier point of time, and that Evil Dead, Scream and Halloween are not the only ones that came back, with some of those sequels not making that much of an impact. We the horror fans can safely celebrate this one though, even when we feel that there are moments which could have had more impact and kept that slasher elements projected without seemingly traveling through the safe side. Well, you know that horror can always keep making comebacks, and this is surely one of them.

Release date: 18th July 2025
Running time: 111 minutes
Directed by: Jennifer Kaytin Robinson
Starring: Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Jonah Hauer-King, Tyriq Withers, Sarah Pidgeon, Billy Campbell, Gabbriette Bechtel, Austin Nichols, Freddie Prinze Jr, Jennifer Love Hewitt

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Anomie

Posted on by

“Anomie” with Bhavana and Rahman in the lead, is the latest serial killer crime thriller movie with science fiction additions, not common in this part of the world. It marks a fine beginning to the new year, with such innovations leading the way.

Watch a quicker opinion in the form of video here:

For the detailed written review, please continue below:

What is the movie about? :: Zaara Philip (Bhavana) is forensic expert who helps the police in their investigations, but has a personal trauma that has kept haunting her, and even made her brother Ziaan Philip (Shebin Benson) psychologically disturbed and feeling suicidal. The death of their parents, which was caused during a celebration while traveling in a car, has been one incident for which Ziaan never really forgave himself. Zaara tries her best to cheer Zian, and provides him psychiatric support through a doctor that she knows. Zian looks better, with his life with a pet cat and the small group of friends who help him. His apartment is also set for his comfort. But things change when he goes missing all of a sudden, that too after a comfortable sitting with his psychologist. He was going to meet up with his sister, and then he was not to be found. Zaara quickly calls his best friend and romantic interest Alby Thomas (Arjun Lal), who finds out that Ziaan was last seen in his friend’s pet shop.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Soon, Ziaan’s corpse is found at the same area where his parents died, and people attach this death to grief and resulting suicide. This sends Zaara into further grief, much to the dismay of Alby. The case is handled by Muhammed Jibran (Rahman), Assistant Commissioner of Police, who goes on a hurry to close to case a suicide, just like a recent case, as attempts at suicide have already been made by these victims. But Zaara decides to seek answers independently, as she is sure that her brother would not commit suicide at this point, as he is a lot past that – the same was revealed by his psychiatrist too. Her independent investigation with the support of Alby leads to the understanding that this is no normal case, and much more is behind all of these. There are too many similarities in the previous suicide and this one, despite having no connection between them. Soon, another suicide occurs, and the same procedure seems to be followed. This time, it is a lady teacher who is found dead in a car inside a garage, and she also had a history of mental illness and used to show suicidal tendencies.

And what more is to follow in this world of chaos and deaths that follow? :: Zaara files a complaint and soon, the police are asked to act as soon as possible by the court. Jibran understands the seriousness of the situation, and decides to rise above his past troubles to solve this case. He had kept himself away from such situations before, but not anymore. This particular situation seems more of an emergency than ever, as more victims might have been there, and many more could follow if the serial killer is not stopped in time. Soon, another boy who had posted about death in social media is kidnapped, and Jibran has a lead in the form of Prasad Eashwar (Vishnu Agasthya), who had collected details of psychiatric patients, and is a drug dealer himself. But Zaara takes another path which leads her to a former medical student, Jinsy Paul (Drishya Raghunath) who had died in mysterious circumstances. Now, they question remains how all of these are going to converge as each lead seems relevant.

The defence of Anomie: The Equation of Death :: Here is one crime thriller that has the suspense and twists – with interval punch that changes the mood, as we have the possible suicide to a serial killer leading to unexpected ending. The addition of science fiction elements all of a sudden also changes the mood further. This is surely one of those movies which I would categorize as Ranam-esque – quality written all over it with the feeling of that Prithviraj starrer which was above the usual level, no matter how people accepted it – there is the feeling of emptiness, damaged characters, slow and inevitable violence even though not always shown on screen, with the realization that something bad always going to happen – isolation, numbness, suppressed anger, moral greyness, all getting a role to play. The final shootout has the looks which seems to elevate the budget of the movie itself. Then when more revelations come, there is also the support of some grand visuals which makes a spectacle out of a movie which seemed to start with such low ambitions. It is also a reminder that science can be infinitely evil in its core.

The claws of flaw :: The movie does leave some of its emotions back in the first half, as the mystery takes more of a hold. The emotional depth losses the hold and by the end, we are more wondering about morally grey science fiction elements. The main characters talk too less to each other as the deviations seem to take them apart. As the serial killers are a different kind of psychopaths, the dark side never really gets to be that scary in end. The movie seems to lack the hype that it had deserved, and for the same, do not have that many screens to help its run. The slow beginnings of the movie might not please everyone and the movie seems a little too long for this content. Without that much focus on the same thing again and again, the overall length could have been reduced. The philosophical elements could have also been further explored. In between, there are moments which seemed to be created to make things more convenient and some consistency is lost in the process. The ending could have also meant more.

The performers of the soul :: Bhavana leads the way and excels in the emotional sequences. A lot of this movie had to depend on her and the feelings of the sister character more than the forensic expert and investigator in her. The same has been achieved with ease. This return from her feels like something which that suits her, and to the same, she has done justice. Rahman manages to do the same from another angle, and he also goes through the emotional side well, even though getting some mass in there felt irrelevant, as a flawed cop like that of Memories was better for the situation and the overall mood of the movie. Then we see how he pulls this one off effortlessly, and that requires further mention. Arjun Lal has changed quite a lot from how we had seen him before, and blends in really well. Shebin Benson is really good with the brother elements. Vishnu Agasthya, after that fiery villain of RDX, makes a different appearance with negative shades. Drishya Raghunath’s avatar comes as a big surprise, and in a role in which we would not recognize her, manages to make a long impact in short time. Binu Pappu does his job with ease.

How it finishes :: Anomie does not feel like being present in that many theatres, but the innovation and the science fiction twist make it something beyond the usual investigative thrillers with serial killers all around. There is also the strong aesthetics, and even though slow at times with possibility of a shorter movie with this content, there is that effective narrative, which moves well to the multiple-twisted ending. We had seen superheroes doing well coming out of nowhere with Minnal Murali and that cinematic universe of Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra, but science fiction is a tricky thing to add in Malayalam cinema, but this one has made the scope big and added the same well. It surely has more than what meets the eye, and so is an interesting watch, and I would suggest that you give it a try, as divergence and attempt to create something out of the box requires all the attention. It might still not be a movie for everyone, but we know that there is more than one kind of audience to which this particular flick can cater. A deviation from the usual and a different treatment in the beginning of the year itself – 2026 is surely going to bring a lot more for us, as this is unlike Anjaam Pathiraa and Paappan which lost its way into random revenge and stays focused.

Release date: 6th February 2026
Running time: 135 minutes
Directed by: Riyas Marath
Starring: Rahman, Bhavana, Binu Pappu, Arjun Lal, Shebin Benson, Vishnu Agasthya, Drishya Raghunath

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Eleven

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: Do you know that there are not even eleven vampires in our team?

Vampire Bat: Well, we do not need that many vampires around here.

Vampire Owl: So, we are not building an army?

Vampire Bat: Why do we need an army right now?

Vampire Owl: To defeat an army of serial killer humans?

Vampire Bat: This movie only has one serial killer.

Vampire Owl: But humans are basically trained to be serial killers.

Vampire Bat: We do not see an army of serial killers in one movie.

Vampire Owl: There are many, but they show only a few of them.

Vampire Bat: Well, humans are meant to be born killers with inherent evil, and only one small push will do for even children.

[Gets a chicken cutlet and three cups of Wayanad tea].

What is the movie about? :: ACP Aravindan IPS (Naveen Chandra) is a police officer who has a near-perfect record of solving even the most impossible cases, and had recently caught a finance bank robbery group which had never failed in their crimes before with perfect calculations. This success is celebrated well on media, but a darker case was evolving in the background. ACP Ranjith IPS (Shashank) who is in charge of this new case involving serial killings almost dies in an accident after the body count reaches six, Aravindan is asked to investigate. Ranjith who barely survived, and is in the hospital promises to support him in any way possible, even though left out of service due to injury. For his support, SI Manohar (Dileepan) is given the duty, and both find themselves in a confused state as there was never any real clue found by previous investigatory and Ranjith. Aravindan discovers an interesting piece of evidence, an ankle-surgery plate in one of the victims, which helps them shortlist seven individuals based on age.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: At the same time, Sanjana (Reyaa Hari) who comes to a restaurant to meet her possible groom who was selected by her parents sees Aravindan who is wearing the same identification in the form of a grey shirt, and falling in love with him as he beats up multiple goons. She tells him about her desire, but he immediately rejects her and asks her to marry the person whom her parents had found for her. Aravindan reaches Sudhakar (Kireeti Damaraju) while tracing the ankle-surgery plate and Meera (Riythvika) while hearing about a beggar talking about a girl being abducted. The police also find a common group photo in both houses, finally finding a connection. Aravindan understands that the only connection between the twins is their school, Twin Birds Matriculation School, which no longer exists as it was burned down in a fire, followed by the death of its owner Ravi (Ravi Varma). This feels like a very strange connection with a past that they wish to forget from their childhood, which had a secret which was buried. Now, the question remains about who all will be targeted from that past.

The defence of Eleven :: This might be one of the most interesting versions of serial killer related murder investigations as it focuses on twins. At the same time, the visuals are nothing less than stunning, and the colours here especially at night seems to bring the best of Chennai. This is the kind of movie which quickly has us interested, and gets us through the journey with guesses, but brings those kinds of twists which come out of nowhere. But there is no overdose of the same like we had seen in Mirage, as things just went out of control. There are the twists over twists which works so well, and the suspense only gets stronger, while red herrings add on well. The shots of cemetery and the styling lacks in nothing. As the cinematography, background score and production values deserve praise, they keep us deeper in the movie here. The flashback tale is also very much interesting which reminds us that one has to pay for the heartless mistakes one makes, whether it is as a child or as an adult because humanity is not learned in old age, but part of human character rather early.

Positives and negatives :: The movie’s romantic side is a mess, and it is saved by the fact that the same is not given that much of a focus. There is something that makes us feel that it was not needed at all. There might also be the feeling that we have rather too many serial killers around, but in our world, one has to say that it is not a surprise to have such people hiding behind different faces. For some people, there might be points where there are missing connections, but it is seen that everything comes together at the end. It is always nice to see the inherent evil of man at work, like in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies – taking children as innocent is not the way to go; the actions of the kids could feel even more evil in nature than that of the adults as they are not forced into situations, but use them right out of their hearts. There are always the little demons in this world of chaos, and here we see that element coming back to haunt them as adults. This makes sure that there is always something different and divergent even in the nature of the movie, and revenge remains justified.

The performers of the soul :: The movie is guided by a solid performance from Naveen Chandra, who becomes a perfect police officer with that determination on his face that never seems to leave the character. The intensity that he shows in a quiet and determined manner, never going overboard, sets a fine example here, without also overdoing any action sequence. The different shades of his character work so well that we do not think about having any other perfect police officer during this time period. Reyaa Hari, the producer who is the leading lady is under-utilized, and in the role, does quite less – cannot blame her though, as the romantic side lags behind in almost everything and this approach does not suit her; yet she does fine in the final moments of the movie. Dileepan also remains solid as the supporting police officer, as his character also contributes to the twists well. Shashank plays the third important police man, and that also works nicely. Abhirami’s role is also an interesting one here. Riythvika also adds on to the proceedings here with memorable moments. The same can also be said about Kireeti Damaraju’s work.

How it finishes :: Eleven is one of the best investigation thrillers featuring a serial killer and twists remain very much effective with suspense all around. For the fans of investigative thrillers who wish to see murders coming out of a buried past, this one is surely worth a watch, as there is a good score to be taken for its strong lead, technical polishing and the satisfying second half which comes to an ending which it deserved. The ability to remain engaging from the beginning to the end is a skill that not many movies possess. There is nothing much that it misses, and we are familiar with some classic thrillers with serial killers from Memories to Abraham Ozler, Forensic, Anjaam Pathiraa, John Luther, Antakshari, Paappan and others which have kept Malayalam movie industry going strong. This movie could have surely used more hype and much more screens here, as we are the kind of people who like the twists and thrills with a serial killer around and a mystery which is soaked in revenge and best served cold. For now, this one serves the same well in Amazon Prime Video in multiple languages.

Release date: 16th May 2025
Running time: 135 minutes
Directed by: Lokkesh Ajls
Starring: Naveen Chandra, Reyaa Hari, Abhirami, Ravi Varma, Riythvika, Shashank, Dileepan, Arjai, Aadukalam Naren, Kireeti Damaraju

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Detective Ujjwalan

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: So, this was the detective who came to investigate on the missing vampires.

Vampire Bat: There are no missing vampires in our world.

Vampire Owl: What about those vampires who did not come to the feast of Uncle Dracula?

Vampire Bat: They just decided not to come.

Vampire Owl: Nobody decides not to come when Uncle Dracula is around.

Vampire Bat: There has been the rise of free will in the realm.

Vampire Owl: Free will just a myth in the realm.

Vampire Bat: There has always been some free will in the vampire world.

Vampire Owl: Free will is not a thing of our world.

Vampire Bat: Well, you know that free will is only the beginning.

[Gets a chicken samosa and three cups of Ceylon tea].

What is the movie about? :: Ujjwalan (Dhyan Sreenivasan) is a young man without any job and has made himself the only librarian of the only library in the remote village of Plachikkavu. He lives with his father Narayanankutty (Kottayam Nazeer) and mother Leela (Seema G Nair) who only have a shop and mostly lives with their family assets. As Ujjwalan does not go for work and spends most of the time reading detective novels and crime thrillers from his own library, his parents try to get him married to a local girl Snehalatha (Claire C John), but that does not work in their favour. Ujjwalan is a man who tries to solve the crimes of the village, which mostly involves small thefts, fights etc. Local SI Sachin (Rony David Raj) depends on him to solve the simple crimes and mysteries and do not do much of a work. The only criminal of the village is Anthikkurudan (Nihal Nizam) who steals small things and keeps getting caught with some coconuts and bananas. Kurian (Ameen) who has returned from Korea, remains Ujjwalan’s only friend, and does not like going to work anymore either.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Despite being a fan of detective fiction and even with a skill to find missing clues, Ujjwalan suffers from nyctophobia, the fear of darkness which keeps him locked in his room at night, never even trying to switch on or off the lights of the house. A local television channel even shoots a documentary on how peaceful the village, and reveals that nothing much happens there. But then, the local school principal, Ashokan (Kalabhavan Navas), is killed by a masked man who looked like a scarecrow, brutally with a hammer. But from a slipper and a beedi that Ujjwalan finds from the spot, he feels that it was Anthikkurudan, the usual suspect. The thief claims innocence despite being arrested, but the police are also convinced that he might have been the murderer, maybe a result of trying to steal and not really succeeding. One day, he just escapes from the prison, and is not found afterwards. But the murders do not stop there, and the next one happens at the local festival.

And what more is to follow with the murders that do not seem to stop? :: The second murder really gets the attention of a wider media, and a new police officer is sent to investigate and find the killer as soon as possible. CI Shambhu (Siju Wilson), the new investigating officer, is known to have solved more cases than most of the police officers of his area combined, and he would not stop until he has solved this one. Sachin is not happy that the case has gone out of his control, and Ujjwalan is certainly not happy that someone else is investigating a case in his area. They do not cooperate that much with him and his supporting officers Kunchacko (Nibraz Noushad) and Boban (Shahubas). Ujjwalan soon begins to doubt Shambhu, who says that he has been to the town before and is glad to be there. Kurian who has returned to his hometown to marry his favourite woman finds himself rejected by her. Shambhu earns the trust of villagers and shows steady progress, even though the killer is still on the loose. People remain afraid of going out at night, but can anyone find that killer who leaves no clues behind?

The defence of Detective Ujjwalan :: Dhyan Sreenivasan does a pretty good job, but Siju Wilson and Rony David Raj carry this movie with better written characters who blends in more than the others. The movie with the village setting, remains very good-looking, and the music nicely adds on here to the overall mood. The visuals score with a touch of nostalgia within the overall beauty of a common village of Kerala. Despite the presence of the light-hearted mood, the darkness does come in right between, making this a fine combination of multiple sides. The comedy often works, especially due to the supporting cast that never really hesitates as far as humour is concerned. The movie could connect well to other movies as part of a cinematic universe. The final parts of the area become engaging, especially at those moments when the mystery is somewhat revealed. The ending makes sure that there is scope for more. This would still remain a relaxed watch in comparison to any other movie with a serial killer.

The claws of flaw :: The movie could have had the main character as better written. Some of the other characters also seem to have some problems. The twists are not that strong as one would have wanted, after all that buildup. The movie just seems to take the villain out of the irrelevant and add something extra to it. The mystery should have been solved in a smarter and a more classical way with the antagonist surprising further. The emotional side could have been stronger with better characterization, and could have got the viewers more immersed in the situation with more of that feeling of danger. The humour could have also been stronger instead of just going through. The change of tone also keeps happening, without the movie constantly staying anywhere. The ups and downs might feel a little too much, and there is also too much silliness in smartness and vice versa. The final moments do seem to be just usual, with one forced fight and the added extra complication. If this is to stay close to other movies in a strong cinematic universe, there should surely be more power to be shown. The female characters are not relevant at all here.

How it finishes :: The movie is hailed as a part of the Weekend Cinematic Universe which also has the much-acclaimed superhero movie Minnal Murali in there, and you cannot stop yourself from noting down the similarities, from the scarecrow and the way in which the village setup has been created, not that different from Kunjiramayanam either. It might need some extra-fittings at some other point to make it feel big enough to be fixed in a grand universe, as it does not seem to be ready for the same unlike movies like Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra which came prepared from the beginning itself. The movie did seem to have received a good opening, and therefore, a sequel would be there to be taken at some point – the ending also would mean the same. As of now, it is available on Amazon Prime Video, and this might be a good time to watch the same, as one would not be able to know when a sequel might immediately drop, and there could even be a spin-off. Let us hope to see this one as better.

Release date: 23rd May 2025
Running time: 124 minutes
Directed by: Indraneel Gopalakrishnan, Rahul G
Starring: Dhyan Sreenivasan, Siju Wilson, Rony David Raj, Claire C. John, Kottayam Nazeer, Seema G Nair, Nihal Nizam, Ameen, Shahubas, Nibraz Noushad, Mathew Puthukadan, Jagadish, Kalabhavan Navas, Nirmal Palazhi

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Oddity

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: I would like to say that we are all odd.

Vampire Bat: We are odd for the humans indeed.

Vampire Owl: We have called odd by Dr Frankenstein millions of times.

Vampire Bat: Mr Frankenstein knows nothing about vampires.

Vampire Owl: Yes, he is a man of science and an expert in the same.

Vampire Bat: He is a man of pseudoscience like no other.

Vampire Owl: Well, humans call us as part of this pseudoscience too.

Vampire Bat: The lack of belief in God is slowly eating humans from inside.

Vampire Owl: I have heard that the demons of the night are also burning them.

Vampire Bat: I know that there is a great war coming among humans, bigger than they have ever known, and the godless world of theirs which twists religion for politics is going to burn.

[Gets a masala bonda and three cups of tea by Fort Cochin Beach].

What is the movie about? :: Dani Odello-Timmis (Carolyn Bracken), wife of Ted Timmis (Gwilym Lee), a renounced psychiatrist, moves to a new country house which is located in the middle of nowhere. As Ted works during the nights, and as the hospital is short-staffed, she decides to stay at the new house through the night and arrange a few things even though there is a lot of work to be done. She tries to call her twin sister Darcy Odello (Carolyn Bracken), who is a clairvoyant, but is unable to get to her on the phone. Olin Boole (Tadhg Murphy), a former of patient of Ted visits Dani on the might and asks her to let him in so that he can help her with the people who had gotten inside her home. Even though she feels that she heard some sound inside, she is reluctant to get him inside and asks him to go away. Olin tells her to call the police and seems to walk away. She is scared, but decides to stay inside and not open the door. But in the morning, she is found dead, and Olin is believed to be the murderer.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Soon, Olin is also found dead in the mental hospital where he was admitted, and he seemed to have met his death in the most brutal manner. One year later, a woman named Yana (Caroline Menton) starts living with Ted as his new girlfriend. She is not happy about living in home in the middle of nowhere which had seen that one mysterious and brutal death. She feels that there is something sinister at work there, and she gets visions of the dead woman all the time. Even though she credits the same to sleeplessness, she wishes to moves to the city as her new boyfriend is always at the hospital during nights in the name of extra work and too many patients. Meanwhile, the twin sister Darcy, who has been talking to the spirits, seems to be in need of investigating the murder as she feels that there is something more to that particular murder. She decides to visit the house where the murders took place – what will she find there? Is there anything to find out?

The defence of Oddity :: The movie remains highly atmospheric, and this country mansion in the middle of nowhere is the perfect place to live as long as you are looking for horror. The setting justifies everything else, as we have the feeling that the supernatural is always around, even though the presence of a human killer or a psycho is also around to be felt. The movie has its own unsettling moments, and there are some red herrings which comes right out of nowhere. The movie does feel clean, with nothing unnecessary being put into use here. There is a lot of evil that runs through the background of the movie which can be used for a sequel too. The supernatural elements of this one can have another movie or even get multiple spin-offs. There seems to be a limitless journey like The Conjuring in store here, but due to the nature of this movie, we need to doubt such an existence. Maybe, this is only a beginning which will stay fine at the beginning.

The claws of flaw :: The movie remains too slow and continues to lag even with such a short run-time which could have been a boon here. There are too many moments when nothing much is happening, or at least make us feel so. Too many dialogues also send the movie into a struggle, as there are too much words and less action. There could have been some big action at least with those hallucinations, but that is not so. There are moments which are predictable, and at some point, we have already guessed a number of main things here – for a movie like this, it is not too acceptable. There are some elements and some characters who needed a detailed exploration, but that focus is certainly not here to be taken. The lack of focus comes back to haunt the movie at times, as the emotional attachment also leaves us on the way due to the same reason. Something at the centre of all these, also needed some explanation instead of coming alive in the end.

The performers of the soul :: The movie is led really well by Carolyn Bracken who plays two roles, one of an unsuspecting lady who is excited to move to a new house and loves her sister and husband very much, while there is the second sister who is blind, but is in contact with the supernatural as the one sister who is more determined than ever, and yet makes one feel that there is something strange as well as psychotic about her, along with being psychic. These are the characters so well-played that we fall in love with both, and there is that nice divergence from each other that we love to have. Gwilym Lee comes with the classic work as the man who does all the job, and is the man to look out for. Tadhg Murphy plays a memorable character and does it in a convincing way even though not present throughout the movie. Caroline Menton plays her character in a believable way with no pretentions. Steve Wall also stays in a notable role which becomes more relevant as the movie reaches the final moments.

How it finishes :: Oddity had so much scope to be something bigger, but it resists that tendency to search for grandeur with ease. The movie takes too safe a path here, and the same is evident at times. The movie could have been a psychological and supernatural masterpiece with elements from both sides, but that heavy load is not taken here, as there seems to a certain reluctance to go big. Therefore, as it is, this is one movie which works, and gives us some fine moments to remember, but there is nothing much that would extend its stay. This one is not going to be a Sinister, Insidious, Oujia, The Conjuring, Annabelle, The Nun or The Curse of La Llorna, establishing certain evil that we are going to remember for long. Instead, it is that common safe route horror movie which brings some innovation and shoots the scares that work with an abiding mystery all around. Let us watch this one and keep guessing on what is to happen next with its own suspense creeping into the classic space for horror.

Release date: 30th August 2024
Running time: 98 minutes
Directed by: Damian McCarthy
Starring: Gwilym Lee, Carolyn Bracken, Tadhg Murphy, Caroline Menton, Jonathan French, Steve Wall

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Sector 36

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: Have you travelled through Sector 36 of the extended castle?

Vampire Bat: It is not an extension of the castle, but our graveyard.

Vampire Owl: Nowadays, we consider it as part of the building itself.

Vampire Bat: Why are you making the castle feel bigger?

Vampire Owl: A bigger castle means better respect.

Vampire Bat: It also means more taxes for all of us.

Vampire Owl: Aren’t we the government? So, we are paying ourselves, right?

Vampire Bat: It is not that direct. There is a procedure for it.

Vampire Owl: You mean to say that we do not get most of it?

Vampire Bat: Well, we can only explain it as part of a system.

[Gets a sambar vada and three cups of extra light tea].

What is the movie about? :: In the busy city of Noida, the number of missing kids has been on the increase. A lot of cases reach the police station, but the cops are not much bothered about them as the lost children are of migrants from villages around the city. Inspector Ram Charan Pandey (Deepak Dobriyal), the corrupt inspector of the police station is not interested in anything, and does not even lodge an FIR for these cases, as the life of these commoners do not matter to him, and is of no profit either. His senior officers also ask him not to bother about the same and work with those which matter. Prem Singh (Vikrant Massey) is the house help of a wealthy and powerful businessman Balbir Bassi (Akash Khurana), and is involved in kidnapping the kids, whose bodies are not found later. He murders them and chops them into pieces without remorse, and no remains are usually found. When part of a skeleton is found, the police dismisses the same as the bones of a monkey which came through the sewers.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Ram Charan gets serious only when Prem attempts to kidnap his daughter, but fails. Prem had misunderstood that the girl was a migrant’s child, and leaves her behind when chased. This leads to Ram Charan going on a hunt for the person who has been trying to kidnap the kids, with the help of Constable Shravan Kumar Pathak (Ajit Palawat). But DCP Jawahar Rastogi (Darshan Jariwala) stands on his way, as he would not let anything bad happen to the owner of the house, Balbir. He asks Ram Charan to leave the idea of any investigation near that house, and soon gets him suspended. But he would not stop, and will come up with other plans. But it remains to be seen if he can stand against one of the richest men around, and get to his house worker. This also puts his own family in danger, and the cops of his own police station are now against him. Can he stand as one unstoppable force against them all or will he be destroyed like many others before him?

The defence of Sector 36 :: The movie follows a realistic mode from the beginning itself. There is nothing that seems to be not possible as far as this particular movie is concerned, especially due to taking inspiration from a real-life incident featuring killings. It keeps a chilling mood with the realism that keeps the audience expecting more all the time. There is also a grim, claustrophobic setting that brings the unease and dread with ease. The fear stays on, and the tentacles of the serial killer keeps the movie going forward, and with the police officer finally ready to face him, the audience is left with those high expectations. It also serves as a reminder that the poor never really stands a chance when the highly influential is on the other side. Even though it is not shouted about, the world indeed belongs to the rich, the ones who belong to the one percent or even ten percent. The middle class that tries to side with the poor, would also suffer, as shown here. Well, if you need support, you need money, and that is indeed the point here and the core of realism.

The claws of flaw :: The strength of thrills is low in this one, as the pace itself is low, and that seems to align with the need to keep the whole thing realistic. The transformation of the protagonist also sems to be too quick, and that pace also seems to confuse the writing related to the character, who does not become any smarter despite getting out of the chains that were binding him. The system feels like having no loopholes at all, as if there is no way to escape – there should be some flaw in the design to keep the optimism alive. The ending is also weaker than one would expect, and even if it was done so for the purpose of supporting a sequel, there would be better options. With serial killers or psychos in hand, even within the realistic mold, more is always possible. The absence of a real good figure outside the subaltern is rather disappointing too. The terror her is implied, but the escape is never shown as an option.

The performers of the soul :: The move rests on Deepak Dobriyal and Vikrant Massey to do the expected work, as they play the two characters getting the most screen time, and both needed to perform on different layers. Both characters undergo many changes and are not the same people that we see in the beginning of the movie. While the former is successful in showing the cop being the father and undergoing a positive change, which he emotes really well, the latter who is damaged from the beginning to the end, shows the different shades of his character. There is a lot of depth related to the two characters, and we see the effectiveness with which they are portrayed, and how the same elevates the movie to another level even when it is just going on and on in the usual manner. Akash Khurana plays his role exactly as one would expect from such a character. Darshan Jariwala plays the corrupt side that makes us believe with ease. Ajit Palawat also shows a similar side that works. In comparison, the female characters are to do less work.

How it finishes :: Sector 36 might not be as interesting as the other movies featuring psychos and serial killers, for movies like Memories, Abraham Ozler, Forensic, Anjaam Paathira, Kooman, Antakshari and others will always be above this one by some way. The pacing is slower, and there is no attempt to make it that thrilling. Yet, the fantastic performances and a realistic feeling runs through this one more than ever. As it is based on the 2006 Noida Sector 31 serial murders, that feeling will be more. I do not remember much of it, but the movie follows the realistic mode and the connection is not something that we can think about now. If you are looking for a slow-moving and realistic story about serial killings, this could always be the right movie for you. Then, it also gives a reminder about the system, and how it works, for there will always be something missing and something beyond repair, something about which it is good to be reminded at times.

Release date: 13th September 2024 (Netflix)
Running time: 124 minutes
Directed by: Aditya Nimbalkar
Starring: Vikrant Massey, Deepak Dobriyal, Akash Khurana, Darshan Jariwala, Baharul Islam, Saikia Ihana Kaur, Tanushree Das, Subir Bisawas, Kacho Ahmed, Ajit Palawat, Mahadev Lakhawat, Fareed Ahmad, Trimala Adhikari

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Clown in a Cornfield

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: How many clowns have terrified us so far?

Vampire Bat: The best people among them are from Killer Book Club, Haunt, Terrifier and It.

Vampire Owl: Well, these days, the clowns are scarier than even vampires.

Vampire Bat: It is natural because humans have been turning into clowns.

Vampire Owl: You are talking about a new generation.

Vampire Bat: You are speaking as if the present is any better than the new.

Vampire Owl: You know that it can only get worse.

Vampire Bat: Yes, wonder what kind of nonsense is yet to come now.

Vampire Owl: At least they should know that death is only the beginning.

Vampire Bat: They would not when they are alive.

[Gets a marble cake and three cups of Ceylon tea].

What is the movie about? :: It is seen that in 1991, in the town of Kettle Springs, Missouri, a girl in her bra invites her friend to have sex in the cornfield, only to have her and the friend being ruthlessly murdered by a clown named Frendo. Back in the present, Quinn Maybrook (Katie Douglas) and her father Dr. Glenn Maybrook (Aaron Abrams) moves to same town, with Glenn taking over as the town doctor. Both have been going through a strained relationship after the death of Quinn’s mother. After being late in the class, questioning the teacher and receiving an unexpected detention right on her first time in the school, Quinn becomes friends with Cole (Carson MacCormac), the son of the town mayor Arthur Hill (Kevin Durand). She is also introduced to his seemingly cool and energetic group of friends, Janet (Cassandra Potenza), Matt (Alexandre Martin Deakin), Ronnie (Verity Marks) and Tucker (Ayo Solanke). The group creates horror parody videos for their YouTube channel, all about the clown Frendo causing terror in the town.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Cole tells her the story of burning down Baypen Factory while they were shooting videos there, and that the town’s people blame the fire on them. A good number of people in the town also went unemployed due to the fire destroying the place and the workers not able to find any other job. It seems that Quinn is with a group that is not even close to getting a little bit popular among the common people of the town. At the same time, they notice that there is more than just one clown around there, and Tucker is the first one who realizes the same as he gets killed. It is followed by Matt getting murdered while going through his regular exercise. With the Founder’s Day being ruined due to strange turn of events, the friends once again are in trouble as the usual suspects. They try to get away from all of these at a party, but things get even worse there as they realize that the killer clown is real, and the entity is not limited to just one individual. This will require them come up with the unthinkable to escape, or die in the process in a terrible manner.

The defence of Clown in a Cornfield :: The movie starts off well, and its premise is really good, from the underlying horror to an irritating teenager who does not like to obey her father, but likes to be with a group of teenagers whom she feels as the coolest gang around. The clowns are all nicely detailed, and are scary with those funny looks and action. The performances are really good, and everyone becomes part of the whole environment without anything that stands apart from the same. The clown character nicely makes us interested, and this might be a more interesting killer than the others who have graced the screens, because the non-supernatural elements really have us going forward strongly. The sequel has the scope to be something classic if the right ingredients are added and boosted.

The claws of flaw :: The movie often hesitates to get into the traditional slasher horror mode, and some elements seem to be missing. It often keeps to the safe zone and do not take that risk – instead it tries to be modern against the traditional standard. The horror could have been more twisted, especially with a clown image around. Clowns chasing teenagers around could be more mysteriously terrifying every time. The subversions could have made way for innovations with better effective thinking. The movie’s villain idea might feel a little too stretched, even though the antagonist works really well due to the performance. The problems of the movie have to solved through a fine sequel on another day. After all, there is so much of an atmosphere that supports this horror, with cornfields, abandoned buildings and roads which seem to go towards an eternity with no lights at night. Then there are the unnecessary twists which seem to lead the movie to not many interesting areas.

The performers of the soul :: It can be seen that Katie Douglas plays the rebellious, unruly teenager really well, and it is certainly that kind of a character who whom we do not really feel for. The actions of the character are performed very well, and we see the signs of another scream queen coming up here for the future. Aaron Abrams as the father figure plays the responsible one well, and we would accept him as the classic traditional dad who cares so much for his child, despite the girl being more irritating that one can ever imagine. One can imagine how difficult it can be for a parent to have a thankless child of this age, and he displays the same perfectly. The villain here is very well depicted, and a lot more cannot be said about him without ruining the suspense. One can be sure that he had a pretty good reason to become one, even more than Thanos had in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, for one cannot do whatever he or she wants, and there are consequences, which will sometimes be provided by villains, and this time you have the same being done with efficiency.

How it finishes :: The movie does work as a cautionary tale as much as the horror thriller that it originally happens to be. There is the message about respecting traditions, and it keeps one wondering about what can happen next, but with an expansion in the middle, we know that there is more to this than what meets the eye. The use of the usual stuff and the lack of innovation keeps it with limited capabilities, but there is the effort to take this a little further without all of these, and that keeps the horror going. The movie could have used the original elements that a slasher horror should always have instead of keeping the usual ones at the surface. The movie does not try to use those common moments which all the serial killer movies have had, and with that lack of core, there is this struggle, which it nicely overcomes with its characters and the final twist. Well, slasher horror will surely keep asking for your attention, and it becomes our duty to support this one too, and with a hope for even better sequel.

Release date: 9th May 2025
Running time: 96 minutes
Directed by: Eli Craig
Starring: Katie Douglas, Cassandra Potenza, Aaron Abrams, Carson MacCormac, Kevin Durand, Will Sasso, Alexandre Martin Deakin, Verity Marks, Ayo Solanke

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Fear Street: Prom Queen

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: I remember watching all those Fear Street movies.

Vampire Bat: Yes, they were good, and making some fine impact.

Vampire Owl: Three horror movies at once meant a lot then.

Vampire Bat: We are never really short of serial killers.

Vampire Owl: Each human being is a potential serial killer.

Vampire Bat: Well, a serial killer is a human thing.

Vampire Owl: It bothers me that humans have so many psychos.

Vampire Bat: It is natural in a fake world as they are all acting and not living.

Vampire Owl: We vampires need to have some psychos too.

Vampire Bat: We have lived so much that we know none of these matter in the end.

[Gets a chilly chicken puffs and three cups of Munnar tea].

What is the movie about? :: It is the year 1988, and Lori Granger (India Fowler) is an outcast who tries to run for prom queen for the senior class of Shadyside High School, with only her best friend Megan Rogers (Suzanna Son) by her side. Megan who is a horror enthusiast is also considered to be a freak by her classmates. Lori has her family history going against her, as the town believes that her mother stabbed her father on the face and killed him, even though there is no suitable evidence to support that claim. Tiffany Falconer (Fina Strazza) is the favourite to win the title, as she is supported by her wolfpack of young girls who are also competing to be the prom queen. Christy Renault (Ariana Greenblatt) is her biggest rival, as she seems to be someone whom nobody seems to dislike that much, even though she is known to be selling some drugs, and has been dating elder men regularly much to the dismay of the institution.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Megan creates situations with her arm being cut off and having Tiffany’s head in a bowl to make the environment feel weird, as she does not believe in this whole prom queen thing. But Lori is determined to bring a change to the whole situation by winning the title herself. Tiffany has her friends Melissa Mckendrick (Ella Rubin), Debbie Winters (Rebecca Ablack) and Linda Harper (Ilan O’Driscoll) trying to make sure that nobody from outside their gang wins the title, and it is then that Christy is murdered by a masked figure, but as the school only finds her missing, disqualifies her from the run for prom queen. At the same time, Melissa is disheartened to see Tiffany’s attitude towards Lori, and decides to help the outcast, much to the dismay of Tiffany. Her other two friends seem too much occupied with their boyfriends, while the school principal declares a strict adherence to the rules. But can they do so with so much hatred for each other running through with a psycho killer also around?

The defence of Fear Street: Prom Queen :: There might not be anything new with the franchise or the genre to be added here, but this one play along nicely as we watch its progress. The classic slasher mode returning to form is something that we would love to keep watching. The killer lurking in the shadows as a programme is taking place, will keep us going for long, like those old times, even during these days when the genre of horror has been weakened. The attire with the mask stands out reminding us of a past, but also add a classic variety. The twists are effective, even though there is a little bit too much information given in between. There are some fine dialogues added in between, and we also have some interesting characters added. The killings are all nicely done, with a fine classic serial killer effect. It seems to have scope to get more movies added in the list too, as we look at it closely.

The claws of flaw :: The movie could have used more innovation at work, as we would have the feeling of seeing the same thing again and again, at some points. The serial killer gives away more information than it should have, which affects some audience who had taken that into heart earlier. The final moments of the movie seem to be too usual for anyone’s liking as it may have been rushed to have that ending which is rather a common one, but is also the safe one. Some more innovative killings, and the usual moments of classic horror could have been part of this one too. After all, we are watching slasher movies to see its classic elements maintained. The movie could have also been scarier, with such evil wandering around, and with people not suspecting a thing. Well, too much focus on the safe side is restricting horror movies these days, isn’t it? But this is a world of innovations, and this franchise needs its wings extended further to fly higher.

The performers of the soul :: The one character that we would fall in love with is Suzanna Son, even though that might come as a surprise for many. She plays the only loyal character in the whole movie and there is something sinister about her all the time, with her love for horror keeping her apart, and as someone special. She manages this role really well. India Fowler plays the main character and faces the usual challenges of such a character which she manages with ease. Fina Strazza does make a fine impact in between, as she feels like the one evil wannabe prom queen that needs to be brought down, the villainy which she manages to perfection. Ariana Greenblatt should have had a bigger role, as she starts really well here. Ella Rubin has the normal likable character who is also on the other side. Katherine Waterston and Lili Taylor also have their moments. The male characters have much less to do as we look at them.

How it finishes :: Fear Street: Prom Queen coming to the OTT is a good relief for all the horror fans and for those who have been waiting to watch some good English movies in a world which rarely have Hollywood movies in theatres these days, mostly due to cheap imitations coming to the screens these days. There have been so a smaller number of English films in the theatres, and there is too much of a rush of local movies most of which nobody seems to have watched. Without the English movies in the theatres, we have to go back to the OTT platforms again, and this movie breathes some fresh air to the old style of slasher horror. If you are fans of those horror films which follow the old model, you are going to like this one, and if Fear Street Part One: 1994, Fear Street Part Two: 1978 and Fear Street Part Three: 1666 kept you going, you can also try this one, but there is more chance that those movies would interest you more than this one.

Release date: 23rd May 2025 (Netflix)
Running time: 90 minutes
Directed by: Matt Palmer
Starring: India Fowler, Suzanna Son, Fina Strazza, Chris Klein, David Iacono, Ella Rubin, Ariana Greenblatt, Lili Taylor, Katherine Waterston

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

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

<<< Click here to go to the previous serial killer film review.

<<< Click here to go to the previous English serial killer film review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Maranamass

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: There seems to be something sinister about this particular movie.

Vampire Bat: You mean like there is more than what meets the eye.

Vampire Owl: Yes, with a fine dose of evil.

Vampire Bat: You feel that there is more evil here than what seems to exist?

Vampire Owl: Evil does come in many different forms.

Vampire Bat: You mean the dark humour in use here.

Vampire Owl: You see that darkness in humour which makes the film beautiful.

Vampire Bat: There was always going to be evil with a serial killer around.

Vampire Owl: Well, evil always finds a way, doesn’t it?

Vampire Bat: Especially with bigger movies not doing the job well enough.

[Gets a vegetable puffs and three cups of elaichi tea].

What is the movie about? :: Sreekumar (Rajesh Madhavan) lives a seemingly sweet and cute life as he teaches little kids in a kindergarten, and helps them in different possible ways. He seems like the typical kid-lover who cannot keep himself away from them. He takes them for rallies, tells them stories, and gets them support from the government. But in between doing all of these, he is the one serial killer whom the state is searching for. The serial killer has been known for brutally murdering elder people and also making a mockery of their corpses without any remorse and the state has been failing to capture him even with the police force in full alert. At the same time, the people of the same village are trying to send Luke (Basil Joseph) to Czechoslovakia because he has become a nuisance to everyone around him. Due to his strange behaviour, he also becomes a suspect in the serial killings, but is not arrested as police did not consider him to be smart enough to be a murderer with perfect plans.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Luke is not happy because his girlfriend Jessy (Anishma Anilkumar) wishes to breakup with him as he is suspected to be a serial killer by too many people and because he is going to Czechoslovakia. He tries to win her interest back, but keeps failing miserably. At the same time, Jikku (Suresh Krishna) is looking forward to his wedding day, after a big number of rejections that have happened in the last few years due to random people spreading rumours about him. He drives the bus named “Veena Poovu” with Aruvi (Siju Sunny) as the conductor. At the same time, the case about serial killings is passed on to DYSP Ajay Ramachandran (Babu Antony), a remorseless police officer who is being remorseful about his missing dog that forms his only family. It is then that Keshavakurup (Puliyanam Poulose), an old man and womanizer who has been dumped into an old age home escapes and gets into the “Veena Poovu” bus which also has Sreekumar and Jessy as late-night passengers. As the old man tries to misbehave with her, Jessy uses pepper spray on him, leading to his death.

And what complicates things further within chaos? :: Sreekumar is disappointed as he was planning to have the old man as his victim but hopes that he can have the body and make the media feel like it was his victim. But he is not able to take the body away, as Luke comes in for Jessy. The team decides to bury the body, but are not able to do so, with Aruvi feeling that the man is his long-lost father due to the mark on his body. They decide to take the body elsewhere to provide the final rites, but there are so many obstacles that they have to face. This would include people trying to get into the bus, the need to use the bus for the Communist Party purposes and the remaining doubt about Luke being the serial killer. At the same time, the serial killer manages to have some different plans, but none of them would favour Luke and Jessy’s love, Jikku’s upcoming marriage or Aruvi’s love for his father. Can the unexpected team of confused people manage to get out of trouble with none of them dead and buried?

The defence of Maranamass :: The movie uses the dark humour to a fine level, as a serial killer and his attempts at murder gets the funny side to explore. The tale of Tom and Jerry being told in a serial killer’s perspective feels funny because what they do in the cartoon itself is nothing less than attempt at murder if this was in real life. The humour works at all times, and the use of real-life situations is very effective as the movie’s satire stays strong. Basil Joseph handles the whole situation really well as the leading actor, and there is always some fun around he is there. Rajesh Madhavan does a wonderful job as the serial killer, and he adds something special to the movie. Suresh Krishna invokes the funny side very well and is well-supported by Siju Sunny. Anishma Anil Kumar makes a fine presence as the leading actress, and maintains the humorous side very well, as we hope to see more of her work in the coming days. Babu Antony with the humorous side also catches our attention. Puliyanam Poulose adds further humour here.

The claws of flaw :: The movie could have had some focus on the story too, as it seems to be woven around humorous situations to make sure that it exists for namesake. Some of the characters seem to be present for the sake of being there. We do not see an attempt to introduce or develop most of them, and some of them just come and go. Some depictions might feel too silly for anyone’s standard, and could have used a little bit more of thoughts. There is no doubt about the fact that there was scope to make the film even better with added content. Maranamass is surely not the movie for everyone, as not all people might get some of the references here, as most of them do point somewhere, and not all viewers can appreciate some dark humour without being offended. People might be more interested in those mass masala and repeated family stuff for Vishu as they would most probably be watching together.

How it finishes :: Maranamass is that kind of a movie which can be watched for the funny side, and not for the tale, because it follows situations which are created to bring laughter and not to take the story forward. This was actually the only Vishu release which had us interested in watching, and that comes as no surprise considering the other releases which felt like no fun. The other releases can be found anywhere at any time, but it is to be noted that movies like this one are not that easy to create with effectiveness. We remember that movies like Aadu became cult classics, but this one is surely better than that, and we see that films like Adi Kapyare Kootamani and Kunjiramayanam had similar silly characters and succeeded in creating a laugh riot – this one is of the same level if we consider the characters that we see around. This is that kind of a film with serial killer which will not leave us in fear, but with a lot to laugh about.

Release date: 10th April 2025
Running time: 141 minutes
Directed by: Sivaprasad
Starring: Basil Joseph, Rajesh Madhavan, Siju Sunny, Babu Antony, Anishma Anilkumar, Suresh Krishna, Pooja Mohanraj, Joemon Jyothir, Puliyanam Poulose, Dheeraj Denny, Prashant Alexander, Tovino Thomas (cameo), Guru Somasundaram (cameo)

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

<<< Click here to go to the previous low hype movie review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Abraham Ozler

Posted on by

What is the movie about? :: ACP Abraham Ozler (Jayaram) spends most of his time hallucinating and has sleepless nights after his wife Maneesha Ozler (Anju Kurian) along with their daughter are kidnapped and brutally murdered by a drug addict named Vineeth Ram (Arjun Ashokan), whom he had earlier apprehended in a narcotics case. Vineeth does not hesitate to reiterate the fact that he was under the influence of drugs and killed both of them. Yet, he does not reveal where he buried the bodies and keeps saying that he is not able to remember as he had a heavy dose of drugs. Ozler still continues to be in the police force even though he is not of the same strength and sanity that he used to be. Counsellor Varghese Uthup (Sai Kumar) asks him to get himself busy or the hallucination and insomnia will only get worse. It is then that a young man working in the IT field, Naveen Sivakumar (Harikrishnan) is brutally murdered in the hospital after being hit by a pick-up truck. Maya Naveen (Darshana S Nair), his wife, finds him dead in the hospital room with a note saying Happy Birthday and a note.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Ozler, supported by SI Divya Sreedharan (Aryam Salim) and SI Sijo Venu (Senthil Krishna) takes over the case. They understand that this hospital was the only place where the victim would have ended up after the accident, and it was really the day on which he was born. As they start with the investigation, another man is murdered in a similar pattern in another hospital, but this time it is a thug who usually gets into fights. He is also left with a similar note where he was murdered. The third murder also takes place without delay, and this time, it is someone who runs a successful restaurant business – the hospital chosen here is different, but the pattern remains the same. The media calls the murderer by the name birthday killer, as Ozler and his team continue to search for possible answers. Whenever they seem to come very close to finding the answer, they realize that it is a dead end.

And what more is there to be seen here with a killer on the loose? :: They understand that the quotes which are given by the killer are from a Latin phrase related to medicine which could be seen in only one area in Kerala, and they reach the Kozhikode Medical College. There is also the understanding that the murders were committed by someone who had medical skills, but not someone who has been practicing regularly as asserted by Dr. Satheesh Madhavan (Anoop Menon). Everything seems to point to the medical college and a number of students there, among which Suja Jayadev (Anaswara Rajan) had committed suicide. From all of these, they find Dr. Sevi Punnoose (Jagadish) as the next potential victim, and he seems to be least bothered about it. A man who underwent surgery at the same hospital, Krishna Das (Saiju Kurup) seems to be missing, and they feel that he might have a role in the murders. But he is not a man who is capable of doing all of these, and the police officers know that death awaits more people and they have no time to waste. Can they finish the investigation in time and bring and end to this sensitive case with no more lives lost?

The defence of Abraham Ozler :: Our world of thrillers is strong, as proven by Drishyam and its powerful sequel, and Abraham Ozler gets a chance to be part of that list. This movie’s ability to keep the audience so interested and engaged from the beginning to end needs to be appreciated – it never asks for the unrealistic from its main characters either. The dark shades are used to its advantage, and the power going off becomes the foreshadowing with ease. Even with many things tried by the same director in Anjaam Pathiraa, this movie is a clear improvement from that one which had a struggling flashback and weaker ending in comparison to Abraham Ozler. The visuals are very good with a dark and gory feeling provided all the time – there are almost no moments of positivity in this one. This movie is also an improvement on the struggle for heroism that the earlier thriller Garudan seemed to possess. The background music further powers our movie here so well – it keeps us immersed in the overall mood of the film, and we are left excited all the time. The emotional side has the power to keep the interesting going too.

Positives and negatives :: The movie could have released during the Christmas holidays, and if that happened, it could have given Neru a challenge which would have helped the audience to be in a full celebration mood, but surprisingly this one backed out despite having everything to make that challenge which would mean healthy competition. This feels like the right holiday movie with all the thrills that it provides. The characters of Anju Kurian and Darshana S Nair gets too less presence in the movie, and we hope that the former can come back for more in a possible sequel. The same can be said about the big names, Sai Kumar and Anoop Menon. The extended cameo becomes the big thing in the movie, even though one would not have wanted the secret to be out too soon. A little bit of predictability comes in with the flashback, and it should not have been this long or detailed, as we have an idea about it from the present situation itself. The serial killer motive remains similar this time too.

The performers of the soul :: This movie means that Jayaram’s run without making impression in new releases have come to an end, for his last best movies were Lonappante Mamodeesa and Panchavarnathatha, both of them not having the quality to live up to the actor who made our childhood awesome. If I have to go back to a movie with him as the solo hero which I really liked, that would be a long way back in the form of Nadan which released in 2013, even though Makal did make some impact in old style. This time, he is just brilliant in this role, as we see the character of the trouble police officer safe with him, and we know that there is more to come in a possible sequel. Mammootty’s extended cameo makes the movie feel even bigger, even though the big revelation should have come only in the later stages. Anaswara Rajan shines in the flashback scenes, and there seems to be no going back for her. Arya Salim whom we remember the most from Minnal Murali, plays her police character incredibly well, and we have the best lady police officer in some time. Senthil Krishna does the same in another way, while Arjun Ashokan seems to promise to bring an even more interesting character in a possible sequel. Jagadish’s serious character once again has our attention here. Saiju Kurup scores well in between.

How it finishes :: Abraham Ozler is surely a better movie than Anjaam Pathiraa and somewhat ahead of the other thrillers like Forensic and John Luther. The last one might still have more similarities with this one than the rest, as in both cases, we have a troubled police officer tracing the murders back to medical students. Memories had the police officer who lost his wife and daughter, and could seek out the serial killer looking for vengeance, and the similarities end there, with this movie coming up with a twist in the end and setting up things for a sequel. Most people would feel that the sequel would do even better, as the film seems to end to point to its beginning, and has everyone thinking deeper. Abraham Ozler never hestitates to bring that mood of investigation with a serial killer lurking in the shadows – the feeling of danger is always there, and even when looking for revenge, there is always the indirect way of going through the same, leaving the red herrings further away. As the predictability only comes late, and with new twists to come, the movie remains engaging from the beginning to end, and we do not feel it to be long.

Release date: 11 January 2024
Running time: 144 minutes
Directed by: Midhun Manuel Thomas
Starring: Jayaram, Mammootty, Anoop Menon, Anaswara Rajan, Arjun Ashokan, Jagadish, Senthil Krishna, Arya Salim, Dileesh Pothan, Sai Kumar, Harikrishnan, Assim Jamal, Arjun Nandhakumar, Aneesh Gopal, Sreeram Ramachandran, Boban Alummoodan, Benyamin (cameo)

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Venom: Carnage

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: Here is someone who seems to be close enough to vampirism.

Vampire Bat: I am sure that he is closer to zombies than vampires.

Vampire Owl: You are saying so just because he eats brains.

Vampire Bat: We never really evolved in that way, did we?

Vampire Owl: Well, zombies also have blood in their own way while eating brains.

Vampire Bat: It is only a little bit of blood. That won’t count.

Vampire Owl: If we were blood-starved, that would have surely counted.

Vampire Bat: We have evolved enough to go vegetarian when required.

Vampire Owl: Such a requirement is shame to us vampires though.

Vampire Bat: We have had enough control over blood-thirst for centuries now.

[Gets a paneer puffs and three glasses of pista shake].

What is the movie about? :: In an early flashback, we see that a girl is taken away from St. Estes Home for Unwanted Children to a more secure place known as the Ravencroft Institute, as she seems to have special powers related to sound. One of the boys in the children’s home seems to resist the same, but he is helpless against the decision made by the authorities. As she uses her supersound sonic scream powers to attack young police officer, he shoots her in the eye and believes that he killed her. But the girl remains alive, and she is taken to Ravencroft where her abilities are restricted with the use of advanced science and technology, while she remains angry at everyone in the absence of her one eye. Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson) grows up from that boy in the children’s home to become a serial killer whom everyone would be afraid of. He had promised carnage in the first movie, and has something special in his mind as he calls for Eddie Brock a.k.a. Venom (Tom Hardy) to the cell where he is imprisoned.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Many years have passed since humans explored space and other planets for new habitable worlds, and a comet covered in symbiotic lifeforms was discovered, among which all are believed to have been destroyed, the only exception being Venom who lives with Eddie in secret. Venom is still not happy about Eddie not allowing him to eat enough people and devour their brains. Detective Patrick Mulligan (Stephen Graham) allows Eddie to make a visit to Cletus as he hopes to somehow get some information about the victims of the serial killer. As Eddie speaks to the serial killer as a journalist, Venom manages to discover the area where the corpses of the victims are hidden, from the drawings in his cell, this giving the man a huge boost in the career of journalism like never before. At the same time, Eddie’s former girlfriend Anne Weying (Michelle Williams) gets engaged to Dan Lewis (Reid Scott), an act which both the human and the symbiote seem to dislike.

And what more can happen as carnage also has its say in a world of chaos? :: Despite Venom’s warning, Eddie decides to accept Cletus’ invitation to visit him one last time, as he will be put to death with the bodies being found. As Cletus mocks and insults Eddie, Venom unleashes himself, and gets bitten by Cletus who tries to escape. The part of the symbiote which gets inside Cletus seems to have its effects. At the same time, back home, Eddie and Venom get into a heated argument about having the freedom to eat criminals, which leads to them attacking each other and going on their separate ways, as the latter feels insulted. As Cletus’ execution is about the begin, a red symbiote emerges out of him, and goes on to attack everyone in the prison, and a number of inmates also escape in the process. This new symbiote known as Carnage agrees to help Cletus in breaking his love out of the institute in exchange for his help in eliminating the original symbiote, Venom from which he was born, thus making him all-powerful in the process. Can the now separate Venom and Eddie unite to stop them?

The defence of Venom: Let there Be Carnage :: A fine performance from Tom Hardy enhances the movie well, and Michelle Williams contributes nicely. Woody Harrelson also becomes a strong villain, thus elevating the level of the film. Stephen Graham also plays a fine detective in between, and might have scope for more in a possible sequel. The special effects are splendid, and it has to be looked at by some dumb mass masala movies around here which claim to have Hollywood-like effects, but has nothing in comparison. The action is very much effective, and two symbiotes fighting each other is indeed a fine sight to behold. The ending does leave scope for a sequel with Venom joining Spider-Man and team sooner or later. With its shorter run-time, this one never goes on the drag as the anti-hero turning superhero had lots of opportunities to stretch this one – keeping the romance to minimum was indeed a boon. The shots of the city are nicely done, and the emergence and transformations of alien symbiotes remain cool at all times. The quality maintained here makes sure that the whole thing will always remain better than Deadpool.

The claws of flaw :: Venom: Let there Be Carnage had opportunities to make it more interesting and at a bigger level with the grandeur on the screen. There are moments when the film does feel rather repetitive, a nature which could have been avoided as we have an alien at the centre of everything. Just like the first film, this one also has a very much a similar villain, another thing of symbiotic and alien nature, even though a better antagonist stays inside it. The movie could have used its humour in a better way, as the creature which decided to stay could have contributed a lot to comedy. The serial killer could have also had more role to play as himself by taking over the alien creature. After the first few minutes, it does take some time to get to the interesting parts, and it also lacks the scares which could have come up with the dangerous aliens. The predictable elements could have been avoided by adding a few twists here and there, or having some deviations at certain areas – after all, we have had so much of similar superhuman stuff in the past.

How it finishes :: Venom: Let there Be Carnage continues the action from the first movie, and even makes it better. While watching the original, one had a certain amount of doubt if this could be made better, but the second movie here has made it possible. The idea of Venom has managed to level up with its symbiotic relationship with the protagonist. With the Infinity War and Endgame finishing off the Avengers for good, we have been in need of more superheroes of quality, and this one nicely fills in that gap, coming years after the release of the first movie. There are the strong action sequences and the emerging fight against a strong villain which will keep us interested at all times. It is always to see the one person whom we have watched only as a villain in those early 2000s Spidey movies coming back to make an impact while saving the world. This one only makes us hope for more sequels as well as more entries in the franchise in relation to this.

Release date: 1st October 2021 (Theatre); 1st March 2022 (Netflix)
Running time: 97 minutes
Directed by: Andy Serkis
Starring: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris, Woody Harrelson, Reid Scott, Stephen Graham, Peggy Lu, Sian Webber

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Midnight

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: There are not many mediums that vampires can use at midnight.

Vampire Bat: I am sure that we can use an Ouija board at midnight instead.

Vampire Owl: That board is a fake medium invented by humans.

Vampire Bat: So, you think that there is no hope with the board.

Vampire Owl: Yes, we need to look forward to finding an undead conductor.

Vampire Bat: You cannot have any of the undead allow something from the other side to pass through it.

Vampire Owl: The undead is greater than any spirit.

Vampire Bat: Getting possessed by a spirit is not a great experience.

Vampire Owl: So, you think that there can be possessions.

Vampire Bat: Well, you know the thing about demonic possessions.

[Gets a green apple cake and three cups of Munnar tea].

What is the movie about? :: Kim Kyung-mi (Jin Ki-joo), is a mute and deaf woman who works as a sign language customer service executive at a sign language call center. Her mother Kyung-mi’s mother (Gil Hae-yeon) is also dumb and deaf. As some of the employees have to go for a dinner with the clients, she chooses to go with her employers and return late at midnight. Jung-eun’s (Kim Hye-yoon) goes out on a date at night, and her brother Jong-tak (Park Hoon) who works as a security guard after serving in the army, is worried because she would arrive late, almost at midnight, especially as a man and woman were found dead during an earlier night. Coming back home late after dinner and visiting her mother, Kim witnesses the sister bleeding after being stabbed by an unknown man and becomes the new target for this particular serial killer Do-sik (Wi Ha-joon) who had been hunting women, and sometimes unsuspecting men some time around midnight. She runs further away from the area when her mother is standing and tries to hide, but the killer is someone who knows the area really well.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The killer needs to find the young woman to make sure that there are no trails that lead to her. At the same time, Jong-tak is in the streets, searching for his sister who has not returned home yet. As Kim reaches her car and enters it, she is shocked to find him inside the vehicle, and after being forced to drive at knifepoint, she jumps out the car, once again chased by the killer, only to connect to the cops, but as she cannot sleep, it does not work at all. When the police finally arrive, it seems that the killer had already manipulated all the evidence, and there are no suitable clues in the CCTV cameras either. The killer had also joined them in making things more confusing for the mother and daughter duo. As the brother also arrives in the police station with the photo of his sister, Kim identifies her as the woman who was abducted, stabbed and kept in the vehicle by the stranger. But the killer is someone who knows when to manipulate and when to kill with all the brutality – does this mean that the killer will go on with the murders and the sister and the witness would also have to die?

The defence of Midnight :: In the beginning, this movie might seem to be just another serial killer movie with its antagonists targeting random people on the streets, but it becomes much more than that, as it uses almost everything at its disposal to the best effect. The night itself has been used to its best advantage, and this is also not the kind of movie when there is a long investigation going on, and the police has to go for clues which they acquire over days, and the result is that there would be more victims. Instead, this movie has so many thrilling moments set in a night, which has the serial killer’s smartness displayed in an interesting manner, but we are not bothered with the flashbacks or the motive that would have been there in other movies – this becomes more of a survival movie where there is the need to make sure that a missing woman survives, and at the same time, the leading lady further struggles to survive. As things unfold with a night that progresses, there is the idea that two of the main characters cannot speak and hear, which drives this movie to bringing things to light in a different manner. There is no shortage of thrills around here, and silence is nicely used with sound effects in a visual treat of terror.

Positives and negatives :: There are moments when one would feel that the movie could have elevated the status a little bit. But the final moments are just too good, as finally the serial killer understands that more than one person can play his game. The movie is a survival thriller for the main protagonist, and Jin Ki-joo, with her performance, has us backing her to survive against all odds. The characters do no get to be that smart as they should be though, as they create opportunities for the killer to come back and get them, multiple times. There are many co-incidences in here too, and those are used a little more than needed. But there is no shortage of the feeling of danger around here, as night seems to be used as a medium for the serial killer terror to spread – it always seems that he is in control, even when he gets beaten up. We did not know about this movie when it released, but we know it now, and we have that serial killer whom we have been waiting. The movie is also a reminder that in a busy world, nobody has time to check on others, and a serial killer could always be hiding among us, undetected until captured.

The performers of the soul :: Jin Ki-joo is leading lady and the protagonist of this movie, and she comes up with a performance to remember as the woman who cannot speak or hear, but has to rise above her limitations as she faces one of smartest and most brutal serial killer who is good at hiding his motives. She has presented the character so well that the audience keep believing that she has no hope, but continues to see that slight ray of hope that she could stay alive despite the odds being very much against her. She seems to be better known for the South Korean television series and the drama, but the way in which she displays the hopelessness and fear to replace it with courage, is something that will catch our eyes – the ending with her character gaining the advantage is too good. Wi Ha-joon makes a fantastic serial killer, and I won’t be surprised if someone would try to copy this character, as the killer works so well. Park Hoon also join in very well. Then there is Gil Hae-yeon who comes up with the mother figure really well. At the same time, Kim Hye-yoon is lovely addition, and becomes the reason for the events of the movie to start moving forward.

How it finishes :: Midnight is a reminder that Korean films still possess the top quality with horror thrillers featuring serial killers. It will be a good idea to watch the movie on Amazon Prime Video before someone from Bollywood copies the film and shows it as a much lesser version with the brother of the victim and the girl who witnesses the crime dancing to songs at a party while the serial killer kills the abducted girl, and we would also have to listen to some very sad songs with the brother grieving for the sister. The quality of this movie will always be higher as it does have all the emotions, but never does it overdo them, or come up with irrelevant subplots or exaggerating the villain. We directly enter this world which is all about that particular night, and the audience is also as much part of the events that happen during midnight, and everyone goes on this journey with the main characters. You are also reminded that you need to go back to these kind of movies, and even though we do have our own serial killers with films like Forensic, Anjaam Pathiraa, Memories and Antakshari, but none so classically determined in the form of a stranger as this one.

Release date: 30th June 2021
Running time: 103 minutes
Directed by: Kwon Oh-seung
Starring: Jin Ki-joo, Wi Ha-joon, Kim Hye-yoon, Gil Hae-yeon, Park Hoon, Kang In-seo, Noh Su-min, Na Eun-saem, Lee Jae-seok, Park Ji-hoon, Song Yoo-hyun, Bae Eun-woo, Kwon Young-min, Jung Wo Chang

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

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

<<< Click here to go to the previous Korean horror film review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

John Luther

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: It has been 826 days. That is a long time.

Vampire Bat: 826 days after watching a movie in the theatre, and now we are back.

Vampire Owl: The OTT life was quite long during that time, right?

Vampire Bat: Yes, mostly of Prime Video and Netflix, and then others.

Vampire Owl: The last one we watched was Forensic.

Vampire Bat: That was a good end to the sequence before corona virus.

Vampire Owl: Well, we remain the same even now.

Vampire Bat: We continue to live in a world without hope.

Vampire Owl: There is no movie that can be close to the reality of hopelessness.

Vampire Bat: Well, we will watch this movie for now, and think about the meaninglessness of a hopeless life later.

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

What is the movie about? :: Circle Inspector John Luther (Jayasurya) of Devikulam police station is someone who is very much committed to his duty. He is fully supported by Sub Inspector Felix Joy (Deepak Parambol) who also spends a lot of time dedicated to duty. The absense of John during the major programmes at his home has his wife Jessy (Athmeeya Rajan) and sister Leena (Drishya Raghunath) in sadness, and his parents (Siddique and Sreelakshmi) in disappointment. On the night before his sister’s engagement, John finds him in trouble due to two cases. The first one is related to a political murder and the second one is a man-missing case following an accident which kills another person. The first case leads to John getting physical with the goons and ends up getting smashed on the head with a tube-light, which leads to him going deaf on one year, and requiring to use hearing aid on the other. But with a boy also found to be missing, he has to get back to the case and solve it within a deadline of two weeks.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: He discovers that the two missing cases have no relation with each other, and there is soon a woman that goes missing. The death in the first accident, and the missing person of the same accident seem to have no common person behind them. Their only clue is a pickup truck which doesn’t have the registration number displayed on one side, which makes it very difficult for them to go forward. All of these incidents have happened in a certain area which doesn’t seem to have many people around. As this takes place in the high-ranges between the tea plantations, there seems to be a shortage of CCTV cameras too. But they hope that there could be that one witness who might have seen one of these victims just before or after being taken away by the criminal. Still, it is to be noted that the man who is behind all of these can’t be a common criminal – there might be a lot more to him. John and Felix have to be very careful in this case. Can they find out the mastermind before there are more victims?

The defence of John Luther :: As far as the thrills are concerned, they are here to stay with this particular movie. There is the grand mystery running through the middle, which never losses strength. The suspense could be maintained, and it keeps us guessing. There are red herrings which almost makes us think the other way. The quality that we see on the big screen is too good – the beauty of visuals is always there, whether it is about the long shots of the enchanting Munnar and Cochin or the classic shots of night with danger lurking in the corners. The final moments have us more in fear than anything else, as the villain is revealed, but not with further twists. The songs are interesting, and they support the happenings of the movie well. The background score is effective, and the use of sound effects to support the proceedings also need to be appreciated. The darkness in a very good ally for this particular movie, as much as the different noises used around here – the scene at the beginning is a nice example of the same.

Positives and negatives :: One would be right to find some cliches here, but we have always required most of them to keep the cinematic world moving forward with strength. The movie could have given more significant chances to its female main leads to perform, as they are pushed to the background rather too early. There is a little bit of horror touch to the movie at times, and that could have worked even better if the elements were introduced much earlier. The movie is a reminder to us that any person among us could be a psycho killer, and idea that could save lives – well, those who enjoy when we fall are no less of such killers either. After all, all human beings are born evil, and this film once again shows how effective in evil they can be, especially when they feel that they are done with the society. We blame the evil spirits and demons, and maybe even categorize vampires as pure evil, but humans have always been the root of all evil. The dark world of the investigation in this movie also points towards the same, and we can’t agree less.

The performers of the soul :: Jayasurya is someone who performed all alone in Sunny last year, and this time, he gets a fine team, and we have him with a fine performance here. We believed that he was indeed the actor to be trusted while booking a movie ticket after such a long time, and also at Lulu Mall; quite an expensive one in this case. One would think that after watching so many films in the theatre from 2013 to 2020 until corona virus brought the trouble, the celebrities will be supporting this blog, but that is wrong, because only a very few of my reviews like Meppadiyan and Luca have been shared by the leading actors of respective films. Anyway, coming back to Jayasurya, he looks and performs like the dedicated actor that he always has been. From the perfect police officer to the flawed one like we see in Memories, he is to be appreciated for how well he has brought the quality in here. It is to be noted that Deepak Parambol also brings some fine support in here, as the police officer who is not left far behind, but stays beside the main character. Athmiya Rajan and Drishya Raghunath are lovely, but has less screen time. The villain is really good, but can’t reveal more about him due to spoiler possibilities.

How it finishes :: You always have time to support a dark mystery thriller placed on an investigation. We did welcome movies like Anjaam Pathira, Antakshari and Forensic with much appreciation. Like the latter movie, this one also keeps its killer as the psycho and not a revenge seeker, which lets it have the advantage over the rest of the similar movies which attempt to turn themselves into random movies of vengeance. The time it takes to come to the final villain also needs to be appreciated, as the suspense is successfully maintained until then. This is also the first movie I have watched in the theatre after 826 – the last one was Forensic just before corona virus had made that big run. It is always good to watch thrillers as much as horror movies, as we are better prepared to face all the evil in the world after watching these movies, and we know when to be ready, and when to give up and just die. After all, evil is too natural for humans, and there is always someone trying to lie, cheat and steal, as well as murder us, or make our life a living hell; its in human nature.

Release date: 27th May 2021
Running time: 135 minutes
Directed by: Abhijith Joseph
Starring: Jayasurya, Athmeeya Rajan, Drishya Raghunath, Siddique, Deepak Parambol, Sivadas Kannur, Pramod Velliyanad, Sreelakshmi

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Woman in the Window

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: There is a vampire in the window if you look around from here.

Vampire Bat: It is only a picture of the vampire in that mansion.

Vampire Owl: Why would someone put a picture up like that?

Vampire Bat: Maybe it is someone who wishes to be popular.

Vampire Owl: I should put my picture on the window too.

Vampire Bat: We are not that kind of vampires.

Vampire Owl: We are still the kind vampires around here.

Vampire Bat: Why should vampires be kind?

Vampire Owl: Kindness is a quality which can be used to fool people easily.

Vampire Bat: Vampires do not fool people. Humans do. They lie, cheat, steal and murder all the time.

[Gets a vegetable puffs and three cups of white tea].

What is the movie about? :: Anna Fox (Amy Adams) lives alone in an apartment in Manhattan, New York after being separated from his husband Edward Fox (Anthony Mackie) and daughter Olivia Fox (Mariah Bozeman). She always try to cheer herself up despite the loneliness, and has good support through the phone. Anna suffers from agoraphobia, leading to a lot of anxiety about her surroundings and she observes her neighbors from a second-story window, and that includes the Russell family who recently moved in across the street. She has a large number of medications to take on a daily basis, and also goes on with a lot of alcohol consumption. David Winter (Wyatt Russell) is her tenant who lives in the basement area of her home, and often helps her with some househould work as well as repairs. She does feel lonely at times, and has talks with Ethan Russell (Fred Hechinger), the boy who lives as part of the Russell family, and is upset for some strange reasons – she tries to use her skills as a former child psychologist here.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Anna continues to see the world around her in suspicion and feels that her neighbours are up to something all the time, and that Ethan suffers due to the same. Soon, she also comes across Ethan’s mother, Jane Russell (Julianne Moore), who has some good moments of talk with her, making her happy and relieved. This leads to her believing that Ethan has an abusive father. One night, Anna hears a scream from the Russell family home and then sees Jane being stabbed to death in the living room, but she is not able to find who exactly did that. She has a camera, but forgets to take a photo in panic. She contacts the police, but they do not believe her, and tells her that everyone in the family is just fine. At the same time, Alistair arrives at her home along with his wife, who is a different woman from the one she had met earlier. The police as well as the neighbours tell her that she is hallucinating and making up things, and David also has the same opinion. But she decides to keep spying on the Russells, but it won’t be an idea which will help her.

The defence of The Woman in the Window :: Here, we do have a murder happening, without the surety that it is real, and one would wait for the twist which is to happen at some point of time, as there is the feeling that something is not right, throughout the movie. It puts almost everyone in the line of doubt, and one keep guessing, only to find out that there are not enough clues to completely focus on one suspect. The movie does mix agoraphobia well with the happenings, and we know that it is something that needs serious attention. It is the kind of thing that many of us do feel, and while reading about the same, I have felt that I did have similar problems on many occasions too. I have felt my world to be unsafe with no escape, and had continuous fear and discomfort with regular nightmares for months, as I kept at home for a very long time, and very rarely, I did go out, and that too only with people by my side. Therefore, I was able to connect to this lady very well, and there are moments which make us believe that one of them could be speaking the truth, but that person actually changes as movie progresses.

The claws of flaw :: The Woman in the Window is quite a slow movie, and that is indeed strange, because there were so many occasions here where some more material could have been added to strengthen it further. It could have also focused completely on agoraphobia, and also divide the world into reality and hallucination – it instead focuses on dialogues and what the main character is doing without focusing on the relevant. The time that it takes to start moving is also a little too much, and the revelations could have been made in a more powerful manner, for here we just have it done quickly. It could have also speeded up things at least during those moments which are rather thrilling. The focus on the killer is also a little too less, and we end up not watching enough of his actions of terror and the murders also stay a little too much outside focus. The whole movie focuses on one place with one type of action being focused, thus maintaining the unity of action and the unity of place among the three classical unities talked about by Aristotle, but by doing the same, this movie doesn’t really focus that well on both to elevate the movie, and thus rather brings it down.

The performers of the soul :: If there is a movie starring Amy Adams, I would rarely choose not to watch it, and a thriller does suit her as much as the many genres which she has explored in the past in her career. Nocturnal Animals and Arrival had some fine work being done by her, and both of them were movies which were slow enough too, and you do remember her as a Disney princess too. The superhero movies fans would recognize her more from Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League – well, she is a well-known actress in this part of the world too, and she surely deserved a quicker movie rather than this one. Gary Oldman plays the man who seems to be full of mysteries, and also the one the protagonist feels, is a murderer. He surely has his secrets, and the role is played with a certain amount of class being added there. Julianne Moore seems to be there more as playing a guest role rather than anything else, but we remember her for that scene. Fred Hechinger plays the boy well enough, while Wyatt Russell has his moments. Brian Tyree Henry has memorable times as the detective too.

How it finishes :: The Woman in the Window is the slow thriller that just manages to keep you interested by throwing something in here and there, serving well as the psychological thriller that it is. You do have the doubt about whom you should doubt, even though there is no specific assertion on where you should concentrate that particular feeling. My first thought was that this could be a movie like The Voyeurs, but that is not the case – being a psychological thriller, that path could have also been taken, but The Woman in the Window takes the safe one, lacking in courage and thus being not ready to take the tougher step. But it is nice to see that it still works, and has enough steam to keep it going – the usage of the word “steam” is more relevant than it seems, as it is not innovative or better equipped as some of those newer films are. Well, it can always do better, and if you are standing at the window, witnessing something terrifying, this won’t be the rest during most of the times. The Woman in the Window doesn’t seem to think that further on the same.

Release date: 14th May 2021 (Netflix)
Running time: 100 minutes
Directed by: Joe Wright
Starring: Amy Adams, Gary Oldman, Anthony Mackie, Fred Hechinger, Wyatt Russell, Brian Tyree Henry, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Julianne Moore

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.