Tag Archives: vengeance

The Bluff

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Vampire Owl: Are we reviewing the first Priyanka Chopra starrer here?

Vampire Bat: Well, she was part of Matrix: Resurrections, but not her movie.

Vampire Owl: I remember that we had watched many of her movies before this site started.

Vampire Bat: Well, she was around since 2002; and it is quite natural.

Vampire Owl: We had come so close to reviewing a few.

Vampire Bat: Well, there were many movies of her that we liked then.

Vampire Owl: Compared to some other Bollywood actresses, she was surely the queen.

Vampire Bat: Yes, Bollywood is now left with the huge quantity of nepotism that leads to epic nonsense. There is no escape from them.

Vampire Owl: But we rarely watch the nepo-kid movies.

Vampire Bat: Nothing matches the terror of Param Sundari and its dumb nonsense towards infinity. It is like oblivion.

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

What is the movie about? :: A former pirate Ercell Bodden (Priyanka Chopra) is living in a British overseas territory further away from the people she knew with her disabled son Isaac Bodden (Vedanten Naidoo) and sister-in-law Elizabeth Bodden (Safia Oakley-Green). They do not about her past, and the people of the peaceful island are also not aware of her origins. The only person who knows about her bloody past is Pastor Bradley (David Field) who also had similar life, but had left it to become a pastor at the only church which serves at the centre of the island. Theodor H Bodden (Ismael Cruz Córdova), her husband who had gone on a ship as captain, continuing his life as a sailor while Ercell had stayed behind to take care of their disabled son while hoping not to be recognized by any sailor from her past, as she is known to have done terrible things while being with the notorious pirate Francisco Connor (Karl Urban), who had made her his partner after rescuing her from slave trade as she was separated from her family long ago.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: One day, Ercell finds two people in her house, and after attacking her, ties her up, and gets ready to hang her to death. The overseer of the island, Custode Drayton (Gary Beadle) finds a strange man on the docks, and as he asks about his rank and nationality, gets shot, and despite the islanders try to attack the upcoming swarm of pirate boats with cannons, almost all of them manage to reach the island and finish off anyone who took up arms against them. Ercell, who is brutally beaten, manages to break out of her bondage as her captives tried to catch her son, and she also decides to kill them. Meanwhile, Elizabeth who had gone outside to elope with her lover, finds the man dead, and also witnesses and injured overseer being executed by the leader of the group of pirates, who turns out to be the most terrifying pirate of the area, Francisco himself, who chooses executions with cannons over anything else, and enjoy the view of body parts scattering all over the sands.

And what more could happen here as the pirates take over to unleash chaos and destruction in an unsuspecting island far away from mainland? :: Ercell moves out with her son, and finds Bradley outside, and they decide the move through the forest area, but she decides to look out for Elizabeth. The find each other in the fields and realize that they are in big trouble. As the group led by Quartermaster Lee (Temuera Morrison) who serves as the second-in-command keeps Theodor as a captive, their aim seems to be Ercell as much as the gold which she had stolen from their crew. Francisco gets right on their trail, as they manage to get to the other side of crocodile-infested river with the only available boat. But this would not be the end for them, as the most terrifying pirate of their times got other plans, and with Theodor held captive under them, there is no way the family can move themselves away from the man who will keep hunting for them. Can the family find a way to live peacefully in between the terror which has been unleashed?

The defence of The Bluff :: It is nice to see that Priyanka Chopra has transformed herself into an action star, and that has surely been managed so well, as she never falters in that field, which is surely above her rest of the work here. Karl Urban whom most of us love the best for his classic Dredd which matched the original, has remained a fine villain throughout the movie. Safia Oakley-Green remains notable with her full presence, Temuera Morrison also leaves a mark. The visuals are really good, and we get the island feeling with the beauty of the world right there. The movie comes up with some brutal combat and survival sequences which works here as we see the pirates as the evil which they had been. Along with being a pirate adventure on survival mode, there is also the home invasion mode. A mother trying to save her child works emotionally well when the past comes to haunt her, but not throughout the movie. There is some old-style sword-fight that goes on well, and there is a lot of action to look out for, with no shortage of blood and gore. The final fight at the top of the cliff works nicely.

The claws of flaw :: There seems to be very less that the characters of this movie gets other than action, and even Priyanka Chopra gets too less of the other sides to explore. The villain’s past adventures could have been shown in a more terrifying manner. The dialogues feel as cliched as some of the scenes around here, as innovation does not seem like a skill. There is no attempt at originality and ideas often feel like falling short. The movie remains rather too predictable, and most of the things that happen in the movie goes in a path which is common. The preference of style over substance is not something that can be appreciated as we keep seeing only one side of the movie. The mother-child bonding and sisterhood power do not show that power at all times, as the relationships struggle, with the romantic past and husband-wife live not becoming something of interest either. The emotional side should have been stronger and the deaths could have mattered much more, as we look around here. There seems to be a certain amount of confusion for the movie about what all it should have, with the tendency to move through different genres.

How it finishes :: This goes on to become an enjoyable pirate action thriller that reminds us of other movies while also keeping some nostalgia right there. But it seems to be not sure about what exactly it is going to achieve. When we think about it, there were so many ideas that this movie could have taken related to pirates and surviving on an island, as many computer games have also come up with similar situations. The action remains raw, sometimes brutal and pretty much grounded enough to keep the audience engaged throughout its run. The viewers will still have to adjust with a situation which is not new, and without innovations, but entertaining throughout its run. After all, pirates and running away from the crew in an island which has hidden caves will keep everyone interested. I have the feeling that the movie with Priyanka Chopra as a pirate would have done pretty good at the box-office too, for she is many times better than the nepotic actresses and overrated advertisement celebrities of these times – just imagine some of these people in this particular role, and you would not see much of a choice to fit in there instead of her. Then we have the real name of the main character shown written in Malayalam twice – Mariyam; keeping us wonder about the Kerala connection there.

Release date: 25th February 2026 (Amazon Prime Video)
Running time: 103 minutes
Directed by: Frank E Flowers
Starring: Priyanka Chopra, Karl Urban, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Safia Oakley-Green, Temuera Morrison, Gary Beadle, Zack Morris, Gideon Mzembe, Pacharo Mzembe, Greg Hatton, David Field

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Dheeram

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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

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

I Know What You Did

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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

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Vala

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Vampire Owl: I had heard about this movie and felt strange about it.

Vampire Bat: There is nothing strange about the story about a bangle.

Vampire Owl: So, a bangle is going to inspire a story?

Vampire Bat: One would think that inspiration can come from anywhere, like darkness.

Vampire Owl: What about the need for muses to create the same?

Vampire Bat: The muses as such avatars are no longer valid in this world of chaotic creativity.

Vampire Owl: Our realm is not of chaos, for vampires have order; otherwise, we would be nowhere.

Vampire Bat: Absence of chaos is not always order as we know it.

Vampire Owl: Death can always differentiate between order and chaos in the stream of absurd.

Vampire Bat: We have found order post death, but chaos is in our blood for infinity.

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

What is the movie about? :: Banu (Lukman Avaran), a young policeman, is given the duty of giving protection to Abu (Abu Salim) who is the only witness to the murder of his boss. But while going through his duty, he comes across a few other problems that come in his way. It begins with his marriage with Vishalakshi (Sheethal Joseph) who comes from a big family and high caste, as she elopes with him against the wishes of her family, only to find out that the box which she took from home was not the one with jewelry. As she goes to the Akshaya Centre to change her address in the Aadhar Card, finds herself insulted by Sarala (Raveena Ravi) who was dealing with the data, as Vishalakshi had asked her about the beautiful bangle on her hand. Sarala tells her that she will never be able to buy such a bangle and should at least get something for her hands as she looks just too poor. Vishalakshi who is originally from a rich and influential family, starts asking Banu for a solution, and goes with him to almost every jewelry shop in search of a similar bangle.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: As Vishalakshi is too focused on having a bangle like Sarala, she is not able to find any other ornament of her choice and asks Banu to bring something that looks exactly like that particular piece. She begins to irritate Banu in the name of that bangle, and he is forced to contact Sarala’s husband Purushothaman (Dhyan Sreenivasan) for a picture of the same, so that they can make something which looks exactly the same. But they realize that the bangle cannot be removed from Sarala’s hand as she says it was given to her by her grandmother and that there is a certain sentimental value attached with it – but the truth is revealed later, that the bangle just cannot be removed by pulling it out. They understand that it is stuck, but while looking closer, realizes that there are Arabic writings in there, making them wonder how a traditional Hindu family like them can have a family heirloom passed on by grandmother with Arabic script engraved there.

And what more can happen with a bangle which turns out to be special? :: Purushothaman who finds out that this is a very old bangle with antique value, and has gems which are priceless, decides to find a way to sell the piece. For the same, he starts searching, and ends up with a notorious group of gangsters from across the state who deals with international smuggling and other crimes. They give him an advance of fifty lakhs for a price that he asks, five crores in ready cash. As he becomes confident in him being rich by crores, he decides not to give the photo to Banu and even throws their mobile away as they had taken a photo of the bangle. Sarala is tensed that her husband is trying to take that bangle in any way possible, and has nightmares of him cutting her hand off. They go to different parts of South India as they try to find a way to remove the bangle, and comes across a woman named Pathoocha (Shanthi Krishna) who claims that the ornament belongs to her and her husband Soopika (Vijayaraghavan). This leads to further complications while the gangsters also come after Sarala, and so does Banu who wishes to have revenge for the insult.

The defence of Vala: Story of a Bangle :: The movie is very well managed by Lukman Avaran who leads the movie in a realistic mode, and Vijayaraghavan nicely adds a certain emotional depth here with Shanthi Krishna in support. The two female leads Raveena Ravi and Sheethal Joseph handles the situation incredibly well, and it is always great to see the former on the screen rather than just behind it as a dubbing artist with excellence. The idea of the movie is nice and innovative, and the bangle at the centre serves well, making one feel that this movie is not the usual, but one of its kind, experimenting on things not usual in the Malayalam movie industry. The way in which the movie began with its tale in the middle of everything was also nice, and the way in which tale is told has its own effectiveness too. The emotional moments work very well, and the way in which different characters get interconnected feels interesting. The mystery feeling is also maintained well, and the twists in the tale are of relevance, while reminding us that pride will always have a fall.

The claws of flaw :: There is the feeling that there are too many characters who do not get the due in the movie. Dhyan Sreenivasan’s character does not get the strength that it should have had, for it remains one dimensional and just seemingly going through a path which becomes just mandatory for this kind of a movie and nothing else. Some scenes feel like stretched seemingly increasing the total length of the movie beyond the required. The pace also slows down in between, and the extra focus on bangle often leaves the people behind. If some elements are removed, it would just go on to become short film and nothing more. The villainy could have been better, and here the focus is just on owning the bangle. The history of the bangle could have also been further grand in nature, and the movie could have deepened its own mystery without letting the viewer feel that it just went on the safe route. The seriousness of the movie is sometimes lost as humour collaborates and goes through that safe path. The ending is also just too quick and seemingly just to finish the whole thing.

How it finishes :: Vala: Story of a Bangle surely had a lot of scope with this different and innovative kind of content, which is not common in Malayalam cinema, as only a few like Pendulum and Phoenix have deviated from the usual tropes of horror, adventure and science in a way that we remember, even without that much of a box-office collection. The innovative core related to a bangle is something that we might not see for quite some time. The movie surely had the potential to become an intriguing thriller with a lot of emotional depth. But the slow pacing and underdeveloped characters often pulls it down. The climax fails to provide a satisfying resolution and the movie just ends as if it is there to bring a finishing touch. This would mean that the movie ends up as a film with good ideas but partially struggling execution, leaving many viewers feeling that it could have been much better with better efforts put in there. Maybe, there could be a sequel that can successfully accomplish the same.

Release date: 19th September 2025
Running time: 131 minutes
Directed by: Muhashin
Starring: Lukman Avaran, Dhyan Sreenivasan, Vijayaraghavan, Shanthi Krishna, Raveena Ravi Sheethal Joseph, Arjun Radhakrishnan, Shafi Kollam, Navas Vallikkunnu, Abu Salim, Yusuf Madappen, Govind Vasantha, Ibrahim Al Balushi, Gokulan

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Others

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Vampire Owl: The humans have often thought that vampires are the others.

Vampire Bat: They have always kept some people as others.

Vampire Owl: By religion, race, caste, creed, nationality?

Vampire Bat: The first division would still be about money.

Vampire Owl: Human money has no say in our realm.

Vampire Bat: They are still addicted to what matters the most only in their world.

Vampire Owl: Well, Dr. Frankenstein has said that an alien invasion will change them.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein has not really seen an alien before.

Vampire Owl: That does not change his theory about the same.

Vampire Bat: His theories do not change as they are all fraud.

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

What is the movie about? :: Assistant Commissioner of Police, Madhav (Aditya Madhavan), gets a strange case in his hands, something which feels too unnatural, especially with the inability to find the identity of a number of people who died on the road in an accident which seemed to have resulted in an explosion. To add to the twisted situation, he understands that the three dead women were blind, while one of them had died much earlier, not due to the burns. Also, to further surprise, the man who died with them was not the driver, who seems to be missing. The accident feels like created by the dead man who was a thief, but his death, explosion, woman who died earlier and the missing man seems to make no sense. He is supported by the inspectors Beena (Anju Kurian) and Gajendran (Munishkanth), who also try to make sense out of the complicated situation. Madhav is engaged to Dr. Madhumitha (Gouri G. Kishan), who is working at a local hospital, but due to busy schedules, rarely find time to spend with each other. As nobody has come to claim the bodies, Madhav figures out that the dead people might be orphans and extends the investigation in that direction.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Madhav traces three of the dead girls back to an orphanage where twelve women are supposed to be missing. But he ends up finding the warden of the orphanage dead. There seems to be an NGO connecting this orphanage to hospitals and other social service. At the same time, Madhumitha figures out strange happenings in her hospital focusing on fertility treatments with the newborn babies resulting from IVF, which seem to point to that accident in an unexpected connection. There are links between women who were married off from the orphanage and those who participated in the IVF treatments. But it seems that the goons are after Madhumitha now, and they have not stopped or held back in their crimes either. They find the links to two men named Mukesh (Vinod Sagar) and Charles (Shyam Krishnan), but this seems like one end of a chain which longer, and might include the most unexpected people. How far are the villains from executing a plan which seems to be more sinister than one could expect?

The defence of Others :: The dark mood of the movie remains its biggest strength. The medical corruption in the name of revenge is a theme that would become more and more relevant as time flies in our busy and complex world. There is always a lot scope for an all-powerful villain coming out with knowledge of medicine or engineering, as other fields will always remain limited in scope – and Artificial Intelligence can have evil roles in both of them. Quality of cinematography and the strength of the background score contribute to the moody, investigative tone which works so well with this kind of a dark thriller with unsettling mysteries to be unveiled. There are some classic moments which can claim to be so memorable in comparison to similar minutes in same kind of thriller movies. The performances work well in favour of the movie too, with some good villains around, and Anju Kurian finally given such a full-movie strong role with no silly romance or humour, which Malayalam movie industry has not really provided her with. This movie also limits its romance’s presence which is great, and supporting cast also do the job well.

The claws of flaw :: The movie could have been much more. The struggle that it makes to connect the dots feel real in the beginning stages, even though it manages well by the end – some of the moments when the movie begins show some lack of effort in making it work better, even with the mystery running smoothly in the background. The uneven execution can be termed as a part of the movie, something which it does not suffer from during the middle part of the movie. It also does not go that well as the movie marches near the end, and the struggle in the beginning are reflected in the end too, despite maintaining so much of classic tension in between. Then the villain being revealed a little early only to the viewers and a little sympathy given to him does not serve a good purpose, as his character had even murdered his best friend who supported him for anything from saving and supporting to murdering and brutalizing people – evil is always evil, and murders are murders, and even more evil when committed on random innocent people and not on the original perpetuators. The final death of a police officer just seemed to be coming, but killing a side character in the end just for the sake of it with only a few minutes to go justifies nothing with almost everything done.

The performers of the soul :: The movie has Aditya Madhavan doing a fine job as the leading police officer. He maintains the focus and determination of the righteous leading police officer as one would expect. Gouri G. Kishan gets a strong character, and manages the doctor role while also getting a nice romantic track. It was also nice to see Anju Kurian get a powerful role in the form of a police officer. From the small role in Om Santhi Oshana to the leading role in Kavi Udheshicathu? and Njaan Prakashan to Meppadiyan, one has been wondering why she has not been getting more of such characters. The antagonists of the movie do remain strong – Shyam Krishnan is the usual villain, Sumesh Moor is the unexpected evil without boundaries, Vinod Sagar the quick villain and Jagan the easily revealed one. The evil in the movie is real, and the anger is felt, and despite playing the revenge-seeking victim, there is no real justification to the acts of the main villain, thus making the antagonist pure evil, with motives aligning with the big villains punishing the whole world for the acts of a few.

How it finishes :: This is one movie which had provided the feeling of being a classic investigation before its release itself. There were some controversies on the movie but not related to the content, and with some better promotion, it could have reached more people and surely deserved more screens in this part of the world which has always appreciated such mystery thrillers with dark mood and shocking revelations. We have always appreciated movies like Memories, Forensic, Kooman, Anjaam Pathiraa, Paappan, John Luther and others which have made some classic impact in the theatres as much as online. It is to be noted that the leading actor is different in each of these movies, at Prithviraj Sukumaran, Tovino Thomas, Asif Ali, Kunchacko Boban, Suresh Gopi and Jayasurya. Later, we also had Abraham Ozler and Anveshippin Kandethum to be added to that list. This one here follows a similar pattern, but is not about deaths, but about something more, as we had seen with the Indrajith-starrer Angels and Joju-starrer Joseph some years ago. With some nice divergence, this movie surely remains an engaging watch.

Release date: 7th November 2025
Running time: 130 minutes
Directed by: Abin Hariharan
Starring: Aditya Madhavan, Gouri G. Kishan, Anju Kurian, Hareesh Peradi, Munishkanth, Vinod Sagar, Sumesh Moor, Vaiyapuri, Jagan, Saravana Subbiah, Shyam Krishnan, TSR Srinivasan, Maala Parvathi, Bayilvan Tanganathan

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Kishkindhapuri

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Vampire Owl: I can feel that some classic demons are going to be back.

Vampire Bat: I have never known the demons to ever leave us.

Vampire Owl: I am not talking about the shadow demons from Sector Eleven.

Vampire Bat: So, you are talking about another group of shadowy creatures.

Vampire Owl: There are enough demons with separate identities in the legends and myths of different areas.

Vampire Bat: But the question remains if they can make a good movie out of them.

Vampire Owl: Now, that would be a difficult question to answer.

Vampire Bat: It will be the best if we watch and have an understanding.

Vampire Owl: I shall always believe in horror and its different forms.

Vampire Bat: There is no true existence without horror in any realm.

[Gets a parippu vada and three cups of Vagamon tea].

What is the movie about? :: In 1989, in a remote village known as Kishkindhapuri, the owners and workers of Suvarnamaya radio station are about to leave post work after locking the doors at midnight. But soon the lights go off, and an evil spirit uses the radios and speakers to get them to the basement. The spirit kills all of them and leaves their bodies there arranged in the shape of a swastika in an inverted mode. The station is closed permanently by the villagers. They are joined by priests who sealed the building permanently using prayers and magical incantations in such a way that nobody or nothing comes in or goes out. Many years later, Raghava (Bellamkonda Sai Sreenivas), his girlfriend Mythili (Anupama Parameswaran), and best friend Sumith (Sudharshan) are members of Ghost Walking Tour Company which takes tourists to locations which are believed to be haunted due to legends and myths spread related to it, and provides them with a special experience to remember for a life time.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The tours usually script the events of the entire tour, and bring the scares in an artificial manner to liven the experience. There are people who are dressed as ghosts and objects in buildings are moved using hidden levers and ropes, with some sound effects to support the experience. But for their next trip, Raghava’s boss lets the tourists choose their location, and the random selection turns out to be Suvarnamaya radio station, which is not among their usual list of locations. It seems to have been randomly added to the list without much of a thought. They have no settings ready for this place which was never chosen before. But that does not stop them as they travel all the way there. Raghava breaks the talismans which were set on the doors and they enter the place, even though the team never really has any plan this time. As the team does not believe in such evil, they had also brought the neighbourhood kid Moksha (Baby Ashvika) with them as she insists.

And what more follows here as evil continues to spread like no other? :: After the tourists begins to be really scared with some terrifying presence really being unleashed, they attempt to leave, but as they get out, finds their van burning. But the next morning, at the village, the locals warn them about the presence of the spirit which would follow and kill them. The twelve people who were in the radio station soon receive warnings about their deaths from the spirit through their radios they brought with them from the station. The spirit brutally kills three tourists, two of them on a train and the next one on a construction site, and has the deaths marked with a swastika’s inverted mirror form. Raghava investigates about the radio station, but most locals stay silent out of fear. He discovers the station was supposedly haunted by Vedavathi (Thanuja Madhurapanthula), the first and last speaker of the station who was publicly humiliated and had suicided, but feels that there is something more about her. Can he find the secret behind the actions of the spirit, and stop it before things get worse and everyone gets killed?

The defence of Kishkindhapuri :: The movie needs to be appreciated for the cinematography, sound design and production values which support the horror so well. The spooky setting with a haunted radio station looking like an ancient mansion is effectively done, creating a creepy mood that never leaves us. The film’s opening acts maintains that suspense which builds gradually, and the final twists are so well-managed. The evil feels so good and its effectiveness can never be questioned, coming together so well after those final revelations. The movie’s leads, Bellamkonda Sai Sreenivas and Anupama Parameswaran, gets in nicely here, and the emotionally intense as well as scary moments. It is really nice to see Anupama getting such roles in different modes, the charm which started with Premam and was carried over to The Pet Detective. This one proves that she could be that scream queen of horror movies too. Then there is Sandy who scores as usual. The scares and tension are nicely maintained in this movie, and twists are to be enjoyed. The use of the background tale is so well layered and narrated with different versions taking control.

The claws of flaw :: The movie could have gone for unlimited horror, as the spirit here is definitely beyond control. There is also some predictability in between, and the problems seem to be just randomly solved in the end after all the terror that had come earlier. Sometimes, the makers do let the horror to remain routine, like in Bhool Bhulaiyya 3, which made no real struggle to make things better. The songs and fights do not live up to the rest, as some struggle is also there. The need to bring the commercial elements to more strength do not help the movie at all, and it is seen from the first few minutes of the hero’s entry too. These are some cases of over-writing, maybe meant for a certain kind of audience. One keeps wondering how deep the horror could have managed to get if there was some innovation or the incorporation of folktale elements like Stree could do. At times, there seems to be an effort to make this a horror comedy, but one wonders if it was really intentional or coming out of nowhere. Some more of graphics could have been used here to make the terror look special.

How it finishes :: The movie’s box-office success is not a surprise, as it has managed the whole thing so well, and it raises itself much above the other horror movies dealing with the same type of content. Kishkindhapuri is an effort to be appreciated – it gets many of the basics in horror absolutely right with the classic setting, terrifying mood, throughout scares and is supported by some appreciable lead performances. There might be flaws, but if you enjoy spooky, atmospheric thriller on a ghost with a past and don’t mind the existence of some cliches, it is surely worth a watch. Even though it is now in Amazon Prime Video in Hindi too, this feels like that experience which we missed in theatres, but we know that it would not have released in this part of the world at all. But the horror should have always had some space in the big theatres, as the terrifying experience is to be best experienced in the darkness of the best screens. With those final talks in the movie, it feels that one can have an even better experience. This is the kind of horror which could surely take the genre to new heights and we will wait for that.

Release date: 12th September 2025
Running time: 125 minutes
Directed by: Koushik Pegallapati
Starring: Bellamkonda Sai Sreenivas, Anupama Parameswaran, Sandy, Sudhardhan, Tanikella Bharani, Hyper Aadi, Srikanth Iyengar, Makarand Deshpande, Prema, Sunil Reddy, Anantha Prabhu, Baby Ashvika, Srinivas Vadlamani, Thanuja Madhurapanthula, Alapati Lakshmi, Srinivas Bogireddy

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Eleven

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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

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Bambi

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Vampire Owl: I feel that I know this particular animal.

Vampire Bat: Well, there is no vampire deer around here.

Vampire Owl: There are no new vampire appointments?

Vampire Bat: There has not been a vampire transformation in a long time.

Vampire Owl: But Dr. Frankenstein was transformed into a vampire.

Vampire Bat: He is not a vampire. Mr. Frankenstein just has some really bad teeth.

Vampire Owl: Well, he is known as the first vampire scientist in the media.

Vampire Bat: The media is just exaggerating things. They even talked about the hunt.

Vampire Owl: There was the great monster hunt which spread further.

Vampire Bat: It was not really a hunt. It was just a random experiment.

[Gets an uzhunnu vada and three cups of Ooty tea].

What is the movie about? :: A young deer is shown as losing his family members, to poachers, to vehicles carelessly driven through forest roads and finds the rivers contaminated with radioactive waste. Drinking this contaminated waste transforms the deer into something else, a mutated creature known as Bambi. It drives him into vengeance, as he, as part of the forest, decides to take back the world which used to belong to them, and finish off whatever humans he finds on the way. Greatly increased in size and stronger than ever, the mutated version of him is something which would now stop at no force, seemingly becoming the apex predator which would not hesitate to kill at will. A big truck carrying toxic waste from a local radiation company known as Wibexr Pharmaceuticals would be a special target. At the same time, there are also other creatures of the forest, mostly herbivores, but have turned carnivores due to the same effect of the contamination. There might not be any innocence left in the forest yet.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: A few days after the contamination, a mother Xana (Roxanne McKee) and her son Benji (Tom Mulheron) take a taxi to spend the Thanksgiving holidays with Xana’s husband Simon (Alex Cooke) with whom she might get separated soon – and his family is also there including his dementia-stricken mother Mary (Nicola Wright), his brothers Andrew (Russell Geoffrey Banks) and Joshua (Luke Cavendish), Andrew’s wife Harriet (Samira Mighty), and their son Harrison (Joseph Greenwood). As Simon promises to arrive before dinner and celebrate with the family, the family stays waiting. On the way, Bambi attacks the taxi and brutally kills the driver while Xana and Benji manages to get out of the vehicle and somehow reaches the family house. The residents of the house do not believe in the story of a giant deer attacking, and feels that there is something else at work, but decides to be careful. Maty also seems to know the name of the deer and there are drawings of the creature in the house.

And what more would happen here as the world seems to be scariest with a contamination within a forest? :: Soon, Bambi reaches the place and attacks the house and kills Harriet splitting her into two with her reinforced antlers, forcing the family to flee in a caravan, losing the creature for some time. They drive into the forest only to find the road blocked and thus an unexpected dead end. Andrew tries to remove it, but Benji who panics upon seeing Bambi on the rear-view mirror drives off with him, Xana and Mary inside and Andrew is accidentally dragged behind them and dies on the road. Harrison who is left behind gets caught in a trap for animals and are brutally killed by a group of mutated rabbits. The group of Benji, Xana and Mary come up against Michael (Adrian Relph), a co-worker of Simon. Soon, they come across some truths which would be better if remained hidden, but then there is that mutated deer with some other ideas. Can the family and friends at least survive this night?

The defence of Bambi: The Reckoning :: The movie strikes well with its fear induced out of the cuteness of nostalgia, with such an inversion which goes so well with the situation that nature faces in front of human induced disasters. As this one flips into a horror revenge deer turned monster, the mood is so well-arranged and the environment is so much perfect. The Twisted Childhood Universe of horror taking on beloved characters gives it an appeal that we do not forget with ease. The monster deer created out of radioactive waste is designed very well and some inventive kills and gore also looks interesting. The haunting feels good and the presence of that kind of danger which seems to be present everywhere leaves the options of running, and there is the effective survival mode. The deer scares us like a rabid dog, as the looks shift to the face of a dog with antlers and the body of a horse, as this mutation never ceases to be scary. The dark mood is always present throughout the movie and there is also the talk about the need to save nature or it will hit back as forest would find a way for revenge.

The claws of flaw :: The movie could have spready the horror further with moments which would be remembered for the variety of terror as a classic slasher, but that much is not there. The elements of the classic slasher are less explored here as there seems to be some confusion about how the induced evil on cuteness should progress. The character development is rather less, and the humans feel like just provided here to be prey with the scope to save only the expected characters by the end because the movie just wants to keep playing safe. The low budget effect also shows at times, and seems to limit the movie from getting to the next level, especially with a seemingly unstoppable creature on the hunt. The darkness in the movie seems to be created more to hide what could be a terrifying thing beyond all imaginations if provided with the best budget. It is sometimes too much away from the usual serious horror and the reminder of the childhood tale does not strike everyone that well as we look at it. This is not that much of a classical childhood thing for people around here as much as some of the others.

How it finishes :: Bambi: The Reckoning gets a cute little creature grow up to become a demonic mutant monster that would change many childhood stories. The original Bambi of Disney would not get that treatment here, and the direct inverted cuteness is something that will stay with the viewers who would also have a related childhood nostalgia going the other way. This is the movie which comes as an unexpected interesting entry. It becomes the reminder that the sweetest could be the evillest, and as William Golding’s Lord of the Flies had told us, there is always that evil in the cuteness which is always ready to come out. We can now have the feeling that this evil is actually right out of the inherent evil of children that was delivered against Piggy and Simon in that novel and its multiple film adaptations. After all, the movie reminds us that evil is real, and the horror is the ultimate reality. You will surely get the entertainment and a special nostalgic feeling out of this one in Amazon Prime Video, but if you expect more substance or a polished horror experience, you might need more.

Release date: 25th July 2025
Running time: 81 minutes
Directed by: Dan Allen
Starring: Roxanne McKee, Tom Mulheron, Nicola Wright, Samira Mighty, Alex Cooke, Russell Geoffrey Banks, Joseph Greenwood

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Union

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Vampire Owl: I remember going to a vampire reunion. But it was a mirage.

Vampire Bat: Vampires are always together. Why a reunion?

Vampire Owl: They can wander all around the realm.

Vampire Bat: There is just a small area which is accessible to vampires in the realm.

Vampire Owl: It is still a pretty good area as long as we do not fly through.

Vampire Bat: There is too much of witch traffic on the broom to fly.

Vampire Owl: Why do we even care about the witches?

Vampire Bat: There is always something about the witches in the news.

Vampire Owl: So, we have also started watching the news?

Vampire Bat: Well, we only know even about the wars through the news.

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

What is the movie about? :: Mike McKenna (Mark Wahlberg) is a construction worker in New Jersey who goes through his usual life in a regular pattern without thinking otherwise. One day, his childhood sweetheart Roxanne Hall (Halle Berry) meets him in the local pub and he ends up waking up in London after she tranquilizes him. She explains to him that he has been recruited for a secret mission by the group known as The Union, working as a secret organization in connection with FBI, Interpol and other teams. Their team, despite going through a top-secret mission, ended up losing a number of their team members and also ended up missing their target, leading them to assign someone without a past on the mission. Tom Brennan (J K Simmons), the head of the group hopes that Mike is as good as what Roxanne told him that he used to be during his childhood and youth. Mike who was going to attend a very important wedding as the best man and dating his former teacher, finds him somewhere he never expected to go.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Roxanne assures him that he can go back to his town and job if he does not want to take the risk, but he decided to go for the same anyway. Their physical expert and trainer Frank Pfeiffer (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) is not sure about letting someone untrained in there and giving him just enough for the field within two weeks of special training. They do a detailed briefing for him on a high-stakes mission, and feels that his unassuming identity would be the perfect cover. This would be a very important mission to retrieve information about undercover agents and top-level officers in various intelligence agencies. The sensitive information on individuals who have served allied Western nations would soon be auctioned off to the highest bidder, and as Iranians, North Koreans and Russians look forward to this information and with a possibility of Chinese also going for it, it is now or never for the West. This could be their last chance.

And what more is to be added here as situation keeps getting more complicated? :: He is chosen to be sent by the Union with five million to buy a device which could bid at the intelligence auction, under the watch of the Union agents. Mike is immediately ambushed by some other trained professionals. The team somehow gets him out in time, but the auction device gets damaged without any chance for repair. With no more money to spend, The Union decides tries tracking down the Koreans’ mercenaries hoping to acquire their device. They find and steal the device, only to find out their communication expert Athena Kim (Alice Lee) has been murdered and that their headquarters has been blown up with an unidentified bomb. They feel that there is someone spying on them from the inside, but things might be more complicated than that. They might soon be on the run without a hideout or safehouse. One wrong movement and there might not be any agent left for the Union.

The defence of The Union :: The movies lead actors Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry carry the movie on their shoulders effortlessly, as we enjoy the moments with them together, and they also add some fine humour in between as the movie never really goes dark with its content. When we are looking for a cool spy movie with action rather than the drama and the dark side making it scary, it has enough momentum to keep us engaged with all those fights scenes and high-powered car chases, getting only bigger as the movie gets closer to the end. The global locations are really good, and some stunning visuals provide us with much more to look out for – the action in those beautiful areas of the world got our interest early enough. The ending is well-executed, and the supporting cast as well as the antagonists get something more to do here too. The journey also never goes overboard like some of those Bollywood movies, and there is also nothing forced here with things going on smoothly.

The claws of flaw :: The beginning stages do not induce that much of an interest into this movie, as there seems to some pulling back right there. The bringing in of the main character to the team itself seems to be not convincing enough. Most of the characters are not really developed as if to inspire a possible sequel, as most of the spy genre flicks have been thinking about. The common style of spy flicks and action thrillers with a touch of comedy are remembered here without offering those big surprises or that innovation which was clearly possible. It never really takes its elements to the next level. The twist in the middle seemed to be rather expected, and the big spies not able to guess the same thing even though the audience could easily do the same, is rather disappointing. There is a certain artificiality to proceedings as the Men in Black kind of smooth movement is often not there to be taken. The movie might not last that long in memory, as there is no specific classic moment and there is nothing that we will remember for very long.

How it finishes :: We have an entertaining journey here as there are no dull moments in the spy world as soon as we know what the movie is up to. The movie nicely goes on with its adventure as the tale progresses. The light-hearted action with some suspense works fine, and the chemistry between the main characters work very well. Things are rather simple around here, as you do not eagerly wait for more, but something special could happen in the second movie, if there is one – the team does work really well. For a relaxed weekend with the light action, this will offer more than enough on Netflix. After all, this is that kind of a genre which offers more to one-time watch rather than any other. Netflix already offered a movie which gives similar kind of effect, Lift – once you watch, you enjoy it and the time spent remains good. Halle Berry and Mark Wahlberg are our eternal stars too, aren’t they?

Release date: 16th August 2024 (Netflix)
Running time: 107 minutes
Directed by: Julian Farino
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Halle Berry, Mike Colter, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jessica De Gouw, Alice Lee, Jackie Earle Haley, J K Simmons

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Mirage

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Vampire Owl: I have heard about this movie’s twists over twists.

Vampire Bat: So, it became known in the vampire world too.

Vampire Owl: It has spread to the vampire social media too.

Vampire Bat: That feels absurd as both media are not connected at all.

Vampire Owl: Well, you know these humans who try to control all the media.

Vampire Bat: Nobody can control everything at all times.

Vampire Owl: Uncle Dracula could easily do that.

Vampire Bat: Sir Dracula is that much of a legend.

Vampire Owl: Even the Vampire Elders seem to respect him.

Vampire Bat: I do not that they ever had an options since his reign began.

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

What is the movie about? :: Abhirami (Aparna Balamurali), who is working as an accountant in a financial consultancy finds herself in depression when Kiran (Hakim Shahjahan) who was engaged to her mysteriously disappears, and is presumed to be killed in a train crash. She is approached by Aswin Kumar (Asif Ali), an online investigative reporter who wishes to reveal some truths about Kiran, whom he does not feel to that straightforward a person. Even though they were engaged, he had left a good number of secrets to himself. At the same time, Abhirami is also approached by SP Aarumugam IPS (Sampath Raj) who wishes to unveil the mystery related to a hard drive which has secrets related to the money laundering in their company, while the owner of the company, Rajkumar (Saravanan) is also looking for her, with Rajkumar’s henchman Riyas (Aruvi Madhan) always on the hunt, even ready to beat up or murder anyone who gets in his way as he also tries to get that hard drive which has too many secrets.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: This drive becomes a big problem as Abhirami even gets attacked at home, and the only person who seems to stand with her is her colleague working in the same department, Rithika (Hannah Reji Koshy). Anandu (Arjun Syam Gopan) is the only person who can decrypt the data in the hard drive, who is also missing, despite going on a field visit to Madurai for the same company. Rithika does not trust Ashwin who seems to be always looking for sensational news. Ashwin feels that Abhirami is still hiding something, and he only considers Kiran missing and not dead, even though his dead body was identified right after the train accident. Abhirami decides to travel to Kiran’s hometown with Ashwin, much to the dismay of Rithika who distrusts the whole situation. Riyas continues to haunt them, coming right out of nowhere, as if he knows their every move. It is revealed that Kiran is a man of many secrets, and it would be rather too difficult to list them out. Can Abhirami get out of these problems with the help of Ashwin and Rithika?

The defence of Mirage :: The way in which the movie starts in simplicity and becomes more and more complex with bigger conspiracies unveiled – this is something that keeps everyone at the edge of the seat, as we keep guessing what would come next. There are so many twists around here that keeps us interested, and we can only keep predicting, but the twists are even more. We would have the feeling that we are in a strange terrain, terrifying not because of the presence of an evil entity or due to corporate evil, but because there are so many twists to come and many people are going to get killed, with most of the twisted world going beyond the usual. The performances nicely complement the same, as villains might not be the main antagonists, as there is negative in the people who seem to be good and supportive. The movie is a twis-producing factory and this process of changing the world we know, continues till the end without fail. The visuals and the music are all nicely contributing with quality here. How the tale goes on to power itself by the interval would also be something we like to see around.

The claws of flaw :: As it could be seen in many memes on the social media, there is the curse of having unbelievable plot twists and too many of them around here – the last time when there were this many absurd and unnecessary twists were shown, was in a movie called Bicycle Thieves, also led by Asif Ali, where the twists and even the story could not be contained in the framework which was already built – this one could contain the story, but not the twists which were like zombies in a bakery selling brains with a small flavour of chocolate. A movie can have twists, but a movie should not be for twists, as we realize the same here. The final double twist was rather dumb, and it felt like the whole purpose of the movie was destroyed. The movie is also too long, and it does not have that material in a script written for twists, going to two and half hours. The intensity is also not felt around here, as in between, the main characters seem to be resigned to their fate and feels like they are doing all of these for namesake. The danger in the movie also feels hesitant, as if everyone is waiting for the twists.

The performers of the soul :: Asif Ali and Aparana Balamurali are known to work together really well, as it was seen in a much-appreciated movie also featuring Vijayaraghavan from last year, and they repeat the same here too. Aparna is very convincing as the girl who is in trouble, but also harbours so many secrets – her reality would be much different, and the same is nicely reflected in her approach here. Asif Ali’s evolution as an actor continues going on from Thalavan, Rekhachitram, Aabhyanthara Kuttavali and others, but here he gets too less in comparison to Aparna on whom the movie is centred – there are times when we feel that her character could have just required minimum help from any unnamed side characters and it was enough for her. Maheshinte Prathikaaram would still remain the greatest movie of Aparna. Still, the one who would catch our attention the most would be Hannah Reji Koshy who brought us that so much unexpected and classic twist of Kooman with ease, after that debut in Darvinte Parinamam and following it up with two entirely different roles in Rakshadhikari Baiju Oppu and Theerppu – she classically blends in here. The villains are all strong here, but struggles by the end, while Sampath Raj remains very strong.

How it finishes :: Mirage just depends on too much of the twists and so many twists, and that strange final unwanted divergence that keeps it down, despite moving so well towards the interval, as the first half really had us interested. There is surely that feeling that there is so much that is to come, but the story struggles in between and comes down by the end with that ordinary flashback and twisting around. This was surely going to be something huge, but does not become the same with that problematic coming down in quality in between. The pace also goes down, as we would hope for this movie to be much shorter and not having that quick end. The skills which are shown in the beginning stages are what carries us towards the end, along with those special twists in between – we are interested in this one for sure. Even though this is not his story, a little bit of Jeethu Joseph touch we had seen in Memories, Drishyam and Drishyam 2 can be seen here, even though that strength is not carried throughout the run even though there was such a great chance in here.

Release date: 19th September 2025
Running time: 150 minutes
Directed by: Jeethu Joseph
Starring: Asif Ali, Aparna Balamurali, Hannah Reji Koshy, Saravanan, Sampath Raj, Hakim Shahjahan, Deepak Parambol, Arjun Syam Gopan, Aruvi Madhan

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Oddity

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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

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Yudhra

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Vampire Owl: It is always good to watch those lesser-known Bollywood movies.

Vampire Bat: Especially movies like this one without those usual nepo kids.

Vampire Owl: How many movies work without that infinite nepo nonsense?

Vampire Bat: It is too difficult for Bollywood these days. Every movie can’t be Shaitaan.

Vampire Owl: Bollywood without nepo kids and too much mass still works.

Vampire Bat: In the case of nepo kids, their performance is always appreciated for no reason.

Vampire Owl: Yes, their performance will be considered the perfect one, no matter how bad it is.

Vampire Bat: I am surprised by the number of fans these people get when there are so many quality actors whose works feel so realistic.

Vampire Owl: This why I watch Hindi movies only on OTT these days.

Vampire Bat: Well, Amazon Prime and Netflix got most of them and brings us happy smiles.

[Gets a tomato uthappam and three cups of orange tea].

What is the movie about? :: Girish Dixit (Saurabh Gokhale) is an honest police officer who has been known for taking strict steps against the criminals and drug dealers of the city, often becoming target of gangsters. One day, after attending a party with fellow police officers, he and his wife Prerna Dixit (Sharvari Deshpande) meet an accident involving a truck and ends up dead, but the unborn baby miraculously survives against all odds. His best friends Karthik Rathore (Gajraj Rao) and Rehman Siddique (Ram Kapoor) from the Police Department decides to take care of the child, with Karthik adopting him and Rehman serves as a mentor. The child grows up to have anger issues from childhood itself. As he grows up, the situation gets worse, and Yudhra Dixit (Siddhant Chaturvedi) is an even angrier young man not to be controlled by anyone. They decide to send him to Pune in an attempt to make him join the military in the future. There he meets his childhood friend and daughter of Rehman, Nikhat Rehman (Malavika Mohanan).

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Yudhra and Nikhat are once again interested in each other and starts meeting each other regularly. But on one of those days, Yudhra brutally beats up some goons to protect his fellow cadet, leading to them being critically injured and admitted in the hospital. This leads to him being arrested and court-martialed. At the same time, Nikhat leaves for Portugal to study medicine. Karthik who had gone on to become a politician after retiring from police, tells Yudhra that he is disappointed, to which Yudhra asks him not to support him for his actions any more. At the same time, Rehman asks him to join him on an undercover operation, as there are already cases on Yudhra, which could get him to the prison where some of the gangsters related to the drug smuggling are located – he could do something here to find these drug consignments and also find the man who might have been behind the murder of Yudhra’s parents. Now, it seems that there is a motive for life in him, but how well can he achieve that?

The defence of Yudhra:: Yudhra can be considered stronger and sharper than most of the movies of the same genre, and those using similar situations, which are not at all uncommon in Bollywood. This one also has a soul and we feel for characters even when things go a little too further in the name of making it interesting for the crowds – while the nepo kids play themselves, these actors and actresses play rightly according the needs of the characters and not to impress the blind fans. The visuals, especially that of Portugal, remains stunning additions here. The action continuously impresses, as it is not really the mass masala type, and more believable than most of the Bollywood movies. The romantic side is also effective, and the twist work well enough. The moments of thrill in between keep the viewers engaged. The feeling of having more than what meets the eye will still be around there. The narrative moves really well around here, and the romance or drama never really feels out of the place either.

The claws of flaw :: Yudhra never really tries to take the big risk, whether with the action or the romance, even though the chances were always there to be used. The romance disappears too soon after first appearance, and there could have been more moments to contribute to it as well as the action in Portugal, as the scope was very high with the events around. There are moments when we feel that the movie is not going to get to that final resolution. The villains, despite being strong, never really shows that much of their villainy. The movie is also a little bit long, and by avoiding a few dialogues things could have been more interesting. The moments at the military could have also had more attention. The ending could have also been more intense instead of seemingly everything going in the easier path. If we consider even the lesser movies, the intensity in the end would be much more. This one surely works, but for this long a movie which has been building up to this kind of an end, more was there to be taken.

The performers of the soul :: Siddhant Chaturvedi leads the way, and reflects the angry young man really well, unlike those nepo kids of Bollywood who could begin acting only after so many chances being given due to the influence of their parents, uncles, aunties and all. When an actor in Bollywood has too many relatives in the industry, it has been a reflection of how bad that particular person could perform, and thankfully, this one does not have such an actor, and it might also be the reason why Bollywood and its fans decided not to make this one a superhit in a world of dumb Bollywood blockbusters which keep coming without any signs of stopping – they are the zombies of Bollywood. But our leading actors stands taller than any of them in this particular role for sure. Malavika Mohanan, at the same time, seems to be fitting perfectly around here, changing language and industry, and being the right choice, even better than those highly paid Bollywood actresses and nepo actresses. Maybe Bollywood can learn something from Malayalam movie industry about how a family in the film industry can really act from the first movie itself. The villainy is fine, but underused throughout the movie in the case of each negative character.

How it finishes :: One can be assured that this is a fine piece of entertainer with good dose of action and thrills. It is also free from that mandatory Bollywood nepo kid or mass masala influence, which keeps this one a step ahead. The lack of success of this movie can only be attributed to the prejudice of the viewers of its world, and I do not even remember this one releasing here. If we wish to stop the mass masala movies and nepo kids getting all the awards and those who struggle all the way up in the cinema gets avoided, movies like this one needs to be supported. After all, it is so much better than those so-called action movies which grossed rather too much for its standard. This movie never loses its direction, even when the objectives of the protagonist seem to change. We are in for a solid action thriller in here, and we will love without those overrated superstars; there lies the beauty of it and others like Vedaa and Agni in a zone free of nepo kids who would do anything to gain attention. Even though there is no such chance, I would love a sequel to this one too.

Release date: 20th September 2024
Running time: 142 minutes
Directed by: Ravi Udyawar
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Malavika Mohanan, Raj Arjun, Raghav Juyal, Gajraj Rao, Ram Kapoor, Shilpa Shukla, Martin Fernandez, Saurabh Gokhale, Sharvari Deshpande, Shireesh Sharma, Dolly Verma, Joao Mario, Anubha Arora, Kabeer Bhartiya

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Ronggeng Kematian

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Vampire Owl: Do you remember the first Indonesian movie which we watched?

Vampire Bat: Yes, before that, most of the reviews were Korean and Chinese.

Vampire Owl: Yes, and now, most reviews remain Korean, Spanish, Russian and French.

Vampire Bat: The Spanish also had risen in numbers very soon.

Vampire Owl: Well, there are thirty-one languages, so a few will surely have more numbers.

Vampire Bat: Well, all of a sudden, Filippino movies came to the list when it seemed to end with thirty languages of movies.

Vampire Owl: Among Indonesian movies are a few classic ones, right?

Vampire Bat: Yes, one classic horror and one classic superhero, for sure.

Vampire Owl: It is also the one country we have visited.

Vampire Bat: We did not think about watching when we were there in Bali.

[Gets an onion uthappam and three cups of Munnar tea].

What is the movie about? :: In the remote Magunsari village of Central Java in Indonesia, a young man named Imam (Elang El Gibran) is in love with Sulastri (Cindy Nirmala), a charming and beautiful ronggeng dancer, the village’s only true expert in the dance form, and the one who represents the local culture and traditions through her moves, with the woods making sure that the place maintains its cultural heritage separate from the rest of the island. That night, Sulastri is entertaining a number of men in the guest house with her tradition dance. A local man with a mental disease, Akhsan (Allan Dastan), also comes there to propose her while Imam gets there with the ring to provide his proposal to her. When the lights go out all of a sudden, Imam investigates place while Akhsan runs off, only to be attacked from behind and murdered. Later, Sulastri is also not found with her missing, and both her and Imam are never heard of. The village keep searching for her, but with no results, and there is nobody to keep the traditional dancing going on either, with the assigned girls never being as good as her.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Seven years have passed since the incident, and still nothing is found. During this time, a young woman named Larasati (Claresta Taufan Kusumarina) and her boyfriend Hadi (Chicco Kurniawan) makes their usual journey through the woods, and parts ways. Larasati who keeps on walking through the forest on the way home finds a red scarf and an old radio near an old and ruined well which is not in use. When she finds the scarf to be lovely and puts it on, she suddenly is able to dance in the traditional form of ronggeng with so much perfection as if it was done by Sulastri. Larasati seems to be acting under the guidance of Sulastri’s spirit, sometimes seeming to be fully possessed. It is then that four men led by Adit (Revaldo) arrives in the village for a ceremony. They stay in the same guesthouse where the tragedy occurred seven years ago, and there are more sinister events to follow. What could be triggering these events, and what might have happened to the dancer and her lover?

The defence of Ronggeng Kematian :: This movie’s arrival in Amazon Prime Video once again takes us back to the folklore as well as culture and traditions of the lesser-known areas of Indonesia, in the island of Java itself, setting the world to the villages. The movie seems to have realized that the past will remain significant and therefore any folklore can further strengthen a movie. Therefore, the layering seems to be nicely implemented, as we often get a look into the past as much as the present. This does make the mystery more interesting, and it nicely keeps the narrative going. There is also the reality and the magical coming and going. The tension is nicely built not just by the atmosphere, but also through the actions of the characters and the influence of the supernatural. There is that journey to that twist, of which part we will know after some time, but the rest is revealed nicely, and then there is that ending which solves them all. The characters nicely fit into the cultural flavours and situations. Scares do work with the fine visuals that gives a nice touch at all times, for the settings are such boost.

The claws of flaw :: The movie could have always been capable of more, as the premise seems to have already set foot strongly. There are moments which keep pulling it back as we sometimes wonder if there was the attempt to keep the whole thing on the safe zone without going that much into the details. The jump between the timelines might not satisfy everyone, and those who are looking for the usual horror might not get the usual here. The antagonists are also not given much to do in the later part of the film, as they can only act helpless. A few things just seem to happen with the flow and as if they happen because they need to. There is no grand scare, except for the fear added due to mystery and atmosphere; maybe budget constraints were there. There could have been a fine legend being talked about based on the happenings. The early pacing also did have some struggle and confusion, with fear elements holding back for some time. The elements of guilt do not work that strongly around here either.

The performers of the soul :: Claresta Taufan Kusumarina leads the way here with a fantastic performance as the possessed dancer as much as the girl next door who is in love with the boy whom he has always known. The different layers of the character are displayed well by her, even at a time when demonic possession could go so wrong, given the circumstances of the return of the spirit from the other world and its motives. Her body movement during the dance also feels every elegant, even though we are not qualified enough to talk about the dance form. Cindy Nirmala’s dancing skills are also on display very well, and the return from the grave works really well for her. She has her own moments outside the dancing too. Revaldo comes in really well and is well supported by those playing his friends. Chicco Kurniawan makes the viewer feel the terror that is hidden beneath the happy village and its culture and traditions. The roles played by these characters despite not seeming that relevant, are all significant to the overall movie.

How it finishes :: There is something about the Indonesian folklore and ancient beliefs that keeps us interested at all times. Indonesian movies have surely kept us interested, especially the one superhero movie which made us wish that we had our own – Gundala; post which we had Minnal Murali and Lokah Chapter One: Chandra. Then there was the classic horror in the form of Impetigore and a twisted thriller in the form of Photocopier. Ivanna and Grave Torture also had moments which made them work. The movie does not lag behind, even though there are moments when it could have raised the level. We do see that the movie mostly does its job very well. With cultural flavour and scares, along with being a tale of vengeance, this one run strong without deviating from its purpose, a quality that many horror movies have ceased to have. We are brought close to the Indonesian horror yet again with this one, and we hope that there will be many more horror based on folklore, as we remember Stree from around here too.

Release date: 28th March 2024
Running time: 98 minutes
Directed by: Verdi Solaiman
Starring: Cindy Nirmala, Claresta Taufan Kusumarina, Chicco Kurniawan, Krisjiana Baharuddin, Dito Darmawan, Allan Dastan, Elang El Gibran, Nungki Kusumastuti

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Killer Book Club

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Vampire Owl: This would be an interesting book club.

Vampire Bat: You mean to say that there are new book clubs in the castle.

Vampire Owl: Who reads that many books these days?

Vampire Bat: Well, I do read many of them.

Vampire Owl: I am sure that you do not count as an external reader.

Vampire Bat: I do take external book club cards.

Vampire Owl: You can read all the best horror books in the castle.

Vampire Bat: I would read these books like a non-vampire would do.

Vampire Owl: So, it is a fine method to be scared of vampires too.

Vampire Bat: I do not see why we should not be scared of ourselves.

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

What is the movie about? :: Angela (Veki Velilla) is a college student who wishes to be a critically acclaimed and popular writer, now trying to write her second work. Her professor Antonio Cruzado (Daniel Grao) who used to help her with writing seems to have an infatuation with her, and makes advances to her. As Angela’s friends come to know about it, they suggest that they get back to him, and for the same, they choose a killer clown prank which would leave him scared enough for the rest of his life. The group which includes Sebas (Alvaro Mel), Nando (Ivan Pellicer), Sara (Ane Rot), Rai (Carlos Alcaide), Virginia (Priscilla Delgado), Eva (Maria Cerezuela) and Koldo (Hamza Zaidi), plans the whole thing perfectly after sending a fake e-mail to Antonio. But the prank goes terribly wrong, as they end up causing him to fall down from the top of the building and get impaled on the spear held by a statue of Don Quixote below, leading to his instant death.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Even though their instant reaction is to blame Angela for what has happened, they decide to keep all of these a secret and make a promise that they would never talk about this to anybody. The very next day, as everyone comes to know about his death, the popular opinion is that he committed suicide as his wife had left him, and the police also goes with the same conclusion, leading them to believe that things will get back to normal. But soon, they find out that a masked killer clown is stalking them, and wishes to take them down one after the other as the person wears the same mask as they were wearing. After murdering each person, the clown would write a chapter about the brutal death and post it online, and the readers also have a chance to vote on who will be murdered next. The readers do not have any idea what this is really about, as the original names are provided. The group decides to stop this madness from continuing, but has no idea about whom to suspect. Is this a silent stalker or someone among them?

The defence of Killer Book Club :: Slasher horror movies are welcome to bring new serial killers into a world of chaos in which humans have never hesitated to kill one another. There have been more classic slashers being produced in almost every language these days, even though Hollywood have come up with less interesting ones in the last few years. This one is based on a book, which means that it has promises to keep for the readers. The visuals are really good, and the setting feels like the right one, including the dark corners inciting horror and the architectural beauty that stays alive. The statue of Don Quixote comes as a fine reminder for the connection between the movie and literature, as the horror itself comes from writings here, and the publication of books and online content remains a priority throughout the film’s run-time. This also remains a short movie, as the run-time works to its advantage. The final twist over the twist remains interesting, and the power of mystery has run through this quite well without giving away the chance at predictability.

The claws of flaw :: Killer Book Club might feel like too similar with many other titles, and following the formula, but not well enough to elevate the same. There are enough murders happening here, but none of them creates a terrifying or divergent impact which could have made the environment better. The scares are not that much present as we would have wanted. A killer in a clown mask can achieve wonders – you know what the clowns do, whether in It and its sequel or in Terrifier; the horror in such cases is of a different level, with blood and gore assured. But this one seems to take the safer route, and the need to take the less travelled path among the diverging roads is not taken into consideration here. You are left with the feeling that there could be more, from the early stages itself. You keep looking for more, but that extra ingredient never really arrives. With the scope for a sequel still there, we can hope that this will arrive later.

The performers of the soul :: Veki Velilla leads the proceedings in the movie, and makes the scream queen who is intended to survive till the end, but has the realization that this has been caused due to her for some other reason, which makes the character more determined. She blends into this situation really well, from the author who has a certain amount of writing block to the girl who wishes to survive in a world of chaos created by an unknown killer. Priscilla Delgado remains a notable presence here too, and contributes to the whole thing even when least expected. Ane Rot and Maria Cerezuela also add to the interesting scream queen list here, and one would love to see them in more of similar flicks. Alvaro Mel and Ivan Pellicer become the main male performers here, and they remain important from the beginning to the end. Daniel Grao, even though present for only a few minutes, also leaves an impact. Carlos Alcaide and Hamza Zaidi also comes in as required. For most of us audience, these new names will be staying.

How it finishes :: Killer Book Club seems to be derived from other slasher horror movies that we have known for a long time, with Scream and The Cabin in the Woods being a few of them. The non-English movies were not far away from such inspiration either, as Poland’s Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight and A Classic Horror Story in Italian along with the Indonesian Ivanna are some of the examples. Here, in Spanish, we have a similar work of slasher horror. The group of friends from a college being murdered one after the other, especially after doing something they were not supposed to do, comes as nothing new. But this one also maintains the entertaining and thrilling side well enough with the final twists to keep things interesting. You are always looking for more addition to slasher horror, as they have not been that easy to create effectively during this time period. Based on the Spanish novel El Club de Los Lectores Criminales by Carlos García Miranda, the films becomes another interesting adaptation which brings us back to watching Spanish movies again on Netflix.

Release date: 25th August 2023 (Netflix)
Running time: 90 minutes
Directed by: Carlos Alonso
Starring: Veki Velilla, Alvaro Mel, Ivan Pellicer, Hamza Zaidi, Ane Rot, Priscilla Delgado, María Cerezuela, Carlos Alcaide

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Abraham Ozler

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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)

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.