Cold Case

Cold Case treads the thin line between supernatural horror and crime-mystery genres. It is told through two perspectives: the investigative bits via ACP Sathyajith (a suave-but-deadpan Prithviraj Sukumaran) and the paranormal bits via journalist Medha (a sleepwalking Aditi Balan). Cold Case isn't a character-driven film - both Sathyajith and Medha are mere plot-forwarding devices with no real arcs to themselves (wait, Medha's kinda got one that isn't fully explored?). The horror elements of Cold Case backfire big time, right from the props (a funny-looking refrigerator with a bluish backlight) to the generically staged jumpscares. The procedural scenes lack punch while the dialogues come across as highly superficial. The final twist, while not entirely predictable, feels half-baked with lots of missing links (and an awful score - what's with the abrupt intro of rock?). Several characters, scenes, and situations are left underwritten. On the plus side, there's solid cinematography work by Gireesh Gangadharan.

P. S - Can we get rid of kids, dolls, and flickering lights in films that portray the supernatural?