Bhoothakaalam

Bhoothakaalam is not just a normal horror film, it's about a relationship between a mother and her son. As the house of our protagonist had been shown many times you'll relate to their situation. Most of the horror elements are there in the climax and that will definitely scare you. Background sound is very important in any horror film and it was very good here.

Revathi is a great actor and no doubt she had done her job perfectly. But, l loved Shane Nigam more in this film, he was amazing. Lastly, there are certain questions I didn't get answers, that's the reason I liked the film more. So, if you're a horror/psychological genre lover you should definitely watch this.

Available on Sony LIV.

© MandalBros.

The movie is made very clean. It has a lot of scary elements. For a Malayalam film this movie has done well to the standard of an international horror film. There are movies that promise you horror but this movie delivers it very well. There might be areas that could have been better, aome would say. But technically for the malayali audience this horror thriller is better than all horror films that came before it.

The sheer talent in the Shane Nigam, the much-maligned bad boy of Malayalam cinema has never been in doubt ever since he captivated us in Parava (2017), Kumbalangi Nights (2019) and Ishq (2019). He ventures into new territory with Bhoothakaalam donning the producer's cap along with the lead role in a film that beautifully merges the psychological with the supernatural, to devastating effect.

Shane stars as a quintessential just-out-of-college youngster, struggling to find work in his hometown so that he can take care of his clinically depressed mother. It is hilarious that he chose to embrace rather than shun the image the media has painted of him to enhance his character arc here, with alcoholism and addiction to cigarettes and drugs depicted convincingly to give us more insight into the character's mental and physical breakdown.

The first half of the movie is definitely a drag, but one gets the feeling that it was by design by director Rahul Sadasivan, to let the audience feel how mundane, depressing and repetitive the lives of this consistently down-on-their-luck family has become. It is into these psychological scars and mental anguish that the director then deftly throws in a supernatural element, to catch the characters and more importantly, us, the audience completely off-guard.

I personally loved the use of minimalistic sound design and lighting, especially shadows to generate genuine scares and spine-tingling suspense. Revathi delivers an absolute tour-de-force performance as the protective but often overbearing mother, who struggles to let her son spread his wings and become independent. Shane Nigam plays an able foil to the veteran actress, with his mannerisms and demeanour deftly changing to suit the diverse circumstances his character goes through.

Bhoothakaalam is a cerebral amalgamation of the horror and psychological thriller genres and despite pacing issues, is rendered an absolute must-watch due to the performances of its two leads and an absolutely chilling final act that will leave you stunned.

Highly recommended!

Bhoothakaalam presents itself as a mental health drama, but it scores immensely when it becomes a full-on horror movie. Some obvious inspiration (from films like Hereditary and It Follows) aside, Rahul Sadasivan's debut film is thoroughly engaging. On the one hand, it presents the troubled lives of mother and son - played by Revathy and Shane Nigam - as the mental health of the duo begins taking a nosedive. Vinu is unsuccessful at finding work, gets drunk too often, and according to an acquaintance, a "weakling." His mom Asha has clinical depression breaks down more often than not, crying buckets every night.

But the worries of these characters do not end there. Very soon, it becomes apparent that the episodes they're facing aren't just hallucinatory. That's when the film transitions from psychological drama to terrifyingly atmospheric horror. The "house" where much of the film takes place is a great choice. It does hold a sense of mandatory eeriness.

Another thing that works for the film is the casting. Both the leads are sensational - of course, Shane Nigam adds yet another "devastated youngster" character to his filmography, which he handles well while Revathy gets an equally meaty presence. Some of the scares in the latter half are well-staged, even when they present themselves as "jumpscares with a suspenseful score."

One of the bummers arrives in the form of a misplaced song featuring generic romantic couple shots. It's a lovely song (composed by Nigam himself), but it doesn't need to be in Bhoothakaalam. Also, the tonal shift isn't the smoothest. In fact, it's the leads' efforts that make the whole ordeal feel less abrupt. I'd have liked a little less background score in the climactic finale, as the director was already able to hold my interest visually.

Why do we watch horror movies.. obviously to get scared and this movie does the job..some people didn't like the movie bcoz the ghost didn't have any overdramatic flashback which the hero on hearing feels bad for the ghost and avenge for the ghost..typical clishe ..thats what people still want..white saree ghosts are not gonna work these days..i liked the movie bcoz its made as realistic as possible..yeah i don't believe in ghosts but when u watch a horror movie you should believe..if something similar happens to us ,this would be whats gonna happen..so the climax feels apt for the movie..