zomberi

Found-footage or POV movies may have been a rage several years ago in the West but it is still a new concept in India. Even slasher movies are unknown in India. Ouija boards are a novelty even in the West so the director had an uphill task using it in this movie. This movie offers nothing new that Western audiences have not seen. For its intended audience in India, it can be fun though. Older viewers who are used to formulaic masala movies may be shocked (no songs!) but younger audiences who are used to Youtube and social media will take to this movie like duck to water.

Things I did not like: Foul language used by almost everyone, even by the non-Tamil guy. No date/timestamps on the videos.

Things that could have been better: All characters seem to be voiced by easily recognizable dubbing artists used by the advertising industry; No explanation of the science behind how the slider moves on an Ouija board or the popular belief that it is driven by spirits.

I liked: The humour.

When a movie bombs in its initial run, Troma picks it up for a song and tries to re-release it. Thus, Troma has had nothing to do with the production of many Troma movies. There are many gems in their collection so one should not use a broad brush to blame them for not meeting your expectation. As a standalone, for a movie from 1984, this movie is all right if not great. There is considerable tension that is built up and the ending is totally unexpected. The girls is passable. For girls of their age, it is not amateurish. The props and special effects are of course low-budget but the movie is set in a magnificent mansion (writer or director's place I think) with lots of exotic art and craft work. It held my attention.

The lead girl can sense when someone is going to die violently. The mental images torment her. To add to this problem, her professor take her and several of her friends to a haunted village that had been abandoned several years ago. The men started dying in droves and the belief is that the village had been cursed.

After return from the class trip, the students start dying one by one. Some die in front of the lead girl. She tells them to be careful but they do not listen. The police find that each one of them had come into a lot of cash - ¥10 million. The girl tells other survivors not to use the money but they do and die. The last remaining visitors to the village including this girl seem not so stupid as to take the money but they do. There are multiple plot twists in the end but you will never guess it. A good entertainer throughout.