Vadakkan

I had heard some positive buzz about this movie when it first came out and I finally got around to watching it on Prime. I honestly regret it. It is a horrible movie.

The first half tries to pass itself off as a scientific exploration of paranormal activity using the overdone "found footage" technique borrowed from Hollywood horror. But this part feels rushed and poorly executed.

Then comes the second half filled with clichés. Instead of the usual Christian symbolism found in many horror films this one attempts to use local folklore and Theyyam. Now this could have been refreshing if it were done well. But the so-called supernatural entity here does not follow any coherent logic. It is not a wronged soul or a ghost with purpose. It just does random disconnected things. They mention "lust" and "revenge" as motives but the connection is weak at best. The "lust" angle feels completely forced like the filmmakers were trying to be provocative for the sake of controversy.

Add to that the use of obscene and vulgar scenes random English and Malayalam swear words and supposedly "possessed" characters spewing sexual phrases in printed Malayalam. It all just feels immature and unnecessary. Instead of being scary or socially thought-provoking it ends up being unintentionally funny. We were laughing through most of it not because it was funny but because of how badly it was done.

They may try to present this film as some kind of societal commentary but do not be fooled. It is not. It is just cheap horror disguised as something smarter than it is.

Frankly Romancham was a far better movie. It was much more culturally rooted genuinely entertaining and respectful to its genre. And it is rated 7.5. Meanwhile this movie is sitting at an 8.3. That is exactly why I am taking the effort to write this review. Just like the film the reviews seem misleading too.

The movie felt like an adaptation of found footage horror into a Kerala setting, involving folk like Theyyam. But still they failed to deliver something original to the table. I expected a more smoother blend, but this was just American wine poured into an Indian bottle - superficially repackaged without tasting either flavour. The premise had a lot of potential and they just ruined it.

The cinematography was pretty good, capturing the eerie beauty of rural Kerala. Kishor's acting too, was decent. I also appreciate the experiment. These are the only positives I felt.

I don't understand how it got such a high rating. Maybe people liked the experimentation angle. But for a dedicated horror fan like me, this was a below par attempt.

Its been a while Ive given a horror movie only 1/10 but this movie made me open up another category on my horror movie list "so bad that i stopped watching" I gave up after 1 hr 20 The story line is pretty boring, acting is meh, the effects are insanely cheap and overall im not much of a Fan of these camera perspectives but thats subjective tbf. I wouldnt recommend to anyone who enjoys horror movies with paranormal activity, I cant believe this movie has such a good review. I was waiting 40 Minutes for something interesting to happen since i found the Story line boring and when it did I was amazed by the quality of effects, Ive rarely ever seen something so cheap.

Boring story. Nothing new.

Could have avoided unwanted vulgarity and bad language.

Should Learn from neat movies like romancham.

Disappointed. Expected better standards from Malayalam movies.

Sound effects were good.

Location was beautiful.

If you update 1 star here, it automatically gets updated as 9 ?

Now I can understand why this movie is having 8 stars from so many😀 Overrated beyond acceptance.

Failed attempt to copy some English movie.

Ending is predictable.

If the story is strong and relatable to common man, people will like it.

This is not a family movie.

This is not worth the time spend.

Something New for Malayalam Cinema, Hope more writes and directors take steps like this and risk it, and seems like this movie did not do that well for the larger audience. But as a enthusiasts , pretty good. Hope this does not discourage, writes and producers, with a better edit and direction, this would have been a lot better, but as I said great material and worthy to have a movies made in this style.

The ending and the overall theyyan culture were not explored as much as the heart desired but nonetheless not a bad BAD attempt. Has a great potential, really hopeful lot more writers attempt this. Need to visit some ancient culture of the Land Kerala, deep in history and culture, hope these get passed on rather than die.

KUDOS Malayalam Cinema, keep it coming.