Bhoothakaalam... an atmospheric psychological horror drama that plays mind games on both the characters and viewers

Bhoothakaalam comes off as an unusual entry in the Indian horror genre where it relies on the characters' problems superseded by some supernatural occurrences. Or is it? This movie lets the audiences involve themselves in the characters' shoes and see how the events surrounding them feel like some sort of psychological gaslighting. It's a clever slow-burn of a thriller with hypnotically haunting performances from our leads. Now available on Sony Liv, Malayalam cinema has thrived under this platform, and Bhoothakaalam sure does fit into the pantheon of great movies alongside Kaanekkaane, Churuli, Thinkalazhcha Nishchayam, and Madhuram.

The plot revolves around an estranged mother-son relationship where both have their own personal issues to deal with, and eventually, they're at loggerheads with each other. The mother, Asha (played by a terrific Revathi) has just lost her ailing mother and is undergoing treatment for her depression. Her son, on the other hand, Vinu (played equally brilliant by Shane Nigam) is facing the overbearing stress of job hunting, a crippling addiction that ruined his career prospects and mental health, and on top of that, a mother who doesn't want him to leave her alone. Both of them are miserable in their own way, and the movie highlights their misery so well, it almost feels like a strong critique of society's apathy towards mental health. Now you might ask where does the horror aspect of this movie coming from... well as the movie uses the past (the meaning of the movie's title) as a source of belittling someone down, they find themselves questioning their sanity, or in this case Vinu's. The constant stress faced by Vinu, and his mother's depression begins to play at his own mental health as he begins to witness weird unnatural occurrences happening around the house.

The movie uses the brooding atmosphere within the house which is complemented by the tension generated between the lead characters, and this gives us the viewers to involve ourselves with Vinu whether it's all happening in his mind or whether there are some things sinister around the house. Are these spirits feeding on negative energy? Are they the previous tenants of the house? Or is it all just a diversion from Vinu who himself has been dealing with a difficult life ahead and he's just lashing out at the only other person in the house, his mother? The movie's central scares remind me strongly of Jennifer Kent's debut The Babadook, where the premise is similar to this movie, but unlike that movie where the ghost is based on lore, Bhoothakaalam goes for a loose history whether the house they inhabited happens to witness several deaths and suicide attempts. The characters are unaware of it, but sure enough, they feel an omnipotent presence imposing on their lives, waiting for their next violent outburst.

As mentioned before, the scares here are superbly crafted, they come off as a bit of a rarity these days especially in the Indian horror genre. It cleverly utilizes the haunted house genre and mixes well with the mental anguish faced by the characters. Like Robert Wise's The Haunting, the ghosts do not reveal themselves but they lurk around and torment our lead characters. This also leads to their lives outside the house crumbling. Asha, a kindergarten teacher faces a suspension due to an accident, Vinu's alcohol consumption becomes even more self-destructive than ever before, but while Asha is not aware of such occurrences, she nonetheless feels burdened with her hapless son as she bears responsibility.

Rahul Sadashivan, who directed the movie, uses this to his advantage and creates an overbearing sense of anxiety even through the conversations between the leads. This while adding jump scares on top makes it an uneasy watch. Veteran actress Revathi, who mostly happened to be saddled with underwhelming projects last decade, finally gets a role that matches her credibility as an actress. Shane Nigam makes his comeback after 2 years since the controversy regarding his ban from the Kerala Film Producers Association has been lifted, and boy what a comeback this is. It also deserves a shoutout for the cinematography, editing, BGM by Gopi Sundar, and of course the screenplay written by the director himself. Let this be a sign for other filmmakers that horror, as far as Indian audiences are concerned, is not dead... yet.