Vichitram review: A well-made horror film with a compelling plot and standout performances

Jasmine and her five grownup sons shift their stay to her brother’s house. People in the surrounding area are not pleased with their transfer. They say that the house is haunted after the death of her brother and his daughter. What is waiting for Jasmine and her sons is the plot of Vichitram.

While the first half of the movie is all about the problems between the mother and her children, things gradually change in the second half.

The mother and their kids are troubled by several personal problems which we are shown before entering the major part. Similar to Boothakalam, the realistic and human portions work well in this horror flick, which makes the horror part hit hard.

Vichitram starts like a simple family drama and slowly swifts to the horror genre. It moves unhurriedly and shocks the viewer at regular intervals.

The plot is the same as the name Vichitram, which means ‘strange’. Strange developments drive the flick forward.

Amazing performances

It is technically quite good. Be it Arjun Balakrishnan’s visuals, Vishnu Govind’s sound design or Jubair Muhammed’s background score, they are all perfect for such a blended genre.

Jolly Chirayath as the mother is the best performer of all. Kani Kusruti as the daughter (Martha) is wonderful. They were terrific. Jackson, the oldest son, is brilliantly portrayed by Shine Tom Chacko. His is in top form.

Director Achu Vijayan did a fabulous job constructing the imagery of the film. He seamlessly blended thriller, drama and horror.

The actors showcase a range of emotions portrayed like fear, grief, joy, perplexity, and humour; and each of the emotions is a complement to the others.

Questions our preconceived notions

We saw two classic blends in Malayalam recently – Boothakalam and Rorschach. And Vichitram is certainly on par with them.

Even while the plot is compelling on its own, the writer and the director make it stand out by questioning our preconceived notions. This is not the greatest but a wonderful debut by Achu Vijayan.

The plot is quite entertaining, though, at times, you may wonder where it is going.

On the downside, Vichitram is sometimes predictable. There are a few suspenseful and eerie moments in this movie, but there could have been more of them.

It has a few cliched stuff like that we see in usual ghost movies. But what works here is that it blends another genre and is also well-made.

The purpose of this movie is more than just trying to scare the audience. That makes it worth your time. Overall, it is a unique idea with standout performances. Vichitram is one of the better films released this year!