Demonte Colony (Tamil, 2015)

Low budget horror films which resist the temptation into adding an overdose of comedy are pretty rare. ‘Demonte Colony’ is certainly one among them as the film is more of a Horror-Thriller with some ingenious set-pieces (the TV idea, part of the room being frozen, etc) & smart technical support proving to be a solid backbone. The dialogues are always minimal & never suggestive. The acting is also understated & never over-the-top.

The casting is impressive as the four friends fit into their diverse characters perfectly. Arulnithi as the affluent yet measured Srinivasan, RJ Ramesh as the sparkling photographer-designer Vimal, Sananth as the curious director aspirant Raghavan, and the mellow electrician Sajith all have done a fabulous job.

Arulnithi as the most level-headed of the 4 friends is a pretty good fit. While there are still some rough edges to his acting, his script selection is certainly something to be raved about. He has followed up the fantastic Mounaguru with Thagaraaru, then Oru Kanniyum Moonu Kalavaanikalum, and then Demonte Colony each wildly different from the previous.

RJ Ramesh is brilliant as the live-wire Vimal. Just like in Soodhu Kavvum his dialogue delivery & modulation elevates him easily over his peers. Sananth Reddy is again a wonderful find & he impresses in portraying a gamut of emotions over the course of the film. The mellow character named Sajith has minimal screen space but still has the perfect screen presence needed for the role. MS Bhaskar again impresses in a small yet pivotal role like in Arima Nambi.

For a horror film to be successful, the technical department needs to be innovative, breaking clichés that are associated with the genre. In that sense, the background score by Music from Keba Jeremiah, sound design by Arun Seenu & Udhaya Kumar, editing by Bhuvan & the cinematography Aravinnd have combined effectively keeping the audience guessing throughout. It is commendable that the camera angles, cuts & sounds associated with the horror genre have been avoided as much as possible.

The flashback portions in the period setting are a treat to watch. They are never cheesy & work well in adding to the mystery of the mansion. Also, the fact that the team have been able to make the film without a heroine (only female is Idharkuthane Aasaipattai balakumara’s Madhumitha in a stereotype breaking blink-and-you-miss role) & without the so-called ‘commercial’ ingredients in these days of double-entendre ridden comedy tracks & atrocious item songs, is heart-warming to say the least.

For a horror film to be talked about in the range of say, Yavaraum Nalam, Eeram & Pizza, while logic misses can be compromised, all loops need to be closed. In that sense the reason for the pregnancy of Demonte’s wife, the power of the Jewel could have been elaborated more. The film is also guilty of losing steam towards the end leaving the audience high & dry.