I have stated earlier in my 25th review that RGV was a trendsetter of the our previous generation but lost his touch lately. So, when I asked my mother to recommend a classic telugu horror film, she recommended me 'Deyyam', a horror movie which actually scared the hell out of my mother's generation directed by RGV himself. I had a watch of it on Youtube. Just to mention, that I've watched countless number of horror films before in many languages. So, it would be quite difficult to scare me. Just to set the bar, a horror film for me should atleast scare me and at most the film should make me shit in my pants with its story alone. How did the film turn out to be then?
Deyyam is a 1996 Telugu horror film starring the usual faces of RGV films JD Chakravarthy and Ram Jagan with Jayasudha, Maheswari and Murali in lead roles. The storyline is a template now for all horror films now. The lead couple Sindhu and Murali shift to a new farmhouse. Ghost haunts them. A sub-plot is added where the cousin of the heroine Mahi and Narsing are in love.
This is the 2nd horror film RGV has directed after his masterpiece 'Raathri'. This screenplay follows a template. It also follows that horror movie logics(and fails). It is not the movie's fault though. It is just that makers have used this formula until it became a rag. The farmhouse, multiple jump-scares, dark tone etc. The buildup to the film is boring. The makers were maybe not interested in this part and so the outcome. But, this film is still good because RGV had the guts to scare the hell out of people. The first thing which strikes me is how he used hands as a tool of horror. Jeez, that is unique. Next thing is the scares themselves. They are meticulously designed. Personally, I was more fascinated than scared with the scary scenes. The climax of the film is spine-chilling. We are in desperate need of such films now as what we get now are manufactured stuff without any effort.
The actors get things to do rather than getting roles. This applies to JD Chakravarthy and Maheswari the most. The boy looks good, speaks improvised Telengana dialogues and loves the heroine. The girl looks good, speaks Bheemavaram dialogues, shouts at ghosts and loves the hero. Murali does not even get those. He looks happy and tensed. That's it. The only exception is Jayasudha. She gets a role to do and she shines. She is scary in her ghost get-up. She is very lovely as the mother and in between as the mental patient, she gives her best. One scene actors in this film like Jeeva, Tanikella Bharani and Chidambaram are natural in their acting.
The technical aspects are mixed for me. Let's begin with the music. The songs are unnecessary but the BGM is scary. The best is the crying score in the opening credits. That is absolute gold. The cinematography is exceptional and follows the path of RGV, the theda way. The camera angles in this film are never straight and always rotating or reversed which works for the film. The editing is sharp at the least and phenomenal at best. Seriously, 1hr 40min length for a 1996 film... That is enough to say how good it is.
Overall, Deyyam is a good horror film which will scare you even now. Although, the screenplay is dated and the first 20 minutes or so is boring, the other part of the movie is bone-chilling. It is a definite recommendation for horror movie lovers. A recommendation for RGV fans. Tune in to prime video and enjoy this treat.
This is the 2nd horror film RGV has directed after his masterpiece 'Raathri'. This screenplay follows a template. It also follows that horror movie logics(and fails). It is not the movie's fault though. It is just that makers have used this formula until it became a rag. The farmhouse, multiple jump-scares, dark tone etc. The buildup to the film is boring. The makers were maybe not interested in this part and so the outcome. But, this film is still good because RGV had the guts to scare the hell out of people. The first thing which strikes me is how he used hands as a tool of horror. Jeez, that is unique. Next thing is the scares themselves. They are meticulously designed. Personally, I was more fascinated than scared with the scary scenes. The climax of the film is spine-chilling. We are in desperate need of such films now as what we get now are manufactured stuff without any effort.
The actors get things to do rather than getting roles. This applies to JD Chakravarthy and Maheswari the most. The boy looks good, speaks improvised Telengana dialogues and loves the heroine. The girl looks good, speaks Bheemavaram dialogues, shouts at ghosts and loves the hero. Murali does not even get those. He looks happy and tensed. That's it. The only exception is Jayasudha. She gets a role to do and she shines. She is scary in her ghost get-up. She is very lovely as the mother and in between as the mental patient, she gives her best. One scene actors in this film like Jeeva, Tanikella Bharani and Chidambaram are natural in their acting.
The technical aspects are mixed for me. Let's begin with the music. The songs are unnecessary but the BGM is scary. The best is the crying score in the opening credits. That is absolute gold. The cinematography is exceptional and follows the path of RGV, the theda way. The camera angles in this film are never straight and always rotating or reversed which works for the film. The editing is sharp at the least and phenomenal at best. Seriously, 1hr 40min length for a 1996 film... That is enough to say how good it is.
Overall, Deyyam is a good horror film which will scare you even now. Although, the screenplay is dated and the first 20 minutes or so is boring, the other part of the movie is bone-chilling. It is a definite recommendation for horror movie lovers. A recommendation for RGV fans. Tune in to prime video and enjoy this treat.
iMDB Rating : 6.4/10
My Rating : 7/10
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