Mammootty’s miraculous run continues with the bleakest Indian horror film in years, a take-no-prisoners tirade against humanity

Scene After Credits: Women are essentially wiped out of the universe, and men are destined to wage never-ending battles with one another. Evil doesn't go away. This is how Mammootty's Bramayugam ends—hopelessly. Director Rahul Sadasivan's Bramayugam is a cunningly deceitful picture that seeks to undermine every issue it covers, including gender, caste, and horror movie clichés. It's possibly the most nihilistic mainstream Indian film in recent memory. Even Sandeep Reddy Vanga, who frequently aspires to be the most uncomfortable person in the room, would recoil at the idea of portraying a world this dismal; nonetheless, it should be noted that at least one Bramayugam subplot is strikingly similar to Animal's main revenge narrative. Surprisingly, the remainder of it reworks the standard issue uprising pattern, which is so prevalent in South Indian films, into something that A24 would gladly buy and promote to the letter. Mammootty, the legendary star of Malayalam film who is currently inhabiting a realm solely occupied by Denzel Washington, plays a man who seems to be rotting in real time in Brayamayugam.

This man, Kodumon Potti, was first shown to us as an upper-caste landowner in Kerala in the 17th century, but it was later discovered that he was actually a shape-shifting "goblin" in human form.In the midst of a forest, Kodumon lives alone in a dilapidated mansion, but he is assisted by a servant that resembles Igor. This man exhales spittle and sarcasm in equal measure. His duties include cooking for his "master" and disposing of dead bodies on his behalf. One day, a strange stranger by the name of Thevan appears at their door, trying to flee the slave dealers he has just fled from and in need of food. Thevan is shocked by Kodumon's kindness, which he takes to be sincere but which we, the audience, see right away as staged. In spite of having informed Kodumon that he is a member of a lower caste, he is given the opportunity to dine and stay. A sense of impending catastrophe grows. Kodumon, with an evil smile and a spooky laugh, asserts that a person's social status can be altered by their "karma" rather than being only determined by their place of birth. He claims that all he needs in return for Thevan's hospitality is for Thevan to act as his personal iPod and perform tunes for him whenever he asks. To him, it seems like a terrific deal. However, he finds out very quickly that the mansion is full of secrets, the most terrifying of which may be related to the noises coming from the attic, such as clamoring and clanging.