Kolaiyuthir Kaalam – Netflix Review (1/5)

KOLAIYUTHIR KAALAM is a new thriller on Netflix. It’s from India and seems to be a Tamil-language remake of Mike Flanagan’s Hush. Unfortunately, it feels more like a spoof and was not a commercial success. We can see why. Read our full Kolaiyuthir Kaalam review here!

Kolaiyuthir Kaalam is a new horror-thriller on Netflix. In many ways, this seems to be a Tamil-language remake of Mike Flanagan’s awesome movie Hush. That was a movie we loved, so we can understand why someone would want to make a remake for their national audience.

You might like: Our review of the Netflix movie Hush here >

Unfortunately, this Indian movie doesn’t fare well by comparison… or in general, really.

Apparently, it wasn’t a huge success when it was released in India back in August of 2019 either. When you watch it, you’ll probably understand why. We have seen several excellent Indian movies on Netflix, and this is nowhere near their level!

For the record, the title translates to something along the lines of “Season of murders”. Continue reading our Kolaiyuthir Kaalam review below.

Kolaiyuthir Kaalam is mostly in English

If you’ve watched Hush, then you’ll know there isn’t too much dialogue. However, there is some internal monologue from our lead character. With Kolaiyuthir Kaalam, the production may be Indian, but the story plays out in England. That means a lot of the actual spoken dialogue from other characters is in English.

Basically, don’t let any language barrier keep you from watching this new movie on Netflix. There are plenty of other reasons why you shouldn’t since it really isn’t very good, but that’s another thing.

Also, I think many of you will be intrigued by the fact that this movie is essentially based on the concept and plot from Hush.

I know I certainly was!

However, and this is a big however, a lot of this movie does not compare to the plot of Hush at all. In fact, we have to wait a while, due to a rather extensive backstory, before we get to the “scary” elements. And no, it really isn’t scary at all. Instead, it’s rather comical and the death scenes (yes, there are several) seem comical and results in more of a spoof-vibe!

Check out these Netflix titles from India (instead)

As stated earlier, there are plenty of good productions from India on Netflix, so you really should check those out instead. Or, if you actually enjoyed Kolaiyuthir Kaalam, then please know that there are even better productions to check out.

I especially want to highlight the mini-series Ghoul if you enjoy horror stories. It’s a 3-episode mini-series that you can simply watch as a long movie. Read our review of the Netflix series Ghoul here >

Also, the horror anthology Ghost Stories does have some good segments. It also has a few that a subpar, but it’s still worth checking out for those good stories.

If you’re more into thriller and crime plots, then do check out the Netflix movie Article 15. You can read our review of Article 15 here >

You can watch Kolaiyuthir Kaalam on Netflix now!

Kolaiyuthir Kaalam was directed by Chakri Toleti who has made a handful of movies prior to this one. Also, Chakri Toleti has a writing credit on IMDB for “Story” which seems a bit off. There is (as of writing this review) no mention of Mike Flanagan or Hush on IMDb, but on the Wikipedia page for Kolaiyuthir Kaalam, it is listed as “based on” Hush.

The writers of the screenplay are Adam Hiebeler and Carl Lauricella while Sara Bodinar has an “additional screenplay” credit. Yeah, I don’t know what that means either. Maybe she was tasked with trying to improve on something since this is the first writing credit for Adam Hiebeler and Carl Lauricella while Sara Bodinar actually has some writing experience.

This movie really isn’t good in any way. Even the actors seem to be struggling with this movie, which comes across as a Bollywood horror-spoof or horror-comedy. And I do not think this was in any way the intention. Watch it for a good laugh, but be ready for some lengthy (and rather boring) sequences before you get to the “good” stuff.

Kolaiyuthir Kaalam is out on Netflix in most countries from April 24, 2020.

Details

Director: Chakri Toleti
Writers: Sara Bodinar, Adam Hiebeler, Carl Lauricella, Chakri Toleti
Stars: Nayanthara, Bhoomika Chawla, Rohini Hattangadi, Julian Freund