Indian horror films have long followed a tradition that, although essential in entertaining the audience, fails to provide them with jump scares. Masking the horror with humor caused these films to lose their originality, and some examples are Bhul Bhulaiya, Bhoot Police, and Roohi. Sure, some Indian horror films focus solely on scary elements and deliver the desired content to fans. However, as we become acclimated to modern horror comedies, most of them are being forgotten.
Masooda, a Tollywood horror film, proved that the Indian film industry can still produce spine-chilling horror films with a nail-biting theatrical experience packed with suspense, gore, and dread.
The film was released in Telugu states on November 18, 2022, and is now slated for distribution in other Indian states. Regardless, the film was well received by audiences, and most of them departed the theaters with a look of thrill and gore on their faces. So, what distinguishes this Indian horror thriller, directed by Sai Kiran, from the others?
A Well-Thought-Out Story with a Great Beginning
Masooda gets off to a strong start with the opening scene, which introduces several major characters and offers us a glimpse of the terrifying witch we'll face later in the story. Although the opening scene was brief, it maintained the thrill and suspense as the main focus and established a solid foothold in the narrative. Later in the story, the film introduces the protagonist and delves a little further into his personal life, but the suspense lingers, causing it to appear loaded with mystery.
The story deviates from the core premise for some time, and it takes a while to make everything perfect sense, but all horror stories require some time before the horror elements resurface. The film's intermission twist is where things begin to move as we learn more about Masooda's backstory and discover how effectively her character is written. Although the film could have utilized some improvised direction in the first half, it made it appear to be a one-of-a-kind horror film that hasn't been seen in a long time.
Masooda's Backstory Is Devoid of Sympathy
It should come as no surprise that Indian horror films usually find a way to make the ghost a victim of the story, and this has been the case for a long time. However, the film shies away from typical horror fare by portraying Masooda as an inhuman witch who murders her victims out of habit to summon dark energy into her life.
She shows no remorse for her atrocities, and even after dropping a village full of dead bodies in her wake, she continues to find new victims. It is what adds terror to the premise, and the film stays true to the tone throughout, making it an exceptional horror movie on par with The Conjuring franchise.
Tone Shifts from Supernatural Horror to Slasher
The final 30 minutes of the film are genuinely brutal, evoking slasher film vibes, and it maintains the tension throughout as possessed Masooda hacks away at her unlucky victims. While the film kept a suspenseful tone from the beginning, it didn't present any supernatural drama until the flashbacks involving the human Masooda.
As a result, the unexpected turn of events baffles everyone in the theaters, making it a remarkable experience for horror fans. While it may be an exaggeration to state that the film is worth your time based on the closing 30 minutes, it wasn't wholly slow-paced, as some Reddit reviews may have suggested. Regardless, Masooda strayed from usual Indian horror films in terms of quality during the conclusion, and pushing into the slasher tone was perhaps the best approach the production team could have come up with.
Masooda did have certain flaws, such as somewhat predictable writing and a couple of draggy moments that killed the suspense. It did, however, provide certain advantages. The filmmakers caught the eerie atmosphere in crucial moments with excellent production value, sound design, and camera work. Also, in most horror films, characters make stupid decisions that lead to their demise, but Masooda is an exception. Except for a few scenes in the climax, all the characters have made sensible choices that reflect how humans would respond in similar situations.
The script added a great deal of value to the film by being emotional yet realistic, although a bit lacking in dialogue writing. As previously stated, certain events are foreseeable. Still, due to the realistic setting, we are easily dragged into the drama, and before we know it, we realize this type of tragedy can happen in real life.
In every instance of the film, we find many things that set Masooda apart from typical Indian horror films. By staying true to its genre, the movie provides both highly compelling and incredibly violent content, making it an ideal horror film to watch in theaters.