Interesting ideas elevate this conventional horror comedy- Cinema express

What is with horror movies and huge mansions, you may ask. These mammoth structures have more than 20 rooms with little to no takers. The owners are deep-pocketed and come with bags of money that nobody could imagine and their pasts are shrouded in history that no one has ever deciphered. Within these walls lies an unsettling room that everyone is afraid to step into, random rocking chairs that churn the blood inside the protagonists, falling and flying objects, ominous noises… you get it. There is a sense of familiarity we have developed with these tropes by now. Conjuring Kannappan, headlined by Sathish, embodies these classic elements and introduces even more, evoking vivid dreams mostly in purple patches while some fade into obscurity upon waking.

Director: Selvin Raj Xavier

Cast: Sathish, Nassar, Regina Cassandra, Saranya Ponvannan, Anandraj, Redin Kingsley, Namo Narayana, Elli Avrram

Conjuring Kannappan starts with Kannappan (Sathish) getting stuck in a dream world with ghosts after accidently disturbing an ancient and cursed dreamcatcher. While decoding the reason behind this, he inadvertently entangles his family inside the whole mess. Devil Armstrong (Anandraj) who is after Kannappan for money, and Kannappan’s psychiatrist Dr Johnny (Redin Kingsley) also fall into the trap. The rest of the film delves into how the family escapes from this haunted mansion alive and awake from this ghastly nightmare.

There is evidently a strong conviction from director Selvin Raj Xavier to present something novel with a horror comedy and the vision persists throughout the runtime. While the premise may be all too familiar, it is the performances of VTV Ganesh, Anandaraj and Saranya Ponvannan that keep the audience hooked on. Kannappan doesn’t take much effort in convincing his family of the horror that is about to befall them, but allows them to confront it firsthand. That is where the fun starts. There are these moments that are truly chuckle-worthy. Take for instance, the scene where the family tries innovative methods to not fall asleep. Ironically, they watch Conjuring, play antakshari, video games and even attend a funeral to wail the entire night. There is a subtle dig at the famous Tamil horror comedy franchises: Aranmanai and Kanchana. While the story manages to grasp effective moments of fear, it falls short in exploring dreams as an intricate narrative, something that A Nightmare on Elm Street successfully did.          

If previous horror comedies attempted at using religious methods as a way to vanquish the devil, Conjuring Kannappan takes the Ed and Lorraine Warren route to assess the voodoo at hand. When Nassar steps in as ‘Exorcist’ Ezhumalai to unravel the mystery with the help of Dark Daves (Regina Cassandra), he gets into an over-explanatory tone, potentially underestimating the discerning nature of the audience. And this happens more than once.

At a time when the Tamil film industry has received flak for its portrayal of mental illnesses and therapists on screen, Dr Johnny’s ability to write tablets for depression and hallucinations at a snap of a finger is questionable and borderline unethical.

Despite all its strengths, Conjuring Kannappan unfortunately falls into the same template that it strived to let go off. If Sathish and his family were cursed by the evil dream catcher, the film falls into the curse of the second half. As the film ends on a high towards the intermission, the second half drops low where there is tremendous potential to be untapped. The film is reminiscent of several classic and memorable horror outings including Demonte Colony, Aval and Exorcist. They have even retained the iconic tune from Conjuring 2.

When the most non-horrific elements in a film emerges as its scariest part, there lies the true strength of the genre. Not every horror story requires redemption or a message. While Conjuring Kannappan steers clear of some cliches and holds its anchor firmly on its premise, it needs to wake up from the dream and get a better grasp of its writing.