So this movie wasn’t one I intended to watch. I didn’t even know it was being shown at the cinema until a friend told me it looked good and sent me the link to the Cineworld page, so….
While there was a lot about this movie that was very similar to other horror movies, I did think this movie handled the horror aspects really well. It was more focused on the experiences of one character and how everything affected her, which allowed me, as a viewer, to connect to Samidha on a more emotional level. I have to be honest, I really didn’t like her at all at first. I felt bad for Tamira, even just seeing her through Sam’s eyes, and then worse for her when Sam broke the jar, despite Tamira basically begging her for help.
I can’t really say how accurate the movie is in terms of the Hindu religion, but I did feel that the horror itself came across really well. This movie did a fairly good job with the less is more approach, especially as the demon could only be fully seen when the lights were out. I thought that was shown to particularly good effect when the demon was hunting in the school. The motion sensor lights switching on, showing that something was approaching without being able to see it, was a particularly effective creepy aspect to the movie.
One thing that I felt worked really well was Sam’s relationship with her parents. She was clearly being pulled in two different directions, with her mother wanting her to be more traditional and Sam wanting to live her own life and not be held back by taking part in traditions. It was a really interesting contrast in the character.
There was gore and violence in this movie and also some bad choices made by the main character. However, it was nice to see that Sam’s mother believed and actually acted to help her, despite the conflicts that existed between them throughout the movie.
I also thought there were some really good moments of foreshadowing through this movie. I was a bit confused by the scenes showing Tamira in a small dark place, at least at first. I’d initially believed she was killed. Then I thought she was stuck in a jar like the demon had been. Once I realised that wasn’t the case, it was odd that Sam didn’t figure out where Tamira was until the end of the movie. Then again, she was dealing with a lot of trauma and fear, so perhaps it was understandable.
I did enjoy this movie, even though I’m not sure I’d get anything from watching it a second time. I would recommend watching it if you’re on the fence about it. There were some nice moments of Hindu culture and traditions that I would have liked to see a bit more of. I also think it would be interesting to see a sequel to this movie, but perhaps not one that’s horror-themed, as I think there are other genres that could be explored with these same characters.
Ink of Blood 