Amavas

Amavas is an awkward, primitive and farcical genre mashup of horror/mystery/musical that misses the mark on all three, ending up more of a comedy. My expectations were low after last year's Bhaagamathie but happily this was a slight improvement. The horror element consisted of repetitive inconsequential loud jump scares. Its spooky atmosphere kind of worked but was ruined by the actors' inability to convey genuine fear. Acting was mostly sub-par especially from the deadpan male lead and annoying comedic butler. Songs seemed out of place and unnecessary like a bad musical. The story was laughably contrived with twists that felt like total afterthoughts. In the second act there is a prolonged flashback sequence of drama and romance that felt like a cheap soap opera. On the plus side the two leading ladies were drop-dead gorgeous, some of the jump scares worked and the catchy club dance number in the middle had me tapping my toes. 3/10.