Barun Rai and the House on the Cliff review: Over-dependence on VFX and lack of continuity make drama kinda funny, not scary

The crossover British horror series is not scary. The idea to give a look and feel of a 70s movie is good but over-reliance on special effects can make the series look a little cartoonish and laughable. Directed by Sam Bhattacharjee, the film stars Priyanshu Chatterjee, Nyra Banerjee, Sid Makkar, George Dawson, Tony Richardson

Story:
A paranormal investigator Barun Rai is called for unexplained crimes taking place at Corvid's Head in England by the police officer Jenny. He visits the haunted house, resided by an Indian couple Soumili and Harmesh, near the cliff where all the unexplained suicides have been taking place. There has been no one to witness these suicides except some by a lunatic neighbour Brian who clicks images of the people, about to jump off the cliff.

Review:
Though the series has the usual horror story of a couple moving in a haunted house and the woman getting possessed by an evil spirit, the way it is shot makes for a decent watch. The 2021 series is treated and presented as a film of the 70s and uses the same tone throughout the narrative. The idea to shoot the series with a story set in the 70s is quite impressive and the director Sam Bhattacharjee's experience as a VFX artist, who is known for the films like Shiddat, has come in handy. The series gives the look and feel of a 70s movie, which makes it engaging but makes it looks a little cartoonish with several loose ends.

The opening scene is bizarre and takes a while for you to realise what is exactly happening. It opens with Barun Rai, a paranormal investigator, played by Priyanshu Chatterjee, at a crime scene. He has the ability to connect the dots and visualise the crimes as it takes place. But the way it is shot makes it a little difficult for the idea to get registered in the minds of the people until the actual case begins.    

The story of the series is set in the 70s and follows the story of an Indian couple who move into a haunted house on a cliff at a fictional place Corvid's Head in England. The cliff is known for several unexplained suicides of men, which has left the sparsely populated town scared with several theories of paranormal activities. Enter Barun Rai. The expert in paranormal activities, he learns about the house and the history of the town with the help of his sidekick Sukhbir (Shukal). A priest at the church nearby is well aware of the happenings but does not help until the end of the movie as he believes that the demonic energy has gotten stronger and there is nothing that these Godmen can do. It makes one a little curious to find out how would they tackle and get rid of the spirit then but all curiosity is laid to rest with a laughable exorcism scene. It's like the makers know how to get the expectation of the audience a little high and then disappoint with some weird explanation. The reason why the ghost haunts the town might also make you question the sanity of the woman before she dies and becomes this evil spirit.

The six-episodic series has the usual runtime of a movie, a total of close to 3 hours. The story was reportedly planned to be told in a film format but the makers later decided to present it as a series. The change in the format has worked better for the story. The way each episode ends makes viewers a bit curious to know what's going to happen next, considering the sudden twists in the plot. It has potential for several strong elements in the film but they fall flat with poor writing and effects, that have been overdone.

The series lacks continuity. There is no continuity even in the looks of the characters. The actress Nyra Banerjee appears blonde in some scenes and in others, she suddenly seems to have developed black straight and later, wavy hair. The performances of the actors are okay but the dubbing and special effects make them look ridiculous. The series lacks any good jumpscares too. Priyanshu Chatterjee could have saved the series but the poor writing and script didn't help. The use of effects when he tries to get into a trance state and understands what has happened on the spot is laughable and stupid. You might get a few chuckles, if not goosebumps with its horror scenes.

The songs are over-the-top and seem unnecessary. The series has two songs that appear forced and out of the blue in the story. They don't contribute anything to the story as well. All the potential that the story holds, falls flat in the climax with an absurd and quite funny exorcism scene. The priest is seen stuck to the wall and disappears into thin air later. But he keeps screaming at Barun until then, telling him to pour the holy water on the personal diary that was maintained by the woman whose spirit is haunting the town. Due to earthquake-like tremors, considering how ridiculously powerful the demon has gotten, the holy water sprinkles itself on the diary, which leads to the spirit leaving the body of Soumili. If that's all had to be done, pouring holy water on the diary, it makes one wonder why didn't the priest figure out earlier.

The idea to use the tone of a 70s film was great but doesn't impress as the special effects are overdone, dodgy subtitles and no scary scenes to freak out the audience.    

Verdict:
The crossover British series has a lot of potential but falls flat with the over-reliance on special effects, loose writing, and no attention to continuity.

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