Bhaagamathie

Ashok G.'s 2018 Telugu film follows Chanchala, a civil servant accused of killing her husband, taken to an abandoned mansion and interrogated. The purpose is to extract information about a minister she once worked for; the mansion is said to be haunted, and before long she begins behaving like someone else. The film joins horror to political thriller and, in the second half, sets the supernatural explanation aside for the political line. Anushka Shetty's performance works in both registers. Its weakness is that the horror never becomes more than an instrument for the story, and the resolution over-explains. The production design is strong. Who it's for: viewers who like Telugu thrillers and women-centred genre films. Who it's not for: anyone wanting a coherent horror film, or avoiding violent content.