Ezra

Jay K's 2017 Malayalam film reaches for a source rarely used in Indian horror: the dybbuk box of Jewish mysticism. Newly moved to Kochi, Ranjan Mathew and his wife Priya encounter supernatural events after an old chest enters their home. The story connects to the historical Jewish community of Kochi in Kerala, which gives the film a local footing. The production values are markedly above the average for Malayalam horror at the time, with good sound design and use of location. Its problem is the long stretches given to explaining the source belief, and a second half where tension loses out to exposition. Prithviraj Sukumaran plays with restraint. Similarities to the American film The Possession were argued over on release. Who it's for: viewers interested in Malayalam horror and productions drawing on less familiar mystical traditions. Who it's not for: anyone who dislikes horror driven by jump scares, or who will find the explanatory sections slow.