Movie review by Dennis D. McDonald

I don’t generally go in for horror movies but TUMBBAD is exceptional. With its dark but gorgeous photography, excellent acting, high production values, and exceptionally creepy story, it provides a horrifying peek into the intersection between greed, ambition, and the dark underbelly of Indian folklore and culture.

The story at first glance reads like an outline of a non-Disneyfied Grimm fair tale. A boy grows up in poverty believing that, hidden in his famiy’s decrepit ancestral home, is a cache of treasure left over from ancient times when one particular Hindu god was banished to earth. He leaves the town — Tumbbad — and grows to manhood. He returns to the town and ancestral home to seek the treasure. He finds it and makes repeated visits taking some treasure each time. He becomes rich.

Naturally there’s a curse associated with the hidden treasure. When he grows much older he begins to train his own son in how to stealthily and continually steal the treasure to maintain the family’s wealth.

That’s when things really start to unravel since the son has his own ambitions.

While it’s easy to see that things will eventually go to hell in a hand basket, rest assured the climactic events are spectacular and horrific.

TUMBBAD is about as far away from a Bollywood song and dance comedy as you can get. As horror film goes it’s one of the best I’ve seen. And even though much of it its events take place in the rain, inside dark buildings, or (shudder) claustrophobically underground, seeing it on a large screen with a good surround sound system is highly recommended. The movie: Highly recommended.

Review copyright (c) 2021 by Dennis D. McDonald

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