Horror comedies are a difficult genre to deal with. You need to scare people but also need to make them laugh at the right moments. “Conjuring Kannappan” does try the same, but unfortunately, it does not succeed. Director Selvin Raj Xavier’s maiden film, “Conjuring Kannappan,” tries a lot of things to infuse the mixed feelings of humor and terror, but there are only a few laughs here and there and no fear at all. The story revolves around Kannappan, a struggling gamer who is on the lookout for a job. Played by Sathish, the character is part of a family that consists of his mother, father, and maternal uncle, played by Saranya Ponvannan, VTV Ganesh, and Namo Narayana, respectively.
The lives of the main characters are presented to us in a comic way, and some of the moments land well simply because of the acting prowess of the cast members. Kannappan’s mother is a struggling YouTuber who is trying to get more subscribers for her channel. The whole process of her recording for her channel is funny, and the scenes that involve her husband and brother especially offer genuine laughter. VTV Ganesh pulls off a Marilyn Monroe on his terrace, and the entire episode is bound to leave you having a good laugh. Namo Narayana also keeps doing one thing or the other, and his character’s stupidity is one of the substantial aspects of the film as it ensures that there’s some comedy, no matter how poor the joke or the situation is.
The main story starts when Kannappan unknowingly plucks a feather from a very old dream catcher drowned in their ancient well. At first, unaware of the misfortune that awaits him, he ignores the dream catcher. However, his suspicion grows when Kannappan finds that despite repeatedly throwing the dreamcatcher into the well, it is returning back to his room without any external help. Stranger things start happening to him, and after a point, he realizes that more than his psychiatrist, Dr. Johnny (Redin Kingsley), he will need the help of Exorcist Ezhumalai (Nassar).
The film had an interesting premise. We are generally used to horror films that have ghosts doing their ghostly activities in real life and time. However, “Conjuring Kannappan” takes that idea and gives it a spin. Here, the ghost haunts the involved people in their dreams or through nightmares. However, whatever happens in the dreams also happens in real life. That means if someone dies in their dream, they will also die in real life. This is where the film’s catch lies and the main suspense is built on this theme.
Despite having such an exciting premise, the film fails to provide its intended impact. The ghosts in the dream sequence look more like caricatures of ghosts. They evoke laughter for all the wrong reasons. The female ghost, played by Elli AvrRam, tells her story in a bizarre tone and accent, which seems a little too much for even a ghost. Besides Exorcist Ezhumalai, there’s also Dark Daves (Regina Cassandra) to help this family get out of this mess. However, the way her character is presented and developed, it seems she has been added just to add some visual value to the narrative. Her storyline also seems to be written in a hasty attempt to attach her to the plot, even when it does not make much sense.
Another thing that adversely was how the character of Dr. Johnny was shown. Though it has all been done for comic purposes, the portrayal of a psychiatrist who does not listen to his patients carefully and prescribes medications without thinking twice seems rather problematic, given the present outlook in the country regarding mental health. The character of Devil Armstrong (Anandaraj), another one who got entangled in this nightmare, comes off as largely comic and offers moments of genuine laughter.
Pradeep E. Ragav’s editing feels a bit jarring during some scenes. The cuts seem a little abrupt and out of sync. Scenes shift from one to the next, and if you blink an eye, you might end up wondering what just happened. However, the music by Yuvan Shankar Raja makes up for a good deal of the film. The BGM is also quite good and somewhat lets the theme of the film sink in. The DJ song at the funeral of a random older man deserves a special mention because of its beats and lyrics.
Overall, “Conjuring Kannappan” is not an unmissable movie. If you have some time to kill and want to watch ghosts do things in a dreamscape but do not care enough to ask questions, then you might give this one a chance. Fair warning: it might still end up disappointing you, so proceed with caution!
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