As the genre continues to gain in popularity, found-footage films are becoming a prominent aspect in the industry as various countries and studios provide their own touch. Earlier in the year, the Tamil industry in India provided their first effort with Amanuda and the language carries over to Malaysia where up-and-coming horror specialists Kuman Pictures offer up the countries' first in the category with M.S. Prem Nath's latest film “Irul: Ghost Hotel”.
Irul: Ghost Hotel i s screening at Five Flavours
A documentary producer, Punitah (Punitah Shanmugam) is facing a sinister mystery. Her brother went missing without a trace and she believes that it is linked to a haunted hotel in Penang Island where he was last seen. Along with cinematographer Senthil (Senthil Kumaran Muniandy) and sound recorder Vicran (Vicran Elanggoven), the three of them embark to the hotel to investigate this case. Upon departure, they are joined by a group of amateurish ghost hunters Ammu (Amuthesan Rajaratnam), Durlie (Durrgah Rajah) and Ranjeetha (Ranjeetha Sivarn). They hire a driver named Rajoo (Sasitharan Rajoo) but this person seems to hide deep secrets regarding the hotel. What is the destiny of Punitah's missing brother? While this group of people is abducted and killed one after another, will Punitah unveil the mysterious tragedy behind this haunted hotel and save her own life?
“Irul: Ghost Hotel” has a lot to like about it. Among the better aspects present are the general atmosphere and aesthetics generated by writer/director Nath. He manages to provide a genuinely unnerving and unsettling atmosphere while shooting within the haunted hotel, as various aspects of the genre are utilized effectively. The layout of the house is one of general disarray and disuse, and perfectly captures the abandoned nature of the structure, which makes sense given how long it's sat empty as it's covered with messy furniture and papers scattered over the floor. As well, the eerie whispers and noises heard in the background don't seem out of place here and just add to the atmosphere of the film. With all the backstory given about the incidents that took place years earlier, there's a sense that something creepy and chilling should be occurring at the location which is what actually happens. The atmosphere being in the area goes a long way towards setting up the terrifying action to come later on.
That terrifying action is where “Irul: Ghost Hotel” gets plenty of positives. This offers up an impressive amount of interactions, with the group encountering all sorts of strange situations inside the house, where they get pulled into rooms and locked out from helping, acting as though under the influence of an outside entity and drawn to areas of the house that are inaccessible without help in the time that's elapsed. That these actions usually occur to Duriie enhances the suspense, as the otherworldly incidents feature quite a wide range of ideas for scares. This is because the events progress from traditional knocks on objects in the distance to demonic encounters and finally getting to the outright creepy finale. Mixing together not only human antagonists but also demons and creatures that appear, the action also works to introduce some intriguing twists to the story that add a rather dark epitaph to everything. These elements all combine into a rather impressive feature.
There isn't a whole lot really wrong with “Irul: Ghost Hotel.” The main issue is based mostly on a formulaic story that crops up in most found-footage films. The idea of a haunted building out in the middle of nowhere surrounded by superstition and local reluctance to admit outsiders into the truth surrounding the events that transpired is a pretty familiar setup. There's a troubling backstory that caused everyone to think it's haunted that's rooted in a tragic incident and brings about the group of truth-seekers looking for something to explain it. However, instead, the group manages to get caught out of their element in a far darker experience that puts everyone's lives in danger. Countless genre efforts, both found-footage and more traditional features, have used a similar storyline for their setup and that's the case with “Irul” as there's very little originality about the setup.
As well, there's also a slight issue with the pacing. Nath's screenplay doesn't offer up a lot of action for the first half of the movie, as it takes way too long to get to the main building where the supernatural events take place. Going through the motions of gaining permits to film at the location, taking several visits to the area before finally settling in for the shoot and the overlong setup of their equipment all come together to make the first part unnecessarily long. It takes until halfway through the film before the team even starts in on their mission to investigate the hauntings in the hotel, which can cause some discomfort in viewers looking for a more lively start to their films. However, neither of these problems are overly detrimental to “Irul.”
Filled with plenty of great action and some intriguing twists to go along with a fantastic atmosphere, “Irul: Ghost Hotel” is a highly impressive and enjoyable found-footage effort that holds itself up over its few insignificant flaws.
