One of the standout aspects of Ajay Gnanamuthu’s original film, Demonte Colony, is its clear intent to be a genuine horror flick rather than the more genre-blending Tamil “masala horror.” Unlike the Kanchana and Aranmanai franchises, which mix comedy, romance, high-energy fight scenes, item songs, and some horror elements, Demonte Colony maintained a consistent horror tone from early on. While the first movie had a few jokes and a bar song, it quickly veered into a more serious horror atmosphere as the story progressed.
In the sequel, Ajay Gnanamuthu takes another leap forward, aiming for an even purer horror experience. The film kicks off with a brief recap of the first installment’s events before plunging the audience abruptly into a nightmarish sequence. It opens with a chilling recorded video showing two people falling off a high-rise apartment, followed by another person hanging to death within the same building. From this sequence alone, it’s clear that Demonte Colony 2 is aimed at establishing a deeply unsettling atmosphere right from the get-go.
Central to the horror of Demonte Colony 2 is Debbie, played by Priya Bhavani Shankar, a woman overwhelmed by sorrow following the death of her husband, Sam. Her home is a testament to their lost love, filled with numerous photographs of the couple together. Driven by a desperate need to maintain a connection with her late husband, Debbie chooses to undergo artificial insemination using his preserved sperm. This heart-wrenching decision not only adds to the film’s disturbing atmosphere but also highlights Debbie’s descent into obsession, foreshadowing upcoming terrors.
Mirroring its predecessor, Demonte Colony 2 includes a song in its first half. However, unlike the earlier film’s playful kuthu number featuring four inebriated men, the sequel offers a somber track by Sam CS, reminiscent of gloomy English weather, thereby reinforcing the film’s melancholic tone.
Ajay amplifies the horror with an assortment of escalating set pieces. Scenes featuring mirror-induced terror, bat-infested chaos, and even a descent into a hellish netherworld demonstrate his expansive horror toolkit. His repertoire of horror tropes is quite wide-ranging, encompassing elements such as antichrist symbolism, pentagrams, the titular Demonte, and an even more sinister entity.
Despite these efforts, the film struggles with an issue similar to its predecessor’s: while the conceptual framework is intriguing, the execution fails to induce genuine fear.
. Both films fascinate with their premises but fall short in delivering the adrenaline-pumping, edge-of-your-seat terror they promise. The main culprit seems to be subpar visual effects which significantly diminish the film’s potential to create a genuinely immersive horror experience. The lack of refined visual effects causes a jarring disconnect between the intended atmosphere and the on-screen reality.
Furthermore, the performances do not rise to the intense level required to fully embody the terror and desperation of the characters, resulting in an emotional barrier between the audience and the narrative. While Sam CS’s score attempts to add tension, it occasionally falls into the trap of overly loud crescendos, disrupting the film’s overall atmosphere.
The screenplay itself is structurally sound, built around characters driven by clear motivations. For instance, Debbie’s susceptibility to demonic deception – masquerading as her deceased husband – is directly linked to her consuming grief. This character arc is effectively explored through flashbacks depicting her determination to save Sam during his struggle with cancer. Similarly, a self-serving character’s altruistic action is justified by his fatherless upbringing.
The writer skillfully ties certain plot elements back to the first film, creating a sense of continuity. The introduction of new mysteries and unanswered questions at the end provides a clear indication of potential future installments, leaving audiences keenly awaiting the next chapter.
Interestingly, Ajay, despite his aim to create a pure horror film, isn’t immune to the temptation of incorporating humour. A comedic interlude involving Arulnithi and his half-sister in a property dispute punctuates the tension painstakingly built during the initial half hour, momentarily breaking the horror atmosphere.
As the Demonte Colony franchise continues, much like the cursed necklace that haunts its characters, Tamil horror seems confined by the inevitable allure of comedy. For all its attempts to craft an unadulterated horror experience, Demonte Colony 2 couldn’t resist a comedic divergence.
Demonte Colony 2 is currently showing in theatres, promising fans a blend of eerie thrills and a pathway to future horrors within this budding franchise.
