Hesitant inspector Vasudevan/Vasu is roped into solving a case involving his ex-lover Ramya/Vaishali who is found dead in her apartment, mysteriously drowned in her bathtub. Subsequently, more messed up deaths occur, all sharing a common modus operandi- Water.
Initially a crime procedural, Eeram incorporates paranormal activity into this genre with great success, sans jump scares either. Instead of cliches, the movie opts for a simple yet effective approach, that is uneasy to sit through while also requiring the least amount of suspension of disbelief from viewers due to an organic storytelling and overall realistic themes. As the title suggests, it is also still highly eery (pun intended) while not steering into illogical territory. Adding to the chilling aspect, it is also mostly a daytime horror.
The movie also benefits from the well-paced sequence of events and clever use of variants of its weapon of choice (water) ranging from steam, thunder storms, and even fish tanks, each with hair-raising effect. The flashes of red in its colour palette used in foreshadowing various surrealistic events that occur, the natural weather conditions and some clever use of mirror reflections and reverse imagery (further foreshadowing the victim's trait of left-handedness which comes into play later in the movie) heighten the suspenseful atmosphere as well.
However, water is not the only medium of communicating between the dead and living, as Vasu soon discovers, with love also playing a pertinent part. Thus, Eeram excels in superimposing its beautiful romantic track with the grim present-day scenario without eclipsing the same, as well as its slow-burn revelations during the hopeless romantic Vasu’s journey in uncovering the truth and in providing justice for the one who got away. Honestly though, never has a horror filum opened the floodgates for me quite like this before (and now I can’t stop with the moisture-based puns!)
The movie also manages to leave an impression by putting across some valid points and important messages regarding one's ego overcoming them or compelling even those in the know to engage in malicious acts, as gossip spreads like wildfire in closed spaces, with the victim lacking a sense of privacy, victim-shamed even posthumously and as dirty secrets begin to be hauled out in the open like a corpse from a sewer drain
The cast- particularly the male lead Aadhi as the honest Vasu, Sindhu Menon as Ramya/Vaishali and Saranya Mohan in the pivotal role of the victim’s younger sister Divya, turn in compelling performances.
Eeram is especially a treat for fans of works in a similar vein to RGV's Bhoot with kills that are straight out of the Final Destination franchise, and is bound to leave one with an irrational fear of water...or the colour red. Oops I've already gone and said too much!
*Available to watch on YouTube & Internet Archive