Overview
A psychiatrist's journey into the supernatural reveals dark secrets and vengeful spirits lurking in a noble family's past.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- eerie
- witty
- foreboding
- late night horror viewing
- cult cinema discovery
What critics said
Widely regarded as a landmark Malayalam film, praised for its inventive blend of psychological horror, mystery, comedy, and memorable performances.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Dr. Sunny Joseph applies psychiatric expertise while the family fears a vengeful spirit is responsible for Ganga's disturbing behavior.
The wealthy family's palace, locked room, dancer's history, and inherited legends form the film's primary horror environment.
Shobana portrays Ganga and Nagavalli as opposing identities connected to trauma, performance, and the suspected haunting.
The plot places psychiatric treatment, multiple personality disorder, sorcery, and a vengeful ghost within the same interpretive conflict.
Films like Manichitrathazhu, and why
The Exorcist
psychological horror, haunted-house mystery, and culturally rooted supernatural dread
Black Swan
dual-identity tension, gothic atmosphere, and unsettling psychological mystery
The Others
ancestral mansion setting, folklore-inflected horror, and suspenseful investigation
Movie Details
- Director
- Fazil
- Release Date
- 1993-12-25
- Runtime
- 169 min
- Rating
- 7.6 / 10 (94)
Cast
- Shobana
- Mohanlal
- Suresh Gopi
- Nedumudi Venu
- Vinaya Prasad
- Innocent
- Sudheesh
- KPAC Lalitha
- Thilakan
- Kuthiravattam Pappu
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Eros Now Select Apple TV channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video
- Buy
- Amazon Video
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Manichitrathazhu about?
- A psychiatrist confronts a terrifying collision of fractured identity, palace folklore, and suspected possession in a celebrated Malayalam psychological horror mystery.
- What is Manichitrathazhu like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Manichitrathazhu as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Manichitrathazhu violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Manichitrathazhu as mild.
- What did critics think of Manichitrathazhu?
- Widely regarded as a landmark Malayalam film, praised for its inventive blend of psychological horror, mystery, comedy, and memorable performances.
- Which films are like Manichitrathazhu?
- Films with a similar feel include The Exorcist, Black Swan, and The Others.
- How long is Manichitrathazhu?
- Manichitrathazhu runs 169 minutes.
- Where can I watch Manichitrathazhu?
- In United States, Manichitrathazhu streams on Eros Now Select Apple TV channel.
