In Flames: Unmasking Pakistan's Latest Horror Movie, Where Social Evils Transmute into Spectral Terrors.

The Review: In Flames storytelling style is frequently lacking in Pakistan.

How does In Flames work?

A central theme of "In Flames" is a mother and daughter coping with loss and societal pressures. Both the mother and the daughter, Mariam, who is played by Bakhtawar Mazhar (previously seen in "Churails"), have lost their fathers. Rameesha Nawal makes her acting debut. The vultures are currently circling. They must deal with property disputes, harassment, and violence on their own because they don't have a father, husband, or older brother to support them. A ghost from their past keeps appearing in the shadows, making the few precious moments of joy they do have worse.

Horror, horror, horror

'In Flames' would have been made by A24, the current indie film industry darling studio, if it had been made in Hollywood. That alone is a compelling enough reason for horror fans to watch it. The direction and sound design of "In Flames" are also clearly influenced by recent horror classics like "Hereditary," "Midsommar," and "The Babadook." All of those influences have, however, been transformed into regional sounds and visuals that are distinctly Pakistani.

"Some Scars Don't Heal" is the film's tagline. And therein lies the horror. True horror is often hidden deep within our subconscious and is what we are most hesitant to speak of or confront, as the scariest stories reveal. We even refuse to accept treatment for it. As a result, the injury or trauma festers.

Every waking moment for those who can't flee is haunted by them. Zarrar Kahn has a set of flashing colors and low-level sounds that he uses to warn of impending danger.

Local factors are most important at this point. The significance of a distant whistle or a clanging pot will only truly be understood by a Pakistani. The international audience will perceive it as a metronome building to a crescendo, similar to Charlie clicking her tongue in Hereditary. But to a Pakistani audience, it's a sound we've grown accustomed to hearing in the middle of the night when everyone else is asleep.

Performances

It's not groundbreaking to say that Adnan Shah Tipu is as fantastic as the deceitful "Nasir Chacha" in the movie. Every role the man has ever played is perfect. He excels in dramatic roles as well as comedic ones. Bakhtawar Mazhar, however, steals the show in this instance. The key to the entire movie is her performance as the irate mother. As Mariam, the daughter who is attempting to flee her past, Rameesha Nawal gives a superbly restrained performance. If I had to pick, I'd say the movie could have been edited more tightly and perhaps cut by 5-7 minutes. I think that's it. The movie doesn't overextend itself and stays on topic the entire time.

Karachi's Horror

Filmmakers Kamal Khan (Laal Kabootar) and Seraj Us Salikin (Madaari) are the only ones to have so accurately and brutally depicted Karachi. However, we can increase that list by one more name. While Zarrar Kahn's Karachi is more solitary and terrifying than Kamal Khan's or Seraj's, it is neither as brutal nor as cramped.

As a result,

Contrary to popular belief, Pakistan has a long history of producing symbolic films, also known as "art cinema." Pakistani artists have dabbled in "Alaamat" in both film and television. With "Aik Mohabbat Sau Afsanay," Mohammad Nisar Hussain and Ashfaq Ahmad did it, while Jamil Dehlavi and Jameel Akhtar did it with "Towers of Silence" and "Blood of Hussein," and Jamil Dehlavi and Jameel Akhtar did it with "Karishma." None of these were projects with foreign funding. They were merely narratives adapted for the screen in a manner that reflected folklore and fairy tales.

Conclusion

In Pakistani cinema, this type of film needs more support. Without them, there is little chance that we will progress past the basic masala recipe. The cast and crew participated in a brief Q&A session following the screening. Adnan Shah Tipu said in it that the old PTV Drama 83, 84, and 85 series were frequently produced with the same sensibility and imagination that "In Flames" exhibits. I completely concur. We simply lost that skill, and as a result, the audience's sophistication declined.

Visit Karachi's Atrium Cinema to see "In Flames." It will continue to run through October 31, 2023.