‘Protect my child from the Evil Eye!’ 

Part of the ‘Welcome to the Blumhouse’ partnership between that company and Amazon, for Evil Eye, writer Madhuri Shekar adapts his own Audible original into a screenplay which tackles issues like domestic abuse and the dangers of falling for the wrong guy too quickly.

Overprotective mother Usha (Sarita Choudhury, who created her own stir years ago by dating Denzel Washington’s character in Mississippi Masala) is still trying to micro-manage her New Orleans-based daughter Pallavi’s (GLOW’s Sunita Mani) love life even though she’s miles away in Delhi. Usha is worried that if the girl isn’t married by 30 she’ll be left on the shelf.

So, when an arranged date doesn’t work out, and Pallavi meets smooth gentleman Sandeep instead (Omar Maskati from Unbelievable), you’d think her mum would be over the moon. On paper, he’s the perfect catch: kind; from a wealthy family; and best of all Pallavi is head over heels about him! But there’s just something niggling at Usha, even all that way away. Maybe it’s the fact that the relationship is reminding her of how an earlier one from her past began, which turned dangerously sour? Her husband Krishnan (The Blacklist’s Bernard White) says it’s all in her head, that she should stop relying on consultations with her astrologer – and goes mad when she talks about hiring a PI to check Sandeep out.  But is Usha really on to something, and what does it have to do with the fact Pallavi’s Evil Eye bracelet that she gave her has broken? Or has the older woman just lost the plot completely?

The latter is the question this whole movie revolves around really, whether Usha is simply overreacting to some of the things Sandeep does – like giving her daughter expensive jewellery after only a month and suggesting they move in together even though she’s asked them not to (‘It’s too much too soon!’) – or if she might have a point about karma and history repeating itself. Playing out as a family drama for much of its running time, with only hints about the supernatural here and there – such as Sandeep knowing an old phrase Pallavi’s grandfather used to use back in the day – things do seriously ramp up towards the end. But, even then, we’re more in dark thriller territory than anything approaching horror, so if you’re watching this because of the Blumhouse label, bear that in mind.

However, the performances alone make for riveting viewing, especially the interaction between Choudhury and Mani, who are totally believable as parent and child, with all the complexities that relationship brings.

Verdict: If you’ve ever had to watch any of your kids going down the wrong path, questioning your own sanity at times, even fearing for their safety, this will totally resonate with you. If not, it still stands as a stark warning and builds to a gripping conclusion. ‘These things never work out…’ 7/10

Paul Kane