Seventh: Riingo Banerjee’s paranormal thriller is packed with fresh chills

3.5/5

Story: Seventh is a collage of seven paranormal stories set across the country. 

Review: Horror or crime anthology is a popular genre in the West. American Horror Story is one such very popular show. However, the Bengali film industry was not known to have an appetite for this genre. Riingo deserves applause for coming up with such a concept that is hardly explored. Besides, he chooses some exceptional stories that need courage to pick, especially in Bengal, and he does that well.

Seventh is not for everyone. But the target audience will love it. There has not been any template of this genre in Tollywood. And hence, Riingo borrows it from the international stage. While doing it, he does not follow a specific template blindly and brings his own input too.

Out of the seven horror plots, the best two are probably Black Cactus and Toss. Due to its unique idea, cinematography, and making, Black Cactus is nothing short of an international story. Toss reminds us of Stephen King. However, Riingo gives it a local touch with Bengal’s highways. Another story Adoption’s concept is cliched but one will enjoy it due to smart making. 

However, Seventh is not fault-free. The first story, Stranger, is plain bad. It has weak acting, crude dialogues, and no credibility in the period setup. This is bad enough to insist the audience switch channel. Toy is also an interesting episode for the concept but the making is boring. And so is Mirror Mirror. Riingo attempts to make an episode sans dialogue and that is laudable. However, the last scene is weak and that impacts the episode. 

Seventh largely involves little-known faces from the industry. Some are very credible and some performances are not up to the mark. Same for the dialogues. While some are gripping, some sound silly. Those are the weaknesses of the show.

Meanwhile, the show's strengths are the camera work, the use of light, and the background music. The whole series is shot on a mobile and that is an incredible job done. Scenes like the hanging tyre in Adoption or the church in the Black Cactus will be etched in our minds. 

Verdict: Seventh is not an ordinary Bengali web series. Riingo took the challenge of making something unexplored in Bengal. He has succeeded in certain aspects and failed in others. However, he has dared to think out of the box and that deserves a loud cheer. Watch this series and make other people watch it. You won’t regret it.