Ratsasan (2018)
Movie · 2018 · Thriller, Crime, Mystery · 2h 50m · TA
Curator score: 7.8/10 (77.4K ratings)
Overview
A serial killer is murdering school girls, and a newbie cop has to track him down before the victim count increases.
Ratings
- Curator score: 7.8/10
- IMDb: 8.3/10
- Letterboxd: 3.82/5
- Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
- TMDB: 7.4/10
Director
Ram Kumar
Production
Axess Film Factory
Cast
Vishnu Vishal, Amala Paul, Suzane George, Munishkanth, Kaali Venkat, Radha Ravi, Ammu Abhirami, Monekha Siva, Vinod Sagar, Nizhalgal Ravi, Vinodhini Vaidyanathan, Saravanan, Yazar Arafath, Ragavi Renu, Neha Menon, Sangili Murugan, Pasupathi Raj, Gajaraj, Raveena Daha, Adhithri Dinesh
Where to watch
Amazon Prime Video, Sun Nxt, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A tense, crowd-pleasing serial-killer thriller with strong momentum, eerie set pieces, and a memorable central performance. It runs long and occasionally leans on melodrama and coincidence, but the suspense, craft, and emotional stakes make it an easy recommendation for thriller fans.
Best for
- serial-killer thriller fans
- viewers who like dark, high-stakes mystery plots
- fans of tense, emotionally charged commercial cinema
- people who don’t mind a long runtime if the payoff is strong
Skip if
- you want a lean, tightly cut procedural
- you’re allergic to heightened melodrama and big emotional swings
- you prefer realism over stylized thriller flourishes
- you need every clue and twist to feel strictly plausible
Overview
Ratsasan is a slick, nerve-tightening crime thriller that knows exactly how to keep an audience leaning forward. It builds its dread patiently, then keeps escalating with grisly imagery, uneasy atmosphere, and a steady drip of reveals that make the investigation feel personal rather than procedural.
Worth noting
What makes it work is the balance between genre mechanics and emotional urgency. The film is at its best when it turns the hunt into a psychological contest, with the killer’s pattern and the hero’s persistence feeding off each other. The visual style and score do a lot of heavy lifting, giving the movie a polished, ominous pulse.
Bottom line
It is not without excess: the runtime is generous, some plotting depends on convenient coincidences, and the tonal shifts can feel broad. But if you’re in the mood for a big, propulsive thriller with real menace and a strong payoff, this is very easy to get swept up in.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Graham (2.5★) · 160 likes
Over-stylisedOver-loud and frankly, weird music mixOver-long runtime (by at least an hour)Over-rated Over it. I really want to like modern Indian cinema, but movies like this make it so difficult. It's a nice looking piece of film with some interesting cinematography choices, but the acting is largely pedestrian, the sound mix and editing are awful and the storyline is predictable, run-of-the-mill fare. What a massive disappointment.
Michael James (4★) · 132 likes
A well written and executed dark psychological crime thriller. The fast paced narrative is neatly packed with well detailed nuances and engaging twists, sustaining the mystery convincingly until the reveal. It does take a few cinematic liberties with all the coincidental clue spills, but that is about the nitpicking you could do. The characterization and backstory of the serial killer, backs up the initial setup quite well. The cinematography, editing and the musical score are terrific and elevate the tense… more A well written and executed dark psychological crime thriller. The fast paced narrative is neatly packed with well detailed nuances and engaging twists, sustaining the mystery convincingly until the reveal. It does take a few cinematic liberties with all the coincidental clue spills, but that is about the nitpicking you could do. The characterization and backstory of the serial killer, backs up the initial setup quite well. The cinematography, editing and the musical score are terrific and elevate the tense… more
Shivu Gowda (4.5★) · 88 likes
Hey man... This is a very well-made, suspenseful, melancholy, extremely psychologically disturbing, violent and beautiful piece of cinema.
Vishwas Verma 🟠🟢🔵 (4.5★) · 70 likes
Best Thriller from Kollywood. Finally watched this film. Even with a long runtime, it keeps you hooked throughout. Vishnu Vishal is great. Good action sequences and damn good BGM.Somewhere the suspense looks messy and 3rd act little messy but still it keeps you engaging. Because I like "mass-masala" films, I liked the 3rd act as well. One more thing, if you watch a lot of thriller movies, it keeps reminding you about many films, but trust me, this one… more
☆ shriya 🎧🎸☆ (4.5★) · 48 likes
god this was amazingso fucking tense though I mean i was SHAKING, right from the first dead body they showed this movie I knew how fucking scary this was gonna beThe scene with Ammu and the teacher was terrifying, and so was the scene at the end where that one girl is trying to escape from christopher, like this whole film was so so so tenseAmmus death also had me crying so hard I think my only… more
Recommended similar titles
Memories of Murder
For viewers who like investigative dread, procedural frustration, and a slow-burn hunt for a killer.
Zodiac
A meticulous serial-killer investigation that prizes atmosphere, obsession, and detail over easy catharsis.
Drishyam
Shares the same commercial-thriller intelligence and audience-gripping momentum, though with a different crime setup.
Andhadhun
A twisty Indian thriller that blends suspense, dark humor, and escalating danger with strong pacing.
Kahaani
A tightly wound mystery thriller with a strong lead, urban tension, and a satisfying reveal structure.
The Silence of the Lambs
The benchmark for psychological cat-and-mouse suspense between investigator and predator.
Se7en
For its grim atmosphere, serial-killer dread, and relentless sense of moral rot.
Prisoners
A bleak, emotionally charged search for missing children that turns investigation into obsession.
Talvar
A procedural-minded Indian crime drama that emphasizes investigation, ambiguity, and institutional failure.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
A cold, propulsive mystery with serial-killer elements, investigation detail, and grim atmosphere.
The Chaser
A brutal, fast-moving hunt for a predator that keeps the tension high and the stakes immediate.
No Country for Old Men
For its relentless pursuit structure, fatalism, and terrifying sense of a killer closing in.
Topics
serial killer, crime thriller, mystery, psychological suspense, police procedural, dark tone, tense atmosphere, Indian cinema, long runtime, stylized thriller