2.25/5
01 Hr 55 Mins | Horror Thriller | October 31, 2025
Cast – Pranav Mohanlal, Gibin Gopinath, Manohari Joy, Jaya Kurup, Arun Ajikumar Shine Tom Chacko, Sushmitha Bhat and others
Director – Rahul Sadasivan
Producer – Chakravarthy Ramachandra & S. Sashikanth
Banner – Night Shift Studios & YNOT Studios
Music – Christo Xavier
After directing Bhoothakaalam (2022), a psychological horror drama, and Bramayugam (2024), a period folk horror film, Malayalam film director Rahul Sadasivan teamed up with Pranav Mohanlal for Diés Iraé – The Day of Wrath, a horror thriller film. Pranav Mohanlal’s first two films in the lead role were, a romantic drama, Hridayam and a comedy drama, Varshangalkku Shesham. It is a welcome change for the young actor to prove himself with a serious horror Drama which runs mainly on his shoulders with minimal characters. Did the director, Rahul Sadasivan, deliver yet another gripping horror film? How did Pranav Mohanlal perform? Did Christo Xavier deliver yet another fantastic background score? Let’s figure it out with a detailed analysis.
What is it about?
Rohan (Pranav Mohanlal), an architect and the son of a big real estate businessman, is a no-strings-attached guy when it comes to relationships. During a party at his residence with his friends, he gets to know that his classmate, Kani(Sushmitha Bhat) committed suicide. What is Rohan’s relationship with Kani? Why did Kani kill herself? Why does Kiran(Arun Ajikumar), Kani’s brother, start to behave strangely after his sister’s death? Who is Elsamma and how is she related to Kani? Forms the rest of the story.
Performances:
The film has minimal characters. In fact, one of the crucial characters just appears in a photo and another crucial character, appears in just a few shots. Pranav Mohanlal got the majority of the screen time. He delivered a very commendable performance in the role of a youngster dealing with a paranormal being. He was able to emote the fear, the confusion and the desperation to find the truth, very well.
Jaya Kurup in the role of Elsamma delivered a very good performance. His performance during the pre-climax deserves a special mention. Gibin Gopinath got a meaty role and he did justice to his character with a good performance. Arun Ajikumar was stunning with his performance in a couple of sequences. His performance during a sequence at Pranav’s home is very commendable and it is one of the very few sequences in the film where the drama and tension are built very well.
Technicalities:
The major highlight of the film is Christo Xavier’s background score and his team’s sound design. Diés Iraé is one of those films where the sound and score never dominate the dialogues and drama and yet, elevate the proceedings. Right from the word go, Christo Xavier’s with his background score transforms us seamlessly into the world of ‘Diés Iraé’.
Shehnad Jalal’s cinematography blended well with the mood of the film. He captured a few frames very well with his camera. Especially, his work during the opening shot near a construction building and his frames in capturing the visuals in and out of a well, were very commendable. Editing by Shafique Mohammed Ali should have been better. Even with just around two hours of runtime, the film feels dragged out with a very slow pace and a few repetitive sequences in the first half.
Positives:
- Background Score & Sound Design
- Pranav Mohanlal’s Performance
Negatives:
- Lack of Spine-Chilling Moments
- Lesuriley Pace
- Predictable Conflict Point
- Weak Climax
- A lot of Unanswered Questions
Analysis:
A considerable amount of spine-chilling moments, thrilling drama, good sound design and a gripping backstory are the essential ingredients for a horror film to work well with the audience. A horror film will have fewer chances to satisfy the audience even if one of the four aforementioned things goes wrong. Unfortunately, in ‘Diés Iraé’, only the sound design and the performance of the lead actor worked out and everything else backfired. The film neither has spine-chilling horror drama nor has gripping tension-filled moments. The proceedings in the first half unfold at a very leisurely pace with a few repetitive sequences and end with a decent twist. And, the second half again gets into a slow pace until the last fifteen minutes where the conflict point is revealed. The conflict point/twist is also not very exciting. You can easily guess it if you have a bit of experience watching horror films.
The best thing that happened to the movie is, Christo Xavier’s background score and his team’s sound design. He and his team tried their best to give the film a proper horror drama feel with the music but sadly, the writing and the direction by Rahul Sadasivan misfired. It is surprising to see a horror film from Rahul Sadasivan without at least a few genuine scary moments. The drama in the first half, truth-seeking proceedings in the second half and even the conflict point, fail to excite. Everything unfolds without offering either the scary moments or the suspense-filled drama.
Even with just around two hours of runtime, the film feels dragged out forever. And also, the director left many questions unanswered. It is a good idea to let the audience guess by showing two different people as antagonists(ghosts) in two different halves of the film but due to a lack of depth in writing, it seems as if we are watching two different films with a few common characters. The director had the chance to take a few more minutes of runtime and end the film properly. But, just like many directors these days in India, he also ended the film with a possible second part with a pointless ending.
Overall, Dies Irae is a disappointing film that promised so much but failed to deliver. Apart from the fantastic sound design and good performance from the lead actor, there is not much to talk about the film. The film ends with Pranav Mohanlal saying ‘What the.…’ and it is not your fault if you also utter the same dialogue after watching the pointless end sequence in the film.
Verdict – Disappointing
Rating – 2.25/5
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