DEAD DEAD FULL DEAD is a new whodunit from India getting its World Premiere at Fantasia 2024. The concept is very intriguing but it runs a bit too long to reach its full potential. Read our full Dead Dead Full Dead movie review here!

DEAD DEAD FULL DEAD is a murder mystery movie from India. The genre is best described as a thriller-comedy hybrid as the whodunit elements make for a thriller, but the actual story and characters largely deliver on comedy.

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Mostly English is spoken along with some Hindi. It’s easy enough to follow the plot though it runs a bit too long for its own good. The film is getting its World Premiere at Fantasia 2024, which does seem like the ideal venue for this movie.

Continue reading our Dead Dead Full Dead movie review below.

Surreal Whodunit Murder Mystery

In this mystery-comedy, we meet the very inept and scatterbrained junior police officers Balraam and Zubeida. They make a very cute couple, but as detectives, they leave room for a lot of improvement. Then again, their boss isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed either.

As it turns out, they are called to a very posh apartment building where a murder has happened. The victim is someone who believes in astrology, and she isn’t quite ready to leave the murder mystery up to those still living.

Dead Dead Full Dead (2024) – Review | Whodunit | Fantasia

Sure, she might be dead (even full dead), but she can still interfere.

We get the story of what happened on the day of the murder via flashbacks. In these flashbacks, she’s still alive and the detectives manage to step into the flashbacks and participate in the events.

It’s crazy and surreal, but also funny and an efficient concept for a whodunit.

Dead Dead Full Dead at Fantasia 2024

This wacky genre hybrid is the debut feature of the Mumbai-based filmmaker Pratul Gaikwad. The mystery-comedy hybrid genre is very popular these years, and the movie plays into this very nicely.

Whether utilizing paranormal powers or cosmic wonders in this story (along with covert class warfare), the story itself works well. Right up until being too long and over-utilizing certain elements.

It’s entertaining and a good production, but could’ve been even better.

Despite being a whodunit murder mystery, where even the victim returns from the afterlife to meddle in the investigation, the actual answer becomes muddled. It seems like theories can be made for everyone to be the killer, so the question becomes: Who didn’t kill her?!

Dead Dead Full Dead is enjoying its world premiere at Fantasia 2024.

Details

Director: Pratul Gaikwad
Writers: Abdul Aziz, Pratul Gaikwad
Stars: Swastika Mukherjee, Ashwin Mushran, Monika Chaudhary, Yug Italiya, Sachin Vidrohi

Plot

Equally inept and scatterbrained, junior police officers Balraam and Zubeida make a cute couple, but not the most diligent detectives. Called to a posh apartment tower to investigate a reported murder, the seemingly straightforward case confronting the pair quickly becomes a conundrum that would confuse even Sherlock Holmes.

Karina "ScreamQueen" Adelgaard
Karina "ScreamQueen" Adelgaard
I write reviews and recaps on Heaven of Horror. And yes, it does happen that I find myself screaming, when watching a good horror movie. I love psychological horror, survival horror and kick-ass women. Also, I have a huge soft spot for a good horror-comedy. Oh yeah, and I absolutely HATE when animals are harmed in movies, so I will immediately think less of any movie, where animals are harmed for entertainment (even if the animals are just really good actors). Fortunately, horror doesn't use this nearly as much as comedy. And people assume horror lovers are the messed up ones. Go figure!
Karina "ScreamQueen" Adelgaard
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