Tears of Kali

Andreas Marschall

Maverick Entertainment 2005

R1 DVD

Tears of Kali takes is a very different sort of horror, gone are the remnants of Judeo Christian tradition, no crosses, demons, good versus evil instead we experience the dark side from an eastern worldview. We are offered three distinct stories which are based on the survivors of an extreme psychology/eastern religious sect known as the Taylor-Eriksson group. It seems that its members dedicated themselves to the ultimate exploration of self by transcending all limits and restrictions. The preface and ending of the film are set in the sects headquarters in Poona, India and the story unfold between these points of reference.

Each of the tales derives its title from the name of a specific Hindu Goddess. The first tale is that Shakti who represents the Indian concept of the feminine power of the divine. In this tale we come to meet a young woman who seems to have repressed all memory of the terrors of the cult’s inner training, but when confronted by a journalist releases her “shakti” is released in a ferrous and uncontrollable form.

This is quite esoteric entertainment; the dialogue will make a lot more sense if you have a good background in experimental psychological movements, eastern religion (Hindu and Buddhist) and esotericism. There are constant references to various sects and processes (such a Primal Scream) which give a context to the film if you know what they are referring to. Sure this is powerful, violent and confronting entertainment but with a sophisticated and intelligent edge.

Devi is the Divine Mother as well as the Goddess of death. In this episode, we meet a violent young man who has been ordered for treatment by the courts. When confronted with his own rage he is driven to taken responsibility for his crimes now, rather than in future lives, and a truly confronting sense of self mutilation unfolds.

The final episode is given over to Kali and the sect’s inner teachings, the Kali Process. While Kali has many attributes in this film the emphasis is on her role as the goddess of darkness, violence, pain and wrath. This segment ties a lot of ends together, introducing one of the last surviving members of the Taylor-Eriksson group with a related back story. This tale cumulates in a sort of “monsters from the ID” experience as she manifests a “denizen” from the deep which has been hiding within her and now, due to her illness, must find a new host.

These are intense, graphic and powerful tales. The use of a darkly textured soundscape adds an unrelenting intensity to the whole experience. Certainly there is difficulty knitting the three tales together and perhaps by extending the background on the Taylor-Eriksson group the film could have been made a little more cohesive. That being said the Tears of Kali is an interesting experience as it moves horror into a different realm and offers a new challenge for those seeking dark entertainment.