Video Movie Review and Rating

Verdict: Video is a tense, well-crafted found-footage horror film that brings a fresh YouTuber-vlogging twist to the genre. It works best as a theatre experience, even if the pacing and promotion have drawn some criticism.

Pros:

• Genuinely eerie atmosphere built through handheld camera work and sound design
• Relatable young cast whose chemistry makes the horror land emotionally
• A fresh premise that updates the found-footage format for the social media age

Cons:

• First half takes a while to get going before the real scares begin
• Marketing reach has been limited, with several viewers saying they only heard about it through niche film circles on X

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About Video (2026)

Detail	Info
Title	Video
Directed by	Srinidhi Bengaluru
Written by	Srinidhi Bengaluru (Story, Screenplay, Dialogue)
Produced by	Deekshith Shetty (Dhee Cinemas)
Cast	Bharatha, Jeevan Shivakumar, Tejesh S M, Priya J Achar, Nalme Nachiya
Cinematography	Avinaasha Shastry
Music by	Prasanna Kumar M S
Production Companies	Dhee Cinemas
Release Date	11 September 2026
Country	India
Language	Kannada
Genre	Horror, Thriller
Censor Rating	A

Kannada horror has had few genuine standouts since 6-5=2 became a cult favourite over a decade ago, and Video has arrived carrying a fair bit of that legacy on its shoulders. Directed by Srinidhi Bengaluru, who previously made waves with his sci-fi thriller Blink, the film released in theatres on 11 September 2026 under the Dhee Cinemas banner.

The film follows a group of five YouTubers who set off to film content at one of India’s most notorious haunted locations to celebrate their channel hitting a million subscribers.

What starts as a fun content trip turns into a night none of them return from. Told through recovered vlog footage and CCTV recordings, the film pieces together what happened to them, layering a documentary-style structure over a straightforward horror setup.

Early reactions from premiere screenings and social media have been largely enthusiastic. On X, the director shared that audiences at a Davanagere screening compared the film to Kannada cult hits like Lucia and Rangitaranga, calling it a similarly memorable moment for the industry.

At the same time, some viewers on the same platform pointed out that awareness about the film outside dedicated Kannada cinema circles has been thin, suggesting the promotional push hasn’t matched the quality of the content.

Without giving too much away, the story unfolds almost entirely from the perspective of camera lenses the five friends were carrying. As the night progresses and the group ventures deeper into the haunted site during a lunar eclipse, things start going wrong in ways that tie back to a force they didn’t fully understand they were provoking.

The mystery of their disappearance is revealed gradually, mixing scares with quieter, character-driven moments. Audience chatter across X and early show reviews consistently praises the camerawork and sound design as the film’s strongest elements.

The handheld, vlog-style shooting combined with layered sound design has been called immersive and unsettling by several early viewers, with many comparing the tension-building to genre favourites without feeling like a copy.

The five lead performers, especially Bharatha and Jeevan Shivakumar, are getting singled out for making their characters feel like real people rather than horror-movie stereotypes, which several commenters say makes the scares hit harder emotionally.

On the flip side, some viewers feel the setup takes too long before the horror properly kicks in, with the first half described as slower than expected. A handful of reactions also mention that the climax leans a bit too heavily into jump scares and visible effects, which some felt slightly undercut the tension built earlier.

There’s also a recurring thread about limited marketing, with a few viewers on X noting they almost missed the film entirely despite it clearly being a passion project with strong technical work behind it. Overall, the sentiment leans positive, especially among horror fans and those who caught the film on the big screen.

It’s not being talked about as a flawless film, but as a well-made, atmospheric one that rewards patience. If you enjoy found-footage horror or vlog-style thrillers, Video is worth catching in theatres, where the sound design and immersive camerawork have the most impact.

Casual moviegoers who prefer faster-paced horror might want to temper expectations around the first half. Those who can wait might consider a streaming watch later, though several early reviewers feel this is a film better experienced in a dark theatre with a crowd.

Disclaimer: This review is based on publicly available audience reactions and discussions on X at the time of writing. Individual opinions may vary.