“Pechi” is a Tamil horror film written and directed by Ramachandran B. Pechi is directed and produced by Veyilon Entertainment and Verus Productions. It has Gayathrie and Bala Saravanan in the lead roles and Preethi Nedumaran and Dev Ramnath in the supporting roles.
The film starts with a couple living in Aranmanaikaadu forest. “Ram”, the husband, while cutting wood, by mistake breaks a branch of a holy tree and releases an evil spirit. A wooden toy falls from the tree, and he is beaten by an invisible hand. His frightened wife, who does not know what has become of him, screams as the screen goes black.
Months afterward, a forest guide called “Maari” takes five friends - “Charan, Meena, Sethu, Charu, and Jerry” - on a hike through the forbidden forest. Much as Maari tries to inform them of the sinister history behind the place, the friends overlook him and explore further. Uncanny things start to happen as Jerry insists a non-visual force dragged his leg. Sethu and Charu, desperate to show bravery, come upon a haunted house full of odd witchcraft toys.
Maari is taught the past of Pechi, a woman who used to indulge in black magic and offer sacrifices to the devils at the cost of human lives. The people of the village imprisoned her soul in a tree, but Ram did not know and set her free. When the curse of Pechi increases, the friends fall one by one. Jerry, Sethu, and Charu die in gruesome manners, as does Maari. Charan tries to flee when the hulking man they befriended during their journey betrays him.
In the twist of turns, Meena is shown to be a descendant of Pechi, with the purpose of luring sacrifices for human sacrifices. Since only half of the ritual is finished, additional sacrifices are required. The movie wraps up with still another group naively walking onto the accursed land, sowing the seeds for further fear.
In spite of its dark history and suspenseful origin, “Pechi” was met with divided responses as some thanked its horror whereas others criticized its plot as inconsistent.