This is my personal take on the Netflix series, Typewriter. You are free to agree or disagree with me. Let me know in the comment section below.
Warning – Spoiler alerts for those who are yet to watch this show. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Source – Google Images

Sujoy Ghosh’s first horror venture into Netflix with the much hyped series, Typewriter is a different tale from all the other horror series of India. Even though the series is categorized under the horror genre, it is not purely horror.  It’s more like a mellow cross between horror and thriller that even kids wouldn’t have a problem watching.

The story is set in the quaint district of Bardez in Goa. Even though the show is only 5 episodes long, it packs a lot of details, back-stories and twists. The pilot begins in the 1980s when Madhav Matthews, a prolific ghost story writer is found dead in his house, Bardez Villa. Decades later, Jenny, Madhav Matthews’ granddaughter, moves into the villa with her husband and kids. Jenny has forgotten Bardez Villa’s occult past but the locals remember it.

A group of kids, who call themselves The Ghost Club, living in Goa are on a Ghost hunt. The four member group, including their dog, occasionally skip school to read The Ghost of Sultanpore by Madhav Matthews and discuss paranormal matters.

They set their eyes upon the spooky looking Bardez Villa and befriend the new occupants of the house, Jenny and her family, so as to get closer to the mysterious house. The plot finds its centre in an old typewriter that the ghost now resides in. The story unfolds as the children find out the horrific details of the past and the present – spooky murders and a shape-shifting ghost living within the house.

The series has the classic horror elements like the blood moon, eerie apparitions, mysterious deaths, strange sounds at late hours – in this case the clickety-clack of the typewriter, nightmares etc., and doesn’t set this apart from the other shows of the genre, but it does carry its own beauty. Unlike most ghost stories where the ghost only shows up after dark, this shape-shifting ghost can move freely under the sun, which makes its presence unpredictable to a point where the viewer finds it difficult to differentiate between the real and fake Jenny. It is also interesting to know that the ghost can only take the form of Jenny and no one else.

For all the die-hard horror fans, this show might fail to send chills down your spine. But there are a few elements that put you on the edge. The pilot scene where Jenny complains to her grandfather about a person in her room is quite chilling. To see two Jenny’s – one on the bed and one under the bed is quite scary if you think about it. The series kicks off with a good spooky beginning, but it does get a bit predictable in its later episodes. Nevertheless there is never a dull moment in this show.

Every time the typewriter goes clickety-clack, it spells a sense of foreboding. When Jenny types “Bhoot is jhooth” (which translates as “Ghosts are lies”), it figures out a way to respond, on it’s own accord, with “Ghost is not fiction.”

Another chilling scene is where the Fakeer collects spirits and keeps them in his house. The viewer must have thought the Fakeer was living with a group of people, up until it was revealed that the policewoman couldn’t see them because they were spirits and not real people. I should also include the scene where Sam sees, through her window, Jenny (the ghost version) waving at her and asking her to step out of the house. Sam backs away from the window in fear, only to find out that Jenny is behind her.

The Fakeer’s spirit living within the typewriter reminds me of this other horror movie called Mirrors, where the spirit moves into the object that is closest to it during it’s time of death. There is also a similarity between The Ghost Club and Enid Blyton’s Famous Five book series, where there are a group of kids and a dog who go on various adventures.

Sujoy Ghosh did mention in one of his interviews that he has always been a fan of Enid Blyton’s works, and it isn’t surprising to see her writing style influencing his work.

The show is brilliantly shot for most part. A couple of jump scares actually have the impact they intend to create, often leaving you uncomfortable and at the edge of your seat. At no point in the show do you actually feel bored or disinterested. Sujoy Ghosh does a great job of adding just the right amount of darkness and mild humour. Each character has its own life and thought processes, which make the characters impressively believable. The performance of the actors must be applauded as well.

Jenny, played by Palomi Ghosh, stands out amongst the others and her role as a hateful, violent ghost as well as that of a confused young woman who is broken by the sadness of her past is excellent. Another actor who portrays her character well is Aarna Sharma (Sam), who manages to capture both the naive side of a kid and the logical brave side of a top detective. She is just as headstrong as her police dad, and refuses to give up until she uncovers the truth. Sam closely resembles the tomboyish Georgina from Famous Five. I also personally think the opening sequence of the series with the typewriter keys is gorgeously done.

Every action or detail beautifully interconnects and links in a chain that culminates in the following episodes. The only odd and unnecessary element in the series is Jenny’s husband who has debts and an extramarital affair. This adds no value or is in no way connected to the main story, and in fact we hardly see his character playing any major part in the story. If there is a chance of a season 2, the husband’s other life may come to light and we might get answers regarding the blood-stained shirt that he takes out of his bag. This one action might affect the life of the characters or the story in some way.

The series ends with a few loose ends like the reason why Jenny doesn’t remember about her past in Bardez Villa, will Sam ever see her mother, the Fakeer’s childhood, the Jenny who hugs her husband in the end vanishes into thin air – so does it mean that the Fakeer can still morph into Jenny, the writing and publishing of Ghost of Sultanpore, what does the bloody shirt that Jenny’s husband take out of his bag indicate? A lot of unanswered questions and the series ends with the typewriter getting fixed after Amit, the Fakeer’s son, offered his soul to the typewriter. So does it mean that the Fakeer will be back and who will be his next host body? It does look like the kids efforts to vanquish the ghost ends in vain. We might get answers to these questions if they decide to make a season 2 to this series or the series could just end with this cliffhanger. All we can do is wait and watch.

The horror genre in India still has a long way to go in terms of catching up with its Hollywood versions. Nevertheless, typewriter does stand out in its own way and it’s worth a watch. Call me weak-hearted, but personally, there were scenes which made me jump and made me feel uneasy for the next couple of days.

What are your theories regarding all the unanswered questions in this series? Comment below and let me know what you think of this series.

P.S There’s someone looking through your window, The Rambler