“Sister Midnight” Movie Review: Radhika Apte Shines in a Wild, Weird, and Wickedly Funny Horror Satire

Introduction
“Sister Midnight” is unlike anything you expect from an Indian horror film. Radhika Apte headlines this gloriously bizarre and bold debut from Karan Kandhari, which combines horror, satire, feminist rebellion, and surreal humour in a heady, blood-spattered cocktail. It’s a film that walks the edge — and sometimes jumps gleefully off it.

🎭 A Housewife Like No Other

In Sister Midnight, Radhika Apte plays Uma, a newly married woman who finds herself isolated in a cramped Mumbai chawl with her emotionally distant husband Gopal (Ashok Pathak). Their relationship is cold, sexless, and emotionally barren. But Uma isn’t written as a passive victim — she is curious, restless, and gradually begins to embrace her strange transformation.

What starts as a slice-of-life drama quickly morphs into something darker and weirder. As Uma explores her new world — including judgmental neighbours, trans women who mock and then befriend her, and inexplicably present goats — she begins a descent (or ascent?) into a visceral, grotesque kind of feminist self-discovery.

👻 Absurd, Satirical, and Visually Striking

The horror in Sister Midnight isn’t your standard ghost-in-the-corner fare. Instead, it’s filled with deliberately tacky VFX, unnerving animals, and bloody chaos that mirrors Uma’s internal upheaval. Director Karan Kandhari masterfully embraces the absurd, letting the bizarre moments build until they feel strangely natural. There’s a scene with a herd of goats controlling Uma — and somehow, it feels right.

The film’s visual language is gritty and surreal. The neon-lit Mumbai nights, the claustrophobic interiors, and the creeping sense of unease all contribute to an atmosphere that’s as stylish as it is disturbing.

🎬 Radhika Apte’s Unforgettable Performance

At the heart of this madness is Radhika Apte, delivering one of her most uninhibited and electric performances to date. Uma is not just a scream queen or a caricature — she’s funny, dangerous, vulnerable, and fully alive. From deadpan stares to unexpected outbursts, Radhika navigates Uma’s evolution with razor-sharp control and dark charisma.

Even when the plot starts to feel repetitive or chaotic in the second half, Radhika keeps you locked in. She is the emotional and tonal anchor that holds this swirling genre blend together.

🎢 Not Without Its Bumps

Sister Midnight does stumble in its storytelling. The second act drags slightly, with certain scenes circling the same beats. There are unresolved threads and hints of themes that don’t fully land, likely due to the film’s modest runtime. Still, the film’s audacity and originality more than make up for these missteps.

🧠 A Feminist Horror Satire That Doesn’t Preach

This is feminist horror done right — not through slogans or speeches, but through metaphor, absurdity, and unapologetic weirdness. It talks about body politics, loneliness, domestic dissatisfaction, and reclaiming power, without ever spelling it out.

Lines like “Funny how we get used to things” land with chilling resonance because of how subtly the film builds its critique.

⭐ Verdict: 3/5 – Wildly Original, Wonderfully Strange

Sister Midnight is a welcome disruption in the horror genre. It’s messy, daring, and full of nightmarish humour — a film that feels alive with creativity. It’s not perfect, but that’s part of its charm. Like Uma, it refuses to behave.