"Cinema Retro" called it "an underrated gem"; and the "Radio Times" concluded "director Alastair Reid's neo-Grand Guignol chamber piece exudes a peculiar fascination".Paliyan

The Paliyan, or Palaiyar or Pazhaiyarare are a group of around 9,500 formerly nomadic Dravidian tribals living in the South Western Ghats montane rain forests in South India, especially in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.