Pechi

At dusk in Aranmanaikaadu, Ram and his wife stroll the forest. Ram tries to chop a branch and finds an iron nail inside the detached wood, then a wooden witchcraft poppet falls from a tree hole. An unseen force renders him unable to speak, while his wife remains unaware with headphones on, and the scene ends with her scream as the screen cuts to black.

A few months later, Maari, a forest guard, is instructed by his boss Ashok to escort a group of friends into the reserved forest. His daughter hands him a sacred amulet for protection before departure. A rugged man in a pickup gives them a menacing stare as they drive toward the forest.

Charan, Meena, Sethu, Charu, and Jerry set off with Maari, who warns them to respect the forest’s balance. They reach a blocked path to Maayankaadu and briefly clear it, ignoring the caution signs. Despite Maari’s pleas, they proceed into the restricted area, brushing off his folklore about the villagers relying on the forest.

Charu wanders near a cliff edge and is rescued by Maari just in time. The group reaches a viewpoint and sets up camp for the night. Jerry becomes frightened after slipping and returns claiming someone pulled his leg, only for his friends to mock him.

Jerry, Charu, and Sethu visit a warning board, tie a scarf, and film it as proof, despite Maari’s warnings. They push deeper and discover a dilapidated house filled with eerie witchcraft dolls, and Charu glimpses an unknown figure. They also find Jerry’s scarf hanging high on a tree.

Maari and Charan search for Charu and Sethu; Charu’s scream echoes as they rush toward the sound. They find Charu lying motionless, but assume it’s a prank, while Sethu and Charu remain unaccounted for. Back at the campsite, Maari starts recounting the Pechi legend to calm the group.

The group learns Pechi’s legend: a woman who learned black magic returns to the forest to perform sacrifices for demonic gods. A saint reveals Pechi’s immortality and that she cannot be destroyed, only trapped. The villagers kill Pechi and seal her soul inside a wooden witchcraft poppet nailed to a tree, the poppet Ram had inadvertently released earlier.

In a chilling twist, Jerry’s return brings them to Pechi’s house, and Maari is revealed to be Pechi in disguise. They also uncover a camera recording of Ram and his wife’s brutal murder, underscoring the danger and deception surrounding them.

Meena’s true allegiance emerges: she is a descendant of Pechi and has been aiding the demon by luring more victims into the forest. With a thug’s help, she helps coordinate the sacrifices for Pechi and pushes the plan forward.

Pechi confronts the survivors in her lair, and Charu is killed in front of Charan and Meena. Maari’s rescue attempt to help Charan and Meena plot a quick descent is foiled by the looming danger, and Meena is drawn toward the restricted area as Charan struggles to escape with the amulet.

Meena executes Pechi’s plan with the help of the thug, killing Maari in the process and tightening Pechi’s grip over the forest’s next sacrifices. Charan escapes with Meena, clutching the amulet as they attempt to flee the cursed terrain.

The truth about Meena’s lineage comes to light alongside Pechi’s continued ritual: a grandmother wakes as the demonic quota nears completion, and six sacrifices have already occurred with seven more to go. The film ends with a new group entering the forest in search of the missing trekkers, suggesting the horror will continue.