Smart camera work coupled with impressive sound effects and deft editing makes this horror film a must watch for horror film lovers. Director Milind Rau who is also the co-writer of this quite engrossing daunting thriller made in Hindi, Tamil and Telgu has succeeded in giving pure frights to the viewer. Except for the stretched ending (it could have been made shorter) Milind has come up with a horror flick that is much above the Indian film industry standards.
Giving a brief glimpse of the era prior to Indian independence the story revolves around a mansion somewhere in Himachal Pradesh that was occupied by a Chinese merchant dealing in silk imported from China. Immediately it is the current period shown in the adjacent house where a noted neuro surgeon Dr Krishnakanth (Siddharth) resides with his wife Lakshmi (Andrea Jeremiah) happy in their world.
Just then they notice new neighbours moving in the house next door. Paul (Atul Kulkarni) and his family move in the spacious mansion next to their house. Happy to have neighbours next door, Dr Krishnakanth and Lakshmi also attend the house-warming get-together at the house next door.
That moment onwards the doctor experiences weird things beginning to occur in the next door mansion and the affected person is the neighbour’s grown-up daughter Jennifer (Anisha Angelina Victor) who falls prey to the evil spirit lurking for ages in that age old palatial home.
Dr Krishnakanth comes to their help, saves the daughter from drowing in a well and even seeks help from his fellow doctor – a psychiatrist who seems bewildered with Jennifer’s case and he too gives up since the patient’s (Jennifer) symptoms and reports all turn out okay. Finally the psychiatrist decides that the recurrance of unexplained mystifying and puzzled behaviour of Jennifer cannot be explained by science and medicine and gives up, finally realizing that it could be something related to occult, suggests a Pastor to cure the victim.
The backdrop of adjacent houses on a hill station adds mystic to the drama which is supported by crafty camerawork and able editing.
Overall it is above the Bollywood standards of horror films so far.
Some of the hair-raising moments are during the house warming party and then onwards many creepy, chilling moments keeps the audience engrossed in the happenings to the family who has just moved next door.
A much above average Bollywood horror flick standards.
Cast:
Siddharth as Doctor Krishnakanth
Andrea Jeremiah as Lakshmi
Atul Kulkarni as Paul
Suresh as Doctor Prasad
Anisha Angelina Victor as Jennifer (Jenny)
Credits:
Production companies – Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, Etaki Entertainment
Produced by Siddharth
Written and Directed by Milind Rau
Music by Girishh
Cinematography by Shreyaas Krishna
Edited by Lawrence Kishore
The House Next Door, movie review
