The Other Side of the Door - Film Review

When was the last time a horror film was set in India? Seems a long time ago! The country is underused as a haunting backdrop, a country filled mysterious locations for filmmakers to explore. For instance abandoned ancient temples, claustrophobic jungles, the different mythological creatures told in Indian folk law. It is an untapped resource, a fantastic place to gather ideas for a psychological thrill ride. Offering a contrasting option to the usual heaven and hell, the devil's gonna get yer story seen a million times before in horror films, The Other Side of the Door tries to venture off the beaten track from the tired cliche setting in an attempt to show audiences that there is more to the genre than a creepy old house with rotten basement. A young married couple from America decide to settle in Mumbai with plans to start a family together. A terrible accident tragically ends with the death of their young son Oliver, as a consequence the mother struggles mentally to cope with his passing. The housekeeper tells the mother of an old temple located near her childhood village that allows the living to speak with the dead for one last time. One golden rule however is that she must not open the door (please bear this in mind).

I was invested in the story for the first fifteen minutes as the film offers a heartfelt opening in the hope of leading to a psychological story, rooting for the main characters to battle with the grief surrounding the family. Then the film collapses like a drunk mate attempting to play Jenga. One word can summariae this film, wasted. Whilst the backdrop and imagery is unique, the story, the scares and the dopey characters follow the same cliche twenty first century horror film plot that you've seen so many times previously. The characters in this film are yet again written to be morons. This isn't a spoiler but as the housemaid describes instructions to the mother, the one rule is that she must not open the door whilst in the temple. Have a guess at what she does........ garrrrrrr! As per the norm, the creepy things start to occur. Everybody in the house senses the supernatural presences, even the dog. The dad however as in every single modern horror film is clueless to it all. He has no idea that an evil spirit is haunting his family, why is this the case? There isn't an explanation other than it is terrible writing. There is no reason for him to be in this film other than to make love to his partner. He is a sex slave. Horror's get bashed for poor writing but this has got to be up there with the worst. I don't mind for example if it was another Final Destination sequel because it is written and directed to be more of a comedy. The Other Side of the Door takes itself so serious that you can't help but laugh at some of the scares. Imagine if your sibling tiptoed to the kitchen munching quietly on a midnight snack, you spot them, sneak up perfectly behind them, sibling turns around... 3,2,1.... BARGH! I got ya! The level of scares you'll receive in this film ladies and gentleman. Predictable and rubbish. The endless actions the mother takes to protect her family from the evil spirits are over the top to say the least. If this was your mother, you'd be signing her up for placement in the maximum security mental asylum. Again the film is taking itself so seriously, I couldn't help but laugh! Why can't horror films be written to a acceptable standard anymore? We aren't all muppets. The film even manages to break its own rules on how to get rid of the evil demon. The ending makes no sense without having to think deeply. It really is hard to describe but I won't spoiler in case you do want to see this film. This is taking writing to a whole new level of crap. Do you remember the days growing up watching classic horror films such as The Excosist, The Omen, Poltergeist, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street? Why can't Hollywood create more masterpieces like them?

Ok so I've had my rant. I think it was my frustration of most horror films of today just boiling over. The film's direction isn't bad, the acting for the most part is solid in particular to the housekeeper. The production and set designs are very well crafted. It's such a shame that an interesting and promising idea turned out to be a typical horror cash grab. Booooo!


3/10


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