Horror Story – Movie Review

I had this weird fantasy when I was a child… I wanted to watch an astonishingly scary movie all by myself in a huge empty hall. Well that… of course never happened but my fascination for the horror genre has still remained intact. This should explain why I walked into the theatre and chose to watch ‘Horror Story’ this weekend, over big release ‘Grand Masti’ and an interestingly casted ‘John Day’. Had ‘Insidious: Chapter 2’ released in India, it would have surely been my first choice. Alas! And I wonder why it hasn’t been released here. ‘Insidious’ was among the very few good horror movies being made these days. The same director’s ‘The Conjuring’ released a few weeks back, spooked the audience and made money in India as well. Disappointed with the news, perhaps I was expecting a few good scares from ‘Horror Story’. But hang on… I always expect a lot from the horror genre and most movies don’t live up to my expectations. Let me begin by saying that ‘Horror Story’ is a misleading title… a misnomer. There is hardly any ‘horror’ and no ‘story’ at all in ‘Horror Story’.

Vikram Bhatt has directed more horror flicks than most other film-makers here. Never mind if most of his movies (scenes too) are blatantly ripped off from Hollywood flicks, it must be acknowledged that he is probably the only one now who is still making or producing these movies liked by a more niche audience. Some of his movies were good (‘1920’, ‘Raaz’), some were okay (‘Haunted’, ‘Shaapit’) and some were intolerable (‘Raaz-3’, ‘1920-Evil Returns’). Like his last movie outing, this is only produced by him but the fact remains that you still expect to be spooked. Unfortunately, ‘Horror Story’ is okay in parts and by the time it ends, you get a very vague feeling. But you need to give debutante director Ayush Raina his due where he deserves it. There are no songs (something I expect from a horror movie), no sub-plot or a love angle and he doesn’t stretch it to more than 90 odd minutes.

Seven friends meet at a pub after a gap to celebrate a farewell party for one of them. They come across an urban legend – people have been jumping off from Room No. 3046 from a dilapidated Hotel Grandiose and ending their lives. The mystery remains unresolved. The friends reach there that night itself to have some fun and discover that prior to construction of the hotel; there was a mental hospital in the same land. Before they can do something, the seven youngsters realize they are trapped inside the haunted hotel. What pursues is their ‘Horror Story’.

The premise is interesting but the director’s weak execution plays a spoilsport. There are scenes which could have been scary but they are presented too predictably and you have seen it all before. I did like a few of them but they are too few and far between. The background score in a horror movie is pivotal in creating the right mood for it. Here, it is okay. At 90 minutes, it still lacks a crisp editing. The climax is so juvenile that you may want to laugh at it. However, the worst part is the performances. I don’t even want to know the names of all the seven newcomers. Not a single one leaves any impact and I’m sure this will be their last movie (anyhow, debuting in a horror movie doesn’t go well for anyone).

Watch it or not: Horror movie buffs can take a chance but you won’t be spooked at all.

At the Box-Office: ‘Grand Masti’ will do well. Both ‘Horror Story’ and ‘John Day’ will fail to bring in the crowd. However, this one will recover costs (made on a shoe-string budget with no stars and promotion) and emerge an average success. Sequels will follow.

• About the Author

About Abhirup Dhar

I don't watch movies... I live them! Let me introduce myself. Abhirup Dhar was born in Kolkata and is still being brought up in India. A banker by profession, he is filmy to the core and is passionate about reviewing movies and writing. He likes to live on his own… he likes to be blunt, sarcastic, famous, infamous, confident, over-confident, moody at times… he likes to be himself. He is imperfect because perfection is boring. His love for movies dates back to his childhood days when he studied in a boarding school. A three-month Winter Vacation every year… and he made sure he watched as many movies then. Parents thought it was a phase... he knew it was Passion and he knew it back then itself. The craziness to watch movies on the Big Screen began during the last two years of school when he literally bunked to town so that he could catch up with the new Hindi Movie releases. Some thought he was plain crazy. He confirmed it was Passion... yet again. The hard fact is that not always can you walk a path you are passionate about. You have expectations to fulfill and Life to be made. But Life gives you chances and you have to grab them. So... here is he... your friendly critic who will be giving you his Verdict every week so that you can decide which release is worth your moolah and which is not! See you at the Movies! Stay connected at Facebook and Twitter!