The Door

Prison Break's Sarah Wayne Callies carries this British-Indian horror production with the same demeanour as her more familiar role; maternal enough to sell the film's major theme, yet strong enough to carry the entire feature. This, after all, is what Callies is tasked with, as the grieving mother she portrays invites her dead son's spirit back to the world of the living with inevitably chilling consequences.

While the majority of studio horror nowadays is bound by so many stipulations - the jump scares, the teenage cast demographics - that ultimately render it generic, The Other Side of the Door benefits from a refreshing change of setting in its Indian locale. As a result, not only does the film look elegantly beautiful with its colours and scenery, but its plot also benefits from a less familiar cultural angle than most supernatural thrillers are afforded. The central menace here - a temple doorway through which the living can contact the dead - is so far removed from Western ideology and the recurring origins of its horror movie monsters that the film undeniably offers something that is at least different, if not completely new. The second act, where things go bump in the night as Maria questions the nature of the spirit she's allowed back into her home, is admittedly routine, but that's not the issue with modern horror; the issue is whether or not it can at least try to overcome this mundane narrative.

This is where the screenplay's wider themes come in to sharper focus, as the audience encourages Maria to make the right choices while sympathising with her fragile state of mind. The horror isn't simply limited to creepy children and unseen entities, but also the lengths a parent is compelled to go to in order to be reunited with a lost child. It's most certainly enough to make the more pedestrian scares forgivable as you witness a family being torn further apart by their loss just as much they are the shadows that lurk around them.

The Other Side of the Door won't terrify you any more than any other supernatural horror released this year, and that's because, by now, genre aficionados really have seen it all. What it will do, however, is linger with you much longer as you place yourselves in the shoes of an emotionally drained mother who, you understand, would do anything to see her son again.

Directed by Johannes Roberts and Roberts co-writes the screenplay with Ernest Riera. It stars Sarah Wayne Callies, Jeremy Sisto, Sofia Rosinsky and Suchitra Pillai.

Still struggling to come to terms with the death of her young son, Maria (Callies) is told of an Indian ritual where she can say goodbye to her son one last time, under one condition. The condition is that the conversation will be on the other side of a door - a door which simply must not be opened...

There were far worse horror films than this released in 2016, that's not to say this should be a selling point for The Other Side of the Door, but it at least is effective in what it does. The problems really are that it's all very cliché ridden, but how many horror films do not have clichés anyway? This is one for those who are just after a few genuine scares, some creeping dread like atmosphere, and a nifty ending. It doesn't tread any new ground, and it comes off like the bastard child of Ringu and Pet Sematary, but sometimes a safe horror with clichés is all you need for a decent night in with the lights off. 6.5/10

Since a good horror film like "the others" or "shining" apparently comes every decade or two, I've stopped having high expectations. I'm not sure what, but may be horror films can either be masterpieces or a failure. Or it's just that not much budget is put into them. Acting, premise and plot was decent. So I feel a little unfair when I'm gonna bring down so much good work just because of poor writing.

The beginning was appropriately paced fast enough, but it is then that you also realise the narration fails to develop the characters.

Passed mid time, story begs for the resident of the house to question the sudden change in his house, and he doesn't. At that point I start skipping before I get bored.

I watched this because another comment said it was worth a watch. Well, I'm recommending it is if you have some side activity, or if you easily get excited .

It appears from the reviews that true horror fans appreciate this whereas people who are just looking at it from a story perspective grade it much lower. As a horror fan , and never heard of the film I was pleasantly surprised of how creepy and scary it was with some genuine disturbing moments that are lacking from many modern day horrors. I do not know why the score is so low so hopefully this will bolster it !

I love horror. These movies are a bit overdone,however I loved the casting. Sarah Wayne Callie's is one of my favorite actresses and Jeremy Sisto can always pull it off. This movie is predictable, however, I watched until the very end. I paused when doing something else! It definitely has some super creepy scenes. They did a great job at making this movie as realistic as possible when dealing with the genre. I ignored the reviews and ratings and rented this on demand. Looking back I would have waiting until Netflix or a non pay. Instead I wanted a good creep and I got it! This movie gets a B- from me and watch before you decide if it's a good or bad movie.