User reviews

With not too many Hindi horror movies being made in India "The House Next Door " comes as a fresh breath of air. Though this movie was simultaneously made in three languages Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. I have watched the movie in Hindi as I do not understand the other two languages.

I loved this movie and liked the coil and seizures in the plot. After a long time, I enjoyed an Indian Horror movie. Debutant director Milind Rau explores the not so prevalent Horror genre in the Indian movies. Somewhat he succeeds in this genre where the veterans of Indian horror like Vikram Bhatt and RGV have miscarried in the past some years.

The movie starts depicting romance between Dr. Krish (Siddharth) and Lakshmi (Andrea Jermiah). They get married and move into a beautiful house located in between the picturesque location of the Himalayas. Dr. Krish is publicized as country's no 1 "Deep Brain Stimulation Specialist".

Things start to change when a family reaches in the vicinity of Dr. Krish and Lakshmi. The house next door belongs to Paul (Atul Kulkarni) who is accompanied by his family that includes two daughters Jenny (Anisha Victor) and Sarah (Khushu Hajare)and his wife with her father.

Situations lead where the need for false exorcism arises. The Exorcism fails miserably and the priest goes into a coma. I'll not create any spoilers now so to know the rest of the story, kindly watch for yourself.

The movie has lots of positives- Acting of all the characters are up to the mark. Siddharth last memories of him in Hindi movies for Rang de Basanti and Chasme Budoor stands out. Andrea Jeremiah performs effortlessly as usual. Anisha Victor is pretty notable as Jenny. Maybe her first movie. Rest cast is respectable in their characters.

The Exorcism scene is being portrayed excellently and might give you some chill or edge of the seat moment. However, on the flipside, it might remind you as an amalgamation of the cult The Exorcist, The Exorcism of Emily Rose and the Conjuring series. Cinematography by Shreyaas Krishna is excellent, Visual effects Devesh Patel is commendable. The background score and editing are good.

Areas of Opportunity- Being an ardent Horror movie fan after each twist and turn I am forced to recall the inspirations of the plot/scene. I can recall all these movies while watching this 2 hr. 17 min saga (The Exorcist, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Conjuring series, and The Ring). But still, the writer and director have done a fair job of binding the stories together. This happens all the time but I haven't used the word plagiarism.

Also, the climax and last 20 – 25 min towards the end slightly falters with its sluggish pace. To sum up The House Next Door is a glossy horror movie though it might be considered to be weighed down due to owing lot of inspiration. We know that almost all the horror movie directors do take creativeness from the cult horror movies. The Ramsay's have done in their era. RGV and Vikram Bhatt in the modern era, but what stands out is the execution. Viewers have always been fond of the horror movies but were not catered appropriately. This movie is one of the few Indian movies that will stand out and to the audience tolerance do not have unnecessary comedy. Kudos to the director for sticking to his genre.

As the name suggests, it's a haunted house movie. There is also "possession" in this movie. A couple was living happily in their house, until some family occupied their next house, probably an unoccupied house for a long time. Problem arises after the girl next door found something, which she shouldn't have. It reminds me of The Exorcist. We can't find any fault with the acting. Everyone has acted as required in a horror movie. There are really some creepy, scary moments in this movie. Background music adds more creepiness to the atmosphere. There are two twists in this movie, which I was not able to guess, which means it is really a good horror movie. I recommend this movie for horror fans, especially of Indian horror movies.

Now a days Indian Horror movies are made of full length comedy movies with very very few elements of Horror..Top director like RGV also failed to come up with pure Horror flick.. This movie made my day. I am big fan of horror movies and at last got a pure Horror movie after some time. The story itself started in a unique way and all through the length it will keep the watchers sit tight holding breath. The ambiance suited well for the story. BGM took the movie to the peaks. Horror elements will make u jump from ur seats. Especially the "Exorcism" scene will take u to the real horror level on Indian screen. This scene will elevate the horror aspect and justify the real devil's act. All the actors and actresses done their best. I believe that the Director planned everything well before. Seems he executed his imaginations as it is on screen and it went excellent. This flick is a really watchable and undoubtedly enjoyable.

THND is an impressive movie which contains spooks as well as a good story at its core. The story is nothing new or groundbreaking but what makes this movie stand out is its wonderful direction. The narrative of the film is engaging. Script and direction alone make this movie stand out in a particularly lacklustre genre in Indian cinema.

The film starts off very well and the pacing is apt. The film falters a bit in its third-act but considering the overall intensity of the film, it's easily excusable. The screenplay is pretty clever. The direction is deft and proficient. The cinematography is gorgeous and helps in building the tension, especially the scenes shot in black-and- white look splendid. Music assists the atmosphere brilliantly and heightens the intensity of the narrative.

The ending drags a bit and could have been shorter. The end twist is good. The film looks inspired by a Malayalam movie Ezra which deals with the same topics of haunted house, possession and exorcism albeit with a different backstory. The cliffhanger ending works perfectly with the tone of the film and teases for a sequel (already excited).

Acting is admirable. Siddharth is nice and brings a certain edge to his character which is enough to tell how much talent he inherits. Andrea looks convincing in her role. Atul Kulkarni as a troubled father is superb. Avinash in the role of a psychic was great considering the fact that such character mostly turns out to be a goofy shadow of themselves. He is excellent in his role and brings a certain rugged charm to his character. Rest of the cast members are also good in their respective roles.

The film also carries a very subtle message about female infanticide and sexual discrimination. The way this message has been conveyed is clever and efficacious at the same time.

So, all in all, a finely crafted horror film which manages to scare as well as entertain.

7.3 out of 10!

Amazing movie & finally a Hindi horror flick which matches up to Hollywood standards of films like Conjuring & Oculus! The movie is directed by debutant Milind Rau and he does a fab job...we get lot of thrills and scary scenes with a gripping storyline. The film is also shot beautifully in the Himalayan valley and there are some breathtaking shots. The film stars Siddharth & Andrea Jeremiah in the leading roles & both have done a great job. There is also veteran actor Atul Kulkarni who was as usual natural & actress Anisha Victor who was damn impressive. The background score was good too. It was a great exp to watch it on the big screen. Highly recommended.

I signed up specifically to write this review because some of the other reviews for this title are so misleading.

My sister and I watch one horror film pretty much every week. Our bar is pretty high when it comes to selecting movies to watch. I'm a fairly busy person and every movie is like an investment of time, so I give a lot of thoughts and search around for average ratings before I decide on a movie.

On the night we watched this film, I was working and wanted to watch something on the side. Netflix recommended this movie with over 90% match, so I thought I'd give it a go. I didn't have any expectation going into the movie as Bollywood doesn't do a great job at most horror films.

But I was wrong. As it turned out, I couldn't step away from watching the movie.

From the get go, the movie feels boring. It starts with a song, and unneeded romantic scenes act like huge blockers in the first half of the film. However, give it a go and eventually the story starts to emerge.

The film is well-written, well thought out and the actors do a great job portraying the film. There were even twists when I least expected it. It's not the most original idea that you will ever see, so you will find similarities with a lot of other Hollywood flicks. If you're after something never seen before, this is not your movie.

But if you enjoy a great horror movie with a good number of jumpscares and a great story with depth, I highly recommend it. It has its fair share of faults, but by the end of its runtime, I did not feel like I wasted any time. It was worth every moment (except the unneeded song and kissing scenes at the beginning). It fails to build up interest from the start, but if you stick around, you will be rewarded.

I know that not everyone's taste is similar, but to say this movie is trash or ROFL because it's so bad is just not right. Probably those reviewers went in hoping to watch the next most original story that doesn't take cues from anything that has ever been told before. Because, as I said, there are familiar scenes throughout the film. But it has a story, genuine acting, great direction of photography, and unexpected twists that are genuinely satisfying.

This one has wonderful special effects. The story and concept is good too. It was some cliche usually associated with Indian Horror movies. The actors play their roles with supreme expertise. Siddharth looks good throughout. The twist at the end is predictable.

It's such a top notch Indian horror movie which gives us glimpse of Exorcist and Conjuring whatever you like to say. The best part about this movie is obviously it's storyline and quick screenplay. You'll not get bored off while watching it.

The main characters were acted so well especially the leading character Sid and the girl who got possessed.

I am reducing some ratings because of it's unnecessarily added Romance and Kiss scenes otherwise this film would have been a perfect family horror movie. But it have some mild sexual scenes because of it I'll say, just avoid watching with family. And that's it 7 out of 10 Stars from my side.

If you are a kid who was born after 2011, you may like this. Others, please walk away. I wasted my precious 2 hours something on this stinky medley of copy/paste ghost stories because I was misled by stupid reviewers who, God knows why, are rating this one as if it were of the level of 'Bhoot' by RGV or 'Raat' again by RGV. Let me tell you, it is not even of the level of cheap ghost TV serials you see on weekends. The first 30 to 40 mins where it builds up the ghost story is really good. That is the part where one would feel he is in for one excellent psychic/metaphysical thriller. But alas, all goes downhill from there. Some incidents like Jenny taking a plunge in a well, a dictaphone that starts playing in the middle of night and doesn't turn off even after switching it off, Jenny humming a chinese song while it was too late etc are all very good. But the director / script writer frittered away what could have been a great story. Exorcism of Jenny is where the turmoil started. Poorly executed, loosely scripted. The story from then on is mundane, predictable, almost stupid. And all of a sudden, as is possessed by the spirit of a bad actor, performance of all the actors go down from there. The movie starts relying solely on visual effects to scare the viewer; story/acting take a back seat. Now you can't claim to have made a great ghost movie if more than half the time you relied on VFX alone. The back story of 'why bloody ghost' was the lamest I have ever seen and most of all, extremely predictable. The Oujha who deals with the spirit after one pastor failed at it - and he failed at acting too, royally - doubles up as a forensic expert whose expertise would rival CSI's by analyzing almost a century old skeleton in seconds. He laid his hands on one unearthed skeleton - and he moved to the burial place faster than the speed of sound by merely touching random objects but lets just ignore it - and boom! he declared it was the skeleton of a woman, she was carrying. He then bestowed his grace on another skeleton lying next and boom! he declared that that one belonged to a child who had been beheaded. Stupid, lame, badly performed and loosely scripted. I wasted my time. You please don't.

Finally a Hindi movie that will give us sleepless nights. It is par with Hollywood standard. Lead actor's of the film Siddharth is at his best, Andrea's support to the lead was nice to watch, Atul Kulkarni as always natural and Anisha Victor was really impressive. Technically everything was perfect, makers have left no stone to make a perfect edge of the seat Horror. Background Score needs to get special mention. Storyline, Editing, Direction all were so gripping that we can't even afford to miss any scene. Milind Rau Debuting Director done a fabulous job and the movie speaks the hard work done by makers. Do experience it in Big Screen. The House Next Door is Highly Recommended.

This is a good thriller with a suspense. Even though this is a horror movie, there is nothing horror in this. The possession, exorcisms etc are all common and repetitive in many Hollywood and Bollywood movies post The Exorcist. One correction.. In the movie, Paul says that they are Pentecostal Christians. The Pastor carries a Rosary while performing exorcism. But, Pentecostal Christians do not carry Rosaries - which is normally associated with Catholics. Watch this for some good thrills and good acting.

This film improves as it goes along and then sporadically delivers some awkward and cringeworthy scenes. There were some commendable attempts at creating scary moments but the overall meandering nature of the plot interfered with this. Some strong performances were compromised by some weak ones. There were some impressive locations found for this film and it had the potential to be great but it under-delivers for its length.

#TheHouseNextDoor is an intelligent horror movie, very rarely seen in Bollywood. Hats off to producer n actor Siddharth n director Rau for creating this scary venture. The story is based on the desperate need to have a male child n to what extent a man would go, to achieve this goal. He is ready to sacrifice his own daughter. But is it worth it? Kulkarni as the helpless dad n Victor as the possessed daughter, r very good. Watch it n get spooked. Rating 3/5.

The Best Horror Movie made in India. A neatly crafted ghost story having enough spooks, a good story and a subtle message. Strange it came and went without many knowing about it. Recommended.

The movie took off so well, but then .. awwhhhhhhhh... can't bear it later. It seems like most of the scenes (come in later half) were included in the movie to increase run time of the movie.

Two things I like the most about this movie were;

1. Engaging Background music 2. Excellent and breath taking cinematography.

I wish if script is written well it could be a cult classic horror flick.

O please don't waste your time. It's an insult to intelligence. It begins so well but the way it drags you wish to find a time travel machine to rewind those two hours of you life back. Nuff said!

The story takes long time to establish it as horror story which is obvious after 15 minutes. There are some scenes that does not have logic but there is one particular scene in hospital that is just freaking scary. The sound effects and music are amazing. The plot twists are good and sometimes predictable. Good watch though!!

I love a good ghost story and this is a good one. However, the film is entirely too long. The first part of the film sorta drags out but the middle and final acts were very interesting. There are some fairly predictable goings on but it was still worth it.

Nicely filmed. Decent special effects. Good acting. Good story. Too long but I say check it out.

When a horror film has sequences that are unintentionally funny, it stops making an impact. Milind Rau's The House Next Door is one such film that depends on textbook tricks and becomes devoid of horror even before the intermission. Siddharth and Andrea Jeremiah play a couple who starts experiencing paranormal activities in and around their house when new neighbors come in. Atul Kulkarni is the head of this new family, whose elder daughter starts showing signs of paranoia and possession. The story starts well this way and even succeeds in keeping you occupied with occasional jump scares, but then it travels to different territories without stopping. With a murky backstory, the writers try to add everything possible with their meagre imagination - legendary myths, exorcism, atheism and theism, Gothic culture, and whatnot - in an attempt to make their broth look tasty. For an informed and restless audience, this overstuffed film is like a collection of all that they have seen in the popular horror genre in the past 20 years. Of course, there are some captivating sequences involving the unknown, but everything is further let down with the dismal performances by the lead actors. Siddharth is the only decent guy, with both Jeremiah and Kulkarni failing to portray their characters. There is also a very uncanny resemblance with Jay K's Prithviraj-starring 2017 hit horror Malayalam film Ezra, which is much better and tighter than this loose ripoff. If furniture flying without their will is your idea of a desi horror film, The House Next Door should be on your VOD tonight. Otherwise, skip this irritatingly-long pretend film with a complex story and not the greatest performances. TN.

This film improves as it goes along and then sporadically delivers some awkward and cringeworthy scenes. There were some commendable attempts at creating scary moments but the overall meandering nature of the plot interfered with this. Some strong performances were compromised by some weak ones. There were some impressive locations found for this film and it had the potential to be great but it under-delivers for its length. A lot better than many Horror films. Surprisingly it came and went without many knowing about it.

Finally a good horror movie after many years...probably Haunted 3D was the last good one !!

The story will keep you glued and the scary moments will make sure you hardly get any time to think about the plot. The actors pull off their parts well and The Himalayas background provide the perfect stage for the script !!

Don't see the trailer just watch it on big screen for the perfect scare moments !!

P.s HOLD THE CROSS while watching ;-)