The setting may
be somewhat unique, but don’t let that fool you. This horror film has been done
many times before. The narrative alone shares themes similar to countless other
movies, most notably the classic Pet
Cemetery, but even more derivative are the stylistic choices made by
director Johannes Roberts. It isn’t so much that this is a bad film. In fact,
many of the sequences are effectively eerie. The problem is that they all have
been done before. The ghost-like woman apparition threatening to come from the
afterlife looks and moves remarkably similar to the TV-dwelling spirit from The Ring franchise, while other imagery
from Japanese ghost narratives such as Ju-on
(remade as The Grudge) are also
peppered throughout the familiar storyline. Production elements are on point,
but The Other Side of the Door would
be far more effective if I was unfamiliar with previous releases in the ghost
story subgenre.
After a brief
awkward prologue showing American couple Maria (Sarah Wayne Callies) and
Michael (Jeremy Sisto) discovering they are expecting child while on vacation
in India and deciding to raise their family in the country, The Other Side of the Door jumps many
years forward in time after this child has been lost to a tragic accident. With
such a brief amount of information offered in this opening sequence, one must
wonder why it was included at all. When we join this family again, they are
recovering from the tragedy, later seen in unsettling flashbacks. That first
child was killed in a deadly car wreck, though Maria was able to save her
second child. This living child merely serves as a tool in the horror as Maria
takes drastic measures to see her deceased son one last time.
Warping Hindi
mythology for the horror set-up, Maria follows a mystical procedure in order to
bring back her son’s ghost so that she can say goodbye. After digging up her
son’s corpse and cremating it to use the ashes in a cemetery ceremony, Maria is
able to hear her son’s voice one last time. The only warning she is given is
predictably broken, turning the deceased boy into a malevolent spirit out to
terrorize Maria and her remaining child. As is often the case in films such as
these, the father remains clueless and absent until it is too late. While the
complete dismissal of Michael’s character is somewhat irritating, it is nothing
compared to the film’s treatment of the country’s natives. Despite taking place
in India,
there is really only one speaking Indian character within the narrative, and
she is the family’s servant. All of the rest are represented as savages and/or
monsters.
The Other Side of the Door has a moment
or two of well executed horror sequences, but none of it feels remotely
original. Callies carries much of the film admirably, but her character is so
frustratingly written that I had little sympathy for her survival. Sisto’s
character is missing from the narrative so much of the run-time that he merely
seems to be another name attached to project in order to attract attention,
leaving most of Callies scenes to be played against supernatural incarnations
and the feral-looking child actor playing her daughter. While this kid (Sofia
Rosinsky) looks eerie, even before possession clichés enter the plot, her
inexperience as an actor handicaps many scenes.
The Blu-ray
release for this forgettable horror film includes a DVD and Digital HD copy of
the film. As the effects are far better than the screenplay deserves, the high
definition presentation helps highlight the film’s greatest asset beyond the
committed performance from Callies. The special features include some
unnecessary deleted scenes and a behind-the-scenes featurette. There is also a
production photo gallery and a theatrical trailer.
Entertainment Value:
5.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6/10
Historical
Significance: 3/10
Special Features: 3.5/10
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