Horror is majorly an untapped genre in Bollywood. The House Next Door starring Siddharth, had released amidst zero promotion which is why I decided to pick this over a few others. Does it scare the daylights out of me…lets see.

Aptly titled, The House Next Door follows the story of Krish and Lakshmi who stay in the Himalayas in a bungalow where a new family shifts in the house next door. Soon, strange things occur and the spook-fest begins. If you are familiar with movies like The Amity Ville Horror, The Ring and more recently The Conjuring series, this story will seem to be slightly stale. But hang on. The screenplay almost consistently holds your attention and there are quite a few spooks for the faint hearted besides the regular twists and turns. The background score is a major plus and adds to the eerie surroundings. It often makes you jump out of your seat! Director Milind Rau seems to know his job and includes almost all the relevant elements which are required for a horror flick. So there are creaking doors, unidentified walking objects and more!

Siddharth, returning to Hindi cinema after Chashme Baddoor, is in top form. Andrea Jessimiah as his wife looks pretty and does a fairly decent job. Atul Kurkarni and Aparna botj are efficient in their respective roles. All other actors lend able support.

All in all, The House Next Door is a tick in the horror bracket for Bollywood. You are sure to look over your shoulder every now and then. Add to that, this is a true story! Enough reason to get you interested.

PS : The twist in the tale is a good one!!