Mar 22, 2010 10:13 AM
5259 Views
(Updated Mar 22, 2010 10:32 AM)
There is a moment in this movie when the lead actress is driving down a deserted, mist ridden road at night and she sees a unmistakably feminine spooky figure in black, sprawled in the middle of the road… Like a dutiful heroine in a horror flick, she stops and starts walking out to the black figure with hesitant steps…
It is that moment that defines the purest of horror genre.You are captivated at the horror of the situation while cringing about what is to come. Your sub conscious is yelling at the heroine to get back into the car and run for her life. The impact is felt on the audience as well. Exactly at the moment, there are strings of nervous giggles heard through out the theatre. Women letting out stifled screams. Horror buffs waiting for the inevitable…
I will not reveal what happens next, you have to see it for yourselves.
I liked Vikram Bhatt’s Raaz and 1920.. I was waiting for Shaapit eagerly… and I was not disappointed.. The sheet gothic morbid beauty of its sets , the amazing cinematography (esp the moon lit scenes), the intelligent plot and a competent bunch of actors make it worth the 100 or so bucks that you would spend on it..
See, the thing is that people watch horror flick to be scared..simple as that we have been through an era of movies which have displayed amazing computer generated horror effects ..and now it has come to a point that it takes a lot to scare a ‘The grudge- hardened ‘ audience of today.. So film makers need to take a step back from the CGI overload and explore the sub conscious elemental fears that an average audience member would horde.
The effective way to exploit and engage that sub conscious fear is to not show the massive computer generated monster , but to show something or some one lurking out there and letting our imagination fill in our fears. Blair witch project did so with amazing dexterity and I am happy to report that Shaapit achieves it as well, extrapolating that fear into unique Indian locales…
Some critics report that the movie drains you out due to a series of locales (spooky old library, moon lit Bungla – Ancient Jail, and for the grand finale. The awesome moon lit fort in the middle of a lake) and steps that the lead characters have to traverse but then that is exactly what a horror movie is supposed to do. Remember Aliens? It is an engaging watch. The only grouse is that there are too many songs as if we are watching Raaz or 1920 all over again. Movies other wise excellent but being tormented by these musical interruptions…
But that is a small grouse.
