Horror Fails!

BOO! Got scared? No? Well after watching these movies, do not expect to be scared either. Yes, in this article we bring to you those movies that are bound to make you laugh, cry and even get angry but definitely not scared aka horror fails.

First up is the recently released Horror Story starring Karan Kundra, Nishant Malkani, Ravish Desai, Hasan Zaidi, Aparna Bajpai, Radhika Menon and Nandini Vaid. If you've seen this movie already, our sympathies and if you haven't, well decide for yourself if it is worth it. As the movie opens, you believe you're getting something new to see but soon it becomes cliched with the typical teenage fun of exploring a supposedly haunted hotel in the middle of the night, doors creaking, mysterious voices, incantations, burning items to save themselves and what not. Many critics felt that even the acting was not up to par even given the fact that many are popular TV actors.

Next up we have the Balaji movie, Ek Thi Daayan. For the movie's promotion, producer Ekta Kapoor even came up with a unique idea of presenting a mini-series on TV titled Ek Thhi Naayka consisting of the top actresses from TV. However, it seems that even the series couldn't save the movie from it's fate. While Konkana Sen Sharma received much praise for her role, the movie overall was rated between 2 to 3 stars citing that the film seemed to repeat much of the same cliched material that every other flick has. At the box office, it had only about 30 to 40% occupancy at most screenings starting on the first day. Many people also stated that the mini-series gave away much of the story away, thus giving them no reason to it on the big screen.

Bipasha Basu and Nawazuddin Siddiqui teamed up the movie Aatma (2013). Much praise was delivered to the two actors for their hard work and believable performances, however, critics and viewers both stated that the story was lacking and, once again, cliched. The plot had the same "frightening" moments such as when Basu's character senses someone watching her but doesn't know who. There is also something about children being possessed that doesn't click with the Indian viewers, as a few critics were quick to state. Many also found the climax to be quite predictable.

3G and no, we're not talking about the popular 3G network on mobile phones but rather the movie starring Neil Nitin Mukesh and Sonal Chauhan. If you haven't heard of the movie, we don't blame you. The film was a washover with almost nothing to remember it by. Critics generously gave it a 1 to 2.5 stars rating stating that the music was good but the movie was nothing more than a travel guide of Fiji. So if you're planning on heading to Fiji any time soon, do go ahead and watch the movie, but if you're looking for a real scare, this is one to stay away from.

Ghost, a 2012 movie starring Shiney Ahuja and Sayali Bhagat made headlines for reasons other than it's production. While it garnered about 1.5 crore on the first weekend, the moment other movies were released, Ghost's collections fell to about 8.5 crore in the month it ran. Critics slammed the film stating that the songs and dances ruined it while others commented that there was nothing in the movie, be it the story, music or acting. Some even went on to say it was actually funny rather than scary. While this writer hasn't watched Ghost, one thing she can tell you clearly is that if a horror movie is called funny then it's a waste of time.

Now we bring you a list of three movies that are actually "sequels". First up is Bhoot Returns. We only have one thing to say, way to ruin a perfect awesome first movie! Bhoot had the right amount of horror, suspense and music. However, Bhoot Returns, let the box office and critics assess it better. The movie sank in controversy after a Mumbai-based ad agency claimed that the poster was a "blatant copy" of their ad to spread awareness against drunken driving. If that wasn't enough, the film went on to to get an A rating from the Censor Board of India and anywhere between a 0.5 to 2 stars from critics, declaring it a "flop" at the box office. One critic amusingly stated that the only scary moment in the flick was when they thought that there might be a third movie in the Bhoot series. Rohan J. Tambe, a film critic, sums it all up with "Save your money and time by skipping the movie." Need we say more?

Vikram Bhatt is known for his horror movies and 1920 was another one of his genius productions. But when it came to 1920 - Evil Returns, it just isn't the same. The film may have done well at the box office but to tell you the truth, there wasn't anything super horrifying about it. In fact, at some points, it felt that it was dragging, even the critics seem to agree with us. One critic stated that it was another horror movie in a group of horror movies released simultaneously and gave it a 1 star. Another critic advised to watch it only if you really want something uninspiring and gave it 2 stars. An online rating tool used by viewers gave the movie 2 out of 5. If viewers are giving the movie a 2, then it automatically makes the movie a fail that's all we can say.

Finally, we end our list with another Vikram Bhatt horror movie, Raaz 3. Once again, let's compare it first to Raaz. Raaz was a classic spine-chilling, horror movie. We still get the chills whenever we watch it and we have watched it at least 10 to 15 times by now. But Raaz 3 failed to succeed it's predecessors. Bipasha Basu and Esha Gupta were stunning in their roles. Both evoked the emotion in you that was needed, yet still what the movie lacked was substance in its story. For the first time, while critics gave the movie a general 2.5 to 3.5 stars, surprisingly, it did not do well at the box office. Many viewers cited the story or cliched horror usage as reasons for not enjoying the movie. What we can tell you is that if a viewer doesn't enjoy the movie, then it makes our horror fail list.

Writer: Shreya S.

Editor(s): Siona M. Jenifer Y. 

Graphics: Virina R.