Other Side of the Door, The (2016)
Staci Layne Wilson
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Starring Sarah Wayne Callies, Jeremy Sisto, Sofia Rosinsky, and Logan Creran
Directed by Johannes Roberts
Who doesn’t love a story that deals with the forbidden? Don’t look in the basement! Don’t read from that ancient book of spells! Don’t open that door!
That’s the whole hook behind The Other Side of the Door. In this Alexandre Aja-produced supernatural thriller, a tight-knit family lives an idyllic existence in India until a tragic car wreck takes the life of their young son, Oliver.
His mother, Maria (Callies), is of course distraught; and her husband, Michael (Sisto), does his best to console her while dealing with his own grief. Maria tries to take her own life, but fails, and then finds hope of a different kind of reunion with her son when she learns of an ancient ritual that will bring him back to say one final goodbye. Maria secretly travels to an ancient temple, where a door serves as a mysterious portal between two worlds. But when she disobeys the warning to never open that door, she blurs the lines between the planes of life and death.
Newbie writer-director Johannes Roberts does a great job of evoking an air of mystery and skullduggery by setting the action in a deep, dark jungle that’s oceans away from the family’s home in America. The atmosphere adds to the feeling of being lost, out of sorts, scared, and confused.
With pros like Callies and Sisto as the heartbroken parents, the acting cannot be faulted. The young cast is excellent as well, and so are the unknown (to most U.S. and European viewers) Indian actors. On the other hand, The Other Side of the Door is not very, well… haunting. I saw it a few weeks ago, and I have to admit I can’t remember much beyond the basic facts. I enjoyed the movie as it played, but any sense of eeriness was left behind at the theater.
With themes playing on tried and true formulas of cinema from days of yore – Pet Sematary and The Ring, especially – The Other Side of the Door doesn’t break on through to anything new. But it’s well made and entertaining, serving its purpose to those who like a little horror with their heartbreak.
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Film
Categorized:Reviews
