Orotund Chants

1920: Adah & Rajneesh

Cast: Rajneesh Duggal, Adah Sharma

Director: Vikram Bhatt

Hell hath no fury like a woman possessed, discovers architect Arjun Singh Rathore when his wife Lisa starts behaving strangely after moving into an isolated mansion in Yorkshire, which, by the way, stands in for Palanpur in this film.

One night, he catches her slurping up the entrails of a dead cat, another night she’s talking in a strange voice and rocking the bed, but not in a good way.

The doctor’s convinced she’s suffering from split personality disorder, the priest insists something’s gotten into her — quite literally.
Turns out, there’s a spirit hanging around the house who has some unfinished business with Lisa. For Arjun, who has nothing to hold on to, not even his faith in God which he renounced not so long ago, it’s going to be an uphill task rescuing his wife from the stubborn spirit.

Even before you begin to complain about the dozen or so holes in Bhatt’s film, let’s remember that objecting to silliness in a horror film is a bit unfair, considering the whole point of the genre — the fun and the terror — lies in the suspension of disbelief.

That said, what I do have a problem with, is the repeated recycling of the same old moments from such films as The Exorcist and more recently The Exorcism of Emily Rose.

Too many scenes in 1920 are unabashedly borrowed from these films, including the now obligatory scene of the possessed victim levitating mid-air. How many times will we see that scene being repeated in horror films?
Remember, the best horror films are the ones that make you forget you’re sitting in a cinema, and transport you to the scene of action as if you’re out there running from the psychotic murderer, or hiding under the bed in fear of being discovered.

They’re the ones that set up a scene for impending tragedy, the ones that build up a mood of tension.

That’s what director Vikram Bhatt goes for in 1920 — desolate surroundings, a creepy house a sense that something bad is going to happen.

If it weren’t for such silly distractions as the Victorian era costumes and the Yorkshire landscape, the Rakhi Sawant item song, and even the bizarre flashback, Bhatt might have actually got it right.

In the end, it’s about what scares you and what doesn’t.

Let’s not forget, we’ve become accustomed to seeing dead people and psycho killers in the movies. We don’t get scared very easily these days. Which is why it’ll take a lot to make us jump out of our seats now.

But 1920 makes a sincere attempt. There are moments in the film’s second half that might genuinely spook you. These moments, however, are few and far between.

It’s the endless back-story and the film’s lethargic pace that do the most damage here.

Debutants Rajneesh Duggal and Adah Sharma who play the film’s protagonists are ordinary at best, and the supporting players aren’t much better.

1920 is for fans of classic horror. It’s not quite a classic itself, but sets up a chilling mood nevertheless. Hence two out of five for director Vikram Bhatt’s 1920.

Rating: 2/5 (Average)