ghar horror movie review

Ghar movie review: This ‘horror movie’ also offers you humour, and it’s okay

Because a very few ‘horror’ movies have been made in the Nepali cinema industry, this week’s release Ghar essentially offers a different taste to the audience.

It tells the story of a haunted house in the Nepali context. The story begins by projecting common aspirations of an ordinary Nepali family; and the horrors are gradually added to it. As the movie moves from a realistic setting into the supernatural realm; the audience sees its Nepali identity gradually fade away and ends up watching a generic horror movie.

Though the movie may not meet international standards of the genre, it offers the taste of a horror movie to regular Nepali moviegoers. Besides, the movie also embeds humour, and this makes the movie more acceptable to the audience.

Horror with humour: A psychological remedy

‘Horror movies’ as a genre hold a unique position in the discipline of film art because people have different expectations from them. They are not watched for the stories they have, but the way they affect your psyche, especially your fears. Such films capitalise on people’s interest in death and morbidity.

Psychologists say people’s love for macabre is paradoxical because in them, they look for what they hate and are afraid of in their real life: death. While the same theory applies to the genre of tragedy, it is more apparent in horror films–tragedies shock you once, usually at the end; but the horror films shock you from the beginning to the end. Optimistically, the scholars explain that such art forms enable people to cope with such real-life situations because they allow you to fantasise the reality so as to get away from the imminent fears.

Ghar writer and director Arpan Thapa seems to have understood this theory quite well as he mixes common human fears with humour. When you see a ghost in the movie, you don’t only get frightened, but laugh at it. The apparition has long, messy, multicolour hair, a big head over a thin body, pointed chin and sharp teeth. Later, you see the characters perceiving each other as ghosts. As an adult viewer who is already certain that the existence of ghosts in this world is uncertain, you cannot just get frightened by the visuals; you have to laugh at them. (By the way, the censor board has given an ‘A’ certificate to the movie.)

Acting and cinematography

In particular, two lead characters of the movie have worked hard to maintain a balance between horror and humour. Saru, played by Surakshya Panta, has been given an uncomfortable yet funny appearance as a pregnant woman. Her belly is excessively big; and her behaviour with her husband, Shiva, played by director Thapa, is immature. Her facial expressions during conversations is also charged with subtle humour.

Maya, a relative of Saru (you know it later that the two women are not sisters), played by Benisha Hamal, is also funny. You notice it when she joins Saru and Shiva during a puja, picks some flowers from Shiva’s hands and fakes praying. Later, you see her in mismatching apparels and make-ups.

Panta and Hamal impress in their ‘abnormal’ roles. Working as ghosts and the ones haunted by them must have been challenging for these women; but they succeed. Asmita Khanal as Maya’s friend also contributes tothe  humour of the movie. Her acting has improved from her debut performance in Katha Kathmandu last year. Saroj Aryal is okay.

But, director Thapa is misfit as an actor. The regular villain figure of the industry fails to reflect troubles that his family goes through in his facial expression, gesture and conversations. His role is not as significant as Panta’s and Hamal’s and he gets a shorter screen time. But still, a more skilled replacement could have best utilised the available time and make an impressive performance on a par with the ladies.

Like any other horror movie, Ghar also uses a lot of visual and sound effects to tell the story. The difference between darkness and light is important here; the audience clearly knows that the presence of sunlight is absence of haunting. The scenes of nighttime and darkness have been shot well.

The use of different types of background sound is okay so as to create a sense of fear in the audience. But, the movie uses background sound so much that some audience members find it noisy and disturbing, especially in the second part.

The saddest thing about this movie is its end. In fact, the movie does not have any end; the curtains fall with a promise of continuity. Rather, the writer-cum-director should have chosen to end the movie in a perfect circle—as the movie begins from a realistic setting, it could have returned to reality by the end.

Though the movie is compact with a run-time of 90 minutes, it includes some unnecessary shots. Take, for example, the ‘bed scene’ in the first five minutes. You see a couple make love in the dim light; but this scene does not connect to any other element in the movie. Likewise, Saru’s conversation with the housemaid is unnecessary; it does not move the story anywhere, neither does it provide any additional information to the audience.

Like every other Nepali movie, Ghar also includes some elements which the story does not justify. You hear Maya plotting a conspiracy against Saru and it forces you to think that she is responsible for everything wrong; but the story does not prove how she makes everything happen. She says she posses a video that will ruin everything; but what is that about?

Comparing the movie against benchmarks of Hollywood horror films, Ghar would not meet the standards; but in the Nepali context, this production definitely stands out.

If you dare being spooked, go watch it.

Runtime: 90 minutes

Genre: Horror

Screenwriter/Director: Arpan Thapa

Cast: Arpan Thapa, Surakshya Panta, Benisha Hamal, Asmita Khanal, Saroj Aryal, Shristi Maharjan, Bikash Khanal

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Pyakurel is a Kathmandu-based bilingual journalist, who worked for Onlinekhabar from April 2017 till May 2023, leading its English edition from January 2020 till May 2023. He writes on climate and environment, society and culture, art and literature, and entrepreneurship, among others.

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Five Nepali movies that will spook you out

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Horror movies are an acquired taste. Some people love it, while others hate it. But one thing is for sure, horror films have their own niche following. Research has shown that those who have a higher sensation-seeking trait—that is, who have a larger need to feel thrill and excitement—tend to seek out and relish horror-related media more.

As a culture that loves scary stories, myths and legends of ghosts and witches, horror films have the potential to attract Nepali audiences. But horror filmmaking is still an unexplored medium within the local scene. Not many Nepali films have explored the world of ghosts, witches and cults. For now, check out these five Nepali horror films that can make for a scary but fun time. (The best part is they are all available on YouTube.) Are they good? Well, that’s for you to decide.

The title, Kagbeni , alone conjures up ominous feelings because it is believed that ‘ Kaag ’ is typically present when someone dies. The setting for this film is the village of Kagbeni of Jomsom. Kagbeni tells the story of two friends–Ramesh and Krishna. Ramesh owns a local liquor store in the town; Krishna has recently returned from Malaysia to settle down.

The two men meet a mysterious jogi (ascetic) that gives Krishna a special wish-granting paw on the condition that Krishna should be the only one to use it. Things start unfolding in the film when that single rule is broken.

Adapted from the famous 1902 play titled ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ by WW Jacobs, Kagbeni was a reckoning in Nepali filmmaking. Praised for its cinematography, direction and acting, the film is a must-watch for any film enthusiast, especially those with a knack for horror cinema.

Show time: 1hour, 54minutes

Director: Bhusan Dahal

Cast: Nima Rumba, Saugat Malla, Deeya Maskey, Pooja Gurung

Writer: Prashant Rasaily

Released: 2008

Sunkesari , a troubled woman, travels to an Australian mansion turned into a boutique hotel to escape her mundane and depressing life for a short while. Yadav, the maid, is the only one resides there. From the outside, the mansion appears normal; however, after Sunkesari arrives and is joined by a couple, Rupen and Emma, the real horror story begins with strange paranormal events.

The big reveal of the plot is at the very end of the movie, so you’ll need some patience. But Sunkesari was appreciated for having good cinematography and can be seen as an attempt to add to the growing interest in horror films in Kollywood.

Show time: 1hour, 22minutes

Director: Arpan Thapa

Cast: Richa Sharma, Rabindra Jha, Sunny Dhakal, Yami Parajuli

Writer: Arpan Thapa

Released: 2018

Kathaputali: The Puppet

Kathaputali is a film that tells the story of a renegade prince Akash who, due to some circumstances, comes to seek refuge in an abandoned palace. While staying there, he is forced to confront the horrors of his forefathers’ actions and battle evil spirits seeking to avenge crimes long buried within its walls. ‘Putali’ in Nepali means ‘doll’ and Kathaputali is a Nepali take on the possessed doll narrative that’s popular within the horror genre (like Annabelle).

In the film, Prince Akash meets Shova and Budi Aama in the abandoned palace who help him out. But things go south when Akash begins to experience ghostly encounters with the palace. Mithila Sharma’s performance as Budi Aama was lauded by critics and audiences alike. The visuals of the film are also genuinely scary. Kathaputali, though a little cliched, comes closest to a typical horror film.

Director: Veemsen Lama

Cast: Karma, Mithila Sharma, Gauri Malla, Usha Rajak

Writer: Sampada Malla

Released: 2021

In Ghar , a couple—Shiva and Saru, who is pregnant—move into a new house in Kathmandu. The struggling couple doesn’t have the money to buy a brand-new place. So they stick to the next best thing (in a horror film): a house with an unnatural death, which in this case is a woman who had previously committed suicide. Shiva travels to Pokhara for work and Saru’s sister Maya stays with her to offer a helping hand. As expected from a haunted house, Saru begins to notice some odd things happening at night. Kitchen items and beds start moving around, and both sisters start experiencing possession during the night. The reasons behind the paranormal activities, as well as veiled problems within the family, come together in the final climax.

Show time: 1hour, 44minutes

Cast: Surakshya Panta, Arpan Thapa, Benisha Hamal, Asmita Dhakal

Released Date: 2019

Chi Musi Chi

The phrase ‘Chi Musi Chi’ is derived from the popular Nepali rhyme taught to children. The full title of the film is ‘ Chi Musi Chi –Even Dead Desire Belonging’. This movie is about the story of a couple with a young son. When they move into a new apartment, the son begins acting unsually. The parents are then left to solve the mystery behind the abnormality and come to terms with cruel experiences of the past.

Show time: 1hour, 58minutes

Director: Myrhna James, Yash Saini

Cast: Priyanka Karki, Reecha Sharma, Benisha Hamal, Aayushman D Joshi

Writer: Myrhna James, Yash Saini

Released Date: 2022

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'Don't Move' Review: Kelsey Asbille Can't Save This Sleepy Netflix Horror

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It’s one of the cardinal rules of horror cinema: don’t go into the woods alone. The second rule? Definitely don’t hang out with some weirdly charming guy you meet there. Netflix’s new horror-thriller Don’t Move does both within the first 15 minutes.

In Brian Netto and Adam Schindler 's survival film, Yellowstone ’s Kelsey Asbille finds herself incapacitated and at the mercy of a power-tripping murderer ( Finn Wittrock ). While this Sam Raimi -produced horror has an interesting premise and some decent twists, Don’t Move is a tense but ultimately forgettable experience that will likely leave you — much like its protagonist — staring tiredly, and blankly ahead.

What Is Netflix's 'Don’t Move' About?

Don’t Move follows Kelsey Asbille’s Iris, a grieving woman who embarks on a hike in the remote wilderness to visit the site of her young son’s death. Just when she’s nearly overcome with despair, a handsome stranger who calls himself Richard appears and offers some comfort — that is until he grabs the taser and the zip ties.

Iris soon awakens in the back of Richard’s car and learns that he’s injected her with a drug that, within 20 minutes, will render her completely paralyzed. The day quickly becomes a harrowing fight for survival as Iris has to figure out how to escape Richard while her body begins to fail her.

Kelsey Asbille and Finn Wittrock Make the Most of 'Don't Move's Middling Script

For what it's worth, Kelsey Asbille gives a solid performance in Don’t Move . She plays Iris's sadness and fear with relative ease at the beginning of the movie and will make you feel effectively antsy as she struggles to regain control of her body. Her character’s frustration is palpable through her trembling movements, and her helplessness makes for a claustrophobic experience . However, there is only so much to be done when your heroine spends much of the film moving only her eyeballs.

The 10 Best R-Rated Thriller Movies on Netflix Right Now (October 2024)

These thrillers 'R' rated highly.

American Horror Story 's Finn Wittrock is allowed a bit more freedom as the villain in this story and gives an eerie performance as Richard. His character is a master manipulator, and Wittrock shows off a terrifying range as he volleys between Richard's feigned kindness and violent rage. He's also made even more disturbing through the fact that, at the beginning of the movie, we can see that Iris is ready to die. Richard notices this, and he doesn't just want Iris dead — he wants her to die feeling even more helpless and out of control than she already does.

Nevertheless, even with two strong lead performances, the characters feel one-dimensional, and as such, they're difficult to invest in. Some stilted writing, particularly in Iris and Richard's first conversation, invokes tired feelings of "real people don't talk like that," and it does nothing to help the believability of the story. Furthermore, a twist on Richard's identity later in the movie feels predictable and does little to change our perception of him.

While the film is largely a two-hander, supporting performances from Daniel Francis and Moray Treadwell are welcome in the movie's sparse cast. Oddly enough, Treadwell's Bill, who stumbles across Iris lying in a field, houses surprising depth and might be the most compelling character in the movie .

'Don't Move' Is Effectively Stressful, but Not Exactly Horror-Worthy

While not the most thrilling thriller, Don't Move crafts some powerful tension . It's stressful to watch Iris's race against time as the drugs kick in and Richard trails behind her, and this feeling of anxiety never fully goes away. The looming threat hangs over the movie and keeps you on edge , but if you come looking for a great horror flick , you won't find much here. Some spooky string music adds to the mood and attempts to feed the horror atmosphere until the movie's climax inexplicably introduces some jarring notes that are either made by a synthesizer or a brass band. Either way, it makes what should be an emotional moment feel almost laughably dramatic. Likewise, there are a handful of violent, gory moments throughout the movie that might make you shrink in your seat, but overall the film relies mostly on its frightening, but thin, premise.

Even while we anxiously wait for Kelsey's adversary to catch up with her, there are some lingering questions that will keep you from being totally sold on the story. Shouldn't a paralytic drug that strong make Iris lose the ability to breathe? How does her eyeliner stay perfectly intact even as she's dragged all over the forest and almost drowns a few times? While these issues are hardly deal-breakers in a grueling thriller, the fact that you'll be thinking about them at all probably tells you all you need to know.

As far as Netflix thrillers go, Don't Move 's creative premise keeps it from getting totally lost in the unrelenting barrage of new projects. The movie also offers an earnest, if shallow, commentary on the paralyzing nature of grief . However, if you come in with high hopes of pulse-pounding thrills or spine-chilling horror, you'll likely be underwhelmed and a little bored by this slow-moving survival story.

Don't Move (2024)

'Don't Move' features an unsettling premise and solid performances, but lacks sufficient thrills.

• Kelsey Asbille and Finn Wittrock effectively play up a tense cat-and-mouse dynamic
• The horror elements are underwhelming, save for some shocking moments of violence
• The writing feels stilted at times, and conversations feel unnatural

A grieving woman must escape a serial killer in the remote forests of Big Sur after being injected with a paralytic agent. With only 20 minutes before her body shuts down, she embarks on a desperate race against time, battling fear and her fading physical strength in this tense survival horror thriller​.

Don't Move is now available to watch on Netflix.

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When the horror histories of the 2010s are written, the decade will be associated with trauma metaphors the way the ‘80s are with slasher movies. And although it comes on the cusp of a new decade, the new Paramount wide-release horror movie “Smile” fits right in with its PTSD-induced kin. The difference here is that the monster is barely a metaphor at all: The demon, or evil spirit, or whatever it is—the movie is vague on this point—literally feeds on, and is spread by, trauma.

Specifically, the vague something that dogs Dr. Rose Cotter ( Sosie Bacon ) throughout “Smile” likes the taste of people who have witnessed someone else dying by suicide—gruesome, painful, bloody suicide, by garden shears and oncoming trains and the shattered fragments of a ceramic vase in a hospital intake room. That’s where Rose briefly meets Laura ( Caitlin Stasey ), a PhD student who’s brought to the psychiatric emergency ward where Rose works, shaking and terrified that something is out to get her. “It looks like people, but it’s not a person,” Laura explains, saying that this thing has been following her ever since she witnessed one of her professors bludgeoning himself to death with a hammer four days earlier. At the end of the extended dialogue scene that opens the film, Laura turns to Rose with a psychotic grin on her face and proceeds to slit her own throat.

This would unsettle anyone, but it especially bothers Rose given that Rose’s own mother died by suicide many years earlier. That lingering trauma, and the fears and stigma that surround it, form the film’s most intelligent thematic thread: Rose’s fiance Trevor ( Jessie T. Usher ) admits that he’s researched inherited mental illness online, and harsh terms like “nutjobs,” “crazies,” and “head cases” are used to describe mentally ill people throughout the film. The idea that she might not actually be plagued by the same entity that killed Laura, and that her hallucinations, lost time, and emotional volatility might have an internal cause, seems to bother Rose more than the concept of being cursed. The people around Rose, including Trevor, her therapist Dr. Northcott ( Robin Weigert ), her boss Dr. Desai ( Kal Penn ), and her sister Holly (Gillian Zinzer), certainly seem to think the problem is more neurochemical than supernatural—that is, until it’s way too late. 

The only one who believes Rose is her ex, Joel ( Kyle Gallner ), a cop who’s been assigned to Laura’s case. Their tentative reunion opens the door to the film’s mystery element, which makes up much of “Smile’s” long, but not overly long, 115-minute run time. The film’s storyline follows many of your typical beats of a supernatural horror-mystery, escalating from a quick Google (the internet-age equivalent of a good old-fashioned library scene) to an in-person interview with a traumatized, incarcerated survivor of whatever this malevolent entity actually is. Brief reference is made to a cluster of similar events in Brazil, opening up the door to a sequel.

“Smile’s” greatest asset is its relentless, oppressive grimness: This is a film where children and pets are as vulnerable as adults, and the horror elements are bloody and disturbing to match the dark themes. This unsparing sensibility is enhanced by Bacon’s shaky, vulnerable performance as Rose: At one point, she screams at Trevor, “I am not crazy!,” then mumbles an apology and looks down at her shoes in shame. At another, her wan smile at her nephew’s birthday party stands as both a bleak counterpoint to the sick grin the entity’s victims see before they die (thus the film’s title), as well as a relatable moment for viewers who have reluctantly muddled their way through similar gatherings in the midst of a depressive episode. 

Sadly, despite a compelling lead and strong craft behind the camera—the color palette, in shades of lavender, pink, teal, and gray, is capably chosen and very of the moment—“Smile” is diminished by the sheer fact that it’s not as fresh a concept as it might seem. This is director Parker Finn ’s debut feature as a writer and director, based on a short film that won a jury award at SXSW 2020. To spin that into a non-franchise wide-release movie from a major studio like Paramount within two years—in a pandemic, no less!—is an impressive achievement, to be sure. 

But in padding out the concept from an 11-minute short into a nearly two-hour movie, “Smile” leans too heavily not only on formulaic mystery plotting, but also on horror themes and imagery lifted from popular hits like “ The Ring ” and “ It Follows .” David Robert Mitchell ’s 2014 film is an especially prominent, let’s say, influence on “Smile,” which, combined with its placement on the “it’s really about trauma” continuum, make this a less bracing movie experience than it might have been had it broken the mold more aggressively. It does introduce Finn as a capable horror helmer, one with a talent for an elegantly crafted jump scare and a knack for making a viewer feel uneasy and upset as they exit the theater—both advantages for a film like this one. But fans excited to see an “original” horror film hitting theaters should temper those expectations. 

This review was filed from the premiere at Fantastic Fest on September 23rd. It opens on September 30th.

Katie Rife is a freelance writer and critic based in Chicago with a speciality in genre cinema. She worked as the News Editor of  The A.V. Club  from 2014-2019, and as Senior Editor of that site from 2019-2022. She currently writes about film for outlets like  Vulture, Rolling Stone, Indiewire, Polygon , and  RogerEbert.com.

• Sosie Bacon as Dr. Rose Cotter
• Kyle Gallner as Joel
• Caitlin Stasey as Laura Weaver
• Jessie T. Usher as Trevor
• Rob Morgan as Robert Talley
• Kal Penn as Dr. Morgan Desai
• Robin Weigert as Dr. Madeline Northcott

Cinematographer

• Charlie Sarroff
• Cristobal Tapia de Veer
• Elliot Greenberg
• Parker Finn

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Shaapit: The Cursed

In order to wed his sweetheart, a male must reverse a 350-year old curse on her family. In order to wed his sweetheart, a male must reverse a 350-year old curse on her family. In order to wed his sweetheart, a male must reverse a 350-year old curse on her family.

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• Aman Bhargav

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• Trivia Murli Sharma played father's character for the first time.
• Crazy credits The closing credits includes an illustration of photo collections of Aman and Kaya, living happily ever after and getting married.
• Soundtracks Ajnabi Hawaayein Written by Sameer Composed by Chirantan Bhatt Performed by Shreya Ghoshal Courtesy of Tips Cassettes & Records Co.

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• sameer-908-754930
• Jul 14, 2012
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• March 19, 2010 (India)
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• Dolby Digital

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