The Other Side of the Door

Rampant stupidity and cheap jolts are the key ingredients of Johannes Roberts's old-fashioned fright flick, which is distinguished solely by its Indian setting. The Other Side of the Door employs one of the hoariest of horror clichés—the idea that it's not smart to invite the dead back into your life—but situates the action in Mumbai, where American couple Maria (Sarah Wayne Callies) and Michael (Jeremy Sisto) settle to run his antique business. Years later, when Maria's car crashes into a river, she's able to save her daughter Lucy but can't get to her son Oliver. Blaming herself for the boy's death, Maria even threatens suicide until housekeeper Piki (Suchitrea Pillai) tells her of a secluded Hindu temple where one can converse with the departed in order to bring closure. The process requires disinterring the deceased's body, burning it atop a funeral pyre, and taking the ashes to the site, all of which Maria is willing to do for the chance to briefly talk with her son through the temple's locked door. But Maria breaks a prohibition against opening said door, and soon Oliver's spirit returns home, acting like a demanding poltergeist and menacing his sister. The Indian trappings add a bit of color, but this is otherwise a drably predictable story with an ending that unfortunately allows room for a sequel. Not recommended. (F. Swietek)