The Other Side Of The Door

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DOOR

Director : Johannes Roberts

Year : 2016

Genre : Horror

Rating : ***

Decidedly better than the vast majority of critics have given it credit for, Johannes Roberts' ('Storage 24', 'Hellbreeder') supernatural shocker 'The Other Side Of The Door' may adhere to certain generic conventions but manages to rise above them thanks to accomplished direction, strong performances and a number of genuinely chilling moments. Returning to the big screen after her universally despised role as the adulterous Lori Grimes in AMC's increasingly tiresome zombie TV smash 'The Walking Dead', Sarah Wayne Callies stars as a grieving mother who unwittingly unleashes hell after utilising the mystic powers of an ancient Indian temple to contact her recently deceased son.

As is expected with any mainstream horror produced today, much use is made of the ever-irritating jump scare technique to generate frights and while not used as obnoxiously as other recent films have utilised it,  'The Other Side Of The Door' certainly doesn't attempt to deviate from this most hackneyed of scare tactic. Despite this however, the film still manages to add a surprising amount of ominous invention to this most unoriginal of subgenres and with the help of a great central performance by Callies as well some veritably spooky imagery, 'The Other Side Of The Door' stands out as a markedly eerie entry in what continues to be a very, very stale epoch for horror cinema.