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If you were hoping for a spine-chilling cinematic experience from the director who once gave us Ghulam, prepare to be spectacularly underwhelmed. Vikram Bhatt’s latest outing, Haunted 3D, is not just a disappointment; it is an unbearable display of mediocrity that makes you question how far the bar has fallen.
The Visual Disaster: VFX That Even Kids Could Outdo
Let’s start with the visuals, if we can even call them that. The VFX is, frankly, atrocious. In an age where smartphone users can generate impressive special effects using basic AI tools, Haunted 3D serves up visuals that look like they were rendered on a prehistoric machine. The 3D experience is equally nauseating—donning those glasses only highlights the cheap, cardboard-cutout aesthetic of the sets. The mansion scenes, in particular, feel like they were shot in a room with a bad green-screen overlay, leaving you wondering if the actors were even present on the same planet. The glass-breaking sequence is a masterclass in how not to do CGI.
Horror Without the ‘Horror’
Calling this a horror film is an insult to the genre. There isn’t a single moment in this movie that genuinely scares you. Instead of suspense, we get cheap jump scares that had the audience laughing instead of screaming. To add to the irritation, the background music is agonizingly loud—it’s less “atmospheric terror” and more “please make it stop”. It is truly baffling how a veteran director managed to strip away every ounce of fear from the narrative.
A Plot That Travels Nowhere
The story is as flimsy as the sets. We have the usual tropes: someone enters a mansion, doors mysteriously open and shut, and a new character appears with performances that are colder than the ghosts they’re supposedly running from. The only flicker of intrigue was a minor touch involving time travel between the 18th century and the current year, but it was nowhere near enough to save this sinking ship. By the time the interval rolled around, any hope for improvement had completely evaporated.
Final Verdict
It pains me to say this, but Haunted 3D is a stain on Vikram Bhatt’s legacy. It doesn’t live up to his reputation, nor does it satisfy the hunger for genuine horror films like Obsession.
While it is encouraging to see decent footfall at the box office, that’s where the “positives” end. As a ticket-buying audience, you deserve better than this uninspired, cringeworthy mess.
- Rating: 0/5 stars
