Quartile rating: 5.5/10 · 1 rating
Grieving over the loss of her son, a mother struggles with her feelings for her daughter and her husband. She seeks out a ritual that allows her say goodbye to her dead child, opening the veil between the world of the dead and the living. Her daughter becomes the focus of terror. She must now protect against the evil that was once her beloved son.
The Other Side of the Door is a formulaic supernatural horror that transplants generic ghost-story mechanics into an Indian setting. The premise of a grieving mother violating sacred ritual rules has promise, but the plot quickly devolves into predictable haunted-child territory with few surprises. The acting is serviceable, with Sarah Wayne Callies doing competent work in a role that doesn't give her much to work with. The Indian locations and production design lend some visual interest, making the cinematography slightly above the genre average, though it relies on standard horror lighting and jump-scare staging. Novelty is low — despite the exotic setting, the film borrows heavily from J-horror tropes and the Insidious/Sinister wave of supernatural horror without adding meaningful distinction. The ending is weak, following an unsatisfying and telegraphed conclusion that fails to capitalize on its emotional setup.