House No. 13 (1991)

House No.13 (1991)
Cast: Anil Dhawan, Sharat Saxena, Reeta Bhaduri, Salim Fateh, Leena Nair
Director: Baby
Nutshell: Old House bears ghastly secrets and hidden doorway to hell….effective chiller

This 1990 shocker conceived, written and directed by the brilliantly named Baby (no doubt short for some 19 syllable Tamil name) is several cuts above the kind of fare one has become accustomed to in the Post Ramsay’s era of the ’90s and beyond. Ever since the once prolific Ramsay production line decided to devote its energy to the mini screen, the horror genre in Bollywood has lurched from bad to worse in the hands of some truly dire smut merchants, namely K.I. Shaikh, Jitendra Chawda, Kishan Shah, R. Mittal, Harinam Singh and company.

If it weren’t for Ram Gopal Verma’s well-intentioned, somewhat misguided attempts Kaun? and Raat, the horror genre might have died out altogether. However, the real credit for keeping the genre from fading away must go to a small band of producers/directors from the South. They have managed to churn out some relatively unique and even memorable content over the years.

Three of the strongest horror films that we have come across from the post-Ramsay’s era have all hailed from the South of the country and are clear evidence that not only is the genre alive and well in these parts but also managing to draw some sizeable crowds and money.

House No.13 is one of these South Indian productions that manage to put the northern horror films to considerable shame. Though influenced by horror films from the West, this film still retains its character and style, and much to its credit, none of the death scenes are direct rip-offs of scenes from western counterparts. Numerous shock scenes are compelling and original, and amazingly, there isn’t a rubber mask, bear suit or pair of plastic fangs. Nor does one get to enjoy the BBC’s trusty Death and Horror Sound Effects tape as one does in 90% of Bollywood horror films, especially the sounds of those baying wolves!

Like every other Bollywood horror movie, this begins on the obligatory dark and stormy night lashing down ominous hosepipes of rain. Inside an old creaking Haveli in the middle of nowhere, a brooding artist is busy finishing his masterwork while a minion tries to distract him by telling him the house is infested with ghosts.

The master scoffs at the minion and continues painting only to be interrupted by knocking at the door at this unearthly hour of the night. A wet and shivering village belle, visibly nervous and very timid, arrives inside grateful for the artist’s refuge. After she dries herself and changes into some dry clothing, the gracious host asks her if she wouldn’t mind posing for a portrait. She obliges, but while the artist is busily etching away, he fails to notice that the beauty isn’t casting a reflection in the adjacent mirror. When he finally sees, he is suitably stunned and gingerly approaches the beauty only to receive a terrible shock that has him reeling and gasping for air. With this promising shock start, House No.13 kicks into action.

A while later, a new family arrives at the notorious haveli, as they have been able to buy it at a snip on the market for reasons they fail to comprehend. The brood, headed by the venerable and evergreen horror veteran Anil Dhawan arrive at their new residence entirely oblivious of its gruesome past. Still, their excitement soon turns to horror as things start going wrong. The old wheezing grandfather complains that the mirror in his room is up to some tricks clouding over with smoke but his claims are met with disbelief. Later that night, the bad fake Mona Lisa painting above his bed develops a horrible skin rash. Then in one of the films most chilling and compelling scenes, the painted woman’s hair starts to grow – the tresses emerging like nightmarish ropes of death swirling around the old man, snaring him in a dreadful death trap.

Later on in proceedings, a child has a terrifying encounter with its doll. The bookshelf door appears to change and become a doorway to an eerie netherworld inhabited by restless demons and disgruntled white sari-clad ghosts with axes to grind.

Director Baby pulls out all the stops and handles the shock scenes exceptionally well, indicating a strong flair for the genre. However, the half dozen or so forgettable songs featuring a pansy as the lead hero slow things down to a yawn on one or two occasions. Fortunately, the film isn’t destroyed by the presence of a comedian sidekick, which in itself is a significant blessing – no Jagdeep, no Narendranath, Paintal or Asrani!. Baby keeps things moving along fairly rapidly despite the musical interludes, and there is enough horror interspersed through the movie to keep genre fans interested.

Another strong point of the film is Sharat Saxena’s performance as the evil-bashing Tantrik. He cuts an imposing figure with his bulky, muscular physique, grizzled beard and plays his Tantrik as a serious, soft-spoken man – rather than the raving and ranting, pot-bellied bumpkin that one has become accustomed to.

Though the overall film’s theme of a wronged woman returning from the afterlife to wreak revenge is as old as the hills, the director’s treatment of the subject has enough freshness and originality to keep the horror fan from falling asleep. Though the songs are irritating, as is the romantic sub-plot, the film is one of the better Bollywood horror efforts over the last decade and suggests that there might yet be life after the Ramsays.

This film along with Chudail and Maa ki Shakti demonstrate that there may still be hope for horror in Bollywood and with the news of the Ramsay brothers preparing to release their comeback venture Dhund: The Fog – the future doesn’t look entirely bleak for Bollywood horror despite the distinctly dodgy efforts of K.I. Shaikh and Jitendra Chawda and friends.