Haunted 3D review: Familiar ghost story that works better than expected
Vikram Bhatt's Haunted 3D: Echoes of the Past follows a betrayed director into a cursed palace and a ghostly romance. The film's mystery holds attention, but weak VFX and minimal scares limit its impact.
In a time when horror films are fighting for attention with bigger VFX, louder jump scares and technology designed to scare you out of your theatre seat, comes Vikram Bhatt's Haunted 3D: Echoes of the Past, a film that goes back to the basics.
The film is technically quite flawed. The VFX neither scares nor excites you, and the story is definitely familiar. A haunted palace, a mysterious spirit and a man who can see what nobody else can. We have seen this template before, but surprisingly, Haunted 3D manages to keep you curious. Because sometimes, a horror film does not need to reinvent the ghost. It just needs to make you curious about what the ghost wants.
The film begins with Dev (Mahaakshay Chakraborty), a popular film director from Mumbai, who travels to a fictitious Maniktal village in Himachal Pradesh after being betrayed by the woman he loved. While staying in a palace-turned-hotel, he encounters Sunehri (Chetna Pande), a beautiful mysterious woman who exists only for him. Naturally, everyone around him believes that Dev is losing his mind.
But soon, Dev realises Sunehri is not just another spirit haunting a palace. There is a deeper connection between them. She believes that once her stars aligned, her saviour would arrive. With references to astrology, Mercury retrograde in 2026 and destiny, the film builds the idea that their meeting was never accidental.
As Dev gets closer to her, he discovers the truth behind the palace. A particular section of it is cursed, and anyone who enters gets trapped in the 19th century. The palace does not just hold ghosts... it bends time. Dev and his friend then meet a historian who helps them uncover Sunehri's past and the secret of the palace, leading them into a world of royalty, love, betrayal, black magic and past-life connections.
The film also brings in themes of karma and the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, giving its supernatural story an additional layer.
The dialogues are a mixed bag, but sometimes amusing. Instead of regular swear words, the film gives us "fish off", which becomes an unexpected comic moment. Lines like "When the possible becomes impossible, there is no way but to accept the impossible" are repeated in Hindi and English to add drama. And the old-world language, with words like "ubalta yauvan", sounds funny but somehow fits the film's universe.
The climax also brings a familiar fantasy element, with the villain's existence connected to living forces that need to be destroyed before he can finally be defeated, giving strong Harry Potter and Horcrux-like vibes.
What hurts the film most is that, despite all its supernatural elements, there is almost no real horror here. The mystery works, and there is enough intrigue to keep you invested, but a ghostly figure appearing on-screen is no longer enough to make audiences jump out of their seats. Horror has evolved, and filmmakers need to do much more than simply rely on eerie faces and sudden appearances.
However, the biggest limitation of Haunted 3D is its technical execution. The VFX is weak, and the 3D feels more like an added attraction to bring audiences into theatres rather than something that enhances the experience. Sadly, our screens and the 3D glasses they offer are so mediocre that they absolutely minimise the experience. And most importantly, in today's time, spending almost Rs 500 on a theatre ticket comes with expectations; audiences deserve more than just excuses. Thankfully, the film does not make you regret the experience completely. It is the kind of supernatural drama that may work better with Tier-3 and Tier-4 audiences.
Mahaakshay "Mimoh" Chakraborty manages to handle the complicated shades of Dev, even if he does not completely impress you. Chetna Pande looks beautiful and has screen presence, though she needs more polish as an actor. Praneet Bhatt brings menace as the villain, while Krutika Desai adds to the eerie atmosphere.
The music is classic Vikram Bhatt horror territory: pleasant while watching, but unlikely to stay with you. The editing, however, keeps the film tight with its crisp runtime of a little over 2 hours.
Haunted 3D: Echoes of the Past will not haunt you after you leave the theatre, but it does just enough to keep you seated till the end. But the bigger question you leave with is whether budget can continue to be an excuse for average filmmaking. In a time when films like Obsession, made on a limited budget by a YouTuber, prove that strong writing and smart storytelling can create impact without massive resources, filmmakers need to push boundaries. A limited budget can restrict scale, but it should never restrict imagination.
And that's where Vikram Bhatt's latest horror outing falls short. It definitely had an interesting premise and enough material to become something much bigger!
In a time when horror films are fighting for attention with bigger VFX, louder jump scares and technology designed to scare you out of your theatre seat, comes Vikram Bhatt's Haunted 3D: Echoes of the Past, a film that goes back to the basics.
The film is technically quite flawed. The VFX neither scares nor excites you, and the story is definitely familiar. A haunted palace, a mysterious spirit and a man who can see what nobody else can. We have seen this template before, but surprisingly, Haunted 3D manages to keep you curious. Because sometimes, a horror film does not need to reinvent the ghost. It just needs to make you curious about what the ghost wants.
The film begins with Dev (Mahaakshay Chakraborty), a popular film director from Mumbai, who travels to a fictitious Maniktal village in Himachal Pradesh after being betrayed by the woman he loved. While staying in a palace-turned-hotel, he encounters Sunehri (Chetna Pande), a beautiful mysterious woman who exists only for him. Naturally, everyone around him believes that Dev is losing his mind.
But soon, Dev realises Sunehri is not just another spirit haunting a palace. There is a deeper connection between them. She believes that once her stars aligned, her saviour would arrive. With references to astrology, Mercury retrograde in 2026 and destiny, the film builds the idea that their meeting was never accidental.
As Dev gets closer to her, he discovers the truth behind the palace. A particular section of it is cursed, and anyone who enters gets trapped in the 19th century. The palace does not just hold ghosts... it bends time. Dev and his friend then meet a historian who helps them uncover Sunehri's past and the secret of the palace, leading them into a world of royalty, love, betrayal, black magic and past-life connections.
The film also brings in themes of karma and the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, giving its supernatural story an additional layer.
The dialogues are a mixed bag, but sometimes amusing. Instead of regular swear words, the film gives us "fish off", which becomes an unexpected comic moment. Lines like "When the possible becomes impossible, there is no way but to accept the impossible" are repeated in Hindi and English to add drama. And the old-world language, with words like "ubalta yauvan", sounds funny but somehow fits the film's universe.
The climax also brings a familiar fantasy element, with the villain's existence connected to living forces that need to be destroyed before he can finally be defeated, giving strong Harry Potter and Horcrux-like vibes.
What hurts the film most is that, despite all its supernatural elements, there is almost no real horror here. The mystery works, and there is enough intrigue to keep you invested, but a ghostly figure appearing on-screen is no longer enough to make audiences jump out of their seats. Horror has evolved, and filmmakers need to do much more than simply rely on eerie faces and sudden appearances.
However, the biggest limitation of Haunted 3D is its technical execution. The VFX is weak, and the 3D feels more like an added attraction to bring audiences into theatres rather than something that enhances the experience. Sadly, our screens and the 3D glasses they offer are so mediocre that they absolutely minimise the experience. And most importantly, in today's time, spending almost Rs 500 on a theatre ticket comes with expectations; audiences deserve more than just excuses. Thankfully, the film does not make you regret the experience completely. It is the kind of supernatural drama that may work better with Tier-3 and Tier-4 audiences.
Mahaakshay "Mimoh" Chakraborty manages to handle the complicated shades of Dev, even if he does not completely impress you. Chetna Pande looks beautiful and has screen presence, though she needs more polish as an actor. Praneet Bhatt brings menace as the villain, while Krutika Desai adds to the eerie atmosphere.
The music is classic Vikram Bhatt horror territory: pleasant while watching, but unlikely to stay with you. The editing, however, keeps the film tight with its crisp runtime of a little over 2 hours.
Haunted 3D: Echoes of the Past will not haunt you after you leave the theatre, but it does just enough to keep you seated till the end. But the bigger question you leave with is whether budget can continue to be an excuse for average filmmaking. In a time when films like Obsession, made on a limited budget by a YouTuber, prove that strong writing and smart storytelling can create impact without massive resources, filmmakers need to push boundaries. A limited budget can restrict scale, but it should never restrict imagination.
And that's where Vikram Bhatt's latest horror outing falls short. It definitely had an interesting premise and enough material to become something much bigger!
