Director Johannes Roberts
Genre Horror
Cast Sarah Wayne Callies, Jeremy Sisto, Sofia Rosinsky, Javier Botet
Rating R
Release Date March 4th, 2016
“After her young son is killed in a tragic accident, a woman learns of a ritual which will bring him back to say goodbye, but when she disobeys a sacred warning, she upsets the balance between life and death.”
The Other Side of the Door is co-written and directed by Johannes Roberts who has a surprisingly limited resume consisting mostly of low budget direct-to-dvd horror films. Born in Cambridge, England, Roberts seems to have a preference for films in the horror or thriller genre, generally a mix of both. Alexandre Aja, who produced the film and also directed The Hills Have Eyes, has been rumored to be pushing for a remake of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary (which scared me pretty good back in the day). The potential project has yet to gain any steam but this film strikes a resemblance to the plot of the 1989 horror film. The Other Side of the Door did get a theatrical release, although limited, and the film stars Sarah Wayne Callies (Prison Break, The Walking Dead) and journeyman actor Jeremy Sisto (Law & Order, Clueless).
Considering we are very much in the age of throw away horror films, The Other Side of the Door is a very pleasant and considerably unexpected surprise. Even though the film relies only slightly on a creepy forest environment it still manages to put the 2015 film The Forest to shame (granted the bar was set pretty low). To put it kindly, as a horror film The Forest does not even belong in the same genre as The Other Side of the Door, and honestly had they released in reverse order it may have served as some positive inspiration. A quality ghost story is a difficult undertaking as a few missteps can cause the overall effectiveness of the film to fall flat on its face. Without relying too much on jump scares (although it has plenty trust me) The Other Side of the Door manages to create a feeling of tension that can and will make your skin crawl. The feel of the film is very much grim and dark right from the start and as a viewer you are forced to expect the worst at every turn.
The acting in The Other Side of the Door is certainly above average. Jeremy Sisto performs well in a limited role and lead Sarah Wayne Callies shines as the driving force for the film. As the second big-name actress from The Walking Dead series to star in a theatrically released film (Lauren Cohan recently starred in The Boy) Callies proves she deserves an opportunity. Becoming a recognizable face after her role in the hit Fox series Prison Break, her character in The Other Side of the Door displays significant emotional depth as she makes it impossible for the audience to not emphasize with her situation. Sofia Rosinsky is also quite effective in her role as the daughter in the film.
The Other Side of the Door is a well-constructed ghost-story-style horror film that gives the audience plenty to rave about. The film unfolds rather patiently and somehow deeply instills a feeling of fear that is reminiscent of some of the better horror films in the last decade or so. Director Johannes Roberts really impressed me and may very well be on his way to directing and even writing other successful horror films. He seems to take a similar approach to The Witch director Robert Eggers this time around as The Other Side of the Door builds on the idea that the monster is much scarier in the darkness, only allowing the audience a peek from time to time at the evil that will soon overcome them. It is not a front-runner for the best film of the year but I am not easily scared and I can comfortably put The Other Side of the Door on my short list of favorites for 2016. It is worth checking out for any true horror fan.
