Ghost Stories Review

Ghost Stories Review

I just finished watching the Netflix Exclusive Ghost Stories & I have a few things to say about it. 

Ghost Stories

     Ghost Stories is a movie made by joining four distinct stories directed by four different directors. These distinct stories only work as separate short films containing scare elements because these four stories don't have any connection with each other. One another thing that I want to clarify is that two of these two don't even have any ghosts in it so why Ghost Stories?

We will do a separate review for each separate story.

1. Zoya Akhtar

     The first story from the four is directed by Zoya Akhtar. I was excited to see where do Zoya Akhtar & Anurag Kashyap can take the genre. And in her case, I wasn't disappointed, at least in the direction department. She has created a very isolated environment within the house where the story takes place & you can really feel that it's raining outside even if not one scene of raining is not shown.

      The story revolves around Sameera, a nurse who has given the assignment to take care of an old woman for a few days as the prior nurse is on a leave. While at the house, Sameera experiences some weird stuff which changes her views on a few things. 

     The problem with this story is that it is very predictable. If you have read creepypastas or urban legends then you will predict the ending within the first five minutes of the story.

     For acting, I would say I was surprised. Janhvi Kapoor makes the Sameera character believable & memorable. Her performance was good. 

     Even though the story has nothing new to offer or has no scares, it was a good attempt by Zoya to try something different. 

2. Anurag Kashyap

     The second story directed by Anurag Kashyap is weird, to say the least.

    The story is about a pregnant woman who takes of her nephew for a few hours of the day, every day as her sister is dead. This nephew (just a child) has an obsession with her where he doesn't want her to love anyone except him. Also, the woman already had a miscarriage & is left with a PTSD esque impact from that. 

     I did not understand a few of the elements within this story, like why were they were there & why they were so emphasized. I'm confused about whether it's a psychological horror or supernatural horror. The story is a convoluted mess which has a lot of gore for an Indian film & it is very boring. The story & direction goes like a slow burn film but there is no payoff for the viewer in the end & for that, I was really disappointed. 

     The direction was okay. I really liked the opening shot of this short. Good acting from Shobita & the kid.

    I will not suggest anyone to watch this as either its too smart for me or it is just trying to be a layered short which it isn't, at least for me.

3. Dibakar Banerjee

   The third short is by Dibakar Banerjee & it is the only well-written, well-directed & well-acted short in Ghost Stories. This is the only story that is set in rural India.

    I will not spoil a thing about the story as it is a layered short. The short isn't horror per se but the idea it suggests is very horrifying in real life. 

   The best part about this short is the acting, the two kids within this short have done a great job at making the situation feel very real & tense. The main cast too has acted well.

    Even though I like the short, many elements from this story have been copied from The Walking Dead, The Living Dead & sorts. But we can give a pass for that. 

    Do watch this short, it is is a smooth social commentary on 'big people eating small people'. And it really works well because of the current acts & bills that the Government has just passed & issued. 

4. Karan Johar

     To be honest, his short doesn't even deserve to be added to the film. This was the cringest piece of cinema I have watched in a while. I don't want anyone to waste their time watching his short.

     My biggest gripe about his short is why everything needs to be so elitist & grand! Even elite people don't live as elite as elites from any Karan Johar film. Who adds a wedding song in a horror short! The dialogue was stupid & cheesy & the thing which meant to be felt scary turned out to be a joke due to this. This short is trying too hard to copy Hereditary. 

     Also guys, I never knew that when two adult females (25-30-year-old) meet, they only talk about sex & blow jobs as they don't have anything else to say to each other. After watching this short, I know what girls talk about when they meet. Thank Karan Johar. Also, I feel the female lead is unnecessarily sexualized in this short.

     Hard pass on this short. Don't waste your time on this, please.

In the end, I would say, you don't have to watch Ghost Stories as it has nothing new to offer. You can watch Dibakar Banerjee's short otherwise skip the film. Watch something else. 

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