Mane No 13 Movie Review: Effective, if familiar horror-thriller
Rating:(3 / 5)
Mane No 13 is a film that is straight out of the most basic horror template. A group of friends move into a haunted house and then... well, the scary stuff begins.
The story begins with a group of techies, Nishok, Preethi, Nancy, Karthik and Ashwath, who stay together but are now forced to vacate their rented house. They move into an infamous haunted house, Mane No 13. On the very first night, they witness a few abnormal happenings. The paranormal activities ramp up through the night and they are made to go through several terrifying experiences as they are killed one after the other.
Director: Vivy Kathiresan
Producer: Krishna Chaitanya
Cast : Ramana, Sanjeiv, Praveen Prem, Varsha Bollama, Aiswarya Gowda and Chethan Gandharva
Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video
With a fixed time on the clock marking each death, the tension builds up fast leaving you wondering if there is a ghost on the rampage or if there is a murderer among them. The movie keeps the suspense alive throughout and is wrapped up with two smart endings.
Directed by Vivy Kathiresan, Mane No 13 includes a number of familiar tropes of the genre — the climate, objects in the house, an evil toy, the sound of doors opening, and gusty winds. However, these are effectively used to build up the horror. And although it takes a little time for the tension to build, the film manages to keep the audience hooked with the proceedings.
While Ramana, Sanjeiv, Praveen Prem, Varsha Bollama, Aiswarya Gowda are competent as the central cast, it is Chethan Gandharva's cameo that stands out.
On the technical side, music by AM Shah adds to the mood of the film, which is further aided by Sandeep Sadashiv's crisp cinematography and the neat editing by Castro.
After bankrolling successful horror films like 6-5=2 and Karvaa, producer Krishna Chaitanya seems to have found yet another winner in Mane No. 13. If you are a fan of the genre, and don't really mind a sense of familiarity, Mane No. 13 is definitely an effective one-time watch.