All sound, no shivers, in this 'spirit'less saga

Shh... Echarike

Kannada (A) ¬¬

Cast: Ajith, Akshata, Maruthi Surya, Jai Ganesh, Baby Shreya

Director: Nagaraj Kandagal

Made by debutants with tinsel aspirations, Shh... Echarike speaks of lack of deftness in execution and thought on what makes an horror flick click.

Emboldened by horror and spine-chilling thrillers genre, the makers, deploy familiar tropes – old wheelchair, attic, dolls, power shutdowns, rusty cabinets, bedsheets being pulled off, what have you, failing to provide the finesse such films deserve.

Directed by Nagaraj Kandagal, Shh.. Echarike shows horror and suspense genre are not everyone’s cup of cheesecake. Providing sound effects and filming it in the dark of night, Kandagal & Co think they could have audiences on edge of their seats. It’s just quite the contrary.

Sadly, without realising there is more to such narratives than simple ploys and decoys, and niftiness of craft, Kandagal turns Shh... Echarike humourous and comedic than send shivers down one’s spine or the eyes popping out.

The film revolves around Manu, his wife and kids, who move to Madikeri and settle down in the dark, desolate, decrepit years-old bungalow, which, incidentally, is haunted by a vengeful spirit.

The only shocker Shh Echarike provides audiences is when the end credits roll by and .... to be continued looms large. A sequel, you wonder. So much for optimism and hope. For Shh Echarike is anything but a horror show it claims to be. God save!