Mane No 13 revolves around a story 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 get ramped up through the night and they are made to go through several terrifying experiences as they are killed one after the other. 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 is there a murderer among them.
With a seemingly believable plot, the movie proceeds with a dose of suspense and is wrapped up with two smart endings. Directed by Vivy Kathiresan, Mane No 13 does include a number of familiar tropes often connected with the genre. These tropes like — the climate, objects in the house, an evil toy, the sound of doors opening, and gusty winds — are effectively used to build up the horror.
Although the makers take a little time to build the tension, they do manage 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 in the film.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 neat editing by Castro.
After bankrolling successful horror films like 6-5=2 and Karvaa, producer Krishna Chaitanya seems to have found yet another similar content 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.
| Movie: Mane No 13 Cast : Ramana, Sanjeiv, Praveen Prem, Varsha Bollama, Aiswarya Gowda and Chethan Gandharva Director: Vivy Kathiresan Producer: Krishna Chaitanya Rating: 3/5 |