1920 Horrors of The Heart Review: Avika Gor’s debut film humours you more than it scares

1920 Horrors of the Heart Movie Review Rating: 2/5

Director Krishna V Bhatt, daughter of filmmaker Vikram Bhatt, directs the fourth installment of the 1920 franchise. The film has been in the news primarily because it launches Avika Gor as a leading lady in Bollywood. For those not in the know, Gor began her acting career as a child artist and became a household name after the thunderous success of her TV show Balika Vadhu, which started airing in 2008. Our BollywoodMDB reviewer has seen the film and here is what he has to say about the same. Read the detailed review of 1920 Horrors of The Heart only on BollywoodMDB before booking your tickets.

STORY: On the occasion of her 21st birthday, Meghna (Avika Gor) tells her father Dheeraj about the love of her life. Little did she know that he is going to kill himself. When Meghana comes to know that her mother, who abandoned her as a child, has something to do with the suicide of her father, she sets out to avenge his death by destroying her mother’s current family. She uses her father’s spirit for revenge. What happens next forms the crux of the story.

HIGHS & LOWS: Debutant filmmaker Krishna V Bhatt did manage to get an interesting story for her debut film, but she fails to execute it well and build it up to the level where it qualifies to be a bona fide horror film. There is no genuine horror in the film. And even if it is there in bits and parts, it humours you more than it scares you because of poor execution. There is no novelty in the way she treats the film as it keeps reminding you of various horror films that her father has helmed in the past.

Talking about performances, Avika Gor fails to deliver a genuine act despite boasting an acting experience of more than a decade. She has worked in several South Indian films in the past but it seems she went back to the times of Balika Vadhu to seek inspiration for playing Meghna in the film. The same can be said about other members of the cast whose act is anything but remarkable.

The Bhatts are known for having a great sense of music, but the music of 1920 Horrors of The Heart is so average and so soulless. There is no song on the soundtrack that you are going to remember after leaving the theatres. The film has a very slow pace and tests your patience more often than not. VFX is sketchy too. In a nutshell, 1920 Horrors of The Heart is a tedious watch.

FINAL VERDICT: Though 1920 Horrors of The Heart is billed as a horror film, it offers no horror. There is nothing in it that you have not seen before in a horror film. Be it writing, direction, or performances, everything seems slapdash. If you really want to watch a horror film, I would suggest you watch 1920 again instead of wasting your precious 122 minutes on this one that humours you more than it scares you. I am going with 2 stars.

Watch 1920 Horrors of the Heart trailer: