the sound of ankles Provocative yet melodious music. And a room from which everyone is barred. We find this premise in many Indian horror films and director Kirtan Nadagowda’s film. 418 It clearly features familiar tropes. But the director has also tried to do heroism 418 Away from the cliche by setting the story in a medical college located in the middle of a forest in coastal Karnataka.

It’s 2020, just before the announcement of the Covid lockdown, and Vedagiri Medical College, or VIMS, sees the highest ever number of students taking admission in its college. One such student is 18-year-old Vivek Shankar (Surya Raj Veerbathani), whose parents have mortgaged all their property to ensure he becomes a doctor, which he says is a proud achievement. Moving away from home for the first time, a nervous Vivek is one of the freshers who will be staying in a room in a building that has been reopened in college after 15 years. The new students don’t know why the building is locked, but they are definitely curious as to why they have been told to stay away from the room. 418. Also relevant is the fact that no woman – young or old – is allowed to set foot on the premises of this building.

Vivek is assigned to room 417 along with Rohit (Charan Lakaraju), and this is when the story gets interesting. One day, Vivek experiences a series of disturbing events in his room, leading him to believe that someone is trying to kill him. He refuses to go back to room 417, and his overwhelming anxiety eventually forces him to visit the college counselor (Ramesh Indira). But Vivek is not convinced that he is hallucinating and starts his investigation about the room and the building. What is the story of this supernatural presence 418? How does the movie end?

Director Kirtan Nadagowda clearly divides the film into two halves, where the first half uses Vivek’s experiences to build suspense and the second half slowly unravels the mystery for us. He uses many familiar horror elements to try to keep the audience on edge, such as eerie music, the sight of a woman with a bloody face covered by long hair, etc. However, the pace of the first half is really slow, and the initial set-up could have been written better to draw the audience into the story. The director also gives us typical college scenes of juniors ragging on seniors, random rivalries and a college goon who seems to be there to prove his mettle and cause trouble. Then we have Rohit’s love interest, Saisha, a rebellious Gen Z girl in the mix, who believes she can do what she pleases and is hell-bent on getting into the room. 418.

These subplots aren’t novel and do little to advance the story, making the first half feel even more dragged out. The second half picks up speed as Vivek’s investigation progresses and the supernatural presence becomes more apparent, but the director once again throws in the familiar trope of the woman gone wrong as a ghost. We soon learn the story of Yakshagan artist Devika (Chaitha J Achar) and her connection to the room. 418. Thus, the film seeks to explore the circumstances surrounding a woman’s tragic past and the social attitudes that shape her destiny.

Chaitra J Aachar is the film’s strongest asset, and her portrayal of Devika gives the character a menacing presence and the impact a horror film needs. She exerts a strong influence in the parts that revolve around her and her life, which is central 418 – In fact, she carries the film on her shoulders. Suraj Raj Veerbathani and Charan Lakaraju, who play college students, lack a strong screen presence, and their parts are the weakest. Preeti Pagdala does a fine job as Saisha, while Ramesh Indira lends seriousness to the psychiatrist. The BGM by Venky GG lends authenticity to the horror film as the director uses a lot of jump scares to try and keep the audience on edge.

finally, 418 Chaithra appeals to the audience mainly thanks to J Achar, but the story lacks the plot to make it a very effective horror film.