There’s probably not much a filmmaker can do in the horror movie genre. Each and every spooky film gives viewers a déjà vu of been-there-done-that. This actually shouldn’t be a problem if the film is well-made. But Raaz Reboot is just an okay film and this seriously affects its prospects.

The story of the movie: Rehan Khanna (Gaurav Arora) is married to Shaina (Kriti Kharbanda). They both move from Mumbai to Romania after Rehan gets a nice job offer. As soon as they land there, Shaina starts experiencing eerie things in the house. Soon, the evil spirit starts possessing her. Only one man can help her – her ex-boyfriend Aditya (Emraan Hashmi) – or so it seems.

Raaz Reboot doesn’t start off on a great note. The entire bit about Rehan hiding a ‘raaz’ from Shaina doesn’t look convincing. Things get better as Shaina finds the laptop. The kitchen sink and the mangalsutra sequences are also quite interesting. The film jumps ahead one month all of a sudden at one point, making viewers curious as to what must have happened in 30 days. The answers get unveiled soon and it does add to the interest. Problem arises as soon as the second half begins. One is easily able to guess the suspense much before it’s unveiled. Hence, when it actually gets revealed, one doesn’t get a shock as one has already predicted. And this really affects the film a lot. The climax is tension-laced and thrilling but it offers nothing new in a way.

Performances are good but not great. Gaurav Arora is not in a great form – he was much better in his debut vehicle Love Games. He gives his best in the climax though. Kriti Kharbanda also gives a fine performance and rises the most in the scenes where she gets possessed. Emraan Hashmi, believe it or not, doesn’t have a lengthy role in the movie. His entry scene is after 40 minutes. Performance-wise, he does well but he has done a far better job in his earlier films. But in the climax, he looks quite different and cool and manages to stand out. Ashwath Bhatt (Trilok) plays an interesting character and does very well. Hargun Grover (Aman) and Suzanna Mukherjee (Shreya) are good in their respective roles. The actress playing the Gyspy woman is over the top.

Jeet Gannguli and Sangeet-Siddharth Haldipur's music is fine but debatable if it will sustain for a long time. Lo Maan Liya and Raaz Aankhein Teri are fine but the best song is Yaad Hai Na - great tune and very well placed in the movie. Raju Singh’s background score enhances impact. The loud horror background noise is used in the right way. Manoj Soni’s cinematography is eye-catching. The locales of Romania are well shot. VFX is tacky at places. Vikram Bhatt’s story is good and quite different in terms of the other Raaz films. But it comes too late – it would have worked big time 10-15 years ago but not now especially when viewers have seen so many horror films. Same goes with the script. One is now quite familiar with the format of horror films and hence, one is able to predict how the story will move forward. Girish Dhamija’s dialogues are ordinary and little over the top. Vikram Bhatt’s direction is fair and he tries his best to give viewers a thrilling time. And some scenes are indeed terrifying. But with an average script, even he is not able to do much to salvage the film.

On the whole, Raaz Reboot could have worked big time 10-15 years ago. Viewers have now seen so many horror films and are so well familiar with the format of such films that one is able to guess where the film is heading. Also, the suspense is predictable and this aspect really brings the film down to an extent. Emraan Hashmi shockingly doesn’t have a lengthy role. On the positive side, the film has some scary moments and is quite engaging. The freezing Romania gives a nice touch to the movie. All in all, an average flick!

My rating - ** ½ out of 5!