UNKNOWN THE CAUSE; UNCERTAINTY THE EFFECT

HP Lovecraft, an American writer, said discerningly: “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.”

‘6-5=2’ is a 2013 Kannada movie based on that sentiment. This supernatural thriller, a horror flick to boot, apparently drew its inspiration from the American indie film, ‘The Blair Witch Project.’ It was critically well received and remade in Hindi (6-5 = 2) and dubbed into Telugu (Chitram Kadu Nizam).

The plot revolves around paranormal activities during an adventurous camping expedition up a densely forested hill. Most of the trekkers die in macabre, blood-curdling incidents during the trip. Their ordeal is recorded on a trekker’s camera, which is recovered during the rescue operation.

Debut writer and director KS Ashoka is refreshingly brilliant with his story-telling…albeit in the first half. He lets the viewer down once the bizarre and the grotesque of the metaphysical takes over in the narrative. Wish he had been a more nuanced with his portrayal of the paranormal!

The ensemble cast, comprising of Darshan Apoorva, Krishna Prakash, Mruthyunjaya, Tanuja, Pallavi and others, has done well to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. The technical elements too contribute handsomely to the sinister storyline, which sends shivers up the spine of the audience.

Arthur Conan Doyle said, “Where there is no imagination, there is no horror.” Directors must remember though that balance is vital; for, when the imagination goes overboard, the horror film becomes horrendous.

I rate this horror, paranormal thriller: 6.5 on 10!