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‘Mane Number 13’ Review: A Laughable Horror Flick That Tries Too Hard With Its Thrills And Fails


Mane Number 13, written and directed by Vivy Kathiresan is another drop in the ocean of horror thrillers. Now, while the volume says a lot about the salability of the genre, the film hardly does any justice to the bouquet it claims to be a part of. Marred by lazy writing and story-telling, the film never becomes more than just a haunted house fare that we have seen far too many times. Poor stunts make poorer scares and the result is a drag. Even for a small-scale film, the material doesn’t match the standards of the said tropes. In fact, with more twists than one can remember, Kathiresan tries to trick the audience into believing that it is and it’s painful to watch. Check out the full review below to know why.


Like the trailer suggests, the story is about a bunch of friends who have clearly who find themselves trapped in a house where death seems like the only escape. But before we get to that, let me also add, that they have no iota of information on how law or order works. And while one can try to get behind that, it's difficult to digest that didn't know any better. Has none of them watched a revenge story ever? It's all there is these days. Also, it unfortunately, doesn't become anything more than the trailer. Because just when it surmounts to something, the director diverts the attention to another gimmick. There are a lot of those.

If you missed it the first time, the film is written by director Vivy Kathiresan who has also helmed the film. And while it pays off more times than not, Mane Number 13 looks more fragmented than unified. Of course, until the turning point but my guess not many would want to stick around that especially when rejection is only a switch away. The cinematography is done by Sandeep Sadashiv who while, the editing is done by J.F. Castro. Neither of which is notable. Let’s dive deep, shall we?

The film begins and leaves one with the biggest question that never gets answered. Let me take you through it; there’s a party on one side and a dark dreary jungle on the other. Honestly, one can't help but think, if it's a wild rave because who parties next to wilderness like that? Anyway, there we meet Nishok (Ramana) aka entitled a-hole, a potty-mouth misogynist who openly says things like ‘I'll kill you’ when a girl reprimands him for her inconvenience. He who thinks he can get away with a violent streak and reckless, rash driving. He has a bunch of friends who are equally self-regarding with zero awareness. Or so one thinks and gathers.

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Because the film doesn't wait for anyone. There is no build-up, no context and no clear motive which is why one can’t connect with the material.

It jumps to next scene before one can think the why and what of the first. It does the bare minimum to establish the must haves and forms a shoddy base on which the plot builds. In fact, it jumps two years in the timeline in the first 15 minutes of the film itself. Scratch that; make it 12.

And that's when it turns into a bigger mess. The songs, the sequence, the character introduction makes it look like something entirely else, anything but a horror-thriller. A sloppy comedy almost, only nothing's funny. We are unnecessarily made to sit through them dancing their woes away about a whole week and one weekend. That's not all, there's a cranky landlord who wants them to vacate his house. Honestly, I don't blame him. I'd want them out too. So, the urgency to find a new house within 24hrs haunts them. And that's all the wordplay you're going to get because that’s all there is to pun about.

Anyway, they somehow manage to find a house but it's not without its own history. Self-suggestive, just like the movie, the house is named house no 13 and if rumours are to be believed - it's haunted. And even if a pal has reservations about moving into the house, he is dismissed by the others for being fat frivolous, ergo funny.

Now let's get to business; the movie barely scratches the surface in the spooky department, even without the budget constraints.

Amazon Prime Video

And that's coming for someone who watches horror movies with one eye shut. It's gimmicky and not even in a good way. The predictable tropes of haunted house fares--that we've seen umpteen times--makes the chunk of the movie and is further stuffed with sub-par production. The ghost looks she fell into a pot of talcum powder. And as far as visual effects are concerned, one has to make do with a shaky, swaying frame. It is peppered with a few jump scares here and there that honestly do more harm than good. The background score sticks out like a sore thumb almost overpowering the dialogues.

Not to mention, the over the top performances that are far from convincing with characters that hardly have any meat.

While it truly seems like a herd hopping, jumping and skipping through the premise, only Ramana manages to make himself heard. Mostly because of the loathing he evokes in some moments and not because he is given an author-backed character. Even Varsha Bollamma--recently seen in Middle Class Melodies--could only ever seen in one segment and not more. And even that felt caricaturish.

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And the funny friend, played by Praveen Prem is made to be the butt of all jokes whose farts are supposed to act as some sort of comic relief (?) Because it isn’t obvious enough, he goes to on hog only to be rebukes by his friends who believe and say that he is always eating. And that’s supposed to make one laugh? Spoiler alert- it doesn’t!

But something that does it the treatment to mystery. Writer/director Vivy Karthiresan’s storytelling is as lazy as his writing.

Just when one thinks that the climax might salvage the rest, the director decides to jump ship. It is evident that he wanted to second-guess him/herself and keep guessing till the very end instead to keeping one edge, it pushes one further away. Almost as if he is confused himself about what it should look like. Cause, and I've said this before, just when one story is cooked enough, he loses conviction in it and moves to another. Too many cooks spoil the broth. Similarly, too many twists spoil the watch and that’s exactly what happens with the Karthiresan’s directorial.


I was really tempted to skip through the shenanigans and get to end and be done with it. Obviously, I didn't because some of us do our jobs diligently. So, after having endured it, I can say - you won't miss anything if you skip Mane Number 13. And that’s putting it modestly. If I were to call a spade spade, you’ll save yourself from a headache from all the incessant screaming. I mean, I literally laughed out loud in the midst of a supposedly scary sequence and that says a lot.

Mane Number 13 is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

SEE ALSO: 'Andhaghaaram' Review: A Seamless Mixture Of Indian Lore And The Age-old Vengeful Spirit Trope

Cover Image: Amazon Prime Video