Vikram Bhatt has built a career on horror. From Raaz to 1920, he has delivered hits that defined the genre in Bollywood. But his latest, Haunted 3D: Echoes of the Past, which hit theaters on June 12, 2026, is being called his lowest point yet. Critics are tearing it apart, and audiences are walking out confused. The film stars Mimoh Chakraborty, Chetna Pande, Praneet Bhatt, and Shruti Prakash. Yet, even with a familiar director and a franchise name, the movie fails on almost every level. One review summed it up best: the film “doesn’t just disappoint horror fans – it disappoints horror itself.”
The movie follows Dev (Mimoh Chakraborty), a successful filmmaker who suddenly disappears to a remote mansion in Nainital. He is running from his troubled past. But the mansion holds secrets. Dark forces lurk inside. Before long, Dev is trapped in a nightmare involving a lost love named Sunheri (Chetna Pande) and a spirit that refuses to let go. On paper, it sounds like standard Bhatt fare. But the execution is where everything falls apart.
The Same Old Story With Nothing New to Offer
The plot of Haunted 3D feels like it was assembled from leftover parts of older horror films. Critics have pointed out that the story is credited to three writers: Mahesh Bhatt, Suhrita Das, and Shubham Dhiman. It is shocking that three people came up with a script that feels so recycled. The film uses every old trick in the book: creaking doors, shadowy figures, loud jump scares, and a tragic backstory involving reincarnation.
The Times of India gave the film 2 out of 5 stars. The review stated that the movie “relies heavily on overused horror tropes” and that “most of the scares feel predictable and fail to create genuine tension.” The pacing is another major issue. The mystery unfolds at a frustratingly slow speed. Key revelations arrive too late to leave any impact. The love story between Dev and Sunheri is supposed to be the emotional core, but it lacks depth. You never really care about what happens to them.
AI-Generated Visuals and Lazy Production
One of the biggest complaints about Haunted 3D is how it looks. The original Haunted 3D from 2011 was praised for trying something new with stereoscopic technology. This sequel takes a very different path. Critics have accused the filmmakers of using AI-generated content to cut corners. The frames look flat. The palace setting, which should be grand and scary, looks fake. Hindustan Times wrote that the film is “stitched together with such poor production values that the viewer is left numb.”
“What makes Haunted 3D: Echoes of the Past unbearable is not that it’s bad. Bad films are made every Friday. It’s that it lacks any effort.” – Hindustan Times Review
The CGI looks dated. Inconsistent visual effects break the immersion constantly. In one moment, you might see a decent spooky shadow. In the next, a ghost looks like it came from a video game made twenty years ago. The background score also fails. Instead of building suspense, the music often turns unintentionally funny, especially during scenes meant to be terrifying.
Performances That Can’t Save a Broken Script
Mimoh Chakraborty, who plays Dev, tries his best. Critics agree that he puts in a sincere effort. But he cannot do anything with a script this weak. His character is written so poorly that no amount of acting could fix it. Chetna Pande brings some vulnerability to her role as Sunheri, but the part is underwritten. She has very little room to actually act.
The supporting cast includes Gaurav Bajpai, Hemant Pandey, and Praneet Bhatt. They are mostly reduced to plot devices. They exist only to explain things to the hero or to die at the right moment. One review noted that Praneet Bhatt stands out in parts, but even he cannot lift the film. The only thing worse than the scares is the dialogue. At times, the film shifts awkwardly between romance and horror, leaving the audience confused rather than scared.
The Shocking Box Office Success Despite the Reviews
Here is the strangest part of this story. Despite the terrible reviews, Haunted 3D is actually doing well at the box office. The film opened with Rs 2.50 crore nett on its first day in India. On Saturday, it grew by 30 percent, collecting Rs 3.25 crore nett. Its total India nett collection now stands at Rs 5.75 crore. This is a shock to the trade. The film outperformed much bigger releases on the same weekend, including Imtiaz Ali‘s Main Vaapas Aaunga and Kangana Ranaut‘s Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata.
Pinkvilla reported that the film performed best in Delhi-UP, which collected nearly a crore. That is more than double what it made in Mumbai. Bihar, CPCI, and West Bengal were other strong markets. The success proves that horror as a genre is still incredibly popular in India. Even a poorly made film can draw crowds if it promises scares. But will it last? These types of films are usually very frontloaded. Once word of mouth spreads about how bad it is, the collections might drop sharply.
What Makes This Different From Vikram Bhatt’s Older Work
Fans of Vikram Bhatt will remember his older films like 1920 and the first Raaz. Those movies had style. They used lighting well. Bhatt once claimed that he used only candlelight for many scenes in 1920 to create a haunting visual texture. That care is completely missing in Haunted 3D.
The original Haunted 3D from 2011 was not a perfect film. But it was ambitious. It tried to be India’s first stereoscopic 3D horror movie. Audiences at the time appreciated the effort, even if the story was familiar. This sequel has no such ambition. It feels like it was rushed out to cash in on the name. ABP Live noted that the film “feels like a setback for the legacy of the Bhatt camp” and that the treatment feels “straight out of the Ramsay Brothers’ era.” That is not a compliment. The Ramsay films had charm because they were low-budget and fun. This film does not even have that.
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Audience Reactions: Laughter Instead of Screams
Perhaps the most telling sign of failure is how audiences are reacting inside the theater. People are not screaming. They are laughing. ABP Live reported that audiences were seen laughing at scenes meant to be scary. They were questioning how this could even be classified as horror in today’s time. The climax is particularly bad. It reduces a supernatural showdown to a routine physical fight. The fight is so poorly executed that it draws unintentional laughs.
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