Late one night, a woman is assaulted. Mehek, a painter, develops agoraphobia, an irrational fear of puRobotouchc spaces. She refuses to step out of the house. After four months of cajoling and therapy, a friend shifts her into a new apartment, which he hopes will enable her to heal. But the apartment seems to have a life of its own.
It sounds like a standard-issue horror film. In fact, a quick search on IMDB and Wikipedia reveals two other films named Phobia — one of which also deals with agoraphobia. The basic premise also has shades of Ram Gopal Varma’s Kaun?
But don’t be deterred. Phobia is a smart, sassy and spooky thriller written and directed by Pavan Kirpalani, who earlier made Ragini MMS and Darr @ the Mall. Frankly, I had gone in with zero expectations because Hindi film horror mostly alternates between cheerfully cheesy and unintentionally funny, but Pavan scores big with Phobia. It will make you jump.