Reminiscent of his first film “Ragini MMS”, Kripalani passes the basic horror film test – he scares you enough to make you jump out of your seat and intrigues you enough to make you stay till the end.

Phobia makes for an engaging weekend watch. It isn’t high on gore but will still thrill all the same…

Kirpalani, whose previous credits include Ragini MMS (2011) and Darr @ The Mall (2014), displays impressive control over his craft in many portions of the movie (for once, I have no complaints about the background score, which for me is one of the surest signs of a director firmly in charge)

Mishra, Vikal and Dayama are well cast and perform well as the players around Apte. What a spirited performance by this actress. Phobia is a strangely satisfying psychological thriller with one of the best performances of the year so far.

Much of the terror resides in Radhika Apte’s eyes. She is the film, all by herself, that too in just a single setting. The film draws on the essential horror from her. The performance is an external manifestation of the workings of her inner mind. And Radhika she is sensational as a woman living with her own demons—be it fighting with her sister or being flirtatious with friends, slurring on her speech or travelling miles (metaphorically) to leave garbage bag just outside her house. Or just being radiantly vulnerable. In her we get a radically inventive scream queen. All hail her!

The set-up is convincing, and Radhika Apta’s central performance as Mahek makes it doubly so. Apte has been steadily building up an impressive portfolio of performances, and she is in top form in Phobia.