As the clock strikes 2pm (which is witching hour in cafe land), follow the gong and tiptoe your way to The Annabelle House.
Bloody handprints greet you the moment you enter the building on Jadavpur Central Road (near Bijoygarh College), home to Kolkata’s newest horror-themed cafe.
Climb up the staircase marked by creepers on the railings and hear a cry for help, as you find yourself in the middle of a graveyard… beside an upside-down hanging body. Tune your ear to ghoulish sounds and evil laughter as dim red, blue and yellow lights transport you to another world.
Welcome to The Annabelle House.
Every horror story has a beginning…
Just three weeks old, and the 25-seater cafe is trending on social media, with thrill-seekers trooping in for their share of spook.
“In Kolkata, we have a lot of themed cafes, but there are hardly any based on horror, which is a craze among people,” says 27-year old owner Avishek Singh, who used to be a business development manager at an ed-tech firm.
When he was brainstorming themes and names for the cafe, The Annabelle House struck with him. The response has been “very good” since the cafe opened on February 10. “People are visiting us from Howrah and Rajarhat as well,” shares Avishek.
Diners at the cafe
Chamber of ghosts…
Avishek’s brief but detailed background in sales and business development helped him “closely analyse how the market works and understand customer behaviour.”
“It’s all about how you perceive things. A closed and gloomy space, and the frequency of sound, make your mind perceive things differently. I analysed myself in the shoes of the customer. If I am moving into a certain place, what will be my expectations? This made me draw up points and targets for the cafe,” says the electrical engineer from the Academy of Technology.
One of the expectations was to have a dedicated selfie zone with none other than Annabelle herself. “I knew that a selfie is something that most visitors would definitely click!” says Avishek.
Click a selfie with Annabelle and live to tell the tale. In picture, the young owner of the cafe, Avishek Singh
Bratati Das, a fashion designer by profession and an art teacher by passion, has painted the walls of the cafe. “This door took me around two days to paint. I wanted to make it spookier in appearance, so I painted a graveyard from where a hand is emerging. There are two dead trees, bats and a full moon, which further enhance the horror element,” she explains.
Bratati Das worked the graveyard shift to paint the wall of horrors
From the chopping board…
Janice: “What do you need?”Annabelle: “Your soul!”
There ain’t no sol kadhi at The Annabelle House, but you can enjoy a plate of Chinese or tuck into sandwiches. “The food is not fancy. It’s simple and fresh and we do not compromise on the quality,” says Avishek. Here are some options:
Jamun Shots (right) is not the usual mocktail, but a unique mix of the sour tartness of jamun and the sugary sweetness from the glass rim. “Jamun shots are a rare find in Bengal,” says Avishek. The fresh and lemony Blue Lagoon (left) scores as a summer cooler
Schezwan Mixed Rice is light with an adequate amount of spice that flavours without burning your palate
The smoky bowl of Burnt Garlic Egg Noodles noodles is the boss of quick toss meals
Crispy Honey Chicken has chicken in sweet honey sauce sprinkled with sesame seeds
This tender and fresh plate of Pan Fried Fish offers a spicy kick
