Indonesian Horror Movies

Kuntilanak (2006) Review

August 29, 2013 by Eric S. Leave a Comment

Synopsis: A young college student moves to a new boarding house in a very haunted area. Rumours had it that a Kuntilanak (the she-demon) lived up in a hundreds of years old tree near the house. Soon, people around her died one by one tragically….

My Quick Review: Kuntilanak, based on a local urban legend, is a very popular horror franchise in Indonesia. The always gorgeous Julie Estelle (Macabre) stars as Sam, the young college student with a “gift” for the occult, and Rizal Mantovani directs, as he will for all subsequent sequel.

Kuntilanak is a very creepy movie with quite a few “jump out of your seat” moments. Each and every appearance by the Kuntilanak has managed to raise some hair on the back of my skin. It’s interesting that I did watch The Conjuring the night before at the theatre and was not as easily scared as I was when watching this film (The Conjuring is definitively the better movie but not the scarier).

The whole visual art of the movie adds to the spooky feeling and the haunted boardhouse is nicely shot as well. The acting, while not stellar is above average and there is plenty of eye candy from the cast (Julie Estelle and Ratu Felisha in particular). The gore is low key and while not entirely original, Kuntilanak is one of the Best Indonesian Horror movie I’ve seen so far.

My Rating: 6.5/10

Director: Rizal Mantovani

Origin: Indonesia

The Forbidden Door (2009) Review

August 25, 2013 by Eric S. Leave a Comment

Original Name: Pintu Terlarang

Synopsis: The life of a successful sculptor is turned upside down when he begins receiving mysterious messages from someone who asks for his help.

My Quick Review: My first Anwar’s movie experience was recently with Modus Anomali, a very intense Thriller with a twist. I was already seduced. But this Lynchian experience that is The Forbidden Door has cemented my initial feelings.

With Pintu Terlarang, Joko Anwar definitively proves indeed, that he is a master storyteller and cinematographer and a director/writer to keep following in years to come.

The movie’s visual clues, the shocking bursts of violence (some child abuse scenes are especially hard to stomach) and the excellent acting across the board (special mention to Fachry Albar in the main role) all add to the eeriness of Pintu Terlarang and will keep you guessing till the end.

The Forbidden Door is a movie that truly deserves multiple viewings to be better appreciated and understood. It is far from being perfect (some plot points drag a bit too long and the editing has a few problems as well) but I, for one, cant wait to see what’s next for Joko Anwar.

My Rating: 7.5/10

Director: Joko Anwar

Origin: Indonesia

Modus Anomali (2012) Review

August 14, 2013 by Eric S. Leave a Comment

Synopsis: A guy wakes up in a shallow grave in the woods with amnesia and has to work out what’s going on. He finds a cabin and the mystery begins to unfold. (from IMDb)

My Review: Modus Anomali is a strong entry into Indonesian horror cinema. Joko Anwar’s (The Forbidden Door, Dead Time:Kala) 4th movie has a simple but efficient pitch that maintains the tension high throughout the whole movie.

By keeping the camera very close to him, Anwar creates a suffocating feeling making us as lost and wary of the surroundings as his main character. While some of the scenes in the forest tend to be a bit on the lengthy side, as soon as something is happening, we are right back in the middle of the action.

On the negative side of things, I wasn’t a big fan of the use of english throughout the film since this is not the actors first language. Why make such a decision, especially since there aren’t that many lines in the film anyway.

The violence in Modus Anomali is raw and sometimes unexpected with the right amount of gory effects while the mystery surrounding the killer(s) in the woods offers a satisfying conclusion. The last reel actually kept me on the edge of my feet.

Once again Joko Anwar is proving that he is a director to definitively keep an eye on and, together with the Mo Brothers (Macabre, Killers) and Gareth Evans (The Raid:Redemption) belongs to an exciting new wave of young directors out of Indonesia..

My Rating: 6.5/10

Director: Joko Anwar

Origin: Indonesia

Dead Mine Review

May 23, 2013 by Eric S. Leave a Comment

Year: 2012

Director: Steven Sheil

Synopsis: (from IMDb) The legend of Yamashita’s Gold lures a treasure hunter and his group deep into the Indonesian jungle. Once they are trapped in an abandoned World War II Japanese bunker, they face the terrifying reality that the only way out is to go further in.

My Short Review: What a borefest!! I did not expect much coming into Dead Mine but the first 15mns of the movie gave me some hope. I liked the fact that the movie had a mixed cast (japanese, british, indonesian..) and thought that the director took advantage of the beautiful island location.

Alas, as soon as our group of “heroes” enter the mine, nothing really happens for the next 40mn or so. During the last third of the movie, the action ramps up a bit but not enough to awake an already comatose audience (it did not help that I usually watch movies late at night).

I could have forgiven a poor plot or uneven performances by the main cast but what I can not stand is an horror movie that does not generate any scares whatsoever and almost no gore.

My Rating: 4/10.

Macabre (Rumah Dara) Review

April 5, 2013 by Eric S. 2 Comments

Year: 2009

Director: The Mo Brothers

Synopsis: 5 Friends on a road trip run into a strange girl on the road at night. They decide to help bring her back to her home. This is where the night will turn to hell for all of them.

My Short Review: Macabre is the first full length feature for the Mo Brothers (who are not related) after their short Darla (which inspired this film).

Macabre is definitively a good entry in the gore/crazy family sub-genre and quite impressive for a debut feature.

Nothing really new in a script that plays it safe and conventional but the quality of the direction and the actors (better than what you would expect in this kind of movie) , makes Macabre a crowd pleasure.

The beginning is a bit slow but necessary to establish the characters but the last 45mns are well worth the investment. Gore Lovers will enjoy the practical make up effects, the main actress is memorable and even if the bad guys have a tendancy of overacting, they are crazy after all.

So, even if the plot is very classic and there are no big twists or scary moments, you get what you paid for and its still refreshing to see an Indonesian take on this type of horror movies.

My Rating: 6/10