A Retrospective Review of Malaysian Horror

Introduction:

Malaysian loves horror, in fact, they love horror so much as soon as a new horror is released, tickets are snatched so fast you have to book a few days in advance just to see a movie. Horror is the only genre in this country that can guarantee big bucks for the producers (which explains why David Teo is one of the most successful producer in this country). In celebration of the recent release of Khurafat, a new horror produced by Yusof Haslam (and directed by his son), let us revisit all the horror movies released in this country the past few years and hopefully by the end of this review, we can finally uncover the answer to the biggest mystery of them all: why do we keep failing with a genre that is so close to our heart?

The 80's

The 80's was dominated by four main genres: soppy dramas (Tiada Esok Bagimu, Esok Masih Ada etc), slapstick comedy (with AR Badul and his protege Mr.Os), romantic comedies (Ali Setan, Adik Manja etc.) and of course, horrors. Out of these four, horror remains the favorite with fans (which explains why Indonesia was so eager to produce multiple collaborative efforts with our country at that time). Noorkumalasari (now retired for good) was the reigning queen of horror during that period, she was  the lead in more than a few movies including those produced by our neighbor Indonesia. Among the many movies she starred in, the most outstanding has got to be Rahsia. 

Rahsia (1987)       

Directed by: Othman Hafsham     

Who's in it: Noor Kumalasari, Yusof Haslam.

Achievements: This movie won two awards in Festival Filem Malaysia back in 1987 for Best Picture and Best Director but unfortunately not an acting nod for Noorkumalasari. 

The story:

This movie starts with a newlywed couple moving in to an old bungalow by the sea with their two children. One of the children drowned while swimming in the sea one day and following that the mother (Noorkumalasari) is constantly haunted by the ghost of a child which she initially thought was her daughter. At the end of the movie, she unveiled a horrifying secret hidden within the walls of the haunted bungalow: the remains of a child, an heir to a rich family killed by a jealous relative who died a horrible death at the end of the movie  (stabbed in the abdomen with iron railings while trying to climb over a gate). This movie is the perfect example of classic movie making. Back in the 80s, without the help of special effects and CGIs, directors relied heavily on solid story telling, creative camera works and most importantly strong performances by the leads. There were no ghosts (with long black hairs and bad make-up) crawling all over the place, tok imams with special powers throwing around energy balls or bodies floating in mid-air. The suspense built throughout the movie was so palpable, you can't help but feel what the lead is going through and sympathize with her conditions. This movie reminds me of another horror classic, Poltergeist (Tobe Hooper, Steven Spielberg, 1982).

The 90s
The 90s was better known for the downfall of the horror genre. The Ministry of Information that time was headed by a strict, conservative old man and by his decree horror movies are banned on the grounds of inciting people to worship the supernatural. For many years, directors steered away from this genre, concentrating on comedies and dramas to fill in the gaps. Aziz M.Osman dominated with comedies and Suhaimi Baba started the "new drama" wave with movies like Ringgit Kasorga (1995) and Layar Lara (1997).

2000

2004 was a historical moment for Malaysian horror fans. After so many years, FINAS has finally lifted the ban and Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam became the first horror movies ever shown in the cinemas. After going through countless cuts and controversies surrounding its release, this movie was finally released to loud applause by both fans and critics. Did this movie deserved all the accolades it received?

Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam (2004)

Written & directed by: Suhaimi Baba

Who's in it: Maya Karin, Ida Nerina, Kavita Kaur, Eizlan Yusof, Azri Iskandar, Rosyam Nor.

Achievements: Best Actress nod for Maya Karin in the Asia Pacific Film Festival (2004).

The story:

This story is about the vengeful spirit of a gamelan dancer who was unjustly killed by a jealous suitor after refusing him many times. She was pregnant at that time and before bleeding to death, she miraculously gave birth to a baby girl who grew up to become a beautiful woman who looks exactly like her. She now works in a resort owned by the descendants of her mother's killer which is haunted by a ghost (with long black hair and bad make-up) who turns out to be the spirit of her dead mother who possess her body at night and goes around wreaking havoc looking for a pair of ankle bracelets. Confused? So was I. I guess both fans and critics that time were so hungry for horror that the first movie they get was considered a masterpiece. After making it big with drama, Suhaimi Baba (overly confident after all the accolades she gets from her previous efforts) decided to try her hands at directing horror. This movie presents horror in a new light, a combination of horror and romance with a historical background (pretty much like what Nonzee Nimibutr did with Nang Nak in 1999). The script needs serious reworking, half of the cast can't even speak in Malay (including Maya Karin who talks with a thick Indonesian accent), the time line was too confusing (you can't make out who's who, where and when without getting a headache), the arts direction looks cheap and childish and the story lacks continuity that the momentum of the movie is quickly lost in all the confusion. No wonder this movie is more famous for its theme song (Pulangkan sung by Misha Omar) rather than the movie itself. I guess she must be so confident after Maya Karin's win that she went on to make two horror movies after PHSM (PHSM 2 in 2005 and Waris Jari Hantu in 2007 which won four awards in FFM 2007 including Best Director despite losing to Cinta for Best Picture). On the scale of 1 to 10, I will give all three movies a 3 for the director's effort in reintroducing the Malaysian audience to the horror genre and paving the way for future directors to dive in the world of the supernatural, the biggest money making machine in the Malaysian movie industry.

  

To be continued.........................