genre: horror, mystery,
This is one of those films that could have been good. If it actually increased the dread and creepiness. It certainly had me fooled for a while that it was going to deliver. The cinematography is good. The special effects are decent, and the actors were good.
Normally, a slow pace helps build up tension and dread. But if it's too slow, it will diminish it. Premise wise, there is a lot to be scared about. Only it takes the film too long to put events in motion. I appreciate how they set up the dynamics between the friends so you get an idea how far they would go to help each other. Especially in horror films, it's important to care about the characters. So I was invested. Problem is that my patience for sitting through most events didn't reward me with thrills and scares. It's too obvious, that something is wrong with Mawar. Instead of celebrating her birthday with her friends, she goes to visit her parent's grave so that they can give their blessing. I understand that this was important for her. What I don't understand, why she went by herself. She could have gone with the friends. Very likely, she should have been fine. At the same time, this would have been a great moment to misdirect. To create some suspense and tension. Sadly, none of this.
To make matters worse, when you finally are thrust into the mystery, they don't even bother explaining the motivation. It's not that I need an elaborate background. Although, in this case, the characters involved aren't even asking why a certain someone would have done that horrible thing. This also could have created a plot that could and should have been explored. Apparently, director Awi Suryadi has directed a couple of popular (in Indonesia) titles. That doesn't bode well for coming viewing experiences, since some of those are on my to watch list. I do have to comment on the high ratings on imdb.com. I don't want to be mean, but they seem like very impressionable individuals who haven't seen that much. They are the types who would get scared by their own shadows.
I guess, it's not a total waste of your time. But it's incredibly forgettable.
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