Shudder Saturday: Blood Flower (2022)

AKA Harum Malam.

The last time I watched a movie revolving around any kind of blood flower it was the second Anaconda movie. While I enjoy that film a bit more than most people, it's not exactly fantastic. So I went into Blood Flower with a bit of trepidation. How scary can a flower-based movie really be? Even triffids don't terrify me like they used to.

Idan Aedan plays Iqbal, a young boy who we soon learn has a special gift. He can see spirits, which allows him to help his mother in healing those who are afflicted by them/possessed. Unfortunately, and this is very early on in the film, his mother dies, leaving Iqbal alone with his father (Bront Palarae), who would rather not battle any supernatural entities. Nobody has much say in the matter, however, when an evil spirit is let loose in their building, claiming a number of victims while Iqbal tries to figure out how it can be defeated.

Directed by Dain Said, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Ben Omar and Nandita Solomon, this Malaysian horror is a real treat for those who want something that manages to be both spooky and gory, with the third act full of impressive and disturbing moments. Although the backstory revealed will have many thinking of the kind of thing we've seen many times before (usually in the films from Japan or Spain), everything is given a dark twist by the ferocity and scheming of the evil spirit at the heart of things.

Aedan is a good lead, and carries most of the movie on his young shoulders, whether he's being terrified, confused, or gathering the courage needed for a confrontation that anyone would want to completely avoid. He's believably vulnerable, yet also believable as the only one who might be able to put an end to the unfolding horrors. Palarae is decent support, although the film works better when scenes are full of children who are either more aware or more in danger than some of the adults. Remy Ishak plays Jamil, a pivotal character for a number of reasons, and also does a very good job, as do the likes of Nadiya Nissa, Eriza Allya, Amanda Ang, Nabila Huda, and Arnie Shasha, making up a decent variety of people directly affected by the horrific events.

With great pacing throughout (the runtime is a decent 102-minutes) and a lot of memorable imagery that will remind you of classic demon/possession movies without the film rigidly adhering to the way those elements have been presented in the past, this is a great viewing choice for horror movie fans. It gets very bloody and uncomfortable at times, so more casual viewers should be warned, and it's a completely satisfying work that puts a slightly different spin on familiar fare.

8/10

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Shudder Saturday: Satan's Slaves (2017)

Apparently this Indonesian horror is a bit of a remake/prequel to a 1980 film, which I haven't seen, but you may be happy to hear that it's absolutely fine to watch as a standalone film. I did read up on the final scene, which didn't make much sense to me, but my ignorance wasn't enough to spoil my viewing experience.

Rini (Tara Basro) is the family member who spends most of her time with her mother, who is very ill. She rings a bell when she needs assistance, and spends most of her time prone in her bed. And then her mother dies, which is when things go from quite scary to pretty terrifying. Having already been weirded out by a couple of creepy incidents, Rini and her brothers start to see figures appearing in various places around them, either spirits or physical manifestations of the undead, and they eventually figure out that there is some evil force trying to get hold of the youngest of the children (Ian, played by Muhammad Adhiyat) because of a deal made with a Satanic sect.

This is a horror film that has the best of both world for fans of the genre. You get the jumps and scares similar to those recently packaged in popular hits by James Wan and you also get a near-constant sense of unease and dread. The creepier moments, and the imagery, are reminiscent of the best stuff we discovered during the Asian horror boom at the turn of the 21st century.

Director Joko Anwar, who also gave us the very good Ritual (2012), does a fantastic job here, working from his own script to perfectly set up the details and geography that will pay off later in the movie. The bell that is rung by the "patient", the water well, even the set up of the bedrooms, showing where people sleep in a shared room and where they sleep alone. Windows and reflective surfaces often show viewers more than the characters notice, and there are a couple of standout scenes that involve white linen being inhabited by figures that nobody would want there.

The cast all do solid work. Basro is the nominal lead, but she shares a lot of the screentime with Adhiyat, Endy Arfian (as her brother, Tony), and Nasar Anuz (as her other brother, Bondi), and there are worthwhile contributions from Bront Palarae (the father), Arswendi Nasution (a man who may have knowledge of the situation), Dimas Aditya (the son of Nasution's character), and Elly D. Luthan (grandmother). Everybody fits perfectly in the role they're given, and their personalities and relationships make everything easier to accept as things go very quickly from the mundane to the completely mad.

If you want something that will deliver some straightforward genre thrills then this is a great choice for you. Thankfully, it also has a little bit more to it, in the way it develops the backstory and crafts something that could lead on to even more horrors in the future (I would much rather see more films spun off from this than I would see more films spun off from The Conjuring movies). It's highly recommended, and I'll be going back to check out the original inspiration whenever I get the opportunity.

8/10

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