OUIJA

Blumhouse Production

Directed by: Stiles White

Starring by: Olivia Cooke, Ana Coto, Douglas Smith, Darren Kagasoff

Well, I watched this film at Malang when I had my Book Talk Show, after having the event we goes to the cinema; me, my writer-friend Novan, and my cousins Mia and Tata. Too bad our friend Nadya decided to go back to Jember so she can’t come with us…we don’t understand why she prefers Jember than us…but it’s your lost girl hehehe..

A little bit confuse between Interstellar or this film, but finally we pick this one because the showing time was match for our next schedule to go to Batu, and I shout to myself, Yeeeeeaaahhh, I could make preview for this film at no cost, finally…hehehe…other reason why I want to see this film, tough it only get mediocre rating, it’s because I also make horror comic with the same title this year…    

It opens with two little girl, Laine and Debbie, playing the board. Debbie give three rules for playing it safely, “Always remember the three rules: Don’t play the board on the grave, Don’t play it alone, and always say good bye…”. The frame dissolved to present time when Debbie grown up as teenagers and picked up by Debbie to come to school event. Debbie acting weirdly and make Laine wonders. The opening scene ends with Debbie committing suicide by hanging herself in the house.

Debbie’s death shocking her friends, especially Laine, and curiosity drives them to investigate her death. It leads Laine to invite other to make contact to Ouija board and asked how’s she could died. The contact made them linked to spirit with initial D.Z and Mother that keep following with terror everywhere they go with a message, “Hii Friend…”

I have to raise my thumb because this film give the shock that make audience yell or terrified until nearly half periods of it without performing the ghost appearance at all. The first look of the ghost happened when Laine see through the glass of oujia tools. A ghost with stitched at her mouth and angry old woman that thrown up everything. From the play that they’re doing at Debbie’s house, spirit that haunts possessed and killed them one by one.

To solve the problem, Laine try to find out who D.Z, the girl that named Dorris Zander, is which bring her to mental institution to meet Doris cousin, Paulina Zander. She said that the spirit become stronger if they not release the stitched on Dorris mouth, so they have to open it. It turns out that Paulina and Dorris was the true evil and Mother just try to stop them, stitching Dorris mouth to hold evil comes out from her.

The coolest thing from the open word of little Debbie is it turns out that she’s playing the Ouija on the grave, which is the house that become the grave of Dorris Zander, and playing it alone, perhaps the adult concept that avoiding superstitious childhood that believe Ouija board is a real supranatural board. So, she broke two of the rules that she said herself…

How’s the end? I think it’s better if you watched it on your own, tough I realized some of you who like horror movie probably could guess the ends easily, but I do like the final scene when Laine putting a dental floss to her mouth that make all audience sight, “YYYYAAAAAHHHHH….” Because it remind them at the scene when Isabella get killed. The girl was having her mouth stitched by dental floss also.

It’s good to see Olivia Cook’s act, after she’s having a good one on The Quiet Ones as Jane Harper. My friend, Novan, said Olivia's face was like Indonesian horror actress that often get main character, Julie Estelle and how come he’s hoping Pulina Zander not died because she’s the prettiest one?  

Likewise, I saw some clumsiness on this film, at the opening scene when Debbie was about to get suicide, she drags string of light from her bedroom and how come the light still on after she pulled it and used by her as a hanging tool. The string of light also remains on its original location at every next scene when Laine entering Debbie’s room couple of time. And just take a look after Debbie closed the back door. She jumped out to hear the sound of stove that turning on by itself. The show it’s from above with a kettle next to it, but when the girl turned off the stove, the kettle was on top of the ring.

My cousin, Mia, was a doctor gives a comment about the needle that was used by Dorris spirit to stitch Sarah’s mouth is way to big than normal surgery needle. The shape is just like that, fishing angle similar-like, only smaller. And that leads me to other thought, it's impossible for Laine to open the stitched because Dorris had died many years ago. Human lip was part of the skin that surely rotten and decompose, therefore the thread must be released itself according to time….  

Onward, though we’re having good times and laughing this film together, the rules to playing safe has to be considered, “Always remember the three rules: Don’t play the board on the grave, don’t play it alone, and always say good bye…” So I say it now unto you….Good Bye….

DRACULA UNTOLD

Legendary Picture

Directed by: Gary Shore

Starring by: Luke Evans, Dominic Cooper, Sarah Gadon, Charles Dance

“What do you think if we go out and see the Dracula?"

She smiles and nodded and we go out tonight to see the movie. It’s a date….only two of us…father-daughter date. It’s not common for us to go along just both, usually there are four of us but this moment was special and the moment of our date would be last in my memories.

It’s not pure horror movie, I know, but it’s good for her because I’ve promise not to take her to watch horror movie till she’s twenty years old…ddooogghhh…what an old fashion father…and you may asked, how come you recommended other people to watch horror while your daughter couldn’t. Well, I said it’s my part being a good and descent father but I know my heart was trembling and pounding to ask her out to watch good movies like Conjuring or Insidious…but kids always astonished you, right? And she also done it when she say, I already watched Final Destination, and you know daddy, my friend that can’t stand to watched asked me how the characters got killed.

My ooo my…ok, stop for the moment and I shall write my opinion for Dracula Untold…

As we know the first story of Dracula was spread  by Bram Stoker. And I admire unfinished love tale behind the story between Count Vlad and his wife, which from that he chase Mina who’s engaged with Jonathan Harker, his notary’s fiancé.

Dracula Untold takes same character which is Count Vlad and same location on Transylvania. The kingdom of Translyvania lies between Turkey and Europe so when the Turkish want to spread their empire to the land of Europe they have to pass Vlad’s country. Actually, Vlad is close friend to Mehmet, the Sultan of Turkish, but ambition made Mehmet put away their relationship and pushed Count Vlad to provide him 1.000 boys of Transylvania to be Mehmed’s troops, includes Vlad’s son.

Vlad against Mehmet’s command and murder Mehmet’s man in brutal fight, so he realized that he need more power to battle the Turkish that has large number of troops. During his searched he finds Vampire, the curse human that being manipulated and deceives by Evil which changes him into horrible looks but has tremendous power for the Vampire could defeat one battalion of Turkish soldier alone. The deal with vampire is made and Vlad gets the power he seeks. He crushed thousand men that send by Mehmet to destroy Vlad’s castle and it was then I see visualization of “The Strength of a Thousand Men” from the song I’ve always play when I writes.

The difference from Stoker, Vlad in this film get his power from other Vampire while Stoker clearly said that Count Vlad was the first Vampire on earth when he’s blasphemy God for losing his wife that make suicide because she thought Vlad was killed on battle. So there’s another vampire before him…hmmm…I think it’s ok…so be it…

The scene increase by tension when Transylvanian were mobilize to safer place and Vlad had to battles the Turkish that comes in bigger amount of troops, this time with Mehmet with them. The visualization was awesome. I’d like the scene when Vlad control thousand of bats and make them to fight Turkish in such demonic ways. Though Mehmet told to close the eye of his troops but bat attacks was surely something that couldn’t handle normally. But the best scene for me is when Vlad jump down to chase Mirena that fall from high tower. And dramatically he failed to save his queen though he got inhuman power that makes him capable to do anything most man can’t do.

Full with rage, Vlad raising Vampire troops from Transylvania’s people who were dying and gave them blood of he’s to drink. I’m not quite happy to find how easily Vlad control the sky and nature in order to hold the sun from rising just to make his troops invaded the Turkish. One hundred thousand Turkish troops against ten hungry Vampires, you’d sure know who wins.

And the last scene, again, make me unhappy to find that Transylvanian troops of Vampires disobey Vlad. The Count can’t control his own people from eagerness to dessert his son. Contrary from Stoker, Count Vlad has total dominion over his follower and found out how three vampirellas on Dracula Castle had not killed Jonathan Harker because the Count said them so and it happened when Count Dracula was not around because he’s on his journey to England to find Mina Harker.

Overall I think this film was OK. It’s good to watched if you want to know more about heroic side of a Vampire before he turns into pure evil, and Hollywood was a master to make something grouch turns nice…the evolution of a Vampire from Bram Stoker Dracula to Twilight and now to Dracula Untold has prove it. Cheeks surely couldn’t resist the handsomeness of Luke Evans, are they? But I’d found out single mistake of continuity on the scene when Mehmet falls to the ground after Vlad defeated him and bites him, there’s no blood or puncture wounds on his throat, just take a good look at it…       

ANNABELLE

New Line Cinema

Directed by: John R. Leonetti

Starring by: Ward Horton, Annabelle Walis, Alfre Woodard

I’m doing different ways for this movie because the continuity of Conjuring must be treated in differently, and this time I hold my opinion on my blog till almost everyone in Jakarta watched it then upload it later on the third weeks from premiere. How did I know everyone in town had watched? Well, I dont ! I'm just patronizing but anyway, Annabelle attracts many people to go to the cinema in tremendous way, even for people who hates horror…perhaps it’s the real story behind the doll. Nevertheless many of them criticized this movie as dull, boring one, and it lacks of good effect for it depends on shocking scene or loud noise. Well it’s normal because audience expected something as good as Conjuring, so they make comparison of both unfairly.

Funny to found out that the main star of this movie was also has a name of Annabelle…Annabelle Walis as Mia. The film started with early scene which taken from Conjuring when three friends are being haunted by living doll Annabelle. But I lost the scene where the doll gives the three that word of ‘Miss Me’ thing. From there it goes backward a year later in 1967 when couple of John and Mia encounter terror on their neighborhood, Higgins family was slay and Annabelle, the Higgin’s daughter, and her boyfriend that becomes follower of an occult sect attacks Mia inside her house. Annabelle died by police shoot and her blood cursing one of Mia’s dolls which would be possessed by Devil.

The terror in Mia’s house didn’t stop, it almost kill her with burning house or appearance on basement storage and Mia was aware that it caused by the doll which followed her family anywhere. The terror keeps playing even until the baby’s come. What the ghost of Annabelle had done by look over the baby, playing with the baby, throwing the baby with books from the shelf lead us to think that the baby is being hunted by Annabelle ghost…to be honest I also think that Annabelle make baby Leah as object for she wanted to trade place with human as Chucky did…but I totally wrong for the soul taken desire…

John and Mia asked help from Father Perez to deal with the possessed doll, it was unusual for horror movie for couples easily to believe that their partner got troubles with supernatural thing, usually they think their partner went nuts so they took a shrink to face the problem. Instead, the devout Christian John believe his wife and go to Father Perez which also mention a little about Ed and Loraine Warren as couples who helps church to deal with demons, from there he was attacked by the demon. Father Perez realized that the demons not targeting baby Leah because the soul that sought by the occult sect should be submitted voluntary so he warned John about Mia. Did John succeed to save his wife? I think you should go out to cinema to check it for yourself…

But still there’s some scene that begs question for me, like when Evelyn jumps from the window where John and Mia has live it turns out that it was on top floor meanwhile on the scene where they move to that apartment Mia often heard a noise of people who lived among them. Is it some mistake? Or is it something to scares audience by occupants of the upper floor that are not exist. Pitty, the trick isn’t works because I know most people not thinking about non existence occupants. The scene which might be seeded as a top scene where little Annabelle ghost turns to adult ghost after bumping the door is also not so special for me…if I have to choose I’d rather like lift scene when she couldn’t get away from basement floor even though she had pushed the knob three times.

Still there’s wrong continuity where Mia was handles by the creature on basement after she pulled the blanket inside trolley. It obvious that it was on the back of her hand but how comes the symbol scar marked on front side of her hand?

There’s missed continuity at the scene when the priest take photo of Mia and baby Leah, he hold camera in horizontal but at the last scene where he give Mia the result of photograph he’s been taking earlier it shapes vertically. And how about the boy and the girl that Mia meets on stair? John asked to look after for them because they’re doing creepy picture but they’re not follow it up and we don’t know whether both kids are real kids or just another appearance to scares Mia. The scene was just become some patch of the next scene which didn’t have any correlated at all.

Last scene that bothers me is when John brings Mia food to home. She chooses pickles and French mustard which sealed. She opens the pickle jar but not doing the same thing with the mustard but the next thing you know she picked one pickles and dipping it to the mustard, that supposed to be closed.

Well, though this film has many disturbing scene and rather slow in pace but I think it’s ok to be watched if you want to see how demon experience describes as real as possible. There will not always be floating chair or stabbing knife but you will experience whispering voice or weird appearance of thing that goes for itself. 

So, if you interested to know more it just click @ The real story of Annabelle the doll

Which make me think there would be a sequel for Annabelle because I, and you probably, want to know what happened to the nurse who got the doll as present from her grandmother before it end up in Warren’s drawer, don’t you think so? 

TAMAN LANGSAT MAYESTIK

K2K PRODUCTION

Directed by: KK. Dheraj

Sutradara :   Eka Katili

Starring by: Metta Permadi, Rahmat Panca, Ki Joko Bodo, Fauzi Imam

Sebagai catatan, sebenarnya saya enggan sekali menuliskan review tentang film ini ke blog saya karena berbagai alasan yang rasanya bisa bikin kuping merah, tapi setelah pertemuan saya dengan Evi Sri Rezeki dan Bang Aswi tentang penulisan blog, saya mendapat masukan untuk memasukkan setiap tulisan dari film-film horror yang saya tonton sebagaimana adanya….

So, untuk itu saya akan coba masukkan film ini ke dalam blog Freaknco dan karena tulisan ini saya buat untuk Evi, yang secara kebetulan juga kembarannya pernah minta saya menulis review tentang BELENGGU ke dalam bahasa Indonesia maka saya akan melakukan yang sama untuk film Taman Langsat Mayestik…

Ketertarikan buat menonton film ini bermula dari twitter, dimana tag film ini sempat jadi trending topic beberapa kali sehingga ingin juga menonton film ini. Lagipula tagline bahwa film ini didasarkan pada legenda Taman Langsat yang angker sungguh menggoda keingintahuan pecinta film seram…

Cerita dari film ini sebenarnya sederhana saja, ada produser dan sutradara sebuah PH yang ingin membuat film horror. Mereka mencari pemeran yang tepat dan karena Talent Coordinator, Genta, tidak bisa menemukan aktris yang pas kemudian keduanya marah-marah. Keduanya akhirnya mencari pemeran utamanya sendiri dan menemukan Shinta, sebenarnya bukan mereka yang menemukannya sendiri juga karena Shinta datang ke kantor mereka pada saat yang tepat. Meskipun bintang utama sudah ditemukan mereka tetap harus mencari artis-artis pendukung sehingga Genta mengusulkan membuat casting di tempat angker supaya talent yang diundang bisa merasakan atmosfir horror.

Genta kemudian mendapatkan referensi Taman Langsat sebagai tempat angkernya dan bersama Yoga melakukan survey. Selama survey, sang produser melakukan tindakan brutal yang nyaris memperkosa Shinta tapi kemudian justru menewaskan Shinta yang keguguran dan kehabisan darah. Genta dan Yoga bertemu dengan penjaga taman bernama Ki Langsat, dari pria inilah Genta mendapat informasi mengenai asal muasal kenapa ada hantu di taman tersebut.

Daniel dan Ozzie akhirnya datang ke Taman Langsat untuk melakukan proses casting dan menemukan semua Talent sudah hadir disitu sementara Genta dan Yoga tidak nampak batang hidungnya. Apakah mereka berhasil mencari artis pengganti Shinta dan juga artis-artis untuk peran yang lain. Saya menjaga spoiler sehingga saya menyarankan anda menonton film ini sendiri dan berikan penilaian menurut anda sendiri, namun sebelum itu ijinkan saya memberikan masukan atas film ini dimana :

Sangat tidak masuk akal bila tiba-tiba terjadi gangguan atau penampakan di kantor PH hanya karena Genta dan OB membicarakan soal Taman Langsat yang angker. Mungkin kita tahu membicarakan tempat angker akan membuat bulu kuduk merinding, tapi sampai terjadi terror secara fisk? C’mon…get real….

Shinta yang keguguran hanya karena didorong dari mobil dan begitu banyak darah keluar seolah Shinta sudah mengandung lebih dari tiga bulan. Man, don’t you know that janin itu punya kekuatan yang luar biasa dari benturan? Memang ada kemungkinan ketuban pecah tapi saya pernah melihat seorang wanita hamil yang tanpa sengaja terpeleset jatuh di tangga tapi janin di perutnya masih aman, so maafkan kalau saya tidak percaya dorongan dari mobil bisa mengakibatkan keguguran macam itu…dan mengenai suaminya yang cacat yang ikut bunuh diri di tengah hujan dengan menghujamkan batu ke mata gara-gara melihat istrinya meninggal…c’mon man…

Legendanya mengatakan yang dikubur di bawah pohon Langsat itu bayi-bayi korban aborsi dan arwah mereka berpindah ke burung-burung. Itu menurut saya sesuatu yang keren, tapi kenapa tahu-tahu hantu yang muncul di taman itu ada genderuwo, kuntilanak, bahkan pocong masuk disitu? Apakah sosok tuyul kurang seram sehingga harus ditambahkan ikon-ikon dari makluk semacam itu supaya makin menambah seram filmnya?

Yoga, Shinta, dan suami Shinta tewas di depan rumah Shinta, tapi kenapa tahu-tahu ketiganya bisa muncul di Taman Langsat dan bergabung dengan ‘talent-talent casting’ yang lain? Apa hanya karena mereka terlibat dalam proyek pembuatan film di Taman Langsat yang angker dan tahu-tahu arwah mereka bisa ditarik ke tempat itu? Saya tidak tahu menurut anda, tapi menurut saya hantu tidak bisa berpindah tempat dengan seenaknya, apalagi hantu penasaran…pun kalau teori saya itu salah maka saya akan mengajukan pertanyaan kedua, kenapa suami Shinta juga hadir ke Taman Langsat? Kan dia tidak terlibat apapun dalam proyek film itu...pria itu hanya kebetulan menjadi suami dari calon bintang utama film yang diproduksi Daniel….hanya suami yang tak tahu apa-apa…

Begitu geregetannya saya pada film ini sehingga setelah menontonnya saya memutuskan berkunjung ke taman tersebut. Taman itu memiliki luas 700m2 dan berada di belakang bekas pasar burung barito. Saya tidak tahu soal binatang yang dijual disitu tapi yang saya tahu ada soto kambing yang enak sehingga menyempatkan diri buat makan dulu disitu baru kemudian mencoba survey. Taman itu tidak terbuka untuk umum, gerbangnya digembok dan untuk masuk kesana menurut penjaganya harus dengan perjanjian lebih dahulu.

Apakah saya sebegitu saktinya hendak menantang penunggu-penunggu disitu?

Well, saya tidak kesana hanya buat melihat apa benar disitu ada penampakan genderuwo, pocong, atau kuntilanak di atas pohon beringin…yang memang ada di tengah-tengah taman itu…karena rasanya itu bukan sesuatu yang penting tapi itu merupakan bentuk pelampiasan frustrasi karena gagal merasakan keangkeran dari filmnya sehingga ingin melihat sendiri kemisteriusan taman itu secara langsung…

So, sekian dulu komentar saya tentang film ini karena saya masih harus melanjutkan tulisan tentang film lain yang lagi heboh seperti Annabelle…

HAUNT

Revolver picture Company

Directed by: Mac Carter

Starring by: Jackie Weaver, Brian Wimmer, Ione Skye, Harrison Gilbertson, Liana Liberato

I mixed up on the first sight when the beginning of the scene on this film showing me how Franklin Morello get connected with his dead family with some supernatural radio. But it turns out to be a house that’s been haunted like Amityville Horror, which I thought about a haunted radio like I’d seen on Possession with a Dybbuk box. 

The idea about supernatural radio is something fresh but the tense decrease on the next round. The abandon house finally got new owner, Asher family, who filled it after being left so many years. The Asher actually heard about creepy story about the house, which taken the lives of the member of the previous family, but it don’t matter for them and they decide to have it. That was the same story of mine when my family move in to some house in the small town, Cilacap, everyone knows that our house is haunted but my parents choose to ignore, not because they’re brave enough but because the house was given by my dad’s office as a house office.

Alan Asher and his wife Emily also move their children, the teenagers Evan, Sara, and Anita for coincidence to be the exact number of the previous dead family. And there’s something weird about the attics that become Evan’s room. The central character was Evan, the weird phenomenon begun when Evan meet Sam, a girl who’s been crying in the woods, and to be honest if that happened to me I surely will step away from a creature who’s crying alone in the middle of nowhere like that…

This mysterious girl hanging out a lot with Evan and she stayed in his room at one night after she’s got fight with his father. I didn’t know about people in US, but here in Indonesia I will hung my son if he suddenly introduce some strange girl who came up from his room in the morning in our house. And the family let Sam live as she pleased on their house until the girl brought some trouble thing to Evan, like pursuing him to play supernatural radio that was belong to Franklin Morello.

One thing I found weird is how Matt, the boy who owned the room before Evan, reacted. By his voice that comes from supernatural radio he sounds mad to Evan, I didn’t know why, is it because he’s taken Matt’s room? But at the end of the of the story, Matt turns out to be a victim of the thing that haunted the house…is it better if the writer make Matt sounds to be a little bit hysterical? Afraid maybe? And he contacts them to warn them about the assassin creature…

The fact is, it sounds like to ghost didn’t like the appearance of Evan there so it’s something about seizure of territory. Many unusual things happened on this film, things that illogical like I’d said about a boy who introduced some girl with unknown status to his family, a family that not concern about strange girl who lived with one of their member in the attic, and how they left Evan alone at the house with the girl like that, how come little baby Samantha who carried by Franklin could return to his drunken father?

Well, these movies indeed haunt me? Not with the fine haunted scene but with unanswered question above…and with so many characters, the whole family, I think its worthless if it turns out that only two characters, Evan and Sam, that were being haunted…so worthless…

QUITE ONES

Hammer Film Production

Directed by: John Pogue

Starring by: Jared Harris, Sam Clafin, Erin Richards, Rory Fleck-Byrne, Olivia Cooke

Didn’t expect much bang or ghost on this film because as I seen on its trailer it’s some kind of psychological horror, so there’s must be more act than appearance so that’s why I was surprised to see several of it at the end. During the hours I have busy to compares the film with the real fact, which had to be inspiration for this movie, that I’ve read on Phillip Experiment, it was some experiment of parapsychologists in Canada in 1970 who try to prove human mind could produce a ghost through imagination and visualization.

It began at Oxford in 1970 when Joseph Coupland was showed some cases on his parapsychology class. Joseph was the man who always tries to define supernatural thing with science, everything should have logic explanation and that’s why he hired Brian, local cameramen, to document his experiment with his two assistant, Krissi and Harry, to study and cured odd woman who’s possessed by demon names Jane Harper.

Joseph team were using modern and scientific methods like Electronic Magnetic Pulse (EMP) to tracks negative energy from ghost, sensor camera to photograph an aura from Jane to shown the figure of the thing that bothers her, they name it Evey and I found it very amazing in that period, also playing loud rock music in order to kept Jane from sleep so her agitation could increased the activity of that negative energy.

Science versus supernatural, that’s what I think about this film. Two elements that always interested when it’s collided, and Joseph, with his ideology and logic tried to explains every strange manner on Jane and persistence to his conclusion that Evey is only some creature that made inside the head of Jane. Brian upset because the experiments hurting Jane and its lack of ethic, it’s proves nothing than making their subject harming herself and the apparition of Evey get aggressive.

The cameramen who finally had doubt on Coupland theory finally looked up from some evidence on library and he found that the symbol that marked on Jane’s waist was a symbol of an occult sect called Lillitu, which worshiped Sumerian demon, and they killed a young girl a few years ago because they believe with doing so they could bring their god into the physical world. The young girl’s name was Evey Dwyer and with her abilities she killed all member of the sect by set them on fire inside a burning house.

It’s some example of a horror movie that used less visual effect, besides the apparition of a long tongue that come from Jane’s mouth, but the story it’s tense for me. The mixed between paranormal activity angle by Brian’s camera and a regular horror movie was fine. But the songs that played on that movie not represent the periods. Bertha Butt Boogie by Jimmy Castor Bunch was released in 1975 but it’s played on the movie which set up in 1974. And Cum On Feel the Noise by Slade indeed released in 1973 but appropriated in 1974. Perhaps Paranoid from Black Sabbath will do more.   

Another thing, if it’s true that Jane Harper was haunted by Evet Dwyer, or I’ve said Jane Harper is Evey Dwyer herself, why she said the ghost is a baby? A baby who’s trapped in fire, with some stuffed to convince the team that the appearance was baby creature, see also the shape under the blanket on the baby box while in reality Brian discovered that Evey Dwyer was trapped in fire when she was teen.  

Is she lies because she already knew that she’s Evey? Or it’s some mistake by misleading from the writer? Well, to found out about it I think you should check the movie on yourself…

DELIVER US FROM EVIL

Jerry Bruckheimer Film

Directed by: Scott Derrickson

Starring by: Eric Bana, Edgar Ramirez, Sean Harris, Olivia Munn

Not many horror film involving police duty, most of all become crime fighting stories or action genres but in Deliver Us From Evil, Sergeant Ralph Sarchie was dealing with a prime crime, the devil himself to be fought. I like the way Priest Mendoza said about crime fighting like murder, burglary, domestic violence, riots and so on that humans do were only secondary layer of crime in the world. There’s a prime crime that had to dealing with and that was spiritual fighting.

Sarchie and Butler facing a serial weird situation during their patrols, a marine name Jimmy who beating up his wife, a mother name Jane who throw her baby into lion’s cage sewer, and mysterious painter who almost killed Sarchie with a lion at the zoo. His radar, that was Butler said to him, lead Sarchie that the numbers of situation turns out to be unusual case from other cases their handles.

His investigation found out that a group of marines that send to Iraq change the three of them, Mick Santino, Jimmy Tratner, and Buttler into some doors for Evil to pass to earth. From that, he also meet Jesuit Priest name Mendoza who’s dealing with spiritual warfare and told him about his gift, that Sarchie’s radar was a special abilities to sense supernatural world and make him target for the demons.

The fact that this movie inspired by true story of NYPD Sergeant made me think that the creep was truly happening out there. I think you’ll be surprised like me when I see the scene on Santino’s place, where a cat corpse was crucified at the cross at the wall. My goodness, I don’t know if you can stand scenery like that, especially when you saw the inside parts of the carcass had been removed.

The story itself was not so horrified, it full with sudden appearance and big bang, more like action horror to me but every part was placed into exorcism at the end of the story. I don’t know the connection between The Doors and the graffiti cave on Iraq, I don’t know why evil targeting Sarchie just because he had supernatural ability, I don’t why the evil had to wait until other members of Santino came to New York to kill them but one thing that Mendoza said to Sarchie that evil just attacked in random, you can’t see or know his pattern…well, I think I just got to deal with that…and enjoy the exorcist battles that I just know had five steps to deal with.

And I do like every single scene, despite the confusing story, especially the exorcist battle that full with video effect. But there’s continuity mistaken by the director, when Sarchie taking down Jimmy Tratner, after the marine beating up his wife, Jimmy slashed him on the arms that made Sarchie suffered deep gash and he state that it needs stitches, it was not showing on the next scene when Sarchie and Butler goes to the zoo. The scar was there no more.

And I think there’s mismatch between Catholic Pastor and Jesuit Priest. Mendoza said he was Jesuit Priest but most of what he do, like sin confessing and cast out demons using Latin and holly water, showing that he was doing what Catholic Pastor do on their exorcism. Jesuit priest did not used Latin, they used daily language and not throwing holly water like that. But some words that taken by Mendoza about ‘defrocked’ if he behave similarly, when he confessed his sin after make sex with his first patient, it was the phrase that used by Christian priest.

OCULUS

Intrepid Pictures

Directed by: Mike Flanagan

Starring by: Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaites, Katee Sackhoff, Rory, Cochrane

Oculus…the title is very catchy…and when I look on dictionary, I find the meaning that Oculus came from Latin word, the eye. One of the wisdom words I remembered is beware of your eyes, it glance with shine when your heart is clean but it glance with darkness when your heart is dirty… and I think the title was quite fit with the story about mirror…

It start with the tragedy that happened on Russell family about eleven years ago, when Allan Russell, the father, shoot Marie Russell, the mother, in madness and some strange phantom lady show herself in office room of the father. The tragedy put young Tim, the little son, to mental hospital and separation with his sister, Kaylie. But after eleven years, Kaylie still chase for the mirror. When she finally found it, she also picks Tim that by coincidence got his release from states, and asked the brother to settle things back by destroying the mirror.

I like the tense when Kaylie got the chance to see the mirror again after years, face to face with the mirror that’s try to defend itself by scaring her with weird condition. I don’t know what will happen or what she’ll get if the man who owns the gallery doesn’t come. Obviously not third sculpture because there are only two of them in reality.

The film pace is slow but I understand the reason, the writer tries to build strong story by explain all thing in details. And I think it works well. The tense increase every minute, not by shocking performance of the ghost or loud noise but by the story and all possible situations that would terrifies you when you try to reveal some mysterious thing that could endanger your life. I’m in love with the character of Kaylie, she’s a woman who put everything in detail, from investigation about the mirror and set up her plans to destroy the mirror.

Shamelessly, I though she talks too much about her plan, over confidence that ceiling jack ram will do her purpose without distraction, and it makes the mirror, as individual if it is, think so hard to counter the plan. I mean, in logical, what will you do if someone set up some plans to kill you and he make words of it?

Moreover her motivation was weak, if she want to destroy the mirror why she try to prove her theory by letting the mirror drawing energy from living thing, gain the negative influence and take risk of her own death. In logical, just set up the timer and let the jack ram smashed the mirror in the first place. She doesn’t have to prove anything because all proves has been seen when she was a child. Or, if she finds it necessary to prove her theory, I think the dead plant is enough to show Tim that he’s wrong and after that just let loose the jack ram without setting up the timer.

Despite that, I liked the story, it was original idea, came up with back and forth plot that describe present and past, in the middle of it the story mixing present and past in the same plot. Excellent! It’s not only creepy but also confusing the audience for the end of the story. This story not also scary but fill with psychic drama, something that wouldn’t always like by major audience, for example in Indonesia, but it would get positive credits. And I think it’s paid when Oculus grossed $4,940,000 on its opening day, nearly equaling its production budget of $5 million.

Also, from the movie I’ve got fresh understanding why Kaylie and Tim didn’t get hallucination when they were young, it’s because the child has a pure heart. They were 11 and 10, by that age you would not think about evilness in you but when we’re grown up all hatred, anger, madness, and evil thing grows and like I said on the first line here, beware of your oculus when you looked back at the mirror, probably you look at the devil itself…