May the Devil Take You

We can clearly see Pengabdi Setan's influence on this year's horror Indonesian movies, and this movie is no exception. But unfortunately, it also bring about of its problems. But unlike Pengabdi Setan, the acting of some of the actors and actress in this movie fell quiet flat (oh and their reactions and actions to solve the problems at hand don't quiet make sense) and so did the dialogues. The plot and some of the scary scenes, I think, got a little bit forced just to make us jump off our seats. despite all that, 'Sebelum Iblis Menjemput' is one of so few Indonesian movies (horror movies to be precise) that I appreciate for its shots, pictures, cinematography, practical and special effect (well not all of them), the entirety of its storyline, jumpscares, and tensions which resulted from the director's bold move in incorporating some of the elements from Hollywood's best horror flicks into it (and to differentiate itself from the dull and mediocre Indonesian movies).

This movie is a Pengabdi Setan (Satan's Slave) wannabe. You can clearly see how it tried so hard mimicking the success of Satan's Slave. The plot doen't make any sense. It is jump back between the past and the present via (somehow) time traveling or memory(?). The main character suffered too many blackouts without any explanation what is wrong with her. The director decided to add "thing" that has been his passion from all his movies: blood through cheap unnecessary gory scenes.

This is a terrifying film. It doesn't pull its punches. It hits hard from the start. It has genuine moments of horror that is missing from most films these days that just rely on cheap jump scares with sudden loud noises and ghosts jumping from out of screen.

Having said that, it does not transcend the usual horror tropes with characters making bad mistakes and acting downright stupid at times. The brother character, in particular, is frustratingly stupid. The movie also suffers from poor acting by the child actor who just isn't convincing that she is frightened. Any human being would be terrified in the circumstances of the film but her expressions are just robotic and she does not seem to be in the same movie as the rest of the actors.

All in all I recommend this movie to all horror movie geeks a 100% but do not expect an exceptional film like the likes of Hereditary (2018) or IT (2017).

Edited my review on 23rd Oct 2020 aft revisiting the film cos i am gonna see the second part which looks promising.

I understood n liked the film more aft second viewing. Found the black blood/vomit to be too much. The mumbo jumbo stuff is silly but the film is creepy, atmospheric n very gory. Comparisons to Evil Dead n Wither will crop up in reviews but this one will satisfy fans of horror films. The plot - A young woman Alfie had been estranged from her rich father for years after her mother's brutal accident. She gets a call from her step sibling regarding her father's mysterious illness and when she visits the hospital, she comes to know that her step mother needs her signature for selling off an old, abandoned rural house. Alfie visits the old house after strange happenings regarding a ghost but unearths a terrifying secret about her father's wealth.

The film does have some flaws n moments of stupidity but it has its share of jump scares, scary demonic faces n voodoo stuff. Honestly, it is creepy at times.

The thing which is missing is the explanation of the witch. As a fan of the director's earlier efforts, I am a bit generous with a 7.

I enjoyed this. I thought it had some genuinely creepy moments. The effects were ok. They weren't the best but they weren't really cheesy. I think that the story could've used a bit more attention. I know that a lot of horror snobs will try to knock this film off it's feet but my opinion is that this was worth the watch. If you are looking for blood, guts and gore this is not gonna leave you satisfied. This leans more towards possession, ritualistic, and creepy horror. I'm glad I gave it a chance.