Suzzanna: Bernapas dalam kubur

The film Suzzanna: Bernapas dalam Kubur is a clever attempt to revive the legendary Indonesian horror icon with a more modern touch. It offers the eerie, mysterious atmosphere of the 80s horror era, combined with vastly improved production quality. The film manages to immerse viewers in a consistently chilling and unsettling vibe throughout.

One of its strongest points lies in Luna Maya's performance as Suzzanna. She successfully embodies the haunting yet captivating aura of the legendary character. Her makeup, gestures, and speech closely resemble the original Suzzanna, enhancing the film's authenticity.

The movie also boasts well-executed cinematography, dim lighting, and a chilling musical score that support the classic horror feel. Some scenes maintain good tension, though a few jumpscares might feel predictable to seasoned horror fans.

The storyline is simple yet effective in creating suspense, although it leans towards melodrama and cliché at times. Nevertheless, for local horror enthusiasts, this film delivers an enjoyable, nostalgic experience.

I rate this film 7/10 for its success in reviving an Indonesian horror legend with solid production, even if it lacks groundbreaking surprises for the genre.

This Indonesian film is centred on the eponymous Suzzanna. She is married to Satria, the manager of a local factory; they are expecting their first child. While Satria is away on a business trip four disgruntled factory workers break into his house; here they are found by Suzzanna as she returns from an evening out. The confrontation leads to her being seriously injured. Thinking her dead the men start burying her... when they realise she is still alive the continue filling her grave. The next morning Suzzanna wakes in her home but quickly realises something is wrong; the events of the previous night weren't a dream. She is a Sundel Bolong; a vengeful spirit... and she certainly intends to have her revenge on those who killed her!

I thought this film was rather fun. The central story isn't the most original... although Suzzanna was murdered rather than raped by the four assailants I was immediately reminded of 'I Spit on Your Grave' although this is far less mean spirited and far more humorous than that film. I wasn't expecting too many laughs but many were provided; mostly by the trio of servants who don't initially realise their mistress is now a ghost. The exposition is a little heavy handed although without it many viewers, myself included, would be unaware of what a Sundel Bolong was or the rules by which they must act; having read more about them it is clear Suzzanna isn't a typical example but that doesn't affect the film. The acting was interesting; the say the ghostly Suzzanna behaved felt like acting from a silent era film; I can only assume this was deliberate. There are some scary moments but nothing too intense. Overall I'd recommend this to people looking for something a little different.

These comments are based on watching the film in Indonesian with English subtitles.

What a shame, I've been watching a lot of Indonesian cinema lately and though not great they've been consistently watchable. This..........isn't.

It tells the story of a robbery gone wrong, a woman is dead and her spirit returns to haunt those who killed her. Simple concept, awful execution.

I'm not entirely sure what went wrong, yet on the flipside I'm pretty sure the answer is basically...........everything.

The cast were naff, the plot was generic, the script was really quite poor, the tone is inconsistent and the first word I'd use to describe it is boring. I was truly bored to tears which is alarming because stuff does happen, there is plenty to keep you occupied but it's just not all that interesting.

I'd say they dropped the ball but to be fair I'm not sure they had a ball here in the first place.

Indonesia has a fantastic movie industry, this is not an example of it.

The Good:

Not really

The Bad:

Remarkably boring

Not funny enough to be a comedy

Not serious enough to be a horror

Writing contradicts itself

Characters range from dull to annoying

The production quality is definitely there.. but it fell short in the comedy department. Luna and Herjunot is top notch. The supporting cast is excellent. What didnt quite work is the pacing of the film. the flow is not working. most of the time it feels quite loose. Where there are moments for comedy.. it didnt go all the way. In that sense, the fault lies in the direction. It should have been made more scarier, mysterious, gory.. more of everything and edited tighter. Overall its still watchable. Pengabdi setan is more well put together..

Suzzanna has just learned she is expecting. Her husband is a successful businessman and has to do some traveling for work when their home is broken into and Suzzanna is killed. She is then turned into a sundel bolong and sets out for revenge.

Let's start with the fact that this is comedy horror. If you are looking for genuine scares you aren't going to find them here. The next thing is to take a look at what a sundel bolong is. A sundel bolong is the soul of a woman who died when she was pregnant. Although she is married in this film, she is usually pregnant outside of marriage and since she has died while pregnant the unborn child has escaped her body by way of a hole in her back. She is recognized by her long white gown and although there is a hole in her back, it is concealed by her long black hair and she is a vengeful spirit.

This was ok. Seeing as how it is comedy horror, there is a bit of cheese to be found here. The story was decent as was the acting. The sets, makeup, costuming and effects were all passable for me. The thing that bugged me most was her laughing. It sounded very much like the laughing you would expect to hear while watching an old Scooby Doo episode.

My takeaway was generally good. This isn't a film that blew me off my feet. It probably didn't have a big budget but I think they did good with what they seemed to be working with. I liked it but I'll probably never watch it again.