Jelangkung

If you liked the American THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT than you probably will love the Indonesian pendant JELANGKUNG. The story is neither new nor original, but the directors manage to film truly scary and creepy sequences that send shiver down the spine and let your neck hairs stand up. Another example that you don't need money to make an outstanding horror film. It's nice to see Indonesia back in the horror field, and I do hope that JELANGKUNG will get the praise it so deserves. One of the best scary horror movies of the new millennium, this one is about a hundred times scarier than most of the new Hollywood films that call themselves 'horror'. JELANGKUNG deserves the highest rating, no doubt about it! 10/10

Four college students, apparently that's what they are, share the same hobby of looking for urban ghosts, the purpose of which is never made clear throughout the film. During one of their quests, they tampers with a really mean evil spirit which in turn terrorises them. They spend the remaining length of the movie trying to get the p***ed-off demon off their back.

I had the misfortune of watching this movie on a vcd, sometime around midnight and alone..big mistake. the directors have the knack at reliving local ghosts and spooky legends, i.e. the murdered child, the handicapped nurse and they were portrayed so real that i found myself glancing to the window of my room several times, half expecting those frightening apparitions to appear. Spooky.

However, i'd have to say that's just about it. Despite some cool MTVish camerawork (the scene in which they walk into the dark abandoned building with their flashlight on and the music that goes with it), the storyline is pretty lame and the acting is even worse. the actors cannot really convey emotion and the lines were badly written..and delivered. i cant identify, let alone, root for the supposed antagonists.

There's a strong smell of 'Blair Witch Project' (the scariest horror film of all time)..especially the scenes on the wood. unfortunately the woods and the tomb in 'Jelangkung' lack the horror credibility. the tomb looks as if it was made a couple days before the shooting begin.

Nonetheless, it's scary allright. but nothing more...

This movie is surprisingly entertaining and gives a breather of fresh air from the constant cliche jumpscares. I can say its not for everybody, but definitely worth watching at least once

As an Indonesian, this is the kind of movie that I would like the International people to know about Indonesian culture. Yes, it's not perfect, but yet, the idea for me is brilliant. Too bad, casting on this movie is so damn bad ...

Basically, the movie is about crossing the line of what the elder usually don't do when the four of these college students tried to cover a mystery place in a mountain. When they did cross that line, there's no way to get back and forgiven and so, they had to live their life, haunted by their own guilty feeling and ghosts. Let's say, curiosity had cursed them.

The good thing about this movie is that, how it visualizes scary things from ordinary things, simple things that can be very scary when something else happened. This is really a brilliant idea. But too bad for the casting, none of the stars playing in this movie can act well. But, you must understand that this is because, lack of budget, they said. Yes, it is a cheap movie... but for a cheap movie ... I can say that this movie drew a lot of Indoneesian people attention.

Other girls are screaming and keep on going to the toilets (with their boyfriends), but I almost cry when watching this movie. It's been such a long time that there's (almost) no (great) movies in Indonesia, but this movie is outstanding in it's own way.

The story is about a bunch of (Jakarta) college guys who loves to find (and witnessing) ghosts - but they can't find the 'real' one... until the go to Angkerbatu village , a small village that has a horror history : in '30's an innocent boy who's wrongly accused of causing disease being killed by the local people, and not long after that, people of the doomed village lost mysteriously one by one.

So...one of the guys who thinks he has the gut put a jelangkung (an ancient local Javanese way to call the ghost) on the cemetery (of that boy). He says the pray,"Jelangkung...comes without invitation, go home without accompanied"... No one knows that his 'pray' comes true, the dead boy comes alive for them , and follow them to Jakarta. And the horror starts here....

Okay, the woods scenes are pretty close to the Blair Witch ones. But - once again this movie still has a touch. The ghosts are so local and so believable which is very scarry, like they can meet you after watching the movie. Also the camera works of Jose is very good and alive which is add the spookiness. The duo directors also can build the (scary) scenes intensely and edit this movie well. One thing that give a lesser point is the main actor, firstly he's not expressive enough, second he's always looking neat all the time, like we can see he's been put some powder in every scene on his face. But the rest of the casts are great especially the fat guy who's so natural. Other thing that bother me is the ending...I don't know why, just don't feel right - like the duo made it in a rush.

But as an Indonesian, I'm very proud, this movie definitely a new breeze not only in Indonesian movie, but for the new generation of movie makers and audiences.