Visually astounding, but lacking proper storyline and script...
I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to sit down to watch the 2019 Indonesian horror movie "DreadOut". And I must admit that I was looking forward to watching it, as the movie's cover/poster definitely looked interesting. Sure, I hadn't even heard about the movie prior to sitting down to watch it. But it being a horror movie was all I needed.
And well, the term horror is one that you should casually glance at here, because "DreadOut" wasn't a scary movie. Maybe if you are a teenager in Indonesia, then "DreadOut" is scary. But for a seasoned horror veteran such as myself, then this was a mere stroll in the park. In fact, "DreadOut" was a rather mundane and boring movie actually.
Why is that you might wonder? Well, first of all, the storyline was just laughably simplistic and downright stupid. In fact, there were so many things in the storyline - or whatever atrocious thing this was supposed to resemble a storyline. Most of the events in the movie just felt random and put into the movie at the whim of a whimsical director. It felt like writer and director Kimo Stamboel didn't really have a script to work from and just made things up as the filming progressed. The movie lacked a red thread and had little to no continuity.
Then there was the acting performances. Well, let's just say bless the actors and actresses for participating in this heap of a movie, and trying to make something work out of the rubbish they had to work with.
Visually, then this is where "DreadOut" worked. The visual effects and CGI in the movie were actually really great. I liked that quite a lot, but special effects can only do so much for a movie that has virtually no script or storyline. But I will say that if you do get the opportunity to watch "DreadOut", do it for the special effects.
My rating of the 2019 movie "DreadOut" settles on a mere three out of ten stars. This is by no means a horror movie that I will be returning to watch for a second time. And it is not even remotely close to being near the top of the shelf when it comes to horror movies made in Indonesia. I found out that there is a sequel to this 2019 movie, and I can't really say that I am in a particular rush to go out there and find a copy to watch.
And well, the term horror is one that you should casually glance at here, because "DreadOut" wasn't a scary movie. Maybe if you are a teenager in Indonesia, then "DreadOut" is scary. But for a seasoned horror veteran such as myself, then this was a mere stroll in the park. In fact, "DreadOut" was a rather mundane and boring movie actually.
Why is that you might wonder? Well, first of all, the storyline was just laughably simplistic and downright stupid. In fact, there were so many things in the storyline - or whatever atrocious thing this was supposed to resemble a storyline. Most of the events in the movie just felt random and put into the movie at the whim of a whimsical director. It felt like writer and director Kimo Stamboel didn't really have a script to work from and just made things up as the filming progressed. The movie lacked a red thread and had little to no continuity.
Then there was the acting performances. Well, let's just say bless the actors and actresses for participating in this heap of a movie, and trying to make something work out of the rubbish they had to work with.
Visually, then this is where "DreadOut" worked. The visual effects and CGI in the movie were actually really great. I liked that quite a lot, but special effects can only do so much for a movie that has virtually no script or storyline. But I will say that if you do get the opportunity to watch "DreadOut", do it for the special effects.
My rating of the 2019 movie "DreadOut" settles on a mere three out of ten stars. This is by no means a horror movie that I will be returning to watch for a second time. And it is not even remotely close to being near the top of the shelf when it comes to horror movies made in Indonesia. I found out that there is a sequel to this 2019 movie, and I can't really say that I am in a particular rush to go out there and find a copy to watch.
- paul_m_haakonsen
- Mar 6, 2021