Suzzanna: Bernapas dalam kubur

For a movie remaking and a tribute to the late legendary queen Suzanna, this film 'Bernapas dalam Kubur' is pretty awesome. Actress Luna Maya did her very best for the character Suzanna which is not easy I guess. Great story line and some disturbing violent scenes alert. Anyway, congrats to the whole movie team, cast and directors. Salam from Singapore.

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.

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

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.

This horror film is not a film that is compared with serious horror films such as MATA BATIN, or MEREKA YANG TAK TERLIHAT, or Jailangkung. This Suzzana film is aimed at selling the nostalgia of the past in 1980 era.

In this movie, setting items ranging from cars, kitchen utensils, extinct President Taxi, all reminded of the past of the 80 era that triumphed with national films.

Honestly, I watched with family because of the star Luna Maya. Then, hope this film evokes memories of the 80th era national comedy horror film. Unfortunately, the director did not use the momentum of smart comedy in the middle of the film. When the helpers left the village due to fear, the acting of Asri Welas and Opi Kumis was actually good. The director should dig deeper into this intelligent situation comedy by exploring the appearance of Suzzana in front of the villagers, for example by buying raw Sate 200 with raw, or appearing to villagers with slapstick comedy cuteness before going back into the serious and scary scenes.

The director is carelesst and less able to take advantage of the spooky and comedy momentum that became the mainstay of Suzzana films and Indonesian horror films in the era of the 80s.