Macabre

There were a few things that kept me from putting "Macabre" (2009) on my high priority list. This movie is a feature length spin-off of the "Darah" short film that was originally part of the horror anthology entitled "Takut: Faces of Fear" (2008). I wasn't particularly fond of the short film. It had some good violence but the protagonists irritated me a bit too much (especially their moronic decision-making). Obviously, I put off watching the spin-off for months. Another factor is that I'm still timid with regards to Indonesian horror films due to the scarce number of online reviews and ratings that make the selection process analogous to walking in a mine field. There's really no way to predict whether you're in for an instant classic like "The Forbidden Door" (2009), a cool flick like "Kuntilanak" (2006), or a total turd bomb like "Hantu Perawan Jeruk Purut" (2008).

I finally ended up watching "Macabre" tonight and I must say that it was more entertaining than I thought it would be. Within the opening five minutes I already felt at ease once I saw the lovely Julie Estelle grace the screen. Even when she's in a bad movie like "Kuntilanak 2" (2007) she still makes it somewhat watchable, so her unexpected presence automatically raises my rating of this film by 1 or 2 points. Now, fans of Julie's ghost movies are in for a shocking experience when watching "Macabre" because her role here demands a much more physical, emotional performance. She pulls it off very well and this is likely the best performance of her young career.

The plot is basic and involves a group of friends who help a young woman by giving her a ride to her home. Things get nasty when her family turns out to be homicidal maniacs. In this sense "Macabre" follows a similar route taken by films such as "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (1974) and "House of 1000 Corpses" (2003). There's nothing new here, but in this genre it's the execution that counts and in this film there's a healthy dose of gritty, nasty, bloody violence and gore to keep most horror fans satisfied. It doesn't reach the glorious blood overload of "Inside" (2007) (one of my top 10 favorite horror films of the decade), but it holds its own. After the brief setup this is a non-stop mix of suspense and bloodshed. A few of the death scenes are certainly memorable and will help "Macabre" to carve out it's own little identity in the genre.

One major problem that I have with loony, murderous family movies is obnoxious antagonists. Just because you're a ruthless, sick family unit doesn't mean that you have to yap your mouths all the time and act like juvenile lunatics. (One of the reasons why I'm not a huge fan of Rob Zombie's movies.) I much prefer the quiet, intelligent, menacing killers who calculate and go about their business with a twisted calmness. You know, the seemingly normal folk that are serving you tea and biscuits one minute and then slicing you in half with a chainsaw the next minute. In "Macabre" that's exactly what they are, and in some ways those quieter qualities help to muffle the bad decision-making that frequently creeps its head in movies such as this. What I mean by this is that the intelligent antagonists quickly handicap the protagonists, which limits their options and creates an entirely realistic scenario. The filmmakers loosen the reigns later on though and eventually the sense of realism recedes until you're left with some unrealistic elements. There are a few bone-headed decisions, but not enough to significantly detract from the positives. In addition, some of these characters take an incredible amount of brutality without kicking the bucket. On the positive side this provides for some long-lasting showdowns as well as some sweet death scenes.

"Macabre" is definitely worth seeking out, and would make a great Indonesian horror triple feature with "The Forbidden Door" (2009) and "Kuntilanak" (2006). Actually, you can add "The Raid" (2011) and "The Raid 2" (2014) as well to mix up the evening with some fantastic martial arts action.

Newly-weds Adjie and Astrid, Adjie's sister Ladya and a few of their friends fall prey to the wicked cannibal family led by evil Dara in the Mo-Brothers directed 'Macabre'. While the scenario is inspired from various cult-slashers of the late 70s and early 80s, the treatment is what makes it stand its own ground.

'Macabre' is indeed a lot more violent and gory film than you'd expect. The first 30 minutes neatly sets up the premise and nastiness follows suit. There are some skilfully choreographed kills and the writing is campy enough to draw cheers from the viewer. Although one initially hesitates to root for the protagonists as they consistently seem to be making bad decisions, the latter half is executed with sufficient flair. There are quite a few edge-of- the-seat moments.

Julie Estelle as Ladya puts up a good effort while Shareefa Daanish who plays Dara is menacing. Shareefa's striking features add to the character: her wide eyes and stone-faced expression (until the climax), her unhurried movement and other-worldly tone of speech are intimidating. The rest of the ensemble do their best with what's handed out to them. The violence is gratuitous (easily on par with Rob Zombie's films); dialogues are sparsely used to convey the intentions and emotions of the antagonists. In fact a lot more is conveyed through expressions and actions than through excessive babbling. This helps 'Macabre' carve out a niche of its own in the slasher genre.

Recommended for the lovers of horror, gore and slasher films. This definitely ain't for the weak-hearted!

The first film to be released under the Singapore label Gorylah Pictures set up by Eric Khoo and Mike Wiluan, Darah (or Macabre as it is known internationally) is a one of a kind slasher film from this part of the region, written and directed by the Indonesian duo Kimo Stamboel and Timo Tjahjanto, collectively known as The Mo Brothers, who actually had a short film version of this made back in 2007 which was simply called Dara, also starring actress Shareefa Daanish as the Mother of all Evil.

As a horror film, it did take its time to set up the premise, rather than to jump headlong into flat out boo-tactics. For about 20 minutes, we're introduced to a group of 4 guys and 2 girls, and their relationship with one another, some by blood, some estranged. They meet in a pub in Bandung and are supposed to go on a road trip to Jakarta, until they are stopped by the beautiful yet mysterious Maya (Imelda Therinne), and in playing the Good Samaritan, decided to drop her off along the way.

So there you have it, a nice handful r of people, some of whom you'll grow to dislike, a road trip, a mysterious lady, and a house in the middle of nowhere. Soon we're introduced to the cool and emotionless Dara (Daanish), and the entourage will soon find themselves in a horrific situation where survival is of the highest order. As I mentioned, it does take a while to build up the premise, and you can feel the calm before the storm with the incessant ticking clock in the audio background, as if counting down the moments where first blood gets drawn.

The eager beaver in me though found it a tad excruciating in the wait, especially when you don't really get to learn much of Dara and her family's background apart from some rapid shots. The directors went straight for the action, and Kimo in an interactive session after the film, had revealed that more of the background of Dara, could be explained in the next film, which they hadn't decided whether to set it forward, or backward in time.

Alas the rating of the film at M18, meant that the editing was a tad choppy, where enough scenes were jarring just because they had lingered on far too longer than the comfort zone afforded. This has a slight impact on the narrative flow, as one minute you see the death blow being applied, and the next you're faced with a jump cut that shows the few seconds after. Thick, crimson blood was also the order of the day from set design to makeup, where everyone gets drenched thoroughly in coagulating plasma no thanks to the insanely violent bloodbath. Genre fans should take delight in watching how

Character-wise, the creators went for the rather contemporary female-superiority style, where guys are made to look really bumbling, and sheer tenacity comes from the females instead, such as Ladya (Julie Estelle) who demonstrates extreme spunk and quick thinking to ensure she comes out of each ordeal as best as she can. You're likely to cheer her on as she takes on the villains, and her solo battle with Dara is a highlight in the film. Dara herself too gives you the creeps especially since Shareefa Daanish put in a measured performance balancing composure, and that mad frenzy baying for blood. It's no wonder she was handed the Best Actress award at the genre Puchon International Film Festival not too long ago.

It's not all blood and gore however, as there were ample time devoted to some slight comedy, especially when the cops come knocking. Serving two purposes in providing light entertainment before the going gets heavy, and also to add to the body count, this episode was perhaps the most fun of the lot, and became a catalyst for the bloodbath to follow in a relatively quickened pace, with dismemberment, slashes, stabs, and strangulation being the norm, with The Mo Brothers keeping things tight.

Darah should appeal to the patient horror fan who can sit through a build up and celebrate when the madness start to descend on the poor victims. It's a little unfortunate though that the real horror was the way this rated version was edited.

After seeing the movie "V/H/S/2" I loved the episode called "Safe Haven". Reading up about the two directors I happened to see these previous horror films called "Dara" and "Macabre". Apparently Dara is a short and I can't seem to get my hands on it at the moment. But I got to see the blue ray version of "Macabre" and man was I blown away! I may seem to over blow it but if you find yourself watching it and saying it's OK but not all that" just keep watching because the horror and the action just keep amping up up up until you think there can be no more and then there is still more! It's one of the goriest movies I have seen but it's done so well and used effectively to shock and disturb/scare you that it really works. Not just gore for gore sake and not like some of the zombie type genre that show so much it gets mundane or even comical. This stuff is intense!!! Best horror movie I have seen in years. It's not in English and you'll have to read the subtitles but it's well worth it for those who have a problem with that. The only thing that bothers me about it is I am spoiled and wan't more. Now I'll go through that phase where I have to watch 20 more junk horror flicks before I find another diamond like this. Hope not. Great movie. 9 out of 10 for me!

MACABRE is one of those tasty blood-gushingly psychological tortures in three neat and tidy acts. Even the trailer is hard to watch without looking away. Act One has two newly weds, Adjie and Astrid, with three of their best friends. Chill out, relax in Bandung, Indonesia. Head for Jakarta, but give a lift home to a strange girl who says she's been robbed. In her mother's house, we enter the pristine, bourgeois world of Dara, who insists on repaying kindness with food and drink. And torture. Once drugged, our guests enter a blood-dripping, nightmarish world of no escape, their bodies neatly sliced one by one and professionally packaged. Astrid gives birth. Dara's calm, sophisticated composure never breaks its stride. She coolly empathises with Astrid's pain before pointing out that baby and hubby will experience even more. Viewing permitted. As the film is introduced at the end of a all-night film programme, we are told not to worry if we are already tired. The plot is simple and nothing to fret over. "Pink blobs are people, red buckets are blood, and whirring things are chainsaws." A classic story where the point isn't revealed till the end, and the suspense, sadistic pain, and surreal nastiness doesn't stop for a second. A satisfying if rather colourful conclusion to the long night at Edinburgh's Dead By Dawn horror film festival.