Director: Rizal Mantovani
Year: 2019
Country: Indonesia
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Ghosts
Plot:
Following their escape from the ghost, a family of brothers and sisters try to put their past behind them when they're asked to visit her biological mother in a remote house in the forest, but when they find that the Kuntilanak has followed them there they try to use their skills to stop it.
Review:
Overall, this one is a fine-enough if decidedly lowered sequel. One of the strongest aspects here is the strength it shows in the characters that are carried over from the original. The bond between the kids that started in the first one where they grew from pranking each other and splitting off into separate groups before banding together to defeat the ghost is still here. From the panic and concern over looking for the lost sibling at the carnival to the kids all singing along together, the film feels rather strong in showing their past affected them and brought them genuinely closer together. This helps to add a touch of terror to the film as we start to get an eerie feeling with the way she attaches herself to the youngest daughter while they visit with the sinister way she keeps trying to hold onto her or the glances thrown when they're not looking. It becomes much creepier once the truth is revealed about the situation and the scares become more personal knowing that something's wrong to the characters.
On top of that, the film generates a lot to like with its ghostly haunting sequences. The switch to the remote house from the first one to being out in the woods adds a definite fairy-tale atmosphere to the proceedings, offering a lush green atmosphere and quiet eeriness that goes together nicely. The hidden shacks and overgrown seen around the property complete the story along with a Gothic feel to the scenes inside the house that shouldn't look that cozy from the outside. As the darker subject matter comes into focus with the eerie whispers and the appearances of the spirits interacting with the group through the shadow-play the brothers engage in or the attempted possession while the boyfriend is doing yoga with the other brother, the scares become quite enjoyable when the film goes into the frantic final half that adds more to the fairy tale inspiration knowing that the children are still in danger. Featuring several chilling encounters with the Kuntilanak ghost throughout the house and surrounding woods as well as a trip to a disturbing carnival full of trapped souls, there's enough to like with this film.
There are some problems with this one. The biggest obstacle here is the film's storyline that adds unnecessary elements and characters that pad out the running time. That this one is longer than the original shouldn't be so as the different scenes of the kids running around the forest or the endless conversations between the girls end up adding nothing to the film beyond extending the length. That focus on not making the central reason for them visiting in her reconnecting with her supposed birth mother a bigger priority makes for a slipshod storyline here as this was the entire reasoning why they ventured out into the middle of the woods to meet up yet it simply feels hollow without any kind of care or attention to it. With the end result that nearly an hour goes by without the appearance of the ghost or even revealing it's true plans, the padding becomes most apparent that the film has run on far too long with these bland scenes. Likewise, with an overlong, CGI-heavy finale that doesn’t know when to quit piling on due to the continuous tacking on of battles with the ghost, these here cause the film to run on too long.
Overview: ***.5/5
Being a wholly watchable sequel with some flaws in a jumbled narrative and way too bland pacing, this one features enough to like about it even though it’s a lower-tier film from the original. Give this a shot if you’re a fan of the first one and want to continue the story or an undiscerning Asian horror fanatic, while those viewers that are turned off by the flaws or don’t enjoy this style won’t find much to this one.
This review was originally published on Asian Movie Pulse and is gratefully reprinted with their cooperation.
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