Director: Timo Tjahjanto
Year: 2020
Country: Indonesia
Alternate Titles: Sebelum Iblis Memjeput, Ayat 2
Genre: Supernatural
Plot:
Believing she has survived the ordeal, the woman and her friend are kidnapped by a group of kids from an abandoned local orphanage also dealing with a similar spirit that they just defeated and want their help in defeating, bringing them into contact with a powerful demonic figure more dangerous than they expected.
Review:
For the most part, this one is just a notch below the original. This works best when it focuses on delivering the atmospheric touches that result from around the orphanage. Taking full advantage of the location with the long hallways, tight corridors, and overall dark and gloomy presence, allowing for an endless succession of jolting jump-scares or chilling imagery that comes off quite well. With the initial scenes of the figure rising up behind a victim and getting closer every time they close the light, seeing figures climb up stairs rapidly or showing something lingering just behind a victim unaware of it, the tactics used create a chilling atmosphere.
It works rather nicely once that turns into physical interactions where the spirits are able to interact with the children generating a slew of standout confrontations that are wholly impressive. The communication ceremony in the bereavement is the primary one, going from a seance to having the released spirit manipulate the furniture against them and finally showing the spirit possesses one of the other members and instigating a massive chase around the building. The various dreams she has documenting the ghosts tormenting her for being at the house are as a whole terrifying, and the finale is an absolute blast getting the various demons involved and focused on stopping each of the demons which is full of blazing action.
Moreover, this one enhances the spectacular gore and bloodshed with fantastic results. The ghosts and demons are far more brutal and relentless in this one, breaking fingers or throwing victims into the furniture quite easily. The taunting and tormenting reaches a stage where they’re easily able to attack and kill the others in graphic fashion, resulting in heads getting ripped open, being smashed repeatedly against the floor resulting in a huge pool of blood in the area or even getting lit on fire. The demonic abilities of the possessed individuals manage to add to the brutality, much like the stand-out practical effects here on the possessed individuals. The misshapen faces and deformed features provide a truly uncomfortable look and offer a rather impressive addition to the film's atmosphere. These elements, overall give plenty to like and enjoy about it.
Overall, there isn’t much really wrong with the film. One of its only issues is the overlong running time, as this has no need for running nearly two hours in length. There are several things that account for this, from the flashbacks to explain their past encounter with the demon world or changing the arc of events that have already happened to promote an admittedly fine twist. Moreover, the finale is way too long, typefied by useless speechifying and grandiose brags from the villain which seem out of the ordinary and just there to pad the running time. Finally, although the concept of the twist works how it comes about in the story makes no sense. It’s just dropped in the middle of the film to add a new villain but nothing else about it has any context. It’s a minor nitpick, though, and doesn’t detract much from the film overall.
Overview: ****.5/5
A slight notch below the stellar original, this one is still every bit as brutal, frenetic, and enjoyable as its counterpart which sets up the possibilities of part three very well. Obviously, fans of the original or the creative crew will enjoy this one, and those who enjoy Asian horror in general while only those who don’t appreciate the style will want to heed caution.
This review was originally published on Asian Movie Pulse and is gratefully reprinted with their cooperation.
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