Macabre – Review

Shown back at Fantastic Fest ’09 here in Austin, TX, I realize I am a bit behind schedule on getting around to this, and I am sorry I did. Macabre knocked me on my ass. I know a lot of my blogging buddies are sticklers for good horror and I also love blood and gore and Macabre delivers violence to the extreme. I felt as if I was watching Asia’s version of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Of course with every great horror movie comes the lame, stale set up. You’ve seen it a hundred times before. You know, the one about a group of naïve twentysomethings who pick up a stranger who needs a ride home. Of course that stranger, provides just a wee bit problem for the gang.

The script is also less than stellar, but that’s mostly in the beginning when the dialogue is particularly heavy, but luckily once the killing starts this complaint becomes irrelevant. There’s not much to say about the story for it beautifully follows the guideline of the genre. Although I can’t say the film is particularly refreshing, it is damn good entertainment. It had a lot of momentum being produced as well which is why it ended up being a success. Rumah Dara or Macabre is the extension from a short movie, Dara. Because the reponses for this short movie is so good, the filmmaker then tried to extend the story of this film.

The Mo Brothers are the next BIG thing in Indonesian horror scene. Personally, I’m sick of the stupid ghost horror movies that’ve been around these days. I wouldn’t be surprised if this appeared as a trend-setter to any upcoming thriller movie from the country. The kills are satisfying, but towards the end the violence goes over the edge to a point of no return. Really crazy stuff which you can preview in the attached video below.

My personal vote for the best asian horror “slasher” of the year, it rarely ventures into cheesy drama, or false shocks. The color scheme is consistent with rich crimson governing both costumes and sets. Color me surprised, as I actually enjoyed and was genuinely shocked by what I saw. All the camera work and photography, they aren’t merely tools to tell the action, they are part of it. Thumbs way up for this horror flick.