SANTAU

So finally, I got to watch Santau with my siblings yesterday.
I've been wanting to watch it ever since it was shown across the causeway, but didn't think it was going to be worth the trip.

For your info, I've a love-hate relationship with Malaysian horror movies. One one hand, I can't stop wishing that they's stop coming up with crappy, sub-standard horror movies that almost all the time managed to elicit cynical laughters when what they actually were hoping for were terrified screams. Think Jangan Pandang Belakang, the part where Pierre Andre asked,"Siapa tu..?" And the ghost replied in an almost pervetic/comedic voice.."Akulah" The movie sort of lost the audience right at that moment. Congkak was fine, but the ending part was anti-climatic and Jangan Tegur is not even worth commenting about.

The problem with these movies is that they have SO MUCH potential to scare the pants out of the audiences, especially local audiences who can relate to the local premise and flavour of the story. I mean, the thought of an old woman with the long, white hair, wrinkled face, sinister smile is way scarier than a dracula(for me, at least). And all of those stories mentioned above had all the necessary ingredients to be, ummm... "BOOOMZ" (for lack of a better word). The young couple with small kid, a dilapidated house somewhere in the kampung area and so on.. But the end products were always so disappointing.

Back to Santau.. It was a movie that I can actually like. Maybe the casts were better and more likeable (put Pierre Andre in, and it just spoils it for me). Esma Daniel has always been likeable, that new actress was very good, I feel. SO, it was ok. Minus some few parts, like, can you guys (DAVID TEO, if you read this somehow) NOT show the face of ghost which are NOT scary at all? They looked like masks which had been torn apart by a guy in his drunken fury. ANd please, stop it with the sound effects which was supposed to scare us, cos it doesnt work when it's there at EVERY scene.

That's my take on Santau. It's better than the rest but definitely not a match for my Kekasih Kuseru.

And talking about Santau, well.. I still can't figure out how black and ugly a human being's heart can be, how much evil a person is capable of. But at the same time, I hope I will never be the kind of person who blindly accepts KENA BUAT ORANG as a convenient explanation for a sickness/misfortune/accidents/diseases. For my family and I have been on the receiving end of this and I saw how silly it could get.
Imagine:

1) "Anak dia gemuk-gemuk eh?"

"Yelah... bapak dia kan ada ilmu hitam"

Eh stoopid fool....! Tarak otak ka? Mak aku pandai masak sebab tu kita gemuk-gemuk. Korang nak babat kita sikit? Amik ah...


2) " Anak dia pandai-pandai, masuk University bukan sebab apa.. sebab dorang kan bomoh"

Itulah pasal, orang dulu suruh belajar, korang lari... sebab tu jawapan semua macam orang tak berpendidikan. Buat malu kompeni jer.

3) "Eh eh... dia accident? "Mesti kena buat.
" Eh eh... dia gaduh laki bini?" Mesti kena buat.
"Eh eh... dia kena berenti keje?" Mesti kena buat.

Eh eh..... korang ni tak percaya dengan qada' & qadar ke? Kalau aku ada ilmu pun, nak buat korang apa ke hal? Tak ada hasil..

Well, melalut pulak aku ni eh. Mende ni macam dah tak ada lagi. Macam dah ok. Tapi kata orang putih, forgiven but not forgotten.

;-P