After watching the horrors of a badly made horror film Waris Jari Hantu, I got into a discussion with a friend on the state of Malay films. I guess Malay films post Jalan Ampas (Singapore) days are categorically made in Malaysia films. (Singapore and Malaysia's history are intrinsically intertwined that its hard to seperate certain aspects of its component, such as the film industry).
Anyway, back to Malay films. We got into the discussion after watching The Texas Chainsaw Massacre film starring the wonderfulous Jessica Beil. The film was intense, shocking and full of suspense. All straight to the point. We lamented how come Malay filmss can't do that? Just make a film that scare the shit out of people.The point of a horror flick is to do just that- shock and scare the audience through the suspension of disbelief.
Wikipedia: Suspension of disbelief is an aesthetic theory intended to characterize people's relationships to art. It was coined by the poet and aesthetic philosopher Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1817. It refers to the willingness of a person to accept as true the premises of a work of fiction, even if they are fantastic or impossible. It also refers to the willingness of the audience to overlook the limitations of a medium, so that these do not interfere with the acceptance of those premises. According to the theory, suspension of disbelief is a quid pro quo: the audience tacitly agrees to provisionally suspend their judgment in exchange for the promise of entertainment.
So basically, the closer the film is to reality, the more the audience will believe that the film is real. So real that we cringe at the sense of fear or we sympathise with the characters in the film. Malay audiences suspension of disbelief is no more prominent than when they are immersed in Hindi films- tears and all.
Hence, when a film loses its focus and began to swim in the waters of ridiculous and comical make-believe whilst trying to con the audience into believing that what they are portraying is real, it starts to flop around like a half dead chicken.
I do not understand why films like Waris Jari hantu need to have so many confusing sub-plots such transgender identity crisis. I think transgender is a serious issue which should be addressed in another films. O wait a minute, come to think of it, it already has! Buka Api i think was the film that tried to tackle the issue.
So why was it creeping in a horror flick is a horror in itself. I don't know!
I can name quite a few recent Malay films that fall under the category of 'losing steam' halfway through the movie. A lot of the films start with a good opening which impresses the audience. But halfway through the film, it starts to 'merepek', swaying left to right, back to front. I remember watching Ringgit Kasorga and thinking WTF is this director trying to say? Oops, I think its the same director of Waris Jari Hantu. Shucks, I honestly don't meant to target the director but I am just writing on the top of my head. KRU's Awas was another flop (regardless how much it did at the box office) It was a pompously ambitious film that tried to address 'heavy' issues like HIV, Homosexuality and Atomic Nuclear Reactors. All while trying to promote a boy band. WTF LOL. ( Maybe you guys reading this can add on to the list of the BS they tried to push into our faces).
But back to Malay horror films- All I want to see is a film that scare the hell out of me. A film that can sustain my interest, that can "suspend my sense of disbelief" regardless if the lead actors and actresses are predictable pretty faces, mostly of Malay- European parentage. No sub-plots, no selling of ideologies or agendas. Just pure horror. Come on guys, make a film that shock us. Is that so hard to do?
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