chrichtonsworld

Temurun starts with exposition on Dewi and Sena, brother and sister. Dewi for the most part takes care of her mother, who is mentally ill. Or at least that is what it seems like. For Dewi this doesn't matter much as she loves her mother very much. Sena, is resentful towards his mother and indirectly to his sister.

Disaster strikes when two robbers come to their home and want the money back they are owed. The dire consequence is that the mother gets killed. You would think that Sena would be more compassionate. Then again, Sena seems to be in this everlasting state of mind where he still resents his sister. After the tragedy, the father shows up and wants to take them in. Sena is welcoming him with open arms but now Dewi is hesitant. And she does have a point. Why didn't he reach out before? As it turns out that the new household consisting of the father, loyal workers and their grandma (the boss) is not quite what it seems.

It's very apparent what's going on. The mystery is not that complicated. But even if you were fooled, the film tells you from time to time what you need to know. I think this is where misdirection could have helped improve this film. Since this was the first proper film Inarah Syarafina has directed, I don't think you can fault her for not building up the intrigue even more. The little we have is compelling enough. I do appreciate that the few bits of creepy scenes are effective. They aren't overdone and might be the saving grace of the film. Plus, the actors do a good job of being humans with complex emotions.

Overall, Temurun is a morality tale that plays out as it should. It's enjoyable while it lasts.*

* I revised my original review a bit to avoid mild spoilers. You can read the uncensored review on my website. Here you can also read other reviews of Indonesian horror films.

It's been a while I have written a review on here, since I do that on my own website. But this time I had to.

People have been calling this gripping and spine-chilling. There isn't a single event in this film that even came close to this. Director Kimo Stamboel is capable of building up tension and dread. Only in this film, this replaced with empty symbolism and boredom. Badarawuhi, a snake demon, clearly is intended to be scary and intimidating. She might be the latter because of her portrayal by Aulia Sarah. She tries her hardest. If only this was backed up by terror.

There is hardly any terror. The few events that are supposed to signify this are laughable at best. Sure, there are some gross and gory scenes, but they hardly have any effect. Then the finale is like one big joke. I think I was supposed to be creeped out by the menacing dancers. I mean, it could have been done, had these dances been backed up elements that actually made these dances unique and terrifying. But this is not the case one bit. It felt like a rip-off from Suspiria (2018) which also was a joke.

But the absolute part that made me lose interest quite fast is the pacing. There is very little story and substance in the first place. Maybe enough for a 5-minute short. But this is stretched out over 2 hours. You can imagine how slow this feels.

Overall, this is far from the opposite what the majority of the reviewers have been claiming. And don't get me wrong. I wished what they said was true. But to have me sit through this and make me waste my time in this fashion I find criminal. So yeah, don't believe the high rating, this is terrible!