Looking Back in Mystery

Some say it is the scariest Malay hantu movie, some say the hantu looked like a badly burnt corn on strings and some say so-so lorrr. Last month, I took the time out, albeit reluctantly, to watch the widely acclaimed Jangan Pandang Belakang ("JPB"), expecting only to be mentally insulted by the sheer idiocy of Malaysian made movies. For the lack of better comparison, I had to compare with the likes of the black-and-white Pontianak, Jerangkung and P. Ramlee's Orang Minyak. Except for the dreary storyline, JPB is equally scary as the others. And this is done without today's sci-fi effect that could even choreograph a flying pontianak with laser beams in movies to look flawlessly possible. (Maya Karin, take note.) The director displayed his only resolute intention - to scare the heck out of the audience, hence, storyline is just a mere prerequisite.

Summary: A man found his fiancee died of drug overdose. Suspicious of her demise, he probed into her death only to find out that she had been disturbed by this evil spirit. Unfortunately, the evil spirit has now begin to haunt him.

All in all, good attempt unless you are fussy about script, plot and cinematography. This is a hantu story at its raw state, nothing complicated, neither too impishly narrated nor too nauseating. Admittedly, it did give me few shocking moments. I'm not a fan of horror movie with clear depiction of the hantu. Not that I will pee in my pants if I see one, but I would prefer the hantu to be a mere silhouette or shadow play. Lucid images are such a turn off. It confines imagination and only rouse viewers to revile the hantu for its Casper-not-so-creepy look. Then we’ll get comments like - the nose should have been more crooked, the red eyes looks scarier than the white; and even the Einstein's hair-do could have looked much more menacing. Or some would just shamelessly admit that even their grandma looked creepier.