Folk horror films have been on the rise lately, and when they come from countries not known for their fear-fare cinema output, it often adds an extra dimension of the creepy unknown to viewers outside of the country of origin. Malaysia’s Roh (AKA Soul; 2019) certainly falls into that description, with its untamed forest providing a disquieting setting that looks quite different from forest settings in horror movies shot in Western countries and therefore giving off an even more unsettling effect than what many viewers are used to.
Single mother Mak (Farah Ahmad) lives in an isolated area of the forest with her teenage daughter Along (Mhia Farhana) and younger son Angah (Harith Haziq). Their lives are difficult, living meagerly off of what they can find nearby. A deer hanging curiously from a tree could either provide food for a week or open the door to danger, as the siblings discuss.
When a little girl (Putri Qaseh) shows up at the family’s hut, they have no idea that, as viewers saw minutes earlier, she was witness to a large fire and stabbed at a recently buried body. They take her in, and strange things begin occurring, increasing with intensity and terror. A woman named Tok (June Lojong) who lives a short distance away warns them about a hunter named Pemburu (Namron), who comes searching for the little girl.
Roh is a dark supernatural horror outing that is rich in eldritch atmosphere. The mysterious forest setting surrounding the family’s home is made even eerier with firelight and characters lurking in the background and following other characters. Disturbing deaths and skin-crawling heightening of suspense add to the proceedings.
Director Emir Ezwan, who cowrote the screenplay with Nazri M. Annuar and Amir Hafizi, has crafted a truly chilling work that delivers shudders and a gripping mise-en-scène from its opening moments straight through to its unnerving climax. The cast members are all terrific, and the three child actors all give incredible performances in their dread-filled roles.
Aficionados of foreign horror, folk horror, and terrific supernatural fare should put Roh high on their need-to-see lists.
Film Movement will release Roh on DVD on December 21, 2021.
