DIRECTED and produced by Brando Lee – Don't Look At The Demon – has been hyped as the first supernatural Malaysian movie to infiltrate the North American market and cinemas in over 20 countries premiered last week.
The Vibes Culture and Lifestyle team decided to check it out last weekend.
The film is about a crew of paranormal explorers known as the Skeleton Crew, who go to investigate a mansion up in Fraser's Hill in Pahang after being contacted by newlyweds Ian (William Miller) and Martha (Malin Crépin), who claim to be hounded by strange occurrences during their six months of living there.
Medium and paranormal TV investigator Jules (Fiona Dourif) attempted to contact the other side numerous times but failed, which cast a cloud of suspicion on the couple's claims.
Jules feels strongly that the couple just wants attention and fame, however, after having her own horrifying experience in the basement, the crew starts to believe that there might be more to the hauntings or unsettling feelings at the property.
As the crew investigates deeper into the mystery, they encounter possessions and spirits more horrifying than they have ever experienced elsewhere.
Secret rooms are discovered, and even darker secrets are uncovered within the walls of the mansion, with links to an ancient forbidden Thai ritual known as ‘Kuman thong’ – a practise of summoning the powers of unborn foetuses that were gutted-out from their mother’s womb, which leads to stillborn babies and their restless mother’s spirits roaming the mansion.
Jules has had the gift of seeing and interacting with spirits from a young age, and has had supernatural encounters. She seems to be the only one who can deal with these types of situations.
The opening of the movie takes place with Jules in her home in the US as a child, trying to save both her mother and older sister from evil spirits, in a style very reminiscent of the Amityville horror films.
However, once the scenery changes to Asia in the present day – in what is possibly Perlis, or somewhere between Thailand and Malaysia – something seems off as the movie begins to drag.
After witnessing a local Thai girl getting a tattoo to ward off evil spirits, the Skeleton Crew drives to Fraser's Hill in search of Ian and Martha's home, after Jules scanned through some emails using her 'aura'.
Apart from fantastic eerie booming sound effects, stunning architecture in the well-preserved mansion which reminds viewers of the colonial era, there was nothing special about the movie. The story line was very much predictable with the 'twists' being telegraphed to anyone with even a basic understanding of film tropes.
Honestly, we were hoping to get an authentic Asian feel to the movie that would contribute in educating Westerners or foreigners on some forbidden rituals that were practised by some in decades past. Unfortunately, none of that was to be found in Don't Lookt At The Demon.
As the Malaysian saying goes; ‘Indah Khabar Dari Rupa’. – The Vibes, October 14, 2022
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