Writer: Nur Safina Othman

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Watch this if you liked: "Jangan Pandang Belakang", "Histeria", "Santau"

After the success of "Adnan Sempit" and several other local films in 2009, film production company Metrowealth (MIG) together with director Ahmad Idham have once again collaborated on the new horror film "Niyang Rapik". The film has been brought to the silver screen after TV drama series "Puaka Niyang Rapik" managed to obtain high ratings, pulling in 4 million viewers when it was aired.

"Niyang Rapik" starts with Zack (Fizz Fairuz) who dies due to a horrible curse. His untimely death shocks four of his best friends - Helmi (Kamal Adli), Zizan (Shaheizy Sam), Saiful (Zed Zaidi) and Amir (Awal Ashaari). Thus, they journey to Niyang Rapik, a village where they've conducted research for their final-year history project, to return a karambit stolen by Zack. However, things in Niyang Rapik aren't as cheerful as before.

It does not take long before the action unfolds in "Niyang Rapik" and audiences are forced to guess what happened to Zack and his friends while they were in Niyang Rapik for the first time. Even though the storyline is simple, the twist is an added advantage to audiences' interest leaving the story to be quite engaging.

"Niyang Rapik" boasts an all-youthful cast. Liyana Jasmay is the only 'rose among the thorns'. Playing Laila, the daughter of Tok Neram (Nasir Bilal Khan), Liyana's character this time seems a lot different from her previous roles such as "Papadom" (2009) and "Duhai Si Pari-Pari" (2009) that had her playing cheerful characters. Liyana manages to convey her character's dark and mysterious side well. Other cast members such as Awal, Kamal, Shaheizy and Zed do not disappoint. Even though there are a large number of lead actors and there is a worry of one actor outshining the other, they manage to effectively convey their roles in their own way.

Other than the solid acting by the cast, viewers can also appreciate the beauty of Tasik Kenyir, Terengganu that was chosen as a filming location. Even the visual effects in "Niyang Rapik" were commendable. Viewers can look forward to seeing a stomach open up, a head in a jar, and many more.

"Niyang Rapik" has many factors to make it a box-office hit. Even though the success of a drama series does not usually guarantee success on the silver screen, films of the horror genre that includes a good-looking cast is enough to pull in audiences.

Cinema Online, 10 February 2010