Writer: Mohamad Hanif Mohd Edthir

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Watch this if you liked: “Ngangkung”, “Jangan Pandang Belakang Congkak”, “Phobia”

Malaysian filmmaker James Lee's latest horror movie is quite different from the previous drama films he has directed. This time, he is featuring a lot of new faces in hor-medy "Sini Ada Hantu". It starts out with two men on the road to deliver the cadaver of their boss' father who just passed away. Just to kill their growing boredom and to make up for the lack of entertainment while driving, the two decide to take turns telling Malay ghost stories to each other - the banana tree ghost (Hantu Pokok Pisang), the number ghost (Hantu Nombor) and the hostel ghost (Hantu Asrama).

Lee brilliantly embeds really important lessons to each of the segments and the audience will be very familiar to the subject matter - for example, the Hantu Nombor story which cleverly pokes fun at some of the superstitious, dying-to-get-rich-quick Malaysians who believe in appeasing spirits that will help them in the upcoming lottery draw. Another element is the hostel ghost story about the real-life phenomenon of bully cases at Malaysian boarding schools.

Kudos to the superb makeup techniques applied in the movie that makes the ghosts looked as real as they can be. While the cast gave a very strong performance, the movie is definitely supported by a rather ingenious direction and storyline.

All in all, "Sini Ada Hantu" is recommended for all horror movie lovers. Besides giving the audience plenty of laughs from one scene to another, it will surely leave a few lessons for the viewers to bring home when they walk out of the cinema.

Cinema Online, 31 January 2011