Writer: Ashraf Nasser

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Watch this if you liked: "Khurafat"

The Good, the Bad and the Hypocrite:

When one of his earlier films, "KL Gangster 2", was leaked and pirated before it hit the silver screen, young director Syamsul Yusof has been absent from the film-directing business for almost four years. Now, he finally picks himself up from his traumatic past by presenting his latest work, "Munafik".

This would be the director's second horror film after "Khurafat", which performed exceedingly well at the local box office.

Even though the horror genre is overly done in the local film industry, the director managed to pull his film off with his insightful direction, turning it into another masterpiece that overtakes some of his best works from the past.

The storyline, dialogues and performances are all very well-executed, and some of the scenes will make the audience uneasy where they will keep fidgeting at the edge of their seats. Also, the film doesn't even need to use excessive jump scares or horror elements, as the plot itself is already solid and strong, with some really smart twists slipped in.

The cast did a job well-done, especially Syamsul Yusof himself, as his role as an Ustaz appeared to be very realistic. Not only that, Nabila Huda also delivered an amazing performance with her character Maria who had conflicting and heavy emotions.

With its beautiful cinematography and special effects which are not too overly done, the film is more than just an entertaining horror film, behind it also lies lessons and moral values that can serve as guides to the Muslims.


Trivia:

• One of the shooting locations took place at an actual haunted mansion in Puchong.


Cinema Online, 23 February 2016