Rasuk

I tried but I really couldn't endure the torture of watching such a horribly made film, so I stopped at 50 minutes in.

Where do we even begin with the actors? All were so deadpan except for the underrated cutie pie in the form of Wari, who at least felt a bit more relatable. Alif Satar who was now a seasoned actor was also strangely uncomfortable in that ustaz skin. I blame the dialogues for being conceived and written by a high-schooler who obviously has consumed too many Malay YA novels.

Also, the rabid madness of the supposedly possessed is a poor man's tribute to The Descent and Train To Busan. Move along guys, there is nothing new in this one; comes together with unnecessary gore and vomit in this package of cinematic tawdriness.

Initially I was somewhat intrigued by this 2022 Malayasian horror movie titled "Rasuk" (aka "Possessed") as I stumbled upon it by random chance here in 2023. And given my fascination with horror movies and Asian cinema, of course I had to see what writer Adib Zaini had to offer.

While "Rasuk" is certainly a watchable enough movie, the script and storyline ultimately fell victim to the archetypical tropes seen in many movies of zombie-like infections and outbreaks. So you're not in for anything groundbreaking or innovative here. But with that being said, "Rasuk" definitely was a watchable enough movie for what it turned out to be.

The acting performances in "Rasuk" were fair enough. I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble at all, because I have very little experience with the Malaysian cinema in general. But the cast put on good enough performances to bring their characters to the screen and bring the story to life.

Director James Lee didn't exactly revolutionize the horror genre with this 2022 movie, nor did he actually leave a lasting impression on me with "Rasuk", as the movie is the type of movie that you watch once, shelf it, and never return to it a second time.

Visually then "Rasuk" was actually not all that bad. It wasn't a top-of-the-line special effects movie, but the special effects in the movie definitely worked well enough in favor of the overall feel of the movie.

My rating of "Rasuk" lands on a five out of ten stars.

This was really great in the first half and then the story kind of got lost along the way. It's something with the sequencing of the story and some unnecessary drama. Some characters need not have perished or perished so early in the movie. Some details were only revealed in the later part of the movie and it kind of lost it's relevance. Some details weren't quite clear, as is typical of Asian horror movies.

I like the demonic possession meets zombies concept. I've never seen another movie with such concept that really resonated with me, so I'm assuming this maybe the first of its kind. I think it's brilliant and creative. I'm an avid fan of Asian horror cinema and I've watched a whole lot of them. Where there usually is bad acting and a cast that just looks "pretty", this one has good acting and a cast with looks that have CHARACTER.

I'm not saying they're not good looking, though! I'm just saying they don't look generic and dolled up. You can distinguish one character from the other without their looks getting in the way. I think this is perhaps what I like most about the movie.

They got the ominous feeling of being uncertain and helpless, down pat. That scene where the teacher gets face to face with an infected student and when "ground zero" got in Kechik's face. That was terrifying! Plus that guard approaching that bloody student who had his back turned, seriously, there are only two adults in the hostel and there an unscheduled blackout then you see that kid who isn't in distress but is covered in blood. What are the odds that they've become a demonic being with bloodlust? The creepy is strong with this one.

What I didn't like is the sequencing and the coherence. I think it could've been better. Just in case a sequel is in the works, might be great to explain the stuff on this movie that were left floating.

Lastly, why wear a beanie/bonnet in a tropical country?

Nothing special on the storyline - just like every malay horror movies (same formula, same crappy scripts). Not sure if it was a ghost movie or just a lame zombie movie. Far from being possesed instead of being infected. A straight forward plotting with messy execution. Not sure what message they try to convey.

Cheap production for sure. Terrible actings, doesnt seems to be cinematic instead felt like a fan made movie. Lack focus and weak characterisation.

For a 2022 movie, it lacks diversity which was very shameful. Some of the casts were terrible for their respective characters. Some casts were too old to play as school boys (or hostelites - ive no clue why dormitory school boys need ptptn loan nor how they allowed students with long dyed hairs ). Meanwhile the cast for the teacher was too young for that character. Seem as these boys and the teacher were of the same age group lol.

The filming quality (too shaky) was considerably mediocre and the scores were kinda awful. Awful choices for the sceneries and the movie set itself was odd. The writtings were awful - literally makes no sense and not funny at all. The make-up departments were horrible, not that anything eye catching.

Overall mediocre and totally suitable for all ages although not recommended.