So, what of Takut? Before I even watched it I was pleased by its mere existence, because it's an anthology horror movie. It consists of six short films by a number of directors, and is - as always - a very mixed bag. Two segments did nothing for me. 'The Rescue' is just another 'guys with guns in a zombie apocalypse' story that just happens to have a more exotic setting than the usual fare. 'Sbow Unit' is a little better, but does not deliver on its premise - a man who accidentally kills his girlfriend's daughter and is then blackmailed by a hidden observer.
Much better is 'The List', in which a woman pays a magician to visit terrible vengeance on her ex--boyfriend. This is nicely handled and has a decent twist. The nasties that are visited on the chap are unpleasant enough, given that this is a horror-comedy tale. And the performances, as with all the stories, are pretty good.
Interestingly, the three best stories all feature strong female characters. 'Titisan Naya' ('Incarnation of Naya') is based on a Javanese ritual cleansing that requires all family members to be present in a house. Naya, a modern young lady, has no interest in this boring old stuff. Instead she goes off to find a handsome cousin for, put bluntly, a quick shag. But things go wrong as the lights fail, along with the ritual, and Naya encounters spectral figures. The ending is ambiguous. Naya (Dinna Olivia) is now acting in a thoroughly traditional manner - but to what end? The closing dance sequence is all the more effective because we cannot be sure.
'Peeper' is another horror-comedy, and fairly predictable. But it's still great fun. We meet Bambang (Epy Kusnandar) as he is perving away through a hole in the wall of a girls' changing room. As a connoisseur of feminine beauty he is obsessed with a lovely Javanese dancer, Sarpanka (Wiwid Gunawan) and the inevitable happens. But when Sarpanka catches him peeping, she is not angry. Far from it. She invites him into her dressing room where he finds that she is not just a dancer, but also a collector of perishable items...
'Peeper' has a lot in common with another gruesome but comedic tale, 'Dara'. This one proved so popular that the eponymous villainess got an entire movie to herself. Sareefa Daanish plays Dara, a lovely and talented chef and restaurant owner who invites selected me back to her home. There she does awful things to them, all in the interests of fine dining. There is no big reveal, so much as a series of bloody, farcical events. Dara rather carelessly double books victims, and then a third bloke turns up. There's a distinct feel of 'Carry On Cannibal' about it all, and it's good fun.
In conclusion, then, Takut is a typical anthology horror movie - not especially good, but not bad either. The talent on show is impressive, especially the Mo Brothers ('Dara'), and Riri Riza ('Titisan Naya') I'll certainly be on the lookout for more horror from Java and its environs.
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