- BOTTOM LINE: A Not-So-Bad Indonesian Horror Thriller That Lacks the Thrills
Rating: 2/5
| Platform Netflix | Genre Horror, Thriller |
What is the Story about?
The plot is very simple. When a woman named Suzzanna is buried alive after a robbery goes wrong in her home, she returns from the dead to take revenge on those responsible for her death. Suzzanna was pregnant when she died and according to Indonesian urban legend, a woman who dies while pregnant or during childbirth becomes a sundel bolong, a ghost form which can in turn take human form.
Suzzanna then starts hunting and haunting her killers to death. This is a premise we’re so familiar with and it’s decent, provided when a filmmaker knows how to bring in the thrills to make it standout. Although Suzzanna: Buried Alive follows the same plot as I Spit on your Grave, Carrie and Halloween; it neither has the thrills nor the finesse of its counterparts.
Performances?
Filmmaker Rocky Soraya, who has somewhat championed the indie horror with films like Doll and The 3rd Eye, doesn’t really live up to his potential in Suzzanna: Buried Alive, which is sporadically entertaining, thanks to its really silly performances. It’s mildly entertaining because it’s bad but in a fun way.
Luna Maya, on whom the entirely story rests upon, is slightly over the top when she’s playing Suzzanna, loving wife to Satria, but when she’s Suzzanna, revenge-seeking sundel bolong, she’s a lot fun to watch, especially when she unravels her signature cackle. The other characters fall flat with very disappointing performances.
Analysis
This Indonesian horror drama is goofier than dark unlike other popular horror flicks. It wants to be more of an escapist entertainment than make audiences really invest time and effort in making sense of what they see. The film might leave one with mixed feelings but it’s definitely not-so-bad because it’s a fun horror movie that clearly knows what it wants to deliver.
With slightly better writing and stronger characters, Suzzanna: Buried Alive would go down as a competent horror thriller. A lot of horror films rely heavily on all the popular tropes associated with the genre, but it really matters how they put them to use. Even as a revenge thriller, the film lacks the thrills to really make us sit up and cheer for the titular character.
Talking of revenge-based films, Netflix’s Revenge is a far better film that knew how to use the thrills to heighten the viewing experience. Revenge follows a young man who is assaulted and left for dead in the desert by three men. The story follows her vengeance on three men.
Highlights?
Lead performance
Some revenge scenes
Drawbacks?
Bloated running time
Cardboard characters with no purpose
Will you recommend it?
Only if you like semi-gross, cheesy horror films
Suzzanna: Buried Alive Review by Haricharan Pudipeddi
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