Perempuan Bergaun Merah

A decent ghost story from Indonesia from a director who has potential. Kimo Stamboel has been sucking lately, but William Chandra's (MatiAnak, Cult) latest release made a decent impression on me. The story unfolds from a birthday party where a girl mysteriously disappears and returns after some time as a revenge spirit. We don't find out what happened to her until the end, which I liked. Nothing original, but I have no problem with it, it managed to keep my attention and I appreciate that more. I do appreciate that the ghost goes on a rampage somewhere around the 25 minute mark and sets off a decent series of brutal murders, with sets this film apart a lot. There are no stupid teasers and jump-scares, just a ghost out for revenge and giving its victims with unpleasant deaths (the murders are surprisingly numerous and are both inventive and decently brutal), and there’s also the delightfully creepy ghost mask (thankfully they avoided CGI, if there's one thing I hate it's the black smoke that ghosts usually have around them). The technical side is also top notch and the scene with the grandmother is a decent atmospheric blast. There was even a twist in the finale, so definitely eager and functional for me. I'll enjoy enjoy a slasher and ghost story crossover. 7/10. (16.04.2023)