Rocky Soraya

After Alia's sister Abel is killed by a ghost, she applies to work in an orphanage. There she meets Nadia, a girl who also has an opened third eye (i.e. she can see ghosts). Together they seek out the ghost that's been pestering Nadia at the orphanage, when they find her though they're unprepared for the great secret they're about to uncover.

The setting is spectacular and Soraya creates some moody horror moments. The problem with his films is that they are simply too long. There's nothing original here and two hours is too much for the material at hand. If he could just cut 20 to 30 minutes, I'm sure he'd end up a lot closer to the horror masterpiece he's dying to make.

There's a little Conjuring and Annabelle in here, but it's really just a basic Asian horror film, steeped in drama and delivering plenty of chills and creepy moments along the way. The good thing is that Rocky Soraya does a commendable job, no matter how predictable the film is and how many times you've seen this exact same thing before.

Performances are decent but a little overdone during the creepier moments. The cinematography is nice and moody, the CG a bit flaky but functional. The soundtrack is above par though, quite loud but effective and atmospheric. The Doll isn't a true must-see, but if you're looking for some tasty horror filler, it's a surprisingly well-made film that is sure to please genre fans.

Sabrina is another ghost-infested Doll flick. This time the doll is even uglier compared to the ones in his previous films, to the point where you have to wonder who would actually buy these freakishly uncomfortable things. Not that it matters. The doll draws a ghost, a new family is being haunted and once again Laras is there to save the day.

Performances are a bit flaky, the CG is also far from perfect and the runtime is at least 20 minutes too long, but Soraya does know how to create tension and regardless of the film's faults, there are still a fair few good, effective horror scenes. Far from a great film and I hope Soraya reinvents this franchise with his next film (not getting my hopes up though), but this was decent enough horror filler.

When Suzzanna's husband goes away on a business trip, four of his subordinates plan a little raid on his house to earn an extra buck. Suzzanna was supposed to be out, watching a movie, but she returns when feeling ill. The raid goes south, Suzzanna ends up in the ground and she returns as a vengeful spirit.

There are some decent enough scenes here, also some retro-kitsch that is quite cute, but the biggest problem is the length of the film. The setup is basic, and the premise isn't very original, so there was really no reason to stretch this beyond the 2-hour mark. Suzzanna is pretty decent horror filler, but hardly up there with the better Indonesian horror films.

There's nothing wrong with drama in horror films, it's basically a given in Asian horror, but if you want to put it front and center you need better actors and a director who can do proper drama. The Doll 2 has neither, which just makes it soapy. The setup is nice enough and the ending is pretty cool, but the middle part just drags and is hell to sit through.

Performances are good enough for a horror flick, but not for a drama. The visual effects are overall solid, though there is some flaky CG here and there. As for the doll design, that could've used a little extra attention too (even though the credits showed there was an actual doll designer). Could've been another decent horror film, if only Soraya had cut 20 minutes from the middle.