Roh – Netflix Review (3/5)

ROH on Netflix is a horror movie from Malaysia. It deals with the most basic elements of good versus evil – and revenge, of course. Also, we get both religious elements (with a quote to open the movie) and some folklore. Read our full Roh horror movie review here!

ROH is a Netflix horror movie from Malaysia. It’s labeled as “arthouse horror” which makes it sound way more highbrow and strange than it is. It’s more of a fantasy horror film that draws on folklore. Also, there is minimal use of CGI and other (sometimes disturbing) elements.

I really have to mention that this movie is visually stunning. Every frame is gorgeous and evokes all kinds of emotions. In fact, this horror movie was the official Malaysian submission for “Best Foreign Film” to the Academy Awards here in 2021.

Continue reading our Roh horror movie review below and find it on Netflix now.

Some truly brutal scenes!

While Roh is a truly beautiful movie in terms of photography, please don’t take that to mean that this movie isn’t creepy and bloody. It definitely is! In fact, I was surprised that this has a Netflix rating of +13 for viewing. Other, much less brutal movies or series, easily get +16 years old ratings.

Oh well, maybe that’s what calling a movie “arthouse” will get you.

Overall, we only meet a handful of characters within this story that is essentially built on good versus evil. The runtime is a crisp 83 minutes which is yet another reason to give this movie a chance. Sure, it’s a foreign movie and the language is Malay, but honestly, the dialogue is very sparse and the events you see will leave an impact.

Especially one death is very sudden and brutal. Not an image I’ll be able to forget anytime soon.

Watch Roh on Netflix now!

Emir Ezwan is the writer and director of Roh which is his feature film debut after making a short film back in 2016. Well, according to IMDb anyway – which is rarely the best source when it comes to Asian filmmakers, but still.

One of the actors, Namron (yes, just one name), was also in the horror movie Revenge of the Pontianak (2019) which we’ve reviewed here! To me, Roh is a much stronger movie in most ways – especially in terms of special effects. In my book, anyway. When it comes to Malaysian horror movies, they’re really branching out internationally more now.

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Our review of the Asian horror anthology series Folklore where the best episode was Malaysian >

As already mentioned, this horror drama (or arthouse horror movie) was submitted to the Academy Awards by Malaysia in a bid to win “Best Foreign Film”. That should tell you quite a bit about the quality of both production and the story in the movie. Also, the acting is heart-wrenchingly good, so spend 83 minutes watching a different kind of horror story!

Roh is out on Netflix in most countries worldwide from June 1, 2021.

Details

Director: Emir Ezwan
Writers: Emir Ezwan, Nazri M. Annuar, Amir Hafizi
Stars: Farah Ahmad, Mhia Farhana, Harith Haziq, June Lojong, Namron, Putri Qaseh