IBU (2024)

Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: M. Raihan Halim
Cast: Alicia Amin, Nur Sabrina Nasir, Izyan Mellyna, Mariana Yati
Runtime: 1 hr 20 mins
Rating: PG13 (Horror and Some Violence)
Released By: mm2 Entertainment
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 31 October 2024

Synopsis: When twenty-eight year old Huda Juraimi lost her husband in a car accident, she is left to take care of her teenage step-daughter, Arissa, who has nothing but disdain for her. The harder Huda tries to be close to the girl, the further Arissa pushes her away. Everything changes one day when a Pontianak attaches itself to Arissa. And in order to keep Arissa forever, it first has to destroy any bond or love that Huda has for the child. Huda will be forced to fight for the child and prove once and for all that she has what it takes to not only be Arissa’s mother but guardian and selfless protector. 

Movie Review:

For viewers who are familiar with folklore of supernatural beings around the region, the Pontianak is one of the most spine chilling figures you pray never to bump into, especially in the dark. This Halloween season, this iconic monster takes on the duty of haunting audiences in Raihan Halim’s latest feature movie. If you need a refresher, a character in the movie will explain that the Pontianak is a vengeful spirit of a woman who died during childbirth, and in this instance, she is out to get Arissa (Nur Sabrina Nasir), the young protagonist of the movie.

Arissa also happens to be the stepdaughter of Huda (Alicia Amin), whose husband died in a tragic accident. Arissa was unfortunately involved in the accident as well, and as if losing her father is not enough, the poor girl also lost a leg. She is not the greatest fan of Huda, and often makes things difficult for the woman. Arissa isn’t doing well in school either. She is bullied by her classmates, and her grades are getting from bad to worse.

When a Pontianak finds its way into Arissa’s life, it is up to the stepmother and stepdaughter pair to sort things out because for the monster to take Arissa away forever, it has to destroy any bond that exists between Huda and Arissa.

Some movies have visualised the vengeful spirit as an eerily beautiful woman who has the power to seduce unknowing human beings (notably of the male gender) before unleashing her deadly wrath onto the victims. In this movie, the focus is not on the attractiveness of the Pontianak before it reveals its monstrous form. In fact, the Pontianak has significantly less screen time than the human protagonists. And for a horror flick that is rated PG13, you can expect the scares to be relatively mild. There are the occasional jump scares and a few shots of the Pontianak’s ghoulish makeup features, and these won’t be stuff that make you lose your sleep.

The 80 minute movie is more interested in telling the story between Arissa and Huda, two individuals who have to depend on each other but are facing tension from bottled up emotions. Halim, who is also the writer and director behind La Luna, Singapore’s entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 97th Academy Awards in 2025, does a decent job at telling that story.

Having helmed a critically acclaimed feature movie before, Halim competently executes the technical aspects of this horror thriller. The production values of the movie are respectable, and it is well paced without feeling sluggish. The scenes with the Pontianak are atmospherically shot, and viewers can feel the lingering dread. While there are no spectacular surprises, the movie fulfils its objective of putting aduiences through a thrilling story with human drama. It also features supporting characters in the form of Huda’s friend (Izyan Mellyna) who provides some laughs, and a wise lady (Izyan Mellyna) who can foresee the Pontianak’s destruction.

Movie Rating:

(Behind the wrath of the iconic Pontianak in this horror flick is a human drama about a stepmother and a stepdaughter coming to terms with each other)

Review by John Li