Roh

"Roh" succeeds as a spine-tingling baffler, hitting at nerves we can't quite articulate but feel all the same.

Lathered with earthen tones by day and pitch black by night, Roh tantalizes under the direction of its cinematographer Saifuddin Musa.

More chilling than frightening, and just cryptic enough about what's really happened and what is really happening to keep the viewer engaged.

It will appeal to those curious about the international horror scene and fans of slow-burn, atmospheric terror, even if it doesn't add up to much storywise.

Malaysian horror film ROH from Emir Ezwan (the country's Oscar selection) ROH channels atmospheric Val Lewton films.

Making the most of limited resources, the filmmaker casts a spell of a kind only found deep in the woods.

Emir Ezwan has written compelling characters who are easy to empathize with while keeping the tension high, ably capturing the isolation of the forest setting.

People who are used to the beats of typical Hollywood horror may be frustrated by the slow pace of Ezwan's tension-building. But for Halloween weekend, Roh isn't a bad mood-setter.

"Roh" [is] a technical triumph from both visual and aural perspectives, [where] Emir made good use of its deliberate pace to evoke an ominous sense of dread and fear of the unknown rather than the obligatory jump scares.

Soul otherwise relies on generic mimicry of the formula and imagery of better horror efforts.