by AZALEA AZUAR 

HALLOWEEN is coming up at the end of October and what better way to celebrate it than to watch some horror movies! 

If you are one who simply watches these films for fun and the adrenaline rush instead of a serious plot, then “Don’t Look at The Demon” would be the best film for you. 

It has all the traditional elements of a horror film such as demonic possessions, jumpscares, mysterious forces dragging the characters around and haunted houses. 

What makes it different from other generic movies is that it features South-East Asian folklore from the perspective of Westerners. 

The film cast features actors from Hollywood including Fiona Dourif, whose latest work is a recurring role in the “Chucky” TV series; Harris Dickinson, who played a model on a cruise in the film “Triangle of Sadness” which won the Palme d’Or this year; and Jordan Belfi, best known for his work on HBO’s “Entourage”. Also in the film are actors from other countries such Malin Crepin from Sweden, William Miller (the UK), Phan Nhu Thao (Vietnam) and Konglar Kanchanahoti (Thailand). 

Our very own local actors Hafidzuddin Fazil and Lenny Ooi were also cast in small but essential roles. 

The movie will be in cinemas in over 20 countries including Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, Canada and the UK. “Don’t Look at the Demon” is also the first Malaysian film to be screened in the US, paving the way for future local productions to go global. 

The Premise 

Inspired by a true banned ritual and Lee’s own personal experiences, the movie is his directorial debut in the horror genre

“Don’t Look at The Demon” revolves around a team of paranormal investigators who went to Fraser’s Hill in Pahang, Malaysia, to probe a series of alleged disturbances in a house with a dark past. As they dived deeper into their investigation, they uncovered dark secrets about the 1970s house relating to forbidden ancient Thai rituals. 

This locally-made and produced film was mainly shot here in Malaysia. Local audiences would be familiar with the gritty but breathtaking shots of Perlis, plus the familiar highways and roads leading to Fraser’s Hill and the famous Smokehouse Inn. 

The highlight of this film is Dourif ’s performance as Jules, who is struggling to fight with her own demons after a childhood incident involving her sister. She also possesses special powers, which makes her an important asset to the film crew. (Horror fans would be familiar with Dourif ’s roles in the “Chucky” franchise, while her father Brad is known for playing the psychotic doll.) 

Despite the predictable storyline, the ending is quite unexpected. 

Since “Don’t Look at The Demon” was shot five years ago, actor Hafidzuddin almost forgot that he starred in the film. He felt this movie is different from other horror films because of the many twists and turns. 

“It gives me the chills, the goosebumps. And yet I asked myself what is happening because you don’t really know what’s happening. 

“It’s that good, not because I’m in it, but because I enjoy watching it that much,” he said at a recent press conference. 

Paranormal Disturbances On Set

It’s no surprise that the production crew and the cast experienced some disturbances from the Unseen. 

Ooi is mostly known for his works in horror films in the Chinese-speaking sphere. When he was offered the “Don’t Look at The Demon” role, he admitted that his English was not proficient enough and it was a challenge for him during the dubbing process at the studio in Johor Baru. 

He plays the main antagonist in the film and he was required to spend many hours in the makeup chair. 

“Everyday it would take at least three to four hours. I have to sit there with only make-up and then also had a lot of tattoos drawn. 

“Everyday when I’m acting, I have to have the mantras (on my body), until the full (filming) is completed.” 

The tattoos were not made-up and were real-life mantras. Ooi is not a superstitious person, but when the make-up artists applied the mantra tattoos to his body, he suddenly felt pain in his back. 

A monk was brought in to cleanse the tattoos and make the pain disappear. 

Meanwhile, as a European, these paranormal experiences were new to Crepin. 

The cast and crew preparing to film one of the scenes in the horror movie relating to forbidden ancient Thai rituals (Pics source: MIG Production Sdn Bhd)

“We stayed in a hotel close to where we shot the movie and I had a really bad night in bed (one) night because I saw people jumping off the balcony (in my dreams) and I was on the first floor. I woke up because I felt like I was falling off my bed,” she shared. 

During the second night of filming, the same dreams returned to her and she saw more people jumping off their balconies. Then, that Saturday, an old man came up to Crepin and told her to do the same, but she quickly replied: “No, I have kids at home.” 

“Don’t Look at The Demon” producer and director Brando Lee said these paranormal disturbances not only challenged the production crew and cast spiritually, but also physically. 

“I think from the get-go of production, my production manager was there and she was haunted by something already. She wanted to quit after one week, but I persuaded her not to quit. 

“Let’s face it, let’s face the challenge,” he told her instead. 

In fact, when the team was scouting locations, they accidentally touched something which they were not supposed to. They had to return to that location just to apologise to the spirits. 

They also shot the film during the Hungry Ghost Festival, which is a big taboo in Chinese culture in Malaysia. 

“When we shot it, we had no choice and the monk gave us a blessing to help us, saying that it was fine,” said Lee. But even his wife was disturbed by the presence of a long-haired girl who sat at the back of the car. 

Inspired by Real-Life Events

“Don’t Look at The Demon” is Lee’s directorial debut in the horror genre. He admitted that he didn’t watch many horror films when he was growing up. 

However, he was greatly inspired by “The Exorcist” film, as well as his haunting childhood events. 

“When I was a kid, my body was aching all the time. I was being attacked by a certain Unseen, or cursed by the people around my house back then when I was staying in a small town. 

“That’s how I was able to pick up this idea, which stayed in my mind for a long time.” 

His family went to many places to find a cure for Lee’s problems, but they were unable to provide any 

solutions. Finally, they came across a local Thai temple where the monk helped to heal him.

Later, it was his dream to tell his story in a Hollywood film, so Lee ended up studying in the US. 

“Since I graduated, I started filming in Holly wood and I still call our friends over there. So, of course, I still kept in touch with them. That’s how the whole thing started in making a film like this.” 

More Emphasis On Visual Effects

Crepin in the movie ‘Don’t Look at The Demon’. She had haunting dreams of people jumping off the balcony during filming (Pics source: MIG Production Sdn Bhd)

The budget was initially about RM4 million, but a lot was spent on the visual effects. Lee explained that there are more than 1,280 visual effects shots and he knew it was difficult to achieve at the time. 

He managed to get ahold of an experienced visual effects team from the UK on a freelance basis in order to reduce cost. 

“We basically got on together and tried to do something, and these professional teams helped us up every weekend with some part-time jobs. 

“So, that is how it accumulated throughout the years is to run and slowly finish the film,” he explained. 

Lee was able to distribute the movie across the US and internationally since he’s made contacts with a lot of distributors these past few years. 

For now, “Don’t Look at The Demon” has been released in the theatres, but a Netflix release is also possible, depending on demand and turnout. 

“Go to the base. Make sure the story is good. Make sure to have a very enticing premise and prepare a good screenplay. Start from the bottom and do something good. 

“Once you have a very good product, then people will pay attention to it and they will accept it,” Lee advised future and aspiring local filmmakers. 

“Don’t Look at The Demon” haunts Malaysian cinemas from Oct 6.