Alhamdullilah the TV2 series on the paranormal (fictional) entitled Bilik No.13 is a hit and RTM has commissioned Manjafilms Sdn Bhd to produce another 13 episodes. Firstly I would like to thank all the fans of the series who faithfully tune in to the screenings on Thursday night at 9pm on TV2. Surprisingly, the series is such a hit that RTM actually screens the series again on Saturday night/Sunday morning at 3 am also on TV2.
To date, the current series is on Ep.11 with Patung (my kampung tribute to Chucky) shown last week. Next week is Kabus, about a group of young girls trapped in an SUV along a dark lonely road, and is ambushed by a malevolent fog. The week after is the story of Karipap starring Dato Aziz Sattar in a meaty role that shows his versatility as a serious actor.
Production on the second season will begin either late next week or the week after (depending very much on the weather). Locations too have not been firmed as are actors and actresses. Nevertheless I am looking forward to producing and directing the series along with my son Abadi and my old friend Ken Yap.
As requested by the station to produce a much-better season, it will be a challenge that I relish. In the second season, fans will actually find out the secret behind the Bilik No. 13 title. This time, the second season will go out all the chill your spines - with stories such as Harimau Jadian, Jangan Lupa Tutup Tingkap, Kereta Mayat, Almari, Foto, Bunian dan Artifak. Other short stories that will also make it to the line up include Cari Nombor, Orkid, Topeng dan Orang Langit.
Harimau Jadian will start the series with a two parter. It is my nod to the lost P. Ramlee horror movie entitled Si Tora.
The third episode is a gothic-styled horror short entitled Jangan Lupa Tutup Tingkap. It is about the dangers of naughty children who fail to heed their parents' warning and forgetting to close their windows at night.
Kereta Mayat is based on a short story I wrote and shot about 15 years ago - but this time with a gangland twist. Two small-time gangland 'cleaners' are required to dispose of a gangland's boss's body. Unfortunately for them, the day of their dastardly deed falls on the first day of the Hungry Ghost month.
Almari is a short story about greed and a strange cabinet that offers you riches in exchange for the sacrifice of live animals in the cabinet (a cannibal cabinet). The bigger the animal, the bigger the reward. The man who owns the cabinet realises his nagging wife is the biggest 'animal' he can sacrifice. Does he?
Foto is inspired by Oscar Wilde's Picture of Dorian Gray. However, this time, the lady in an antique photo becomes younger by the day, but the owner of the photo becomes older. In the original story, Dorian Gray owns a self portrait. His portrait grows old, but he remains forever young.
Bunian? It's an ambitious attempt by me to shoot a story about a parallel world, where a day there is equivalent to one year in the real world. It's about a world so strange that men in the real world are lured into by beautiful maidens looking for husbands. It's a perfect world with a dark secret. A secret that can only be seen through the reflection of a mirror.
Artifak tells the story of an antique Tibetan knife that has a life of its own. It also controls the mind of the person who finds it.
I also wanted to do a tribute to one of my favourite Japanese horror movies off all time, Onibaba directed by Kaneto Shindo. That movie was produced in 1964, but I think I first saw it in a festival in the early 70s. The episode entitled Topeng is a tribute to it.
If Bilik No 13 gets renewed for another third season maybe I'll do a tribute to another great Japanese movie (also produced in 1964) entitled Kwaidan (Ghost Story) directed by Masaki Kobayashi.
Depending on my technical producer's advice, I may or may not do Orkid. The special effects required may not be possible within today's RTM drama budgets. It's a serious ode to the cult movie The Little Shop of Horrors. If the effects can be done realistically within budget then my team and I will try our best to do this sci-fi episode. It is however not the only sci-fi story in the series.
Orang Langit is about an alien who finds his way into a kampung store in the middle of a hold up. The alien has the ability to mimic, and when it sees a TV programme, it takes on the form of a popular Malay actor.
Anyway, it is a tough series to produce - technically and logisticall- but Insyallah we will do our best to deliver. We reallly do not want to disappoint our fans. If all goes well Bilik No 13 Siri Kedua will be screened in June.
Meanwhile, we are also about to start producing the second season of our popular cooking show Dapur Bujang.
Those who want to try their hands at acting, do drop me a line at anwardijamil@yahoo.com. Who knows, you might be my next zombie or victim.
Showing posts with label horror. Show all posts
Showing posts with label horror. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Friday, February 8, 2008
A Little Movie Horror Does No Harm
Yes yes i know - it's a sweeping statement. But I believe that. Scary and horror movies do not harm society at large. Yes I agree that movies (what ever kind) sometime leave an indelible mark in some, but it's far and few.
It's a debate that has been going on over two decades - in terms of producing content for local TV and cinema. Remember the VHS policy on RTM announced by the former Information Minister Tok Mat over a decade ago? It completely wiped out a single genre for more than 10 years. No violence, no horror, no sex. No Fun.
It's a little weird since that was the generation that grew up watching Mariam Menado's Pontianak, P. Ramlee's Orang Minyak and SiTora and other title's like Hantu Jerangkung and Hantu Kubor. None from that generation went gaga or violent right? This is your father's generation ok? It was the time when going to a horror movie is just another night's outing. What was okay for them is now not okay for us.
Check out the ad below - it's the Straits Times - the date? September 1, 1957 - it's the first day of Independance - it's Merdeka day.
Check out what premiered at the Odeon and Cathay Cinemas - right it's Dendam Pontianak starring the great Maria Menado. So, if this horror movie is good enough for the now free Malayans, why not now? Was tahyul and superstition okay in 1957 and taboo in 2008?
Now maybe you're wondering why I'm jerking around when the cinemas are full of horror movies since about sux years ago. Yes yes I know. Since Shuhaimi Baba's Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam, there's been a non-stop screening of Malay horror films - Mistik, Waris Jari Hantu, Puaka Tebing Biru, Zombie Kampung Pisang (to name just a few) and the big one - Ahmad Idham's Jangan Pandang Belakang. So what am I bitching about?
Well, unknown to many (because there has been an 'overkill' in production of such movies) there is an underground swell to once again start banning such films.
Maybe it's also the fault of local film and TV producers who have been churning out bad horror rip-offs. Imagine on TV, there's Anak Pontianak, there's Saka, there's Ghosts and there's Susuk amongst others. Including my own Bilik No. 13.
There's a claim that the violence in our society - the horrible murders, kidnappings and histeria break outs in schools - are the direct result of these TV series and movies. There is a movement out to ban such series - good ones and bad ones.
So I hope fans of local horror movies come out in numbers to write in and tell the powers that be that the horror genre is welcomed.
Whilst I hope that such freedom still exists for film directors and producers - I hope the quality and the creativity of filmmakers improve in time - so that artistic merit overwhelms content quality. Which is why I am looking forward to James Lee's Histeria.
Anyway, for those who enjoy such fare - write in to the mainstream press - tell them you like and enjoy such series or films - because the press are prone to printing only letters from self-proclaimed moral guardians, that condemn such fare.
If we lose this battle, our cinema will never win the fight against other taboos - taboos like sex and political content - genres that have not yet been touched by filmmakers.
For horror fans, enjoy the little VCD movie I did about 7 years ago entitled Histeria (sorry James). It's a cheap horror anthology based on a theater play I did entitled Hantu-Hantu Yang Saya Kenali which was staged at the national Museum about 8 years ago. It's not one of my better works, but it did star an old dear friend - the late Hani Mohsin. Someone posted it on Youtube. The lipsynching on some of the chapters is off, so bear with it. Maybe, sometime soon, I will post the best of Bilik no.13. Enjoy.
Histeria Part 1
HIsteria Part 2
Histeria Part 3
Histeria Part 4
Histeria Part 5
Histeria Part 6
Histeria Part 7
Histeria Part 8
Histeria Part 9
Histeria Part 10
Histeria Part 11
It's a debate that has been going on over two decades - in terms of producing content for local TV and cinema. Remember the VHS policy on RTM announced by the former Information Minister Tok Mat over a decade ago? It completely wiped out a single genre for more than 10 years. No violence, no horror, no sex. No Fun.
It's a little weird since that was the generation that grew up watching Mariam Menado's Pontianak, P. Ramlee's Orang Minyak and SiTora and other title's like Hantu Jerangkung and Hantu Kubor. None from that generation went gaga or violent right? This is your father's generation ok? It was the time when going to a horror movie is just another night's outing. What was okay for them is now not okay for us.
Check out the ad below - it's the Straits Times - the date? September 1, 1957 - it's the first day of Independance - it's Merdeka day.
Check out what premiered at the Odeon and Cathay Cinemas - right it's Dendam Pontianak starring the great Maria Menado. So, if this horror movie is good enough for the now free Malayans, why not now? Was tahyul and superstition okay in 1957 and taboo in 2008?Now maybe you're wondering why I'm jerking around when the cinemas are full of horror movies since about sux years ago. Yes yes I know. Since Shuhaimi Baba's Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam, there's been a non-stop screening of Malay horror films - Mistik, Waris Jari Hantu, Puaka Tebing Biru, Zombie Kampung Pisang (to name just a few) and the big one - Ahmad Idham's Jangan Pandang Belakang. So what am I bitching about?
Well, unknown to many (because there has been an 'overkill' in production of such movies) there is an underground swell to once again start banning such films.
Maybe it's also the fault of local film and TV producers who have been churning out bad horror rip-offs. Imagine on TV, there's Anak Pontianak, there's Saka, there's Ghosts and there's Susuk amongst others. Including my own Bilik No. 13.
There's a claim that the violence in our society - the horrible murders, kidnappings and histeria break outs in schools - are the direct result of these TV series and movies. There is a movement out to ban such series - good ones and bad ones.
So I hope fans of local horror movies come out in numbers to write in and tell the powers that be that the horror genre is welcomed.
Whilst I hope that such freedom still exists for film directors and producers - I hope the quality and the creativity of filmmakers improve in time - so that artistic merit overwhelms content quality. Which is why I am looking forward to James Lee's Histeria.
Anyway, for those who enjoy such fare - write in to the mainstream press - tell them you like and enjoy such series or films - because the press are prone to printing only letters from self-proclaimed moral guardians, that condemn such fare.
If we lose this battle, our cinema will never win the fight against other taboos - taboos like sex and political content - genres that have not yet been touched by filmmakers.
For horror fans, enjoy the little VCD movie I did about 7 years ago entitled Histeria (sorry James). It's a cheap horror anthology based on a theater play I did entitled Hantu-Hantu Yang Saya Kenali which was staged at the national Museum about 8 years ago. It's not one of my better works, but it did star an old dear friend - the late Hani Mohsin. Someone posted it on Youtube. The lipsynching on some of the chapters is off, so bear with it. Maybe, sometime soon, I will post the best of Bilik no.13. Enjoy.
Histeria Part 1
HIsteria Part 2
Histeria Part 3
Histeria Part 4
Histeria Part 5
Histeria Part 6
Histeria Part 7
Histeria Part 8
Histeria Part 9
Histeria Part 10
Histeria Part 11
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Bilik No. 13 - the series
Guess it's time for me to plug my TV series - Bilik No. 13. Its now in its fourth week already. Today's episode was the final part of the duyong legend (not one of my personal favourite episodes). The TV series also mark the directorial debut of my son Abadi who directed a few of the episodes and most of the links. Its on every Thursday night at 9pm Malaysian time on Tv2. For overseas viewers you can catch the series online on this website (www.um.com.my) - it has the best TV2 live streaming. For those not familiar with Bahasa Malaysia, there's English subtitles. For those who are interested, my favourite episodes include the ones about mutant leeches, a deadly mist, a wayward hand, a kampung couple with an interesting secret and an old kebaya. A funny episode - catch the one about the doll (my nod to Chucky - kampung style).
For those who expected this series to be pure horror - please note that its not a horror series per se. It is an ode to One Step Beyond and the Twilight Zone - a series that cover the fantastic, sci-fiction and some paranormal stuff. Catch it. Comments are more than welcomed. Below is the promo trailer.
For those who expected this series to be pure horror - please note that its not a horror series per se. It is an ode to One Step Beyond and the Twilight Zone - a series that cover the fantastic, sci-fiction and some paranormal stuff. Catch it. Comments are more than welcomed. Below is the promo trailer.
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