Another crazy Indonesian Ghost story….set on what I’m told is an actual haunted island somewheres in the East Indies……“Pulau Hantu” is the latest on Neko’s list of DVD acquisitions from Malaysia. Is it a creepy lil’ scarefest or the worst piece of crap to ever sneak outta Indonesia? Lets find out!!

So our story begins pretty much the way one might expect……eight over-indulged, well-to-do 20 somethings are out for a trip on one of the boy’s daddy’s powerboat when a frantic phone call threatens to cut their little trip short….but fear not! While roaring about the high seas without a clue, they manage to end up close to an island resort where they can get dropped off and picked up later by the boat pilot. Sure they don’t know where they are…sure, they don’t have reservations……but they have daddy’s Plastic, and that’s all that matters. Serves daddy right for being such a stick in the mud anyway. Too bad this is the infamous “Pulau Hantu”, the “Ghost Island”……

If you are getting the idea that they protagonists are starting to tick your favorite Catgirl Princess off, you’d be right. They are a fairly annoying, self absorbed bunch of jerks that leave me without anybody to really root for…..(and that means for me to enjoy the movie, the ghost better get them but good!! Sigh…..I’m such a naughty wicked little catgirl at times…..hehehe!!) Truly though….these people are, well…..just not nice people. I couldn’t work up the least bit of sympathy for them and that’s pretty bad in and of itself. Usually there is at least ONE likeable character to get you to root for them once the terrible stuff starts happening. But not here.

Well….after throwing some money at the resort manager/ caretaker, they set themselves up for some fun in the sun activities, and as they are the ONLY guests, they pretty much have the run of the place….(Strangely enough…not a single one of them even asks why the luxurious resort is deserted…..not a bunch or rocket scientists here…)

Oh well…..they aren’t here for anything more than a bunch of beach volleyball….a little drinking and horseplay….and that’s about it….there’s just one catch. They get told right off the bat NOT to go anywhere near the north end of the island, it’s a dangerous tangled jungle full of bugs and snakes…..(and, of course, one reeeeeaaaallly pissed off ghost, but that gets unmentioned….) Naturally they don’t heed that simple request…….

There’s a scary deserted grave there belonging to the missing daughter of the crippled and bandage-headed owner of the resort….and it’s the job of the caretaker’s wife to drop by everyday to pray and leave an offering….seems that keeps the cranky spirit happy. That is, until the nosy kids and their noisy jet ski just have to go see what’s over there……Big mistake. It’s all downhill from there….

Well…the killings start…naturally the radio link to the outside world can only be operated by the caretaker who, along with his wife, gets his pretty quickly…after that it’s death after grisly death, with the fanged, gape-mouthed spirit chasing them all around the resort until the last couple manage to row out to the powerboat upon it’s return. Let’s just say they still don’t manage to get away and leave it at that.

Not a bad movie….just not a great one. No real surprises are held within, but then it’s at least a tolerable effort that would have been better with at least a single character or two that a viewer might actually want to survive…..

Neko gives this one a borderline 3 “Meows” out of 5 for not screwing up a well-worn formula tooooo badly. (But then this one sure ain’t as cool as “Kuntilanak”…..sigh….)

And of course, I’d never leave you without a Trailer…..courtesy of Youtube.