Carnivorous plants aren’t the only thing lurking in the corners of Blood Flower, Shudder’s first foray into Malaysian horror.
Poverty and superstition often go hand in hand – which can result in some surprisingly simple methods to deal with the supernatural. In China for example, many old buildings have a lip or step at the front entrance that could be viewed as a tripping hazard, and that’s exactly what they are, but they’re there to trip up spirits rather than people. While China is viewed as a world superpower, once you get out of the cities the difference in living standards and financial status is night and day. This is one of the primary reasons why there is such a huge split in China, with folk religions (Taoism and Confucianism for example) being the leading form of faith (and Atheism leading all other faiths combined).
Blood Flower encapsulates this perfectly but in a far more urban folk tale kind of way. We’re introduced to a family of exorcists where the mother (Nadiya Nisaa), and teenage son (Idan Aedan), have “the gift” of being able to see the dead, repel demons, and have premonitions of the future (even if these aren’t always immediately clear). When tragedy befalls the family, a local “plant collector” helps them out, and in return requests the father to look after his prized collection for two weeks … and it’s from here that we have our story.
There’s a an excellent film in Blood Flower that’s been left somewhere in the editing room, but the version we’ve got it is still a good film without ever raising above that.
There is an old adage when it comes to horror that simply states “Less is More”, and there are sections from the beginning of Blood Flower that could have done with taking this to heart because, in an attempt to show the “gift” both the mother and the teenager have, there’s “something” in nearly every corner, and behind every bush and tree. As this was only a short time into the film, the attempt at scares feels cheap and unearned – even though it continues for a good 15 to 20 minutes. It’s almost as if you can see the director (Dian Said), learn from this as the focus becomes less on what those with “the gift” (and a few others), can see, and more about loss, regret and how ills can come back to haunt not only us, but those around us.
It’s this shift that allows the film to breathe as performances and story are able to come to the fore. A sense of claustrophobia begins to take hold as we’re placed in a single location while the rest of the world becomes distant – only occasionally peeking in to catch up with certain characters and story points. Once this becomes more focused, the story manages to engage with far greater effect. No longer is the audience hand-fed answers, but instead a rather disturbing narrative begins to unfold, and just when you think you know where this is going, it turns sharply and heads in a completely new direction. That isn’t to say that these things make Blood Flower a classic by any measure, but given where it begins there’s a sense almost of relief that it finds its feet before the conclusion – despite all its disparate ideas.
There’s an excellent film in Blood Flower that’s been left somewhere in the editing room, but the version we’ve got is still a good film without ever rising above that. It suffers from trying too hard at the beginning, but rewards are there for those who are patient, and it’s those rewards that make it all worthwhile.
Blood Flower (Harum Malam) is out on Shudder UK tomorrow
Ben’s Archive – Blood Flower
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