# Roh (2019) Review: Malaysian Folk Horror at Its Bleakest > Roh is Emir Ezwan's spare Malaysian folk horror about a jungle family and a mysterious child, a slow-burning film of whispered omens and mounting dread. Canonical: https://celluloidscore.com/reviews/roh-2019-review/ Published: 2026-07-22 Last updated: 2026-09-24 Author: Kaiser Khan — Founder & Editor Language: English Review basis: direct-viewing Spoilers: none Rating: 4/5 ## Verdict Yes, with reservations. Patient horror fans will find it haunting and beautifully made; anyone wanting clear explanations or frequent scares may find it too opaque. ## Is Roh worth watching? **Yes, with reservations. Roh is one of the most distinctive horror films to come out of Southeast Asia in recent years, a lean, atmospheric folk tale that trades jump scares for a steadily tightening sense of doom.** Emir Ezwan makes a small cast, a single forest setting and a modest budget feel mythic. The reservation is that the film is deliberately elliptical: it explains little, moves slowly, and leaves some viewers more puzzled than frightened. ## What is Roh about? In a remote jungle at some unspecified point in the past, a mother lives with her two children, cut off from the world and getting by on what the forest provides. Their routine is broken by the arrival of a strange child, caked in mud, who seems to have come from nowhere and carries an unsettling message. More visitors follow, each offering warnings, advice or help that may not be what it seems, and the family is drawn into a struggle whose rules they can barely grasp. [Roh](https://celluloidscore.com/movies/roh-2019/) is written and directed by Emir Ezwan in his feature debut. It is a Malaysian production in Malay, runs a tight 82 minutes, and won Best Film and Best Director at the Festival Filem Malaysia, a rare honour for a genre film in the country's national awards. ## Dread built from silence and the forest Much of Roh's power comes from its restraint. Ezwan keeps dialogue sparse and lets the jungle do the talking: the rustle of undergrowth, the drip of rain, the sudden silences in which the birds seem to stop. The camera often holds still on the edge of the clearing, so that the audience is always scanning the trees for something that may or may not be there. The film's look matches its mood. Natural light, deep greens and the flicker of firelight give it a painterly, almost timeless quality, and the absence of modern detail places the story in the realm of folklore rather than history. When the horror does come, it is sudden and physical, all the more shocking for the stillness around it. ## Folklore without footnotes Roh draws on Malay supernatural belief and Islamic ideas about temptation and the end of days, but it does not stop to explain them. For viewers familiar with those traditions, the recurring symbols and warnings carry extra weight. For others, the film works as a primal story of a mother trying to protect her children from forces she cannot name, and of how fear makes people vulnerable to whoever claims to have answers. That moral dimension is what lifts it above a simple creature feature. The most frightening question in the film is not what lurks in the forest but whom the family should trust, and the performances, particularly the mother's growing desperation, give that question urgency. ## The price of ambiguity The film's commitment to mystery is also its main limitation. Several characters' motives stay deliberately unclear, some imagery is so symbolic that its meaning slips away, and the pacing in the middle section can feel static rather than tense. Viewers who need a clearly defined monster or mythology may leave frustrated, and the story's final stretch asks the audience to accept a bleak logic without much guidance. ## Who should watch Roh? It is best for fans of slow-burn folk horror and anyone curious about Southeast Asian genre cinema beyond the region's bigger commercial hits. At just over 80 minutes, it is an easy commitment. There are moments of strong violence and disturbing imagery involving children and animals, along with a pervasive sense of menace, so it is suited to adult viewers. If Roh gets under your skin: - [Munafik 2](https://celluloidscore.com/reviews/munafik-2-2018-review/), a more commercial Malaysian horror film steeped in religious themes and supernatural conflict. - [Bunohan](https://celluloidscore.com/reviews/bunohan-2012-review/), Dain Said's mythic Malaysian crime drama, which shares Roh's sense of folklore bleeding into reality. - More [horror films](https://celluloidscore.com/genres/horror/) for other stories that favour atmosphere over easy scares. ## The verdict Roh is a bold, beautifully controlled folk horror that proves how much dread a filmmaker can wring from silence, landscape and belief. Its opaque storytelling will divide audiences, but for viewers willing to meet it halfway, it is a haunting and memorable debut. **Rating: 4/5** ## Related title - [Roh (2019)](https://celluloidscore.com/movies/roh-2019/) ## Editorial - [Editorial standards](https://celluloidscore.com/about/editorial-policy/) - [Report a correction](https://celluloidscore.com/about/corrections/)