Khadam: Another beacon of hope for the local film industry

HORROR. A favourite and yet relatively niche genre for filmmakers. Some succeed tremendously in pursuing them while many just ‘fill the void’ testing their luck and the market. 

And as a fan of horror flicks, I always look forward to regional and local ones since they give different perspectives on how movie makers capture the attention of fans of the supernatural and ‘unexplained’.    

Enter ‘Khadam’, the latest local scary movie to meet our Malaysian audience which received mostly positive reviews from those who had the chance to catch the exclusive premiere recently.

The movie is a familiar depiction of Malay beliefs regarding the practice of keeping or harboring an ‘heirloom spirit’ more commonly known as ‘saka’ in Malay. 

The film’s title ‘Khadam’ however means servant or helper in Malay and Arabic which refers to the ‘heirloom spirit’ in the movie, who is immediately ‘introduced’ to viewers at the very beginning of the film. 

From the get-go, Khadam tells the tale of Melor, a young mute mother who lives in the woods far from urban civilisation in old Malaya circa 1957, during the nation’s independence era. She is shown preparing for her dying mother’s demise accompanied by the presence of her two children namely Puteh, her eldest daughter and Hitam her youngest son. 

However her preparation for her mother’s death is interrupted as her mother’s eerie-looking heirloom spirit enters their typical traditional wooden Malay home. 

According to Malay lore, these heirloom spirits are reared by their master (usually a matriarch) and is passed down to their children (usually daughters) and preceding female family members to continue ‘helping or assisting’ them in their daily activities for the rest of their lives. They are also capable of disguising as their masters leading to other mishaps and trickery.

The spirits are said to not only aid in daily chores but also ‘protect’ them from harm and enemies, including other supernatural rivals or entities. Nevertheless, the master can only pass down the heirloom if the daughter ‘accepts’ it, for the spirit needs to be ‘cared for’ and ‘fed’ by their respective masters through specific rituals involving food offerings and quite commonly human or animal blood.

Melor initially refuses to accept the ‘khadam’ causing her mother to have a very difficult and painful death. After she personally buries her own mother, the master-less spirit continues to linger and terrorises her small family every day, indicating that it needs to be fed and cared for.

Unable to withstand the continuous torment from the supernatural entity, Melor hesitantly performs the rites she was taught by her late-mother and ‘feeds’ the spirit with the prepared offerings.

It is from this moment that the plot starts to thicken and invites viewers to a rollercoaster ride of tastefully placed jump scares and drama.

As the tale unfolds, viewers will appreciate the little artistic shots and details as the movie has a beautiful cinematic aesthetic. Yet, the strongest message that came across from the film (for this writer at least) was the values of family and the bond between a mother and her children. 

Beneath the suspense and the scream of the audience who were startled by the sudden appearances of the fear-mongering spirit, it is the simple lessons of love and faith that holds the movie together. 

The tale also highlights the common cliches faced by many societies like the challenges of managing household finances and domestic abuse, among others.

All this is further enhanced through the clever screenplay written by Fariza Azlina Isahak that should keep viewers glued to the screen, making audiences not wanting to miss any scene, ensuring a clear understanding of the storyline.

Applause must also be given to the director Shamyl Othman who succeeded in guiding the extremely talented cast for convincingly giving life to their roles. 

Indonesia’s trending ‘Scream Queen’ Aghniny Haque who assumes the coveted role of Melor deserves the most fan screams for her astounding performance throughout the show. Despite not uttering a single word during the entire story, she victoriously commanded presence on screen playing a mute mother who would do anything for the love of her family and children.

Coupled with the brilliant acting of Malaysia’s adored leading man Remy Ishak, rising star Siti Khadijah Halim as well as Jun Lojong and the unexpectedly very talented child stars Zarra Zhaf and her real-life brother Karl’ El, Khadam shows that there is more than a glimmer of hope for the Malaysian film industry. It sparks like a true local beacon and is something that Malaysians should be very proud of.  Kudos to the production team and here’s hoping that we will see more of such well-crafted offerings.

Khadam is currently showing in all Malaysian cinemas starting June 11.