A lone hunter wanders the jungle. A sister and brother meet a strange girl in the forest who comes bearing bloody revelations. A wise old woman from the hill across the river warns of ill omens in the stones. It is everything “dark” retellings of fairytales wish they could be. It is Roh, a recent folk horror film out of Malaysia.

Roh focuses on a family of three, a single mother (Farah Ahmad), daughter Along (Mhia Farhana), and son Angah (Harith Harziq). All around them is wild jungle, the nearest village through the jungle and across the river. Though her children have given up on seeing him again, Mak holds out hope that her husband will one day return, and she’ll no longer be alone, the only adult for miles around.

While checking their traps one day, Along and Angah find a deer hanging impossibly from a tree, and a little girl caked in filth and clutching a knife. They bring the girl (Putri Qaseh) home, helping her get cleaned up. She doesn’t speak, but gratefully accepts the food, water, and help offered to her. Mak tells the story of a ghostly hunter who stalks the jungle, his soul unable to rest until he finds his quarry. And then the girl speaks, and, in the dead of night, cuts her own throat. Then the sky rains stones.

In the morning, the family cleans the house and lays the body to rest. They are then met by Tok (June Lojong), an old woman who lives alone near the village. Her presence comforts Mak, and the two quickly become friends. All seems as though it could be turning around. Until the hunter appears.

“Roh” is the Malay word for “soul,” and much of the tension in the movie lies in the central family not knowing who around them is truly human, and who is a soulless conjuration of the treacherous jungle around their home. The tiny cast, six characters in all, drives home how vast the jungle is, and how ultimately helpless humans are in the face of pure evil. Roh is based on Islamic spirituality, but is definitely more folk horror than religious horror, and non-Muslim audiences can easily enjoy it. I did, at least.

For a cast that is 50% child actors, the acting is almost surprisingly good, with all three kids balancing the innocent/creepy dichotomy very well. Massive trigger warning for child death/self-harm, though. If you struggle with depictions of those, steer clear of this one; the great acting is a double-edged sword.

I think Roh stumbles a little in the final act, but it salvages itself well. For fans of films like The Vvitch looking to expand their palette internationally, Roh is well worth a watch.

9 out of 10