MALAYSIA'S first horror film to win at the 17th Malaysian Film Festival in 1987 was Rahsia directed by Othman Hafsham.
It starred the late Shukery Hashim and Noor Kumalasari as a couple who move into a haunted house by the seaside, and see one of their children abducted by supernatural forces.
The iconic movie has a remake that's directed by Hafsham's son Shamyl Othman and will be screened in cinemas next Thursday.
The new Rahsia is written by Alfie Palermo of One Cent Thief fame and stars Nabila Huda Suhaimi, Fikry Ibrahim, Eman Manan, Marsha Milan Londoh, Rashidi Ishak, Qistina Raisah, Syed Ali Murtadha, Mislina Mustaffa, Aloy Paradoks, Nabil Zakaria and Susan Lankester plus a special guest appearance by Hafsham.
CONTEMPORARY TOUCH
"I've always enjoyed my father's version of Rahsia and grew up watching it. Ever since I became a filmmaker I have asked if I could do an updated version of this iconic movie," said Shamyl at the launch of Rahsia at Dadi Cinema in The Pavilion Kuala Lumpur shopping centre recently.
He added that it took some time to persuade his father to say "yes", and when he shared his ideas for the updated version of Rahsia a year ago, Hafsham gave his son the green light.
Shamyl said: "The younger generation might not know much about the original Rahsia, so I have decided to give it a contemporary take to reintroduce it to young cinemagoers.
"Each Rahsia has its merits and I'd love to see viewers watch the original as well as this one."
Shamyl said that he had always wanted award-winning Nabila play the heroine Ramlah made famous by Noor.
"Nabila shines in any role that she is given. I loved her in Munafik and Mama, so she is ideal as Ramlah," said Shamyl, likening Ramlah to JoBeth Williams' character Diane Freeling in the 1982 horror film Poltergeist.
Filming took place over a month in February 2020, around Pulau Carey in Kuala Langat, Selangor.
"We have a deeper exploration of how parents cope with the loss or disappearance of their child this time.
"Even though it is a horror story, at the end of the day it is a story of family values and it shows how parents sacrifice themselves to save their children," said Shamyl, adding that he was delighted that Rahsia was not "cut" by the Film Censorship Board.
RELATABLE ROLES
Nabila said she was honoured to play Ramlah as she had always admired the "super mum" character.
"I would liken her to Aini, my character in Mama which was screened three years ago. Aini fights to avenge her young daughter's tragic death, while Ramlah fights to save her son, Saiful, from evil forces within her house," she said.
"Ramlah is the strong and fearless mum I look up to. Together with Aini, she is the strongest character I have ever played."
Fikry, who is starring in his first leading role on the big screen, said that it was not easy to fill in the shoes of the late Shukery, who originally played the hero, Hamdan.
"This version of Hamdan is a brilliant academician who does not believe in the supernatural. At first, he thinks his wife is depressed as a result of their son's disappearance, but gradually he starts believing."
The RM3-million Rahsia, a joint production of Astro Shaw and Five Star Trading, is about Hamdan and Ramlah who visit the seaside bungalow of her father, Tan Sri Karim, during the school holidays of their children, Marina and Saiful.
One day, Saiful goes missing during a seaside picnic and even though police believe the boy was kidnapped, Ramlah is convinced that her son has been "taken" by a malevolent female spirit and is determined to confront her and save him.
dchua@nst.com.my
