A horror comedy, ‘Suzzanna: Buried Alive’ does not take itself too seriously and audiences should approach it with the same mentality and will enjoy its silliness and campiness.
read more
‘Suzzanna: Buried Alive’ is a tribute to the late Indonesian actress, Suzzanna Martha Frederika van Osch, who was famous during her time for being a scream queen, having acted in many iconic Indonesian horror films.
‘Buried Alive’ is, in fact, based on the Suzzanna’s famous 1981 horror film ‘Sundel Bolong’, in which Suzzanna played the sundel bolong, a vengeful female spirit who had died whilst pregnant.
Indonesian model-actress Luna Maya plays Suzzanna, who recently discovers that she’s pregnant. Her husband leaves town on a work trip and three burglars break into her house and end up attacking and accidentally impaling, but not killing, Suzzanna. Nevertheless, they bury Suzzanna alive, who then returns from the dead as a sundel bolong to exact her revenge.
Fans of Suzzanna Osch will definitely enjoy the homage to her and her films. The cinematography and production design harken back to the old Indonesian horror films of the 80s, even Maya’s acting, which is intentionally melodramatic and over-the-top. Maya has also undergone extensive prosthetics and makeup sessions to the extent that she looks remarkably like Suzzanna herself.
Admittedly, despite its billing as a horror film, ‘Buried Alive’ has more laughs than scares. The source of comedy is the trio of domestic helpers who work at Suzzanna’s house. Their reactions and one-liners are comedic gold and never fails to get a laugh. A horror comedy, ‘Suzzanna: Buried Alive’ does not take itself too seriously and audiences should approach it with the same mentality and will enjoy its silliness and campiness.
read less