Synopsis
Hajar, whose due date is close, visits a remote mansion with her husband, Arshad, to take a rest. Suffering from nightmares caused by a traumatic event, she is protected by Mak Ju, a kind but questionable woman, and Nasir, a heavyset groundskeeper. However, her restful mansion stay also becomes a nightmare when a secret curse linked to the property is exposed. The Devil’s Deception is a mosaic of conventional horror movie elements: occult horror with an ominous demonic mood, a pregnant woman’s psychological fear, and the classic scapegoat. It may remind us of Rosemary’s Baby (1968), The Exorcist (1973), Satan’s Slaves (2017), or Impetigore (2019). Bhatia, as a veteran Malay director, has shown his skills in various genres. This time, he has proven his talent in the horror genre. (CHO Jaewhee)