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Typically, I've had my fill of apocalyptic horror. Although favorites such as 28 Days Later along with the initial seasons of The Walking Dead were enjoyable, the genre seems largely exhausted nowadays. Even the highly anticipated 28 Years Later remains sitting in my watchlist for months. However, Netflix's new Southeast Asian horror film, The Elixir, succeeded in defy my expectations and proved quite enjoyable.

Excellent Rhythm and Character Development

One of this movie's strongest strengths is its superb pacing. It kicks off using a striking initial scene in which a peaceful family gathering gets suddenly disrupted when a van crashes into the seating section. Out of the van, a very zombie-like individual stumbles out proceeding attacking the partygoers. This intense scene is then succeeded by a flashback, allowing us to see the family prior to the disaster occurred.

Unlike numerous undead movies, The Elixir truly allows viewers enough opportunity to become acquainted with the primary personalities prior to the carnage begins. There's Nes, a wife and mother with a former best friend, Karina, is now married to Nes' father—an obviously uncomfortable situation. Naturally, this has predictably led to a rift between Nes and Karina. We also see her sibling, Bang, described as kind-hearted yet socially awkward, and he loves gaming alongside Nes' young son, Raihan. Her spouse, Rudi, appears to have lately cheated on Nes. This household head is Nes' father, who runs a well-known natural medicine company named Wani Waras, and he appears focused on only two things: his work and his wife to his daughter's ex-best friend. Unsurprisingly, this family reunion is extremely tense.

Invested in the Conflict

I found myself so invested with this family's dynamics along with their personal conflicts to the point I nearly forgot this was a scary movie—which might seem like a drawback, but in the end paid off. The Elixir spends a considerable portion of its runtime to showing us the identity of every family member represents, plus the ways they add to the general turmoil. This focus on clashing traits enabled me to connect to the personalities sufficiently to care about their outcome—a rare accomplishment for this style that often presents individuals just to kill them off shortly afterwards. The Elixir doesn't treat its characters as flat, disposable victims for an army of zombies to devour, thus it's a real surprise when things eventually go wrong.

Evocative of Parasite

The opening scenes from the gathering and various household exchanges in fact bring to mind the film Parasite, a story that masquerades like a Korean drama with slightly dark humor before taking an abrupt turn into "holy shit" ground. These early moments don't focus as much on comedy compared to Parasite, yet The Elixir still gives enough time to immerse in its world prior to it gets turned upside down.

Unique Zombification Origin

This movie also offers a quite intriguing reason for the source of the contagious zombification. Rather than a unintended laboratory incident or some sort of biological weapon, the source for this infectious condition stems from a new batch from Wani Waras herbal remedies created by Nes' father. While we do learn something regarding its origins, I wish the movie devoted a little more focus on how Wani Waras transitioned from a trusted purveyor of natural treatments to creating a deadly elixir that appears to contain a highly contagious virus. Despite the lack of context, the impact this affliction has on humans proves absolutely disgusting, and I love it. The Elixir's undead are fast, freaky-looking, and, perhaps worst of all, constantly grinning. This represents a daring decision, but it works. The Elixir's physical effects and CGI also appear very convincing, and are practically certain to trigger a fear of holes.

Capable Personalities

More impressive than the disgusting scenes is the cast themselves. Certainly, we see a few instances of questionable decision-making (like any any good undead film), but for the most part, Nes and her family are resourceful and quick-thinking. Additionally, they don't hesitate to strike an undead in the head, pierce it with a pitchfork, or beat it on the skull with whatever heavy object is available rather than standing still like prey in headlights while danger approaches.

Realistic Family Strike

The Elixir doesn't drop its themes on family conflict once individuals start turning into zombies, which was a pleasantly realistic subversion from the "We don't get along|"We have issues, but since you nearly died so I instantly pardon you for all your mistakes!" cliché frequently used in apocalyptic movies. Obviously, Nes cares for her family and cares about her spouse, Rudi, yet it's equally apparent she's still clinging to bitterness over his betrayal in their relationship. Once the household gets separated, they decide via telephone to meet up at a nearby location. However, once Bang reveals he doesn't know the way to the location, Nes unleashes an immense level of irritation on her brother that's clearly been building over time. Nes is not perfect, and her relatives—flawed as it is—seem realistic and understandable since the movie avoids attempting to push the notion that nearly dying immediately resolves family tensions. This causes the moments where these individuals do show gratitude for each other seem far more sincere.

Predictable Conclusion

In spite of The Elixir's best attempts to innovate, the conclusion is admittedly somewhat formulaic. The Elixir doesn't truly offering up any deep insight about family or community, either. Instead, it's primarily delivering frights. Yet these are successful frights, and because the film gives each character sufficient space to develop and avoids penalizing them for their imperfections, the result is an engaging and enjoyable