Directed by Dain Said, Blood Flower is an out-and-out gore horror with a below-average plot and cheap scares. The film is centered around the life of Iqbal, a teenager struggling to live a normal life. Iqbal had the special ability to see spirits and demons, just like his mother. Dina used her special power to help heal the possessed bodies. On one such occasion, during an exorcism, Dina lost her life. Iqbal sensed danger and warned his parents to avoid the plan, but they did not listen to him. He blamed himself for the death of his mother and considered his special abilities a curse. He wanted to live an ordinary life, but the lingering spirits made it impossible for him.
Spoiler Alert
Who Lived In The Greenhouse?
Dina’s sudden death left the family scarred. Even though Norman was devastated, he had to get back to his job. Norman worked as a masseuse, and his neighbor, Jamil, called him for a session. Jamil sympathized with Norman’s situation and offered him a side job. Jamil had built a greenhouse in one of the apartments, and he asked Norman to look after it for two weeks. Jamil dabbled in the illegal trade, and he was proud of his collection of exotic plants. Before leaving, he warned Norman to never open the sealed door to a room. Iqbal was in awe of the plants in the greenhouse. He stole the key to the apartment and entered with his friends, Ali, Bob, and Ah Boy. His little sister, Yaya, also accompanied the group.
Even though Iqbal warned his friends not to open the door, Ali and Bob did not care. They wanted to prove how daring they were, and they stripped the mantra paper stuck on the door. Bob and Ali stamped on the piece of paper, and the door suddenly opened. Clearly, the mantra paper had kept the door locked over the years, and once it was removed, the demon inside awoke. The room was empty, but Iqbal could see blood dripping from the nail on the wall. Even though there was a bulb hanging in the center of the room, a black presence could be seen. A demon resided in the locked room, but who was it?
From the moment the door was opened, Iqbal and his friends could hear a woman weeping throughout the night. A local priest had tied down Iqbal’s power after Norman witnessed his son’s restlessness, but Iqbal continued to see the spirits around him. Through the course of Blood Flower, we find out that the demon living in the room was a Hantu Raya. Dubbed the “great ghost,” it is believed to be a humanoid with red eyes and a power evil spirit in general. During the ending of Blood Flower, we find out that Hantu Raya arrived at Jamil’s place through the flower he brought from Sumatra.
Who Was Farah? What Did She Want?
When the Hantu Raya came to Jamil’s place from Sumatra, it was searching for its master. Jamil’s elder daughter, Farah, used to tend to the plants, and the “great ghost” chose her to become his master. In Blood Flower, we found out that Farah had gone missing for eight years, and her mother continued to wait for her to return home. Ah Boy (Narul) was Farah’s younger sister, and she was often troubled watching her mother, Anna, get emotional thinking about her elder daughter. Jamil (Ah Boy’s father) did not divorce Anna, but he continued to live in separation.
During the ending of Blood Flower, we find out the truth behind Farah’s sudden disappearance. Farah died eight years ago, and Jamil was responsible for it. Jamil was a monster of a man who had an incestuous relationship with his own daughter. When Farah got pregnant and was about to deliver, he refused to take her to the hospital. Her condition kept getting worse with time, but Jamil was hellbent on keeping his sins hidden behind the four walls. As Farah screamed in pain, the Hantu Raya spoke for its master. Once Jamil found out that a spirit was living inside Farah, he became barbaric. He pulled out a sword, and after ripping apart her body, he slashed her throat. Jamil chopped off the body and hid it in the greenhouse with the help of his brother, and the fetus was stored in a hole in the wall.
Jamil handed his mother the mantra paper that he received from a Sumatran Batak shaman. From that day on, the Hantu Raya lived in the locked greenhouse room. Upon being released, it desperately searched for a body to possess and ended up targeting Ah Boy. Iqbal transferred the spirit into his body, and using prayers and spells, he managed to bring it under control. The Hantu Raya wanted to punish Jamil, and it repeatedly asked for him. After luring him with pictures of exotic flowers, Jamil returned home. Jamil realized that his dark secrets were out, and he tried to come up with an excuse. Hantu Raya took Jamil away to its demonic world; he was brutally murdered, and his body was dragged away.
Why Did Ah Boy’s Grandmother Commit Suicide?
Ah Boy’s grandmother witnessed Farah’s brutal murder. She could have stopped her son, but she did not. Popo stood silently and watched Jamil commit the heinous crime. She had begged Jamil to take Farah to the hospital, but her son refused to listen to her. She kept the truth from Anna and Ah Boy because Jamil had promised to harm them if she ever dared reveal the truth. Popo lived with the guilt of watching her son kill her granddaughter. Initially, in Blood Flower, we were left to wonder why Popo wanted Ah Boy to dress like a boy, but the ending explains the reason behind it. She wanted to make sure that her only granddaughter was safe from the hands of her father, and therefore, she wanted her to dress unattractively. The morning Popo saw the ghost of Farah, she knew that it was all over. Popo whispered to Iqbal, “We’ll be damned,” and those were her last words before committing suicide. Jamil mentioned the exact words to describe what would happen if the mantra paper was taken off the door. Popo knew what was going on, and she decided to end her life before the demon got hold of her.
How Did Iqbal Deal With The Demon?
After the demon (Hantu Raya) took Jamil into its world, it returned once again. Iqbal realized that it was important to lock down the demon once and for all. Norman advised Iqbal to close the portal (between the demon world and the human world) instead. Iqbal chanted prayers to contain the demon, and he successfully closed the portal. During Blood Flower‘s ending, Iqbal finally accepts that he is not meant to be a normal kid. He realized how important his special ability was and how he could help others using his power. We also find out that Yaya has been blessed by the same power as well. She, too, could see spirits, and she had a caring brother to help her guild through the sudden change.
