HorrorBuku (2025) Review

HorrorBuku (2025) Review

A surreal tale about a horror author in California who finds a mysterious mask that compels him to write an intense new novel set in Malaysia. As the writing unfolds, reality gets scrambled, and soon he cannot tell where his story ends and the world around him begins.

HorrorBuku is the second film that director Eric Shapiro has presented to me for reviewing purposes this past month or so. His previous directorial effort – INTRUSIVE – proved to be a static affair that had its moments but lacked cohesion and despite the best efforts from all involved, it failed to hit the spot.

I am happy to report that this is not the case with HorrorBuku, which hits the ground running before taking a wee stumble in its second half. As with INTRUSIVE, it is by no means perfect, but it is a more solid flick. Its strong card is co-director Eric Shapiro’s performance as a troubled writer. Shapiro is immensely watchable and whenever he is onscreen HorrorBuku shines, however when the film shifts to fleshing out the words that his onscreen writer is typing there is a definite shift the dynamic and it does not play as well.

HorrorBuku is a film directed by two directors, both filming in different continents to produce one film that ends up being a film of two-halves. Shapiro’s sections are fun to watch, the horror story he is writing, not as much.