‘Penunggang Agama' official poster.
(Source: RojakDaily)

Skop Productions has revealed that they received a lot of positive feedback from fans locally for the film ‘Penunggang Agama,’ with the film's message capturing the attention of fans.

“Since its release, ‘Penunggang Agama’ has consistently ranked among the top 10 collections for a horror film on Astro First.

“I thank all fans for their support on Malaysia’s Largest Home Cinema, Astro First,” Raja Jastina Raja Arshad, the Vice President, Head of Astro Shaw & Nusantara said in an interview with RojakDaily.

However, Syafiq often sees the issue of ‘penunggang agama’ as a hot topic in society and it is still prevalent out there until now, as the main conflict for films starring Zul Ariffin, and also other A-list actors and actresses such as Nasir Billal Khan, Azira Shafinaz, Puteri Nurqaseh, Salina Saibi, Johan As'ari, Sabrina Ali and Datuk Jalaluddin Hassan managed to give the audiences restless nights and nightmares.

According to Syafiq, his deep interest in his work motivates him to always strive to make a difference in each film he produces.

More intriguingly, this is the first time Syafiq has directed a thriller-horror genre film with Islamic elements, bolstering his creative director portfolio.

“This time, I chose this genre with Islamic elements because the challenge is different, with a lot of references that I must make, especially when producing scripts and scenes.

“Apart from that, the conflict of ‘Penunggang Agama’ is very close to the community and I try to convey messages that I hope can be used as a lesson for all of us,” he said during the interview with Utusan Borneo.

Syafiq Yusof at the premiere of the film.
(Source: Malaysiakini)

Many points should be emphasized from Syafiq's speech at the premiere of the film 'Penunggang Agama,' particularly the recitation of Qur'an. As a result, all of these factors should not be overlooked because they can lead to sensitivity.

According to a big fan of Syafiq Yusof, Auni Jamaludin, 22, who recently watched this movie said, she can see that the producer of this film is trying to deliver positive messages that hopefully can be used as a lesson for the audience like herself.

This film has many lessons and more importantly, the director did not follow his brother’s storyline, Syamsul Yusof, who directed the same genre as the movie ‘Munafik’.

“The storyline is obviously different from his brother’s movie and ‘Penunggang Agama’ is such a great movie.

“I can simply say that from this film, we should not be easily deceived by external individuals who use religion for personal benefit,” she added.

She also said that horror movies are not valid without jump scares. Syafiq incorporates the element of jump scares in some scenes of the film, with the aim of making the audience feel shocked and scared.

“I'm not sure how the other audiences feel, but honestly, for me, 'Penunggang Agama' isn't terrible but overall, I am satisfied with the movie and I’ll give ‘Penunggang Agama’ a 4.5/5,” said Auni.

For those who still haven’t watched this movie, 'Penunggang Agama' is still available on Astro First (CH 480), Astro GO, and On Demand.

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