Suzzanna, c 1963, Tati Photo Studio - Before restoration

Indonesian horror are the films of the horror genre produced by the Indonesian film industry. Often inspired by local folklore, Indonesian horror films have been produced in the country since the 1960s. After a hiatus during the Suharto era in the 1990s when censorship affected production, Indonesian horror films continued being produced following ''Reformasi'' in 1998.

History

Ghosts A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...

and magical folklore have long been part of

Indonesian culture The culture of Indonesia has been shaped by long interaction between original indigenous customs and multiple foreign influences. Indonesia is centrally-located along ancient trading routes between the Far East, South Asia and the Middle East, r ...

. These later influenced the development of horror films.

Kuntilanak The Kuntilanak (Indonesian name), also called Pontianak (Malay name), is a mythological creature in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. It is similar to Langsuir in other Southeast Asia regions. The Pontianak usually takes the form of a pregnant ...

are particularly prominent in local horror films. During the authoritarian New Order regime under President

Suharto Suharto (; ; 8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian army officer and politician, who served as the second and the longest serving president of Indonesia. Widely regarded as a military dictator by international observers, Suharto ...

, many horror films included religious symbolism and heroes to adhere to strict guidelines from

censors Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...

. The Ministry Information under

Ali Murtopo Ali Murtopo (23 September 1924 – 15 May 1984) was a prominent Indonesian general and political figure during the first half of General Suharto's New Order regime. Early life Ali Murtopo was born on 23 September 1924 in Kebumen, Central Ja ...

required that Indonesian films at the time had to follow strict moral and ethical guidelines, meaning many horror films juxtaposed violence and sexuality with religious heroes and themes. Thomas Barker has argued that films produced after 1998 in Indonesia have been particularly shaped by what he described as the residual "trauma" of violence under the preceding New Order era under President Suharto.

Suzzanna Suzzanna Martha Frederika van Osch (13 October 1942 – 15 October 2008), was an Indonesian actress. Known as the "queen of Indonesian horror", she is well known in particular in Indonesia for portraying spirits, witches, and other supernatural ...

was a major film star in the 1970s and 1980s for her work in horror films. She appeared in 42 films before her death in 2008, including , and ''Sundel Bolong''. Indonesian horror films, particularly the work of

Joko Anwar Joko Anwar (born 3 January 1976) is an Indonesian film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. Prior to becoming a filmmaker, he worked as a journalist and film critic. Anwar first rose to prominence for co-writing Nia Dinata's 2003 hit ' ...

, attracted heightened international attention in the late 2010s, aided by

streaming services An over-the-top media service is a streaming media service offered directly to viewers via the Internet. OTT bypasses cable, broadcast, and satellite television platforms, the companies that traditionally act as a controller or distributors of s ...

. Some outlets declared films like ''

Impetigore ''Impetigore'' ( id, Perempuan Tanah Jahanam, lit=Woman of the damned land) is a 2019 Indonesian horror film written and directed by Joko Anwar. The film stars Tara Basro, Marissa Anita, Christine Hakim, Asmara Abigail, and Ario Bayu. The fil ...

'' (2019) as part of a new wave of

folk horror Folk horror is a subgenre of horror film that uses elements of folklore to invoke fear and foreboding. Typical elements include a rural setting, isolation, and themes of superstition, folk religion, paganism, sacrifice and the dark aspects of natu ...

films from

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

. ''

'' was Indonesia's submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film in its year of release and attracted international recognition, but was not nominated.

HBO Asia HBO Asia is the Asian division of HBO, based out of Singapore. It was originally launched on 1 May 1992 as MovieVision, later rebranding on 1 June 1995 to its current name after being purchased by Home Box Office, Inc. The Singapore-based broad ...

also released Indonesian-developed horror television series ''

Halfworlds ''Halfworlds'' is a dark fantasy thriller television series produced and created by HBO Asia. Set in present-day Southeast Asia, the series reveals an underground society populated by demons from Asian folklore across the region. The first seaso ...

''.

Notable films

*''

Badai-Selatan ''Badai-Selatan'' is a 1962 Indonesian horror film directed by Sofia W. D. It was entered into the 12th Berlin International Film Festival. Cast * W.D. Mochtar * Sukarno M. Noor Soekarno M. Noor ( Perfected Spelling: Sukarno M. Noor; Septe ...

'' (1962) * (1971) *''

Mystics in Bali ''Mystics in Bali'' (originally released as ''Leák'') is a 1981 Indonesian supernatural horror film directed by H. Tjut Djalil. Based on the novel ''Leák Ngakak'' by Putra Mada, the film stars Ilona Agathe Bastian, Yos Santo, Sofia W.D., and ...

'' (1981) *'' Sundelbolong'' (1981) * ''Satan's Slave'' (1981) *''

Lady Terminator ''Lady Terminator'' ( id, Pembalasan Ratu Pantai Selatan, lit=Revenge of the South Sea Queen) is a 1988 Indonesian horror-fantasy action film directed by H. Tjut Djalil, also credited under the pseudonym of Jalil Jackson. The film stars Barbara ...

'' (1988) *'' Pancasona'' (1989) * '' Jelangkung'' (2001) * '' Kafir (film)'' (2002) * ''Kuntilanak'' (2006) *''

Kuntilanak 3 ''Kuntilanak 3'' (English: The Chanting 3) is an Indonesian horror film directed by Rizal Mantovani. The film is the third in a trilogy, preceded by ''Kuntilanak'' and ''Kuntilanak 2''. The film stars Julie Estelle, Imelda Therinne and Laudya Cyn ...

'' (2008) * ''Macabre'' (2009) *''

The Forbidden Door ''The Forbidden Door'' ( id, Pintu Terlarang) is a 2009 Indonesian psychological thriller film written and directed by Joko Anwar based on Sekar Ayu Asmara's novel of the same name. Despite disappointing box office receipts in Indonesia, the fi ...

'' (2009) *'' Shackled'' (2012) *''

Ritual A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed according to a set sequence. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community. Rituals are characterized, b ...

'' (2012) *'' Hi5teria'' (2012) *'' Killers'' (2014) *''

Firegate ''Firegate'' is an Indonesian adventure horror film about a mysterious pyramid in Gunung Padang. The film was produced and written by Robert Ronny and directed by Rizal Mantovani. Cast * Reza Rahadian as Tomo Gunadi * Julie Estelle as Arni Kum ...

'' (2016) *'' Danur'' (2017) *''

Satan's Slaves ''Satan's Slaves'' ( id, Pengabdi Setan) is a 2017 Indonesian gothic horror film written and directed by Joko Anwar. It is a loose remake- prequel to the 1980 film of the same name directed by Sisworo Gautama Putra based on a story by Subagio ...

'' (2017) *'' The 3rd Eye'' (2017) *''

'' (2018) *'' Suzzanna: Buried Alive'' (2018) *''

Sabrina Sabrina may refer to: * Sabrina (given name), a feminine given name, including a list of persons and fictional characters with the name People * Sabrina (actress), stage name of Norma Ann Sykes (1936–2016), a British glamour model and actres ...

'' (2018) *'' Danur 2: Maddah'' (2018) *''

May the Devil Take You ''May the Devil Take You'' ( id, link=no, Sebelum Iblis Menjemput) is a 2018 Indonesian horror film written and directed by Timo Tjahjanto. The story follows Alfie (Chelsea Islan) who, when trying to find answers to her father's (Ray Sahetapy) mys ...

'' (2018) *''

'' (2019) *''

The Queen of Black Magic ''The Queen of Black Magic'' ( id, Ratu Ilmu Hitam) is a 2019 supernatural horror film directed by Kimo Stamboel and written by Joko Anwar. The film is a loose remake of the 1981 Indonesian horror film of the same name also produced by Rapi Film ...

'' (2019) *''

The 3rd Eye 2 ''The 3rd Eye 2'' ( id, Mata Batin 2) is a 2019 Indonesian horror film directed by Rocky Soraya and written by Riheam Junianti and Rocky Soraya, and is the sequel to '' The 3rd Eye'' from 2017 made by the same director and writers. Plot The s ...

'' (2020) *''

May the Devil Take You Too ''May the Devil Take You Too'' ( id, link=no, Sebelum Iblis Menjemput Ayat 2, lit=''Before the Devil Picked up: Verse Two''), also referred to as ''May the Devil Take You: Chapter Two'', is a 2020 horror-fantasy film directed and written by Timo T ...

'' (2020) *''

Affliction Affliction or Afflicted may refer to: Books * ''Affliction'' (novel), a 2013 Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter novel by Laurell K. Hamilton * ''Affliction'', a novel by Russell Banks, basis of the 1998 film Film and TV * ''Affliction'' (1997 film), ...

'' (2021) *'' KKN di Desa Penari'' (2022) *'' Ivanna'' (2022) *'' Satan's Slaves 2: Communion'' (2022) *'' Qodrat'' (2022) *'' Sewu Dino'' (2023) *'' May the Devil Take You: Chapter 3'' (2023)

Notable directors

Sisworo Gautama Putra Sisworo Gautama Putra (May 26, 1938 – January 5, 1993) was an Indonesian film director and screenwriter, best known for his work in the horror film genre. Biography Born in Kisaran in North Sumatra, Sisworo trained as a director in 1961. In 19 ...

* Tjut Djalil *

The Mo Brothers The Mo Brothers is an Indonesian filmmaking duo consisting of directors, producers, and screenwriters Timo Tjahjanto and Kimo Stamboel. They have mostly worked on the action, thriller, and horror genres. They first became known for directing t ...

(

Kimo Stamboel Kimo Stamboel (born Mochammad Maliki Stamboel on 25 June 1980) is an Indonesian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is known for his works on the horror genres both as himself and also as part of The Mo Brothers with friend Timo Tjahj ...

and

Timo Tjahjanto Timo Tjahjanto (; born Timothy Tjahjanto; 4 September 1980) is an Indonesian film director, producer, and screenwriter known for his works on the horror and action genres. Tjahjanto runs the film production company Merah Production. Apart from ...

) *

Highest-grossing horror film

Other media

Video games

Examples of Indonesian horror games based on folklore story, such as ''

DreadOut ''DreadOut'' is a survival horror video game from independent developer Digital Happiness for Microsoft Windows, Linux, and OS X. A port for PlayStation 4 was announced but never released. The story is about a group of high school students i ...

'' and ''Pamali: Indonesian Folklore Horror''

References

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