Director: Joko Anwar
Year: 2026
Country: Indonesia/South Korea
Alternate Titles: Hantu Dalam Sel
Genre: Ghosts; Horror/Comedy
Plot:
After being sent to prison, a former writer locked up for the murder of his editor finds a connection between several local deaths in the prison and a corrupt warden and his guards, and tries to get several other inmates who believe him to find a way to expose the ghost culprit behind the murders.
Review:
Overall, this was a rather strong and generally effective feature. Among the biggest factors going for this one is the immensely likable and incredibly tangent political commentary taking place in this kind of setup, as everything here comes together quite well. The way the prison is constructed, offering a timely view of local Indonesian society and the way that the corrupt overlook everything for their sake and pass the blame onto the poor working class however they can, is a great touch that helps to cast everything in the prison as an analogue for being outside the prison. With the various cliques and protection rackets going on to protect the wealthy guards who are looking for ways to sweep everything aside so as not to draw attention to the matter, the tyrannical guards willing to beat their way through anyone and anything they think is a threat to their way of life lording over everyone, and turning everything off as a form of control to keep everyone preoccupied while something else happens around them.
With this social system in place, the film manages to go for a series of effective and chilling ghost attacks that are quite a lot of fun. The opening scene, getting the reporter into the prison by showing the attack on his boss where he gets impaled by the still-operating ceiling fan, sets the tone for the kind of content to be found here, which makes for a lot to like. The ghost scenes set everything up as immensely fun, working with the kind of creepy imagery and terrifying concept of bringing in a ghostly doppelganger to torture and dismember a person based on how much negative aura they exhibit, giving this some immensely terrifying sequences. From the first big attack in the show where the victim is dismembered and reassembled to form a grotesque piece of architecture added to a shower faucet, a cook sliced to pieces to form a bizarre piece of cookware, or a victim twisted and broken while dancing in a room alone, there’s some genuinely likable and brutal sequences here showcasing the ferocity and creativity of the ghostly figure, all of which give this a lot to like.
There isn’t much to dislike, but this one does have some drawbacks. The main factor of this one is the immensely troublesome tone present here, where it’s not always as funny as it says it is, presenting this one with the kind of hit-or-miss comedic tone that can make this one quite hilarious or just plain irritating. The whole joke of the film relying on the idea of the inmates freaking out unnaturally at the sight of a dead body and overacting their reaction might be somewhat funny the first time based on the kind of direct action they’re involved in, but the joke wears out over time whenever it happens again, especially since it happens in front of the same people the same way. Very little about this changes what kind of jokes are presented here, and that also ties into some of the other jokes, since the exaggeration is a bit awkward at points and might allow for some issues. The only other slight issue here is the slightly overlong pace on display, where it’s way too long for what it tries to be, making this drag on somewhat when it doesn’t need to, and lower this one just slightly.
Overview: ****/5
An exceptionally fun and gruesome ghost movie, there’s quite a lot to enjoy with this one more than expected, and it holds up rather nicely against a few minor drawbacks that don’t impact it much anyway. Those with an appreciation for this kind of genre fare, who are curious about it, or who are fans of the creative crew will have a lot to like here, while most others might want to heed caution.
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