Dir. Joko Anwar · 2026 · 106 min · Indonesian, with subtitles · in cinemas in the US from 2 October
Dimas (Endy Arfian) is a journalist racing to finish an exposé on an illegal mining operation in the Borneo forest, one with powerful friends in government. Before he can publish, a colleague is killed, the blame lands on Dimas, and he is sent to a Jakarta prison. Not long after he arrives, inmates start dying in ways that look arranged rather than accidental, and the men of the cell block have to stop settling scores with each other long enough to work out what is hunting them. That is the whole of the first act, and the film is better if you go in knowing no more than that.
The critics who have seen it at festivals from Neuchâtel to London to Austin are close to unanimous about the tone: this is a horror film that is also a comedy, a prison drama and, in more than one review, a dance number. Rob Hunter at Bloody Disgusting calls it Anwar's best and most fully realised film, and praises the practical gore, the ghost design and the way silat fights and dancing sit beside the dread without breaking it.
"one of the nastiest feel-good horror movies out there"
Mary Beth McAndrews, Dread Central
The heart is a recurring point. Richard Whittaker in the Austin Chronicle singles out Abimana Aryasatya's paternal lead and the warmth of his scenes with his children, and Cheryl Eddy at io9 notes that the film's tenderness stands out precisely because the violence is so extreme. Several reviews also read the prison as a stand-in for Indonesia itself, with corruption, class and environmental damage at the edges of the story. Nicolas Nater at OutNow finds that metaphor clumsy but says it travels.
This is where the critics part ways a little, though never far. Bloody Disgusting thinks the first half could be tighter, finds one CG effect rough among otherwise physical ones, and wants a clearer backstory. OutNow finds some of the plot mechanics contrived. The Austin Chronicle notes the script leans on familiar prison-film types, and Dread Central warns that swerves between banter, dance and brutality can feel chaotic, especially if you came for the dour Anwar of earlier films. Nobody calls it a failure; the reservations are about pacing and plotting, not about the film's nerve.
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The film opened in US cinemas on 2 October via Well Go USA. In Europe it has so far been seen at festivals, including the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival and the UK premiere at FrightFest, and we could not find a confirmed European release date or streaming home. Availability varies by country, so check your local cinema and streaming listings. It is a film built for a late-night crowd, so a festival or midnight slot is the best way to see it if one comes near you.
This is a critical reading drawn from published reviews, not a first-hand viewing. We drew on: