10 Terrifying Indonesian Horror Film Recommendations, Don't Watch Alone

Kapanlagi.com - Horror films are films that attempt to evoke emotions such as fear and terror from their viewers. The plot of horror films often involves themes of death, the supernatural, or mental illness. Many horror film stories center around a particular evil antagonist. The Indonesian film industry has produced many high-quality horror films.

Some of the scariest Indonesian horror films have received positive reviews from film critics and have won awards at international events. This is due to their well-crafted storylines, strong character portrayals, horror atmosphere, and guaranteed jump scares that will make viewers shiver in fear. Let's take a look at some horror films that might make you scared to sleep alone.

1. Makmum 2

Makmum 2 / Source: imdb.com

The latest is Makmum 2, a sequel to the 2019 film Makmum. Makmum 2 is even said to have a scarier story. The story follows the character Rini, who is still haunted by a makmum ghost, a supernatural creature that often follows during prayer.

When Rini returns to her recently deceased mother's hometown, she begins to experience strange occurrences and ghostly disturbances. Her only son also experiences similar events, forcing Rini to solve the mystery in the village.

2. Satan's Slaves

Pengabdi Setan / Source : imdb.com

Pengabdi Setan is an Indonesian horror film released on September 28, 2017, written and directed by Joko Anwar. As of November 2017, the film has been watched by 4,206,103 viewers in theaters, making it the highest-grossing Indonesian film of 2017 so far. At the 2017 Indonesian Film Festival, the film received 13 nominations and won 7 of them.

After suffering from a strange illness for 3 years, the mother finally passed away. The father then decided to work out of town, leaving the children behind. Soon after, the children felt that their mother was back in the house. The situation became even more frightening when they found out that their mother had come back not just to visit, but to take them with her. What happens next? Just watch the movie.

3. Before the Devil Takes You

Before the Devil Takes You / Source : imdb.com

There used to be a lot of internet users who liked to compare the charm of Pevita Pearce and Chelsea Islan, two young, talented, and certainly charming Indonesian actresses. Well, now there's no need to compare them because they are both brought together in one horror film titled Sebelum Iblis Menjemput Ayat 1. Not to be outdone, they both play stepsisters in the film.

The film Sebelum Iblis Menjemput has two verses, verse 1 which was released in 2018 and verse 2 which was released in 2020. This film was directed by Timo Tjahjanto, a filmmaker known for his horror genre with elements of gore, such as the famous Rumah Dara film which is quite sadistic.

4. Danur 2

Danur 2 / Source: imdb.com

Danur 2: Maddah is an Indonesian horror movie released on March 28, 2018, directed by Awi Suryadi. This movie is a sequel to the previous movie, Danur: I Can See Ghosts. The movie is based on the book Maddah by Risa Saraswati. It stars Prilly Latuconsina, Sandrinna Michelle, Kevin Bzezovski Taroreh, Matthew White, Justin Rossi, Gama Haritz, Alexander P Bain, Shawn Adrian Khulafa, Sophia Latjuba, and Bucek Depp. This is the second movie of the Danur franchise.

Risa is a teenage girl who has 3 ghost friends named Peter, William, and Janshen. Risa now lives with her younger sister Riri, who is starting to get tired of Risa's ability to see ghosts. Her uncle's family, Uncle Ahmad, recently moved to Bandung with his wife, Aunt Tina, and their son, Angki. At first, Risa didn't feel anything strange about Uncle Ahmad's house. However, later on, Angki told her that some strange things had happened and the weirdest thing was Uncle Ahmad's change of behavior. One night, Risa was disturbed by a terrifying female ghost in the house. Did Uncle Ahmad really cheat? What is the connection to the female ghost terrorizing Uncle Ahmad's family, including Risa? Will Peter and his friends come to help Risa, even though Peter warned Risa earlier about the dangerous evil spirit in Uncle Ahmad's house?

5. Impetigore

Impetigore / Source: wikipedia

Maya (Tara Basro) struggles to survive in the city without any family, with only her friend Dini. When their joint business needs more capital, Maya gets information that she may have inherited wealth from her rich family in a village she has never known before.

Upon arriving at the remote village in the middle of the forest, Maya and Dini arrive at a large empty house. The situation around them also looks strange, one of which is the many graves of children. Then one night, Maya hears a woman screaming in labor. Maya goes to the source of the sound and witnesses the birth of the child. From there, little by little, the mystery of the village where Maya and Dini now live begins to unfold.

6. SUZZANA: BREATHES IN THE GRAVE

Before its release, the movie SUZZANA: BREATHES IN THE GRAVE was highly anticipated by horror fans. The movie, starring Luna Maya, Herjunot Ali, Teuku Rifnu Wikana, and Clift Sangra, is a remake of the 1970s movie Suzzana.

There is an interesting thing about the makeup in this movie, namely Luna Maya's face, which is so similar to the late Suzanna's. As for the story itself, the movie does not disappoint. It is no wonder that it made it to the list of recommended Indonesian horror movies that you should not miss.

7. LAMPOR: FLYING COFFIN (2019)

(Credit: imdb.com)

Are you looking for a recommendation for a scary Indonesian horror movie? LAMPOR: KERANDA TERBANG might be the answer. This movie tells the story of Edwin and Netta. Along with their two children named Agam and Sekar, the parents return to Netta's village in Temanggung.

Upon their arrival, they are not welcomed warmly. They are considered bringers of misfortune because the village is being terrorized by Lampor, a demon that brings death and carries a flying coffin. In addition to the terror, there is also a scandal that makes the movie even more thrilling.

8. KKN DI DESA PENARI

The movie KKN DI DESA PENARI has managed to steal a lot of attention since its official release in 2022. It even broke a new record with 4.5 million viewers in just 12 days. The idea for this movie came from a viral Twitter thread in 2019.

The movie tells the story of six college students doing community service in an unusual and remote village. Their names are Nur, Widya, Ayu, Bima, Anton, and Wahyu. Pak Prabu, the village chief, had warned them not to cross the forbidden gate. Soon after, the KKN kids start having problems. It turns out that someone has broken the rules, and it's a fatal mistake. If you want to watch something thrilling, this could be your choice for an Indonesian horror movie.

9. RATU ILMU HITAM (2019)

(Credit: imdb.com)

There is another Indonesian horror movie recommendation that you shouldn't miss. The movie RATU ILMU HITAM tells the story of a survivor of sexual violence fighting for justice. Directed by Kimo Stamboel and written by Joko Anwar, this movie will give you a thrilling experience.

The character Murni (Putri Ayudya) decides to use black magic to take revenge on her sexual abuser. But unpleasant and scary experiences start to happen when this revenge takes place.

10. SURAT DARI KEMATIAN (2020)

SURAT DARI KEMATIAN (Letter from Death) is one of the unique and worthwhile horror film recommendations from Indonesia. Not only that, this film is also quite related to the current technology life.

In general, this film tells the story of a group of Yogyakarta students who want to investigate the urban legend of the ghost Mbak Rohanna at Jembatan Perawan, Yogyakarta. When watching it, you will witness the performance of actor Zein (Endy Arfian) who must propose another haunted place option to Kinan (Carissa Perusset) for them to use as material in their Youtube content.

So, KLovers, those are some exciting and thrilling recommendations for Indonesian horror films.

(kpl/mag)