The Demon's Bride

Stumbling upon the 2025 Indonesian horror movie "Pengantin Iblis" (aka "The Demon's Bride") by random chance here in 2025, of course I opted to check it out on account of it being an Asian horror movie that I hadn't already seen.

Writer Lele Laila put together an entertaining storyline. It was an interesting and well-told story, but the pacing of the narrative was a bit sluggish at times. Thankfully it is a movie that is driven by the story and characters, and not one that succumbs to relying on jump scares.

I was not familiar with a single actress or actor on the cast list, which is something that worked well in favor of the movie as I enjoy watching new and unfamiliar talents on the screen. Leading actress Taskya Namya, playing Ranti, really put on a great performance, and a rather memorable one I might add. Her performance during the character's possession was just phenomenal, and she carried the movie quite well.

Visually then the movie was good. The special effects and make-up effects in the movie were good.

"Pengantin Iblis" was certainly one of the more memorable and enjoyable of Indonesian horror movies that I've seen in recent times.

My rating of director Azhar Kinoi Lubis's 2025 movie "Pengantin Iblis" lands on a well-deserved six out of ten stars.

This movie is absolutely creepy but the story falls flat!! It opens with a captivating story about a family living together with their in-laws, pulling you right into their world. Unfortunately, as is often the case with Indonesian horror films, a promising narrative is sacrificed for the sake of relentless jumpscares. Personally, I'm not a fan of horror films that rely on excessive, forced jump-scares, but I have to admit-the jump-scares in this film are truly terrifying - such a masterpiece!

The lead actor's performance, the makeup, and the camera work all heighten the intensity, pulling you deeper into the chilling atmosphere. Interestingly, the film doesn't show ghosts as the source of the scares, but rather humans, making it all the more spine-chilling.

For those who live for jumpscares and spooky visuals, this is the best one yet! However, it's a shame to see a great story with so much potential get overshadowed by the demands of Indonesian audiences who seem to prefer mindless jump-scares over quality storytelling.