Another revenge plot, another past-mysteries-that-need-to-be-solved-in-order-to-stop-the-evil-guys-from-wreaking-havoc-and-end-the-suffering-of-the-seemingly-good-guys kind of Indonesian horror movie. Not that I say it's bad or mediocre among national films, that depends on who's directing it and how serious they take on the job. in this case, Kimo Stamboel did what a few directors like Joko Anwar has successfully implemented. If you had watched the latter's previous work and 2018's "Kafir" by director Azhar Kinoi Lubis, you will notice some reused elements like the journey to a some remote location, the use of black magic, the leading evil woman figure who does most of the damage, the past sins that pushes the said figure to do what they do, three dead young girls that kinda have a major role in triggering all of those ruckus, etc. So far, those are the right formula (well, not all) to produce a relatively high rated, successful Indonesian horror brand that leads to the creation of a fan base, whether around the movies itself or the directors, or maybe both. But will this trend keep going without problem in the long run? My personal problem with these kind of work of art in Indonesian cinema, is that it lacks a good quality resolve, and they're in general, being too loud to make the viewers feel uncomfortable on their seats. These days are no longer an age for jumpscare, gore, and loud noises ghost horror story/movie/film anymore, even for Hollywood standard (heck, don't even look in Holywood for great horror movies today, feast your eyes to the eastern film industry for that). A director in Joko Anwar and Kimo Stamboel's caliber need to realize this if they are still hopping for international horror movie market penetration. Take 2016's "The Wailing" for example, or this year's "Midsommar", they have a strong conclusion of the story that echoes the message that "Like the force of good, evil never dies and sometimes wins, one cannot exist without it's opposite other". Don't rely to much on people's desire to see a happy ending, don't try to live up their fantasy, twist it instead to the direction that will disturb their faith and normative sense of the world. Disrupt them on their comfortable seat, not with loud screaming or shocking sudden high volume score, do it more with plot twists and challenging mind-provoking sequence of visual and auditorial presentation of humanity's most twisted side.
