Thaghut

I'd say this movie is pretty bold in exploring the theme of religious heresy. It's definitely controversial, but it reflects a real social phenomenon. Is it cliché? Definitely. Is it stuff we already know? Yep. But somehow, even with all the clichés, it still works. Though, admittedly, it gets a bit overdramatic.

The movie gives a clear and simple explanation of what Thaghut is through its scenes. It's a horror film that makes an important point: even in a Muslim-majority country like Indonesia, there are still many deviating and heretical sects, without copying Western-style cult horror tropes.

Lele Laila is a regular in horror movie screenwriting these days. Her writing skills are quite solid, and it shows in this film as well as in her previous horror scripts. Bobby Prasetyo is also a familiar name in horror directing-his movies are usually a hit or a miss. Sometimes they're passable, other times... totally unbearable.

This time, Thaghut's script and direction are actually passable. So... yay?

Now, if you're thinking of watching this: brace yourself. The scary scenes are intense. There's a lot of gore. I'm talking blood, severed heads, full-on close-ups, people getting stabbed... on purpose. I honestly wonder why it's rated R13+ in Indonesia.

So, as the title says-do you have the gut to watch Thaghut?

I actually like this film. It's simple, but in a good way. The straightforward plot makes it easy to follow and keeps things focused, without adding too much unnecessary drama or dragging things out. It delivers what it wants to say in a clean and direct way, which I really appreciate. But there's one scene that kind of bothered me-there's a moment where Bagas is shown praying during Dhuhr, and something about how it was presented felt off. I won't go too deep into it, but it did raise some concerns, especially since the movie touches heavily on religious topics. When a film dives into faith and spirituality, those small details really matter.