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The world of ritual practices and witchcraft has always been shrouded in mystery. The roots of the divine feminine rituals trace back to ancient times, including fertility rituals, magical practices, and human sacrifices. Witchcraft had predominantly been a theme in the Western horror films. The witches were White; they could summon spirits and bend them to their own ends. Even in more recent portrayals of witchcraft, cults, and demonic rituals, we see White women calling upon the devil to attain what they want. Framing the feminine cult practices in a South Asian horror is a tricky thing—the roots of witchcraft are often culture-specific, but we have seen examples of ritual practices in films like The Medium, Incantation, and Impetigore. What makes these films stand out is how the rituals speak to the geographical context they are being placed into. While in White witchcraft, Christianity is the rival force of witchcraft,...

“The Last 7 Days” is a haunting feature-length adaptation of the acclaimed short film of the same name. Rooted in Javanese spiritual tradition, which holds that a soul lingers for seven days after death, the story unfolds with eerie reverence and creeping dread. As Anggun, the ailing matriarch of a fractured family, lies on her deathbed, her estranged children, Tari and Kadar, are reluctantly summoned back to their ancestral home. It is here, amidst the thick air of unresolved memories and unspoken regrets, that Anggun meets her grandchildren, Hanif and Bian, for the very first time.

What begins as a mournful reunion quickly descends into a waking nightmare. The family’s return seems to awaken something ancient and malevolent. Mysterious rituals, whispered curses, and spectral figures in masks begin to blur the line between the living and the dead. As the days pass, the remote, decaying house reveals its secrets...