Sewu Dino

Thanks to KKN Di Desa Penari as the highest-grossing Indonesian film of all time which opened up all possibilities for the Simpleman universe to be filmed, Sewu Dino was released with all the confidence it had. Kimo Stamboel can intelligently explore all aspects of the folk horror subgenre: mythology, witchcraft, possession, demons, the astral world, and the conflicts between powerful families. This film does not hesitate to show its full potential by raising the level of horror every minute and manages to maintain that atmosphere well and make it a gripping and satisfying spectacle. And if you have to choose, what are the best Indonesian horror films in 2023? Sewu Dino is an easy answer.

Dated on 2023, Sewu Dino is revolutionary to Indonesia's movie industry, adapted from a true-story situation. Probably personally one of the scariest movie ever since Insidious (2010). Gave me insane chills and goosebumps!

The plot has a great build-up which created tension that had me at the edge of my seat nearly the entire time. The movie greatly portrays how Indonesia is such a mythical country, accompanied with Indonesian instrument background music and sound effects that was made very disturbing and discomforting (almost pissed myself at the cinema).

As an Indonesian myself, I am very proud of this movie as the entire plot was arranged nicely, leaving me confused, curious and scared, but eventually got a clear explanation for everything towards the end. Sewu Dino has a mild plot twist that horror movies rarely have. It also somehow made me a bit scared of living in Indonesia thinking about such possibilities involving the concept of black magic, which is fairly common in the country.

The reviews and ratings here are probably from friends and family.

My review after forcing myself to watch till the end:

Bad acting Bad CGI Bad effects- you can see the actor's real teeth behind the sharp teeth.

The movie relies on jump scares but not scary enough. The ghost scenes looked very composite. It had a lot of pauses between dialogue where the actor's would look at each other awkwardly.

The scenes were quite predictable.

Not a memorable movie. Quite forgettable. Just another low quality, dull and boring movie.

The only saving grace was the outdoors shots. Cinematography was not bad.

Hope Kimo Stamboel ups his ante.

My expectations for this film were quite high, especially after knowing the line-up of actors involved. However, the execution of this film turned out to be less than satisfactory. The storyline feels very slow and less exciting, with almost no significant horror elements. The jumpscares shown are very few and less effective. The character development is also not in-depth, so the characters feel less strong and convincing. The inconsistencies in accent and character are also quite annoying. Apart from that, this film is also not able to convey emotions well, so that I as a viewer cannot feel an emotional attachment to the characters. The long duration of the film is also a problem because of the slow storyline and uninteresting pacing. As a result, this film feels very long and boring. I felt this film was not worth the time I spent watching it.

Sri is a young girl who responds to a job advert from the Atmojo family, who owns a series of restaurants. By accident (literally) she gets to meet the head of the family, Karsa Atmojo. After a short and weird interview, Sri gets the job, but she soon regrets it. Karsa performs a ritual to bound Sri to her until she has completed her task.

Sri, Erna and Dini (who has been working for the family for a while) are taken to a secluded hut in a forest, where they are to care for Karso's granddaughter, Dela. Dela is a victim of black magic, and is locked in a room in a possessed state. Every day before sunset, the girls have to follow a ritual which includes bathing Dela in water that has been infused with seven flowers. This is said to calm the demon which possesses her. If the ritual is not performed every day for a thousand days, Dela will be lost forever. Sri, Erna and Dini only has to do the last four days.

The make-up effects are creepy and I enjoyed the setting in the woods, which gave it an 'Evil Dead' kind of feeling. The film follows the characters during these last four days. Sri is plagued by nightmares, but it is revealed her nightmares in fact take her to the alternate universe where Dela is kept prisoner, and Sri must try to bring her back.

All is not what it seems, though, and there are surprises and twists until the finale. This was an interesting take on a familiar genre.