A vengeful ghost makes a very strong point, through both horrible murders and incredible artistry, in Joko Anwar’s supernatural slasher.
“Ten percent of Indonesia is still some kind of hope.”
Comedy and horror often find themselves approaching the same topics, be they current events, or general global concerns, in very different ways. So, as a genre, the combined nature of comedy-horror has a lot of creative space to explore those angles, all the while ramping up the silly antics and the gore as far as it can go.
Dimas (Endy Arfian) is a journalist writing an article about an illegal mining operation in Borneo which has both caused a lot of deaths and is causing his editor a lot of grief. So much grief, in fact, that he is found brutally butchered and draped across his office’s ceiling fan. Dimas is sent to prison for this, and it looks like whatever entity was in the office has followed him there.
The prison is run by a corrupt warden and a power-hungry chief of security, who treat regular inmates like trash and well-to-do businessmen with extreme care and attention. The only person standing up for his fellow inmates is Anggoro (Abimana Aryasatya), who leads a gang of outsiders and weirdos. After the prison maniac Tokek (Aming) is killed, tensions begin to rise, as do the numbers of gruesome, supernatural deaths.
Ghost in the Cell has a lot going on, and a lot it wants to say all the while having to provide us with a pretty good ghost story. The film looks at the Indonesian prison system, and the way those with money and power can get away with treating their incarceration more like a pleasant stay away from the kids. It’s not subtle with its satire, either, showing the warden and the guards as either worthlessly soft and sycophantic or abusing their positions of power.
Ghost in the Cell is written in a way that even if you don’t know anything about Indonesian politics, you can see the satire from a mile away. There’s plenty in here for anyone who’s remotely interested to use as a jumping off point to do their own research. Corruption is rampant, here, most notably in the way that those exploiting the environment and underpaid workers are allowed to effectively get off scot-free to continue everything they’re doing. Without an effective law in place, the only thing that seemingly can stop them is the vengeful ghosts of those whose lives were ripped away.
And anyone who’s remotely keyed in to their own local politics will likely find something very familiar here. The world over, money speaks and those in power are able to get away. How many times we wish a person in power would get their comeuppance, only to have to deal with stark reality.
But even if you’re not interested in any of that, well, the film is just a really good comedy-horror. The genre benefits best when it uses to its advantage the scenes that often lose and audience in regular horrors: violence and gore. A serious slasher scene can easily into a moment of ridicule with a misplaced moment of over-the-top violence, but comedy-horror thrives on it. Ghost in the Cell‘s biggest strength is in the artistry of its kills. Some of the actual violence is a bit silly, but the beautiful tableaus of horror into which each body is transformed marks for some of the best visuals I’ve seen in a horror film in a long time.
Ghost in the Cell is as in-your-face as a film can reasonably get away with. It’s overt in its critiques of prison, politics, and practises and extremely overt in its religion, comedy and violence. Any fan of the genre will get a kick out of the genuinely scary moments, and the extremely silly aura system. Bolstered by a fun, diverse cast of characters and plenty of good laughs, Ghost in the Cell shows there’s still lots to make fun of, even if reality is something of a horror film.
Verdict: Blending goofy characters, gruesome deaths and current events, Ghost in the Cell entertains both as a satire and just a straight up comedy-horror.
Ghost in the Cell (2026)
Indonesian
Director: Joko Anwar
Wrtier: Joko Anwar
CAST
Endy Arfian – Dmas
Abimana Aryasatya – Anggoro
Yoga Pratama – Six
Mike Lucock – Wildan
Danang Suryonegoro – Irfan
Lukman Sardi – Pendi
Kiki Narendra – Sapto
Bront Palarae – Jefri
Aming – Tokek
Tora Sudiro – Anton
Arswendy Beningswara – Prakasa
Morgan Oey – Bimo
Haydar Salishz – Donald
Dewa Dayana – Prakasa muda
Marissa Anita – istri Endy
Rio Dewanto – Endy
Radja Nasution – Bibin
Almanzo Konoralma – Buki
Faiz Vishal – Vijay
Jaisal Tanjung – Bambang
Ho Yuhang – Rendra
Magistus Miftah – Novilham
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