Indonesian prison horror-comedy skewers corruption with supernatural mayhem

Joko Anwar’s Indonesian prison horror-comedy follows journalist Dimas, who is jailed for a murder he says he did not commit, as deaths continue around him. The film uses its supernatural slasher story to satirise corruption and hypocrisy, mixing political anger with broad, energetic comedy.

Dimas’s exposé of illegal forestry appears to have stirred a demonic force that feeds on negative energy, while prisoners try to protect themselves through prayer and dancing. The film targets cronyism, institutional brutality, private militias and the corrupting influence of money; it is available on digital platforms in Australia and the UK from 26 October.