Joko Anwar has made a name for himself bringing Indonesian horror into the spotlight. His features Impetigore, Satan’s Slaves, Grave Torture, and Gundala, to name a few, shattered records in his home country, while terrifying audiences further afield with their traditional horror tropes and thematic messaging. His films span supernatural terror to brooding folk tales, and his 12th feature, Ghost in the Cell, has a little bit of everything for everyone to make the perfect late-night splatter flick.
Enjoying its UK premiere at FrightFest 2026, Ghost in the Cell begins with reporter Dimas (Endy Arfian) filing a story at the last minute about illegal mining practices in Borneo. He believes the story will be a hit with his editor, who soon proves him wrong and yells at him to rework the entire piece. As Dimas gets to rewriting, his boss is mutilated by an unseen force and strung from the ceiling fan with his guts on display for all to see.
The film then cuts to the notorious fictional prison, Labuan Angsana, where much of the balls to the wall action takes place, introducing us to the criminals incarcerated in Block C, including Angorro (Abimana Aryasatya) who wastes no time in getting into a fight with abusive prison guard Jeffri (Bront Palare) while defending a fellow inmate. When Dimas arrives, convicted of slaughtering his editor, he brings with him a terrible unseen force that begins picking them all off one by one, displaying them like art pieces in a gallery for the inmates to find. As the bodies start piling up, enemy gangs must work out what exactly is killing them, why, and how to survive.
Anwar wastes no time in introducing the contrasting themes of comedy and splatter in Ghost in the Cell, swinging wildly between laugh-out-loud, silly sequences, to brutal, slow-mo action sequences and gore-laden spectacles. The director as previously stated that the importance in his films lies in their laughed and discomfort, and Anwar expertly balances the two without detracting from Ghost in the Cell‘s more serious themes.
Alongside the mayhem and murder is an insightful look into the Indonesian way of life, from their government to economy, corruption, environmental issues, and religion, told through cafeteria conversations and barbed quips that stop the delivery of the themes from feeling clunky and out of place. The narrative takes time in introducing its characters and their dynamics without it feeling heavy-handed or unnatural, fully immersing the audience into prison life despite the outlandish premise of an aura detecting ghost picking off those it sees has a negative “red” aura.
The practical effects are a sight to behold, imaginative and truly stomach-churning with every detail accounted for. Anwar’s experience in the action genre is fully on display, with intricate fight sequences amping up the tension between the grisly discoveries around the prison. As the prisoners discover they can use art and dance to create a good “green” aura, Ghost in the Cell ushers in silly, light-hearted slapstick humour as the hardened criminals awkwardly prance around the dance studio in fear.
That’s not to say Ghost in the Cell is without its poignant moments, including one in which the film’s only Queer character, dancer Novilham (Magistus Miftah), dons a pair of heels and performs an emotional routine alone. The unseen spectre of the film that causes the prisoners to fight among themselves is an apt metaphor for how we often ignore larger problems and clash with those in the same position as us, rather than finding community and working toward a common goal.
Anwar once again delivers the perfect balance of social commentary, graphic gore, and slapstick comedy in Ghost in the Cell. The spectacular action flick throws everything at the wall, and mostly, it sticks. There’s a little bit of something for every genre fan to enjoy without the narrative feeling messy or incohesive. Instead, what we get is an irreverent genre mash-up that is equal parts hilarious, shocking, and poignant, defining the meaning of a rollercoaster of emotions.
Ghost in the Cell had its UK premiere at FrightFest 2026 on Saturday, August 29
