11 Best Indonesian Horror Movies To Watch
This post may contain affiliate links that earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
Every year, over 100 films are released by the Indonesian film industry. This means many are made in weeks, which is quite an impressive feat. With so many to choose from, these are our top picks for the best Indonesian horror movies that are sure to thrill and scare.
Afterward, be sure to peruse our list of overall top Indonesian films. You might also enjoy this Thai horror film list.
Best Indonesian Horror Movies We Love
Written by Dagney with edits from Christine, find full reviews with summaries of our top picks.
Impetigore (2019)
Maya is attacked at work, prompting her to investigate her deceased parents and ancestral village with her best friend and business partner, Dini. She also might have inherited property to sell to help get her business off the ground. However, Maya is cautious about revealing her motives, as the villagers resent her family and want her dead – all related to the village’s curse.
Most people prefer director Joko Anwar’s Satan’s Slaves (below), but we love Impetigore. This is the best Indonesian horror movie, and probably one of our favorite horrors in general; it will be hard to top.
If you enjoy Impetigore, find even more great folk horror films set across the globe.
Satan’s Slaves (2017)
After their mother’s devastating death, Rini and her three siblings struggle financially. While their father is away, strange events occur at home. Following another tragedy, they discover their mother may have been part of a satanic cult that claims one of their souls.
Although Joko Anwar’s Satan’s Slaves is often called a remake of the 1980s cult classic Satan’s Slave, it is technically a prequel. Regardless, both have cemented themselves as classic Indonesian horror movies. You don’t need to see the original, but there are a few callbacks that you might appreciate. We suggest watching them back-to-back.
Affliction (2021)
After a mysterious woman visits Nina, she learns her mother-in-law is sick and needs care. Nina persuades her husband, Hasan (Ibnu Jamil), to take their kids to see her. Reluctant at first, Hasan agrees, but upon arrival, they realize the situation is worse than expected, with a sinister, supernatural presence haunting the home.
This film kicks off with a graphic suicide scene. However, Affliction is pretty tame on the gore by Indonesian standards and is a slow-burn, supernatural psychological thriller and haunted house movie. This type of horror won’t be for everyone, but we think it’s one of the best Indonesian horror films out there.
Author’s note: Affliction is sometimes called Pulang, even in English-subtitled copies, which is the original Indonesian name.
The Doll (2016)
Three kids are haunted by a doll they find on the side of the road. Meanwhile, a couple, Daniel – a construction worker – and Anya, who makes dolls, move into a new home after Daniel’s promotion. Their happiness is soon disrupted when Daniel discovers the same doll at work that had been haunting the kids.
Rocky Soraya’s Doll series could be its own Annabelle-esque spin-off to The Conjuring. The only difference is that it’s Indonesian and more enjoyable. However, the low budget of this particular Indonesian horror movie works to its advantage. The Doll often comes across as a dark comedy rather than straight-up horror, which we love. Well, at least initially, it does. The last hour or so is an all-out gorefest.
There are currently two sequels: The Doll 2, which follows a different doll from the first film, and Sabrina. Although Sabrina feels like a direct sequel to The Doll 2 and even follows the same doll, director Rocky Soraya has claimed it is a spin-off.
The 3rd Eye (2017)
After their parents die in a car accident, Alia and her younger sister, Abel, return to their inherited childhood home. But Abel, still traumatized from an attack there years ago, insists something else inhabits the house. To ease the transition, Alia’s boyfriend moves into a spare room. Seeking answers, Alia takes Abel to Bu Windu, a spiritualist Abel has visited since childhood. Bu Windu reveals that Abel’s third eye is open, allowing her to see spirits. Not all these spirits are harmless…
The Third Eye is another fun and frightening Indonesian horror movie by director Rocky Soraya. We prefer this one to The Doll, which seems to be the more famous of the two series (although the CGI in this one might be worse). There are some badly contorted, crawling, zombified-spirit effects, but that’s part of the charm. There’s less gore if you’re not a big fan. Oh, and did we mention there’s a sequel?
Suzzanna: Buried Alive (2018)
Suzzanna and Satria are expecting their first child. Before Satria leaves for a work trip, his employees demand raises, but he refuses, citing a recent pay increase. Desperate, they decide to rob his home on a night they believe Suzzanna will be out watching a film.
The film, it turns out, is the 1981 cult classic Indonesian horror movie Sundelbolong, on which Suzzanna: Buried Alive is based (and is now very difficult to find with English subtitles). Suzzanna returns early, and to silence her, they attack and bury her in the backyard—only to realize too late that she’s still alive. Now, she’s back for revenge.
Another Rocky Soraya vehicle (directing alongside Anggy Umbara), Suzzanna: Buried Alive is his most accomplished Indonesian horror film. Yet, it is also the least scary, even though Luna Maya is truly terrifying as the titular character. Suzzanna: Buried Alive is more a “thriller with gore” than horror going in, and it has Rocky’s classic touch of dark humor. It’s perfect for anyone who loves revenge stories.
May the Devil Take You (2018)
A woman lures a man into a basement and performs a satanic ritual, resulting in a briefcase overflowing with cash. News clippings reveal the man, Lesmana, became rich overnight, lost his wife by suicide, remarried a famous actress, then went bankrupt. Now, a decade later, he lies in a coma, his face covered in boils.
His estranged daughter, Alfie, visits and experiences a terrifying supernatural event. When her stepsister Maya suggests searching his villa – now in Alfie’s name – for any assets, Alfie agrees but arrives first. Here, they uncover dark secrets and evil forces.
Get ready for 110 minutes of blood and demonic possession. Director Timo Tjahjanto wrote the film as a love letter to Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead series, and fans of the franchise will be delighted by the result.
As moviegoers who aren’t the biggest fans of body horror, this isn’t our favorite Indonesian horror movie, but we can see the appeal. We were hooked for the first half hour or so, minus a bloody vomit scene and some hair ingesting that we definitely could have done without. Considering this film was completed in around 25 days, we are more impressed with the result than grossed out.
Macabre (2009)
After a night out, a group of friends nearly hit a dazed woman who claims she has been robbed. They agree to drive her home in the middle of nowhere, where she insists they come inside for tea and a family meal to thank them. Their kindness isn’t met with gratitude, though…
Macabre is one of the most famous Indonesian horror films. The best way to describe it is Hostel meets The Hills Have Eyes – luckily sans the weird, ableist-deformed villain trope that horror directors love so much. If you enjoy chainsaws, decapitations, and buckets of blood, you’ll love Macabre. Plus, Shareefa Daanish, who plays the family matriarch, is truly terrifying. Written and directed by The Mo Brothers (Timo Tjahjanto and Kimo Stamboel), it’s no surprise this is gory AF. Their films, both as a duo and made separately, are infamously bloody.
Author’s note: Macabre is based on the characters from a short called Dara, which was made by The Mo Brothers to get funding for Macabre. Although the characters (and actors) are mostly the same (with one exception, character-wise), they are completely different films.
The Queen of Black Magic (2019)
Nadya, Hanif, and their kids visit the orphanage where Hanif grew up to see the ailing man who raised him. On the way, they hit a deer, but something else lurks on the roadside. At the orphanage, they reunite with Hanif’s childhood friends, sharing memories while the kids make new friends. But what begins as a bittersweet gathering soon unravels into a night of dark revelations and growing terror.
For Indonesian horror movies, this is our second favorite. If you love body horror, this one is for you – which is not all that surprising considering it’s directed by Kimo Stamboel, one-half of The Mo Brothers. Plus, the movie is written by Joko Anwar, who wrote and directed Impetigore. The Queen of Black Magic is a loose remake of a 1981 Indonesian film of the same name.
Mystics in Bali (1981)
Anthropologist Cathy Kean visits Bali to study Black Magic, guided by her boyfriend Mahendra. Deep in the forest, she meets an old woman who claims to be the queen of the Leák (or Leyak) – floating heads with entrails, vampiric creatures in Balinese folklore who feed off the blood of newborns and pregnant women to sustain their own lives. The woman offers to show Cathy their rituals but tricks her, transforming Cathy into a Leák and forcing her to do her evil bidding.
Mystics in Bali is one of the most beloved cult classics of Indonesian horror movies. This is one of those so-bad-it’s-amazing films – complete with outrageously cringe-worthy, low-budget special effects, and awkward dubbing. Depending on the dub you get, Cathy is either American or Australian. Trust us, you don’t want to miss this gem, especially if you enjoy horror movies set in hotels.
Author’s note: Director H. Tjut Djalil also made the iconic Lady Terminator.
While this Indonesian horror movie was made in the country and the director is Indonesian, the film doesn’t have anything to do with Indonesia, which is why we featured Mystics in Bali instead.
Kuntilanak [The Chanting Revisited] (2018)
In Indonesian folklore, the Kuntilanak is a ghostly woman in white, often linked to vampire myths featuring a grieving mother or pregnant woman who can’t give birth. Also known as Pontianak in Malay and Singaporean tales, she haunts those who cross her path. In Kuntilanak, five orphans, convinced they’re being haunted, set out to capture the spirit’s existence on film.
This Indonesian horror movie is meant for a young audience, so it’s a bit more lighthearted. The stakes are low, with little gore. This is a remake of a 2006 film series by the same name (also called The Chanting Revisited). Unfortunately, the original series, though not very old, is difficult to find.
More Indonesian Horror Films To Watch
- Danur: I Can See Ghosts (2017) – CWs suicide and forced restraint – Psychological thriller with enjoyable tension and less gore
- Firegate (2016) -In the vein of 1999’s The Mummy, about a pyramid excavation gone wrong
- Kalian Pantas Mati [Tainted Soul] (2022) – Remake of a Korean film called Mourning Grave with a heavy focus on Indonesian culture and folklore
- Bayi Ajaib (1982) – Also remade in 2023, and that version may be easier for Western audiences to get ahold of
- Qorin (2022) – Learn more about Islamic traditions through a horror lens