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In ‘Nightmares and Daydreams’, Joko Anwar brings scientific theories to scary stories
The director tests his taste in sci-fi horror subgenre with Netflix’s series 'Nightmares and Daydreams', consisting of seven episodes that gradually connect and intertwine.
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Asmara Abigail’s character (center) is surrounded by other jobseekers for an unknown job in "Joko Anwar’s Nightmares and Daydreams”. (Netflix/-)
L
ike the start of every horror story in Indonesia, something feels off. The house lights flicker, the empty building sounds alive with people, and mysterious faces appear left and right.
But instead of ghosts, the common source of fear that many have claimed to bear witness in the archipelago, the strange occurrences were a product of an entirely different breed. In this instance, it was caused by an alien populace roaming Earth’s underbelly.
This was the sci-fi grounds of the latest Netflix series Joko Anwar's Nightmares and Daydreams, directed by Indonesia’s prominent filmmaker Joko Anwar in his first original series for the streaming giant.
With his miscellaneous repertoire of film genres from action to drama, horror is not an alien to the famed auteur. His successes in the horror genre include remaking a cult classic (Satan’s Slave), extending its universe in a sequel, and making his own original horrors (Impetigore, Grave Torture).
However, Joko recently decided to “take a break” from horror for the time being, as he declared on social media after this year’s Grave Torture ended its run in theaters. It turned out, he was making space for exploring a different subgenre: the sci-fi horror.
“Previously, I strived for superstitious explanations in horror films, but now I seek scientific ones,” Joko said during the series’ press conference at Fairmont Jakarta Hotel in Central Jakarta on June 13.
