Due to the half-baked efforts of directors and producers in the Indonesian film industry, horror is the one genre that often draws an aura of skepticism and condescension from the public.

Many horror films leave little to no impression simply because of the low quality, which suggests the industry lacks respect for the genre.

Indonesia’s best horror films tend to be those that were released in the 20th century, and those titles are the ones that have managed to stand the test of time.

It is no wonder that some filmmakers have a desire to bring the classics back into the public consciousness. That said, one of the country’s best and most well-known horror films, Pengabdi Setan (Satan’s Slave), released in 1980, has been given a remake helmed by a director that describes himself as one of the film’s most devoted fans.

At the helm of Pengabdi Setan’s remake, which will be released to the public on Sept. 28, is director Joko Anwar, who has made a name for himself on the Indonesian film scene through films such as Janji Joni (Joni’s Promise, 2006), Pintu Terlarang (The Forbidden Door, 2009), Modus Anomali (2013) and A Copy of My Mind (2015). In his films, he is known to insert elements of horror to bring out a film’s color.

Tara Basro plays the lead role in this film, supported by current generation actors Dimas Aditya, Bront Palarae and Endy Arfian. Joko also worked with legendary actors such as Ayu Laksmi, Elly Luthan and Edi Fedly.

In the lead up to the release, the film’s promotional campaign touches heavily on the nostalgia for the original, but with an emphasis on an expanded universe and alternate storyline.

The trailer itself has already amassed 980,000 views on YouTube and has attracted excited and anticipatory comments from the online public.

Joko explained the idea to remake the film has been on his mind since the very beginning of his filmmaking aspirations.

“The first time I saw it, I remember it was one of those days when I skipped school to go to the movies. That film scared me for days,” the director recalled.

It took him around 10 years of convincing and attaining permission from his producer and the original film’s production studio, Rapi Films.

Because of his devotion to the film, he emphasized it was incredibly important to write his film in a way that stayed true to the original.

Indeed, the film does stay faithful to the original through its pacing, script, scenario and horror factor. This may be because Joko was fully involved in almost every aspect of the film, including directing, editing, casting, color grading and mixing.

“[Pengabdi Setan] is one of the films that inspired me to become a filmmaker, and it is the film that I’ve always wanted to remake with my own vision. Because of that, writing the scenario for me was relatively easy, it only took about 2 weeks,” he said at the press screening event on Wednesday.

The film will also receive international distribution from South Korea’s CJ Entertainment, which also internationally distributed Joko’s A Copy of My Mind.  CJ Entertainment’s Indonesian representative Min Yooin said Pengabdi Setan is a film made to suit international audiences as it can serve as a gateway towards recognizing Indonesia’s horror culture.

Rapi Films’ executive producer Sunil Samtani described the remake as a perfect vessel to introduce and bring back the cinematic atmosphere of the 1980s to the newer generation. The production process also tries to keep the classic vibe of the original movie so the remake would not become too flashy or too modern.

“Two years ago, Joko had sent me two to three short horror movies. These films were very scary and creepy. Since then, I thought that if anyone were to remake the scariest Indonesian film of all time, it would be him,” Sunil told The Jakarta Post.

Adding to that, Joko said the only thing he sought to change in his version was adjusting the film to suit the taste of today’s generation — because what was considered scary back then may not have the same effect at now.

“Today’s audiences might not be a scared by something as simple as whitened eyeballs, for example.”

 

— Agus Dwi Hastutik is an intern at The Jakarta Post

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