Ghost in the Cell is a movie attempting to blend social commentary (prison dynamics, power struggles, guards) with the supernatural. The horror is balanced with comedy, which surprisingly works for this movie. The core theme of the movie is: can a “good person” stay good within an evil environment? This, obviously, extends to real life. Can you be a good person if you’re surrounded by evil?
The conclusion that Ghost in the Cell offers is a resounding yes. The premise of the movie is rather simple. Dimas (played by Endy Afrian) has been wrongly accused of murder and convicted. Anggorro (played by Abimama Aryasatya) is the second protagonist and protects those who cannot protect themselves in the prison. An evil entity has also entered the prison and starts slowly. Once a person in the prison feels negative emotions, the evil entity comes after them.
There are quite a few funny moments spliced into the gore. Near the end of the film, there is a large fight scene. When they’re fighting, they are experiencing intense emotions, so the demon is attracted to them. Like a slapstick comedy, bodies go flying toward walls. Instead of it being like The Three Stooges, these bodies slap against the walls, exploding into scenes of viscera and gore. This is obviously played up for laughs.
The music was very odd. It was all English music and followed the generic “horror movie” formula. The credit music was Tonight You Belong to Me, popularized by Patience and Prudence. It did take me out of the movie, and it would have been a lot better if they had picked Indonesian music. I think they did this because they wanted to highlight the “comedy” aspects of the film. Of course, it’s funny to watch people get brutalized, only for it to be juxtaposed with upbeat, happy music. It’s just a tired cliché.
Tokek (played by Aming) was the weakest part of the film for me. Aming attempted to do a “Joker-like” impression of a rapist. He would always laugh and giggle, and to me, it felt very exaggerated. Now, that could be played for laughs, but I think he was meant to be more “menacing” than “comedic.” If it leaned more into comedy, I wouldn’t complain, but I took it to be serious, as if he was meant to be a major threat and not somebody to laugh at.
One issue with the movie is that Dimas does not have a real relationship with anyone. Yes, he is protected by Anggorro, but they don’t have a true relationship. It’s why I have a problem calling this movie a “buddy comedy,” because there wasn’t a true friendship to begin with. That doesn’t detract from the film, but I dispute that it’s a buddy comedy. If Dimas and Anggorro had more scenes where they could have developed a friendship, it would have been much better.
The comedy will work, but only for a specific type of person. It is an over-the-top, goofy Asian slapstick comedy that is more popular in Eastern markets than Western ones. I’m from Canada, so I didn’t fully appreciate the comedy. It leaned heavily into the slapstick stuff and didn’t have a lot of “funny jokes.” In one scene, a prisoner spins ten times in the air, lands in a push-up stance, then does a bunch of push-ups, only to finally push himself off the ground and stand upright. That’s the type of slapstick comedy I’m talking about.
We do spoiler-free reviews here, so I’ll only vaguely discuss the ending. It was a fun, good-hearted ending. It reminded me of going to summer camp and then going home and having to say goodbye to all your new friends.
I really enjoyed the artistic way they handled the gore and body parts. In one scene, a character was turned into a showerhead. They never fully explained why the demon was being artsy with the gore. It was still the best part of the film. Not everything needs to be explained. This isn’t Marvel.
There are definitely elements of political commentary in the movie: political corruption, anti-corporate attitudes, anti-prison sentiments, and green politics/deforestation issues. I’m not Indonesian, so I can’t really comment on this beyond what my passing knowledge lets me know. Everyone enjoys ripping down those in power, and this movie attempts to do that. I think it does a good job with what it’s setting out to do, but I can’t comment on the specifics of the Indonesian government.
I would recommend this movie, but I would warn you that it’s not a true horror and not a true comedy. It’s just a fun movie to watch and doesn’t give you the true genre “meat” to bite into. It is fully meant to be watched on a streaming service and not in a theatre. I don’t think it would be worth the price of a full ticket to see this film, but is it worth spending just over an hour and a half watching it? I’d say it’s worth the time, but just expect the slapstick comedy and some good gore. Beyond that, it doesn’t offer much else.
Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⬛⬛ – Storyline
⭐⭐⬛⬛⬛ – Special Effects
⭐⬛⬛⬛⬛ – Comedy
⭐⬛⬛⬛⬛ – Horror
Overall Rating: 3.5 / 10
If you’re a fan of Asian-style comedy, you’ll like this film. It could have been done better and elevated the good storyline. It’s worth a watch if you are interested in Indonesian horror, but it doesn’t compare to Korean or Japanese horror.
By: Jason N. Mulhall
The Philistine Review 
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