Dang! These Indonesian puppet shows are intense! It feels very tacked on, a generic horror trope ending if you will, and I wish it had stayed on the cutting room floor. There’s a few missteps here and there, like an additional bit at the end that I felt wasn’t necessary in the least. But there are a few grisly moments here and there, and the effects of the curse itself is one I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. And a lot of the blood is CGI, which tends to pull you out of the story.

Now don’t let the title fool you there really isn’t that much gore to be found here. From the chilling opening to the beautifully shot introduction of the village and the dread that slowly builds with the arrival of Maya and Dini to this secluded place, the stage is set for the kind of horror movie that will pull you in with its mystery and won’t let you go until its Texas Chainsaw-inspired conclusion.

I won’t spoil it for those who wish to see for themselves but it’s not something I’ve seen before, which added to the originality of the story. The mystery of the curse and how it originated is the most compelling aspect of Impetigore. Did you hear who Sheila’s sleeping with? Everyone! While I wouldn’t call this movie scary, director and writer Joko Anwar masterfully merges his country’s folklore with classic horror elements such as a stranger trapped in a place she doesn’t understand, an isolated setting, and being hunted by people whose beliefs have been twisted by a curse of their own making. Review: Nominated for a record-breaking 17 awards in its homeland Indonesia and selected as the official entry for the Best International Film at the 93 rd Academy Awards (it wasn’t nominated, but this is quite a feat for a horror movie) Impetigore on its surface is a story of one family’s greed and how they manipulate the folks of a small village for their own gain. When Maya discovers she may inherit a property from her rich family she returns to the village with Dini, unaware of the danger that waits for her. Plot: Maya with her best friend Dini are struggling to survive in the city. OLD WOMAN: Plan on murdering me in my sleep? ALL: What? No! Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Ical Tanjung, I.C.S. IMDb Trivia: Impetigore is a portmanteau of “impetigo” (bacterial infection of the skin that is more common in young children than other ages) and the word “gore” (which means violence and bloodshed). Starring: Tara Basro, Ario Bayu, Marissa Anita Original Title: Perempuan Tanah Jahanam (translation Woman of the Damned Land) Let’s get to it: Day 19 of 31: Impetigore When he tells you to, ‘Get to the choppa!’ This October I decided to watch and review some of those great horror movies (31 to be exact) that I missed on their initial release. And for Part 19 of my series of the 31 OF THE BEST HORROR MOVIES YOU (MAY HAVE) MISSED we will be checking out Indonesian horror Impetigore. Sommerleigh Pollonais, Horror Head Writer

Indonesian horror movies