Ghost In The Cell is avaible October 27th on VOD and 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray combo pack on November 17th from Well Go USA Entertainment
Indonesian filmmaker Joko Anwar (Impetigore, Satan’s Slaves 2017) is one of the best horror directors working today with a deep and diverse filmography featuring some shocking moments and graphic violence, so it was unexpected to hear his latest Ghost In The Cell was a horror comedy set in a prison.
The film follows Dimas (Endy Arfian) a journalist who was looking into an illegal mining operation where there were a number of unexplained deaths. After a confrontation with his boss over his reporting, Dimas finds him brutally murder in an unbelievably grizzly manner and hanging from the ceiling fan of his office.
Dimas is wrongfully convicted of the crime and sent to a maximum security jail, only to be followed by other unexplainable gruesome killings when he arrives there. It’s not the type of story you would expect to be great for laughs but is surprisingly funny and even kind hearted.
Ghost In The Cell is a hard film to discuss without spoiling the mystery but I will do my best to not reveal too much.* The prison is thrown into chaos after Dimas’s arrival and the ensuing string of shocking murders. He is taken under the wing of Anggoro (Abimana Aryasatya) and a group of fellow inmates including Six (Yoga Pratama), whose ability to see people’s auras may be the key to unlocking the mysterious murders. Led by Anggoro, the group sets out to unite their fellow prisoners and rival gangs with the common goal of surviving the supernatural killings and sadistic warden.
While the murders are graphic and extreme, the film is able to find humor in the horrific day to day life in the prison and is populated with a number of colorful and entertaining characters. The prison dance instructor is a charming and over the top highlight. The film is often remarkably silly despite its grim elements, and does a great job striking a balance between the horror and the humor.
I have seen around half of the dozen or so feature length films directed by Joko Anwar and part of what has impressed me about his work is the diversity in his filmography. Ritual (2012), a psychological thriller about a man who wakes up to find him and his family hunted by a killer, is very different then his remake of the Indonesian supernatural classic Satan’s Slaves (2017).
Neither have any of the humor on display in Ghost In The Cell. This film demonstrates that Anwar continues to be a versatile and skilled film maker. It’s impressive not just that he is able to find humor in the bleak prison setting, but that he is able to use it as a vehicle to tell a story about brotherhood and people looking past their differences to overcome the oppressive and deadly odds stacked against them. Who would have ever thought serving hard time could be this much fun.
*SPOILERS: With the help of Six, Anggoro and his comrades are able to figure out that a spirit is targeting people with negative and/or angry auras and the only way to avoid being the ghost’s next victim is to stay positive. That proves to be a challenge in the prison but the inmates learn they can overcome it and keep their auras positive through prayer or dance leading to some comical situations.
