The Devil's Bride

Pengantin Setan (which translates to The Devil's Bride in English) is a supernatural horror film directed by Indonesian filmmaker, Budi Setiawan. The film takes viewers on a spine-chilling journey through a cursed wedding, where a bride's connection to the otherworldly begins to unravel. As the story unfolds, audiences are introduced to a wide range of characters, each with their own secrets and ties to dark forces.

At its core, Pengantin Setan is about a young couple, Rina (played by Ratna Galih) and Budi (played by Tio Pakusadewo), who are preparing for their wedding day. However, things take a disturbing turn when Rina begins experiencing strange and inexplicable occurrences. Unbeknownst to her, her family has a deep and horrifying connection to an ancient curse, one that has haunted their bloodline for generations. As dark forces rise, Rina must fight to survive while uncovering the truth behind the evil that threatens to consume her.

What sets Pengantin Setan apart from other horror films is its rich cultural context and deeply emotional narrative. Unlike many horror films that rely heavily on jump scares and gore, Pengantin Setan combines psychological horror with supernatural elements, making it an unpredictable and genuinely unsettling experience.

I'm going to break down my review of "Pengantin Setan" based on my experience. I think we can all agree that this movie is terrifying, especially with its demon design and possession scenes. But unfortunately, it fails to fully utilize the potential of its decent opening story.

The first thing I really disliked was the overused and forced scoring music that plays in almost every transition. The soundtrack in this movie is unnecessarily loud and honestly feels like garbage. And it's not just during the jump scares, the loud background music appears in random moments too. This really took me out of the experience and made it hard to enjoy the movie.

Story-wise, there are too many unclear elements, even though the plot had decent potential. Even an important character like the husband is wasted, he just disappears for days without any clear explanation while his wife is stuck in a terrifying situation. The horror potential of the creepy "boneka Mampang" was also completely wasted; they just abandoned it without doing much.

As for the ending, I appreciate that they managed to create a scary moment without relying on jump scares. But I wasn't a fan of how the story wrapped up, it felt too simple. Maybe that's just how religion-themed horror movies tend to be, but in this case, it felt too basic.

Pengantin Setan is another Kinoi well-made horror movie, perfect for any young couples out there seeking a thrilling experience. The Muslim exorcism scenes are genuinely chilling and add a unique cultural depth to the story. One unforgettable moment is the clothes hanger scene-it's so intense it makes you feel a deep sense of unease. With its gripping storyline, haunting visuals, and strong performances from Erika Carlina & Emir Mahira, this movie keeps you on edge while offering an exciting watch to share with your partner. The Djin portion can be explore a bit but overall is really entertaining in a chilling kind of way :)

I was really lowering my expectation when I bought the ticket but the aftermath is just really unexpected in a good way.