The Haunted Hotel

I'll try not to spoil too much The story revolves around a cursed room at some old hotel, With some of "The Ring" kinda curse. It even shows at the first scene in the beginning. After that it become too much rushed out. Feels like wanna tell so much story in a little time.

Even though the story happens in Semarang there's only a few local language spoken here, and the dialogue feels to formal (kinda like the textbook standard grammar), which is really strange to hear in daily basis.

Not too much jumpscare nor some traditional/cultural background stories behind, just a so-so horror movie to watch.

Without ever having heard about this 2023 Indonesian supernatural horror movie titled "Panggonan Wingit" (aka "The Haunted Hotel"), I sat down to watch it here in 2024, as I happened to have the opportunity to do so. And given my life-long love of the horror genre and Asian movies, of course I needed no persuasion to sit down and watch this movie.

Writer Riheam Junianti put together a fair enough script. It was entertaining for sure, but at the same time writer Riheam Junianti was cashing in on a lot of stereotypical horror tropes, which sort of made certain aspects of "Panggonan Wingit" a bit mundane and generic. I am not saying that it is a bad movie, far from it, because I definitely enjoyed the storyline, and I am sure that newcomers to the horror genre will get a kick out of watching this movie. As a life-long horror aficionado, however, I found the movie to be good but not impressive.

Given my relatively brief exposure to the Indonesian cinema, then I was only familiar with leading actress Luna Maya in this movie. I will say, though, that the acting performances in the movie were good. The actor Egy Fedly, playing the spiritualist Ki Danang, was really well-cast for his role, because he put on quite a memorable and convincing performance.

"Panggonan Wingit" has a fair amount of blood and visual mayhem, without being over-the-top. So director Guntur Soeharjanto managed to take something that was used in moderation and get something good from it. I liked the special effects, props, sets, and wardrobe in the movie.

Running at 110 minutes, the movie could perhaps have benefitted a bit from a more generous trim in the editing room.

Worth sititng down to watch if you enjoy horror and Asian genre, of course. But it is hardly a movie that warrants more than just a single viewing.

My rating of director Guntur Soeharjanto's 2023 movie "Panggonan Wingit" lands on a five out of ten stars.

As a lifelong horror enthusiast, I approached this Indonesian supernatural flick with cautious optimism, drawn by its eerie premise rooted in Semarang's local lore. Directed by Guntur Soeharjanto, the 2023 film attempts to weave a tale of dread around a cursed hotel room, but it struggles to rise above the genre's well-worn tropes. While the movie delivers moments of visceral unease, its predictable narrative and uneven execution left me wanting more.

The film's strongest asset is its atmosphere. Soeharjanto and cinematographer create a gloomy, oppressive vibe within the Ambar Mangun Hotel, where flickering lights and shadowy corridors amplify the sense of foreboding. The sound design, with its relentless, pulse-pounding score, keeps you on edge, especially during the film's more brutal scenes. These gory moments, driven by a vengeful spirit's sadistic streak, are genuinely unsettling; the ghost's method of peeling her own skin is grotesque enough to make you wince. The makeup and visual effects, particularly the ghost's pallid, white-haired visage, are convincing, adding a layer of authenticity to the horror. For fans of gore, these elements deliver, but they're not enough to salvage the film's deeper flaws.

Where the movie stumbles is in its storytelling and character development. The script, penned by Riheam Junianti, leans heavily on familiar horror clichés: a forbidden room, a cryptic warning, a countdown to doom. It feels like a rehash of countless other ghost stories, with little innovation to set it apart. The pacing drags across its 110-minute runtime, with long stretches of repetitive dialogue and predictable jump scares that fail to land after the first act. I found myself checking the time, a cardinal sin for a horror film meant to grip you. The characters, while competently acted, are thinly drawn. Luna Maya, as Raina, brings a quiet intensity, and Egy Fedly shines as the spiritualist Ki Danang, but their roles lack depth. Christian Sugiono's journalist Ardo feels like an afterthought, his investigative thread fizzling out without impact. The film hints at a richer backstory involving the ghost's origins, but these glimpses are too brief to add emotional weight.

What frustrates most is the missed potential. The film claims inspiration from a real haunted hotel in Semarang, yet it barely taps into the cultural specificity that could have made it stand out. A flashback to the ghost's past offers a fleeting glimpse of something compelling, set in the 1980s with period-appropriate costumes and a tragic tale of betrayal. But this thread is rushed, leaving the spirit's motivations murky. Compare this to something like The Shining, where the hotel's history seeps into every frame, and you see what's lacking. The dialogue, often stilted and overly formal, further undercuts the tension; it's jarring to hear characters speak like textbooks in a supposedly casual setting.

On the technical side, the production values are solid for an Indonesian horror flick. The hotel set, with its peeling paint and creaky floors, feels lived-in, and the lighting choices enhance the eerie mood. But these strengths can't mask the narrative's shortcomings. The film's reliance on gore over psychological depth makes it feel like a one-trick pony, entertaining in bursts but forgettable overall. It's not a bad movie; newcomers to horror might find it a decent thrill ride. For seasoned viewers, though, it's a reminder of how hard it is to craft something truly haunting. I enjoyed the visceral shocks and the cast's effort, but I left wishing for a tighter edit and a bolder vision. One viewing is enough.

The settings and scenery in Indonesian horror films always go hard.

They really make me want to visit their beautiful country!

The storylines on which they are based, however, are kind of mid.

As far as haunted house films go...this one honestly isn't that bad.

But it's certainly not great, either.

The introduction actually got me kind of into it.

Enough, at least, to render me engaged.

Especially considering there are some really cool parts...like the gore.

The gore is quite well done.

Interspersed between the good bits, however, is some questionably dumb stuff.

Some of which hinders the flow.

And there are several times it looked like things were going to wrap up...only for the film to be drawn out longer and longer.

In what seems like an attempt to make this into a series.

The special effects in it are excellent though.

There is some really solid gorey bits.

So, I'd say it's worth a watch for that alone.

But it probably should have been shorter.

5 out of 10.

It started out good for the first 10 minutes but after that it's just plain and boring. I kept getting distracted once in a while and started to lose interest but i kept watching hoping it will get better but it doesn't. The guy named ardo kept saying obvious things like bro we get it ok we're not dumb enough that you need to point it out. On the bright side, the effects are not bad i expected it to be worse but it turns out ok. Some of the storyline feels a bit rushed like there was no explanation or scene to show what happened before and then suddenly boom here we are. I love indonesian horror movies but i must say this one is just not for me.