Pamali: Dusun Pocong

Pamali: Dusun Pocong is an Indonesian horror film that draws heavily from local myths and rural superstitions. The movie succeeds in building an eerie atmosphere through its remote village setting and the ominous presence of traditional taboos, or pamali. The unsettling soundscape, dim lighting, and haunting visuals effectively create discomfort for the audience early on.

The film's strength lies in its cultural authenticity and atmospheric horror. Several nighttime scenes paired with spine-chilling sound effects deliver the classic horror feel. However, the narrative falls into familiar clichés and relies too much on jump scares without crafting a naturally escalating tension. The plot moves predictably with few surprises, and the characters lack emotional depth, making it difficult for viewers to connect with their personal struggles.

From a technical perspective, the production design is quite solid in portraying the eerie rural environment, though some visual effects feel a bit rough. Pamali: Dusun Pocong is suitable for fans of traditional Indonesian horror, but for those seeking a fresh concept with compelling characters and layered storytelling, this film might come off as rather ordinary.

For me who is afraid of horror films, this film was scary enough. This film is more different when compared to other Indonesian horror films. One simple thing is, we as spectators know that behind the player there is a ghost, but the feeling of fear that we feel is still felt, even though the ghost's face is not that scary.

This film is also easier to watch for the faint of heart, because this film is simpler, there aren't too many rubbish sounds, the comedy just flows, and it doesn't seem like it's forcing the story, even though at the ending, there are some things that are a little forced..

Director, Bobby Prasetyo succeeded in building an aura of fear step by step, making the audience feel at home until the end of the film.

The emphasis will be on the appearance of Pocong who often shows himself in front of them, because it violates the customs that apply in the village. It's an interesting thing.

Customs and traditions are emphasized again neatly and do not feel like mere tacks on.

For the current generation who have slowly left this behind, it seems like a reminder but not patronizing.

Pamali can show the simplicity of local community traditions without having to use flashy methods.

Just by setting the characters, the typical dialect of the local village figures, typical objects and traditional beliefs which are the focus of the story, Pamali can give a Sundanese feel without forgetting the horror side.

One of them is the coconut shell which can immediately change the expression on Cecep's face from cheerful to depressed and how he and the locksmith try their best not to mention the tragedy in the house.

The scene is really a great way to depict the local people who are afraid when their traditional beliefs are disturbed.

The film Pamali: Dusun Pocong is greatly written and has a couple of good scares. The thing that bugs me is that some of the scares were very anticipable, the trope of having everything silenced with little to no sounds and leading with a jumpscare is just not that scary anymore. The make up of the ghosts look very amazing, and the corpses look very realistic. The cast is perfect and had little to no imperfections towards the acting. If you like horror stories and suspense, this film will be to your liking. The jumpscares are not that scary but look very nicely made especially with the camera work and the sequence of the scene. For this an 8/10 fits this movie, I won't be giving it a rewatch but it's a nice horror movie.

Seriously, the movie just started and it's already so thrilling. Seeing so many pocong made my hair stand on end, not to mention their terrifying faces. I can't count how many times I've been startled by the jump scares in this movie, to the point that my friend hid behind my shoulder. The storyline is very interesting, keeping me entertained throughout the entire watch. I was so engrossed in it that I didn't even realize my popcorn was gone. It's rare to see a movie adapted from a popular Indonesian game like this, especially one made in Bandung. No wonder many people say that this movie should have a high score.