Indera: Malaysian Folk Horror

The Memali Incident was sort of like Malaysia’s Waco or Ruby Ridge. Essentially, the somewhat Islamic government laid siege to a village dominated by very Islamist militants, who gained sympathy during the subsequent crackdowns and curfews. When asked by a prospective employer, Joe the handyman assures her he avoids politics, but he would be safer amid the chaos of Memali than in her remote crumbling villa. To make matters worse, his young mute daughter is even more at risk in Woo Ming Jin’s Indera, which releases today of all days on VOD.

The circumstances of Sophia’s birth were tragic and suspiciously sinister. Since then, it has just been her and her father Joe—and they don’t talk much, because she has been mute since birth. After their latest landlord evicts them, he every so helpfully refers him to a weird Javanese woman, who operates a makeshift “orphanage” in the middle of the rainforest.

The crypto-shaman has a weird relationship with the gaping hole behind her house. Clearly, it seems to exert an unhealthy power over the household. Frankly, Joe should have left as soon as the sinister woman he is supposed to call “mother” separated him from Sophia, making her bunk with the other three children. Regardless, neither he or Sophia should trust the apparent ghost of her mother Anisa, who regularly pays them visits.

Indera boasts plenty of atmosphere, but Woo cannot generate the tension of the Indonesian folk horror movies that obviously inspired his film. Frankly, Indera can be maddeningly slow, especially the unhurried first act. Still, Woo aptly uses the overheated Memali backdrop to suggest a sense of danger in the air.

Shaheizy Sam and Samara Kenzo also both deliver impressively grounded and sensitive performances as Joe and Sophie. The audience keenly feels the lingering damage done to them both by Anisa’s premature demise. However, veteran Malaysian thesp Ruminah Sidek never looks comfortable chewing the scenery or embracing her inner villainy as the old lady.

Indera has a cerebral streak, which is cool. However, the film falters delivering the kind of scares genre fans seek. It is okay for a first attempt at horror, but there are many superior Thai and Indonesian folk horror films, covering similar thematic terrain. Not recommended as VOD rental, but maybe as a diversion when it lands on ad-supported platforms, Indera releases today (10/31) on digital and on-demand.