Ghost in the Cell (2026) – Review
Quick Thoughts:
- Ghost in the Cell is a brutal laughfest filled with blood explosions, likable characters, and a surprising amount of dancing.
- I laughed aloud many times and loved all the surprises the film offers.
- Abimana Aryasatra is the best. Watch The Night Comes for Us.
- The idea of prisoners stopping a jailhouse brawl to dance (or pray) is wonderful.
- The level of gore is wild.
- Director Joko Anwar makes cool stuff with a message.
- Best 2026 dancing.
Written and directed by Joko Anwar (Satan’s Slave 1 & 2), Ghost in the Cell is a refreshingly straightforward horror comedy about an angry ghost seeking revenge on the people who destroyed its protected forest. It’s the best time you’ll have all year watching people being brutally turned into bloody art fixtures resembling something from the Hellraiser franchise. Joko Anwar had something to say, and he used the horror genre to deliver a politically charged horror comedy. In an interview with Variety, he mentioned that he set out to “channel societal anxieties about systemic corruption and environmental destruction through supernatural horror.” The ghost in the film isn’t a metaphor, it’s a destructive force who awakes when Indonesian governmental corruption allows a protected forest to be demolished.
In a brutally sly move, the ghost attaches itself to a young journalist named Dimas (Endy Arfian) who visits the forest while on an assignment to uncover government corruption. When he gets back to his office, his angry boss is brutally killed and tied to an extremely well-anchored ceiling fan. Dimas is convicted of the murder and sent to a soon-to-be besieged prison. During his first day, he’s roomed with Pendi (Lukman Sardi), a psychopath who works as an enforcer for the prison’s most powerful gang (people want him dead for what he knows). He also meets Anggoro (Abimana Aryasatra) and his gang of likable criminals who ended up in jail for non-violent illegal schemes (mostly involving stealing money).
On the following day, Pendi’s mutilated corpse is discovered in the shower room, and it kicks off a wild series of events involving dance classes, smooshed bodies, and red auras. In a welcome coincidence, Six (Yoga Pratama), a nice convict who suffers from constant headaches (due to supernatural visions), realizes what’s going on. He notices the ghost only kills prisoners with red auras (which indicate anger), so to survive, the prisoners led by Anggoro need to stay relaxed while they battle murderous guards, deadly gangs, and angry ghosts.
This leads to hilarious moments when fights are halted so the combatants can dance/meditate/pray to lower their aura color. Much of the humor is situational, and the actors go all-in during the dance sequences and action scenes. The tonal shifts are gnarly, but Anwar is skilled enough to make them feel organic within the story.
Ical Tanjung’s (Satan’s Slaves 1 & 2) inspired cinematography lets the camera roam the prison, which makes the gnarly production feel polished and alive. Also, the practical effects and makeup design by Dodi Setiadi (The Shadow Strays) and Novie Ariyanti (The Night Comes for Us, The Raid, Preman) are believably grotesque and beautifully macabre (which was by design). Overall, Ghost in the Cell is a top-notch production that has something to say. It’s neat.
