11 Latest Joko Anwar Movies That Stole the Spotlight

The first Pengabdi Setan (Satan's Slaves) film intrigued many viewers with the backstory of 'Ibu' (Mother) before she passed away. To shed light on this mystery, Joko Anwar expanded on the horrors of 'Ibu's' reign of terror in the sequel, "Pengabdi Setan 2: Communion."

Five years after experiencing terrifying events at their home, Rini (Tara Basro), along with her father and younger siblings, moves into an old apartment. Here, they begin what seems like a pleasant new life. However, they soon discover that the curse of 'Ibu' has not disappeared, as mysterious events start occurring in their new home.

The problems start with the apartment elevator breaking down that cause several injuries. Following this, a string of other odd events start to affect Rini and her neighbors. They find themselves trapped in the apartment, struggling to escape. Their efforts are hindered by many challenges, including a confrontation with a group of devil worshipers who also live in the building.

In this movie, directed and written by Joko Anwar, Tara Basro plays the lead role once again. Maya (Tara Basro) and Dini (Marissa Anita) are two friends who initially worked as toll gate guards. However, after a dangerous incident that almost cost Maya her life, they quit their jobs.

Facing financial struggles, Maya decides to move to her parents' hometown in Harjosari village with Dini, hoping to use her inheritance to support themselves back in Jakarta. Upon arriving, they find the village weird and notice an unusually high number of children's graves.

They soon find out that Maya's old family home once belonged to Donowongso, a famous puppeteer who made a devil's pact to heal his child, who was born without skin. Since then, a curse has afflicted the village, causing all newborns to suffer the same fate as Donowongso's child.

The decision to move to the village is truly a mistake. Maya unintentionally reopens old wounds, and the villagers now see her as a threat.

When discussing Joko Anwar's great films, Pengabdi Setan (Satan's Slaves) is a must-mention. This film significantly raised the director's profile among the public. It revolves around a family living in their grandmother’s old house.

The family includes the ailing mother, Mawarni; the father, Bahri; their eldest son, Rini; and three younger brothers, Tony, Bondi, and Ian.

Mawarni’s illness has severely drained the family’s finances due to the high cost of her medical care. This situation forces Bahri to work extra hard and Rini to quit college. This is a stark contrast to their previous life, when they were quite well-off, especially when Mawarni was a legendary singer known for her hit song "Kelam Malam."

At one point, Mawarni, who could only communicate by ringing bells, began acting oddly until she eventually passed away. Following her funeral, eerie occurrences started to unfold at Grandma Rahma's house. Mawarni's spirit seemed to return, along with a series of other frightening events that terrorized the entire family.

This movie of Joko Anwar is quite different from other dramas because it is similar to the style of action-packed Western movies.

Sari (Tara Basro), who works at a beauty salon, loves watching movies on pirated DVDs that she frequently buys. Her dream is to own a home theater system so she can enjoy films as if she were in a cinema. Her passion for movies leads her to meet Alex (Chicco Jerikho), a film subtitle translator. They quickly grow close and start dating.

One day, Sari is asked to work for a prison inmate. Upon arriving, she is amazed to see that the inmate's cell has the home theater system she dreams of, complete with original DVDs of her favorite movies. Overcome by temptation, she steals a DVD, which unexpectedly contains recorded evidence involving a criminal who is also her client in the prison.

This act puts Sari in danger as she becomes a target of the criminal’s accomplices, pulling Alex into the dangerous situation as well.

In Modus Anomali (also known as "Ritual"), directed and written by Joko Anwar and released in 2012, the film follows a man who gets lost in a dense forest. He struggles to locate his family and escape from the frightening woods.

John Evans (Rio Dewanto) goes to a cabin in the woods with his wife (Hannah Al Rasyid). What starts as a pleasant trip soon turns scary when a mysterious stranger unexpectedly visits their cabin, causing John and his wife to be separated.

John wakes up confused and alone, struggling to find his wife and save both of their lives. As time runs out, John is truly worried about his wife's safety.

The more John searches for his wife, the more he experiences bizarre and confusing situations. Will John be able to find his wife and both of them escape the forest safely?

Joko Anwar chose Fachri Albar and Marsha Timothy for the lead roles in this psychological horror film. Interestingly, Pintu Terlarang (The Forbidden Door) wasn't very successful in Indonesia, but it received a lot of positive feedback at various international film festivals.

In the movie, Gambir (Fachri Albar) is a renowned sculptor who seems to have it all, including a beautiful wife named Talyda (Marsha Timothy). He is particularly famous for a sculpture of a pregnant woman, which symbolizes the height of his success.

However, a dark secret lies hidden within the sculpture: it contains an actual fetus, the result of his relationship with Talyda, which he intentionally placed inside.

Things start to unravel for Gambir when he receives a mysterious message that fills him with terror and guilt over what he did to his unborn child. These messages begin to disturb Gambir's concentration and change his life dramatically. What really happened to Gambir?