Angkerbatu Explained
| Angkerbatu |
| Director: | Jose Poernomo |
| Producer: | Jose Poernomo |
| Music: | Float |
| Cinematography: | Yadi Sugandi |
| Distributor: | Liquid Media |
| Runtime: | 87 minutes[1] |
| Country: | Indonesia |
| Language: | Indonesian |
Angkerbatu is a 2007 Indonesian horror film directed by Jose Poernomo.
Plot
The film is set in the eponymous fictional town of Angkerbatu and follows Indonesian crew members of a Korean television broadcasting network. They set out to investigate the disappearance of two colleagues during an assignment in the town.[2]
Cast
- Mieke Amalia as Kanaya: A television news reporter and member of the crew investigating the disappearance of her colleagues
- Susilo Badar as Warno: A television producer and member of the crew investigating the disappearance of his colleagues
- Yama Carlos as Yudha: A driver for the television crew
- Imelda Therinne[3]
- Dan Kim
- Nuri Maulida as Manda: A reporter who disappeared in Angkerbatu
- Bayu S. Virguna as Rino: A cameraman who disappeared in Angkerbatu
- Evi Tamala
Development
Angkerbatu is an adaptation of a novel of the same title by Ruwi Meita.[4] Director Jose Poernomo labeled the genre of the film as "atmospheric horror". He also noted that the novel tells the story of the film in greater detail. The film received a premiere screening on 21 April 2007, and it opened in theaters on 26 April. It was one of a "deluge" of Indonesian horror films released in 2007.
Reception
Unlike Jose Poernomo's 2001 film Jelangkung, whose success was credited with reviving the Indonesian horror film genre, Angkerbatu was panned by critics, who were not impressed with the film despite it being promoted as having the same production team as Jelangkung.[5] Public opinion of Angkerbatu prior to its release was negative, calling the film "cheesy" and accusing it of piggybacking on the popularity of horror films. Film critic Ekky Imanjaya lamented the absence of religious elements from the film, such as a religious teacher or prayer to ward off demons, a contrast to Jelangkung. He noted that the film reintroduced the recurring comic relief character Bokir, which had been absent from Indonesian films since 2000.
References
Bibliography
- Book: Barker, Thomas . 2019 . Indonesian Cinema After the New Order: Going Mainstream . Hong Kong . Hong Kong University Press . 978-988-8528-07-3.
- Book: Imanjaya, Ekky . 2019 . First published 15 July 2007 in Koran Tempo . Film Horor yang Sebenarnya . True Horror Films . https://koran.tempo.co/read/layar/106305/film-horor-yang-sebenarnya . Perkembangan Film Horor Masa Kini . Development of Contemporary Horror Films . Indonesian . III . 26–36 . TEMPO Publishing . 978-623-344-371-5.
Notes and References
- Web site: Angkerbatu (2007) . Indonesian . Film Indonesia . 21 January 2023.
- News: 19 April 2007 . Sutradara 'Jelangkung' Hadirkan 'Angkerbatu' . 'Jelangkung' Director Presents 'Angkerbatu' . Indonesian . . 21 January 2023.
- News: 23 April 2007 . Imelda Therinne Dari Model ke Film . Imelda Therinne, from Model to Film . Indonesian . KapanLagi.com . 21 January 2023.
- News: Sugihardiyah . Rita . 20 April 2007 . Angker Batu . live . Indonesian . KapanLagi.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20101006063815/https://www.kapanlagi.com/foto/berita-foto/indonesia/angker-batu.html . 6 October 2010 . 21 January 2023.
- News: 25 April 2007 . Angkerbatu: Misteri Kota Keramat . Indonesian . . https://web.archive.org/web/20201106122843/https://hot.detik.com/premiere/d-772445/angkerbatu-misteri-kota-keramat . 6 November 2020 . 21 January 2023.
