Best Joko Anwar Films Ranked: Getting a Deeper Dive Into the Mind Behind the Macabre

I have no idea how I ended up losing into the world of Indonesian horror films, but that is how I came across the filmography of one of the most disturbing yet fascinating minds: Joko Anwar. Forget everything you think you know about horror for a second. This man doesn’t just make scary films; he builds worlds of dread that stick with you, like a stubborn shadow you can’t shake. 

To say I’m a fan feels cheap. I’ve lived in these horror films. I’ve felt the cold dread seep through the screen. To put it simply, so even your grandma could understand, Joko Anwar’s horror films have made me switch on my lights, even the Conjuring universe couldn’t do it!

So, here I am, to share this fascinating curse, or blessing if you may call it,  with you. You’re going to get obsessed if you love horror, so this is the moment when you think twice, are you stopping or daring to dive deeper?

List of the Best Joko Anwar Films Ranked

Satan’s Slaves (Pengabdi Setan)

Release Date: September 28, 2017

Cast: Tara Basro, Bront Palarae, Endy Arfian, Nasar Anuz, Ayu Laksmi

Official Trailer:

Joko Anwar took the bones of a 1980 cult film and resurrected it into something else entirely. Something colder, meaner. Four million Indonesians can’t be wrong. Satan’s Slaves shattered box office records because Anwar tapped into something primal, the fear that our parents might not be who we think they are.

Through this film, Joko Anwar challenged the very epitome of relationships, which are supposed to make us feel safer, were the most terrifying realities of the characters in this film.

Rini’s mother dies after years of illness. Simple enough. Except that death brings visitors. The kind that rings bells at midnight. The kind that know family secrets buried deeper than graves.

Tara Basro carries this film on her shoulders, making us believe every impossible moment through sheer emotional honesty.

It will scare you, it will make you sad, but if you watch it, you will probably crave more and maybe plenty more of Joko Anwar’s horror Films.

Impetigore (2019)

Release Date: October 17, 2019

Cast: Tara Basro, Ario Bayu, Marissa Anita, Christine Hakim

Official Trailer:

Maya works at a toll booth. Barely survives on the salary. Then she learns about an inheritance, a house in a village she’s never heard of. We’ve all fantasized about surprise windfalls. Anwar turns that dream into a waking nightmare.

The village doesn’t want Maya there. Not because she’s an outsider, but because of what her presence means. Children born without shadows. Puppet shows that predict death. A curse that demands specific blood. Impetigore builds horror through accumulation, each revelation worse than the last.

I watched this film twice, and I will watch it again whenever I am tired of finding good horror films. Every time you watch this, you will find new things to observe: how villagers avoid certain paths, why doors stay locked during daylight, and what those puppet shows really depict. Anwar’s horror films hide terror in plain sight, and Impetigore is an example of that. 

The film asks uncomfortable questions about inherited guilt. Do we pay for our parents’ sins? In this village, the answer comes written in blood and shadow.

Satan’s Slaves 2: Communion (2022)

Release Date: August 4, 2022
Cast: Tara Basro, Endy Arfian, Nasar Anuz, Bront Palarae, Ratu Felisha
Official Trailer:

If you’re thinking that sequels ruin the charm of the original film, Satan’s Slaves 2 is going to prove you wrong. I held on to it for too long and just watched yesterday. The movie was a brilliant piece of horror. It had everything followed up from the first film. The best part was, it went deeper into the mythology without leaving any possible loopholes.

Satan’s Slaves 2: Communion amps up the terror, drawing 6.39 million tickets. Rini and her family flee to a grim apartment block, but the curse of “Ibu” follows. 

This is one of those scary movies from Joko Anwar that crafts a claustrophobic nightmare. There’s a literal scene of folks stuck in an elevator; that’s all I am going to say about the plot. 

It’s a film where reality bends. Time stutters. What emerges from those doors shouldn’t exist. But in Anwar’s universe, the impossible becomes inevitable. Satan’s Slaves 2: Communion proves that evil adapts faster than we do.

Also Read: Explore A24 horror movies

Halfworlds (2015)

Release Date: November 29, 2015 (HBO Asia)

Cast: Arifin Putra, Tara Basro, Reza Rahadian, Salvita Decorte

Official Trailer:

Television usually dilutes horror. Stretched across episodes, fear loses potency. Halfworlds breaks that rule. Eight episodes of Jakarta after dark, where demons called Demit hunt humans for sport, pleasure, and worse.

The series succeeds through world-building. Every episode adds layers—demon politics, human collaborators, beings caught between species. Jakarta’s gleaming towers hide ancient hungers. Modern Indonesia collides with primordial forces. The result feels documentary-real despite the supernatural premise.

Sarah, caught between the human and Demit worlds, anchors our journey through this nightmare landscape. Her struggle for identity while monsters, literal and metaphorical, close in creates stakes beyond simple survival. Halfworlds asks: if you could become powerful but inhuman, would you? Some questions shouldn’t be answered.

Dead Time: Kala (2007)

Release Date: April 5, 2007
Cast: Fachry Albar, Shanty, Donny Alamsyah, Ario Bayu
Official Trailer:

Memory makes us human. So what happens when memory fails? Kala explores this question through noir-tinted glasses. A man wakes with no past. People hunt him for reasons he can’t remember. The truth, when it arrives, redefines everything.

Anwar structures Kala like a broken mirror. Each shard reflects a different angle of truth. The protagonist’s journey through Jakarta becomes our journey through the puzzle. Streets loop back on themselves. Time moves in circles. Identity proves more fluid than we’d like to believe.

This early work shows Anwar’s ambitions beyond genre. Yes, it thrills. Yes, it surprises. But Kala also questions fundamental assumptions about self and story. Who tells our tale? Who decides its meaning? The answers disturb more than any ghost could.

Also Read: The Woman in the Yard Review

The Forbidden Door (Pintu Terlarang)

Release Date: January 22, 2009

Cast: Fachri Albar, Marsha Timothy, Ario Bayu, Tio Pakusadewo

Official Trailer:

Ready to lose your mind a little? The Forbidden Door is a straight-up psychological trip. The film follows a successful artist who finds a hidden door in his house. Behind it? A rabbit hole of bizarre and deeply unsettling events. 

The deeper he goes into the mystery, the line between what’s real and what’s in his head completely dissolves, forcing him to face some ugly truths about himself. The Forbidden Door is not an easy watch; it’s one of Joko Anwar’s horror films that will feel like a puzzle box. The movie demands you pay attention. Anwar’s direction is disorienting and stylish, perfectly mirroring the main character’s collapsing sanity. 

It’s a perfect example of how horror can be a scalpel to dissect the human mind, something we explore in other great horror movies as well.

Well, these are some of Joko Anwar’s horror films I have watched so far. There are more titles that I will be exploring soon and reviewing here. I will keep updating this list as I explore them.

Also Read: Late Night with The Devil Review

FAQs

What language is Joko Anwar’s Nightmares and Daydreams?

Nightmares and Daydreams is in Indonesian.

What are the themes in Joko Anwar’s movies?

Joko Anwar often explores supernatural horror, folklore, identity, trauma, and social critique.

Which of Joko Anwar’s movies are upcoming?

Joko Anwar’s upcoming project is “Satan’s Slaves: Communion” (season 2), expanding his horror universe.