Ghost In The Cell Review: Joko Anwar’s Best Work Yet is As Funny As Scary It Is

It will not be an overstatement to call Ghost in The Cell, Joko Anwar’s best film yet. I love what he does to horror films, but compared to everything he has made until now, Ghost in the Cell has become my #1 film from his filmography. Let me tell you why!

Well, the film does something different than what you might have seen in Joko Anwar’s best films like Satan’s Slaves franchise, Impetigore, The Forbidden Door, etc. All these movies were serious as hell. You would witness horror, so much of it, and gore. And don’t take me wrong, I am not complaining. I loved each one of those films, but Ghost in the Cell adds something new that achieves something that none of the horror films of 2026 could achieve.

Or maybe, Obsession is the second closest, because with horror, I found some humor in that film too. 

Ghost in the Cell Ditches Traditional Horror

The film experiments with blending multiple horror niches like slasher, supernatural, religious, and comedy. The film starts with a strong hook that locks your attention. I will not give spoilers anywhere in this blog, but let me tell you a little bit about the setup of the film.

So, the movie begins with a journalist excited about his article that would expose a big forest corruption. But, his boss hates the article and insults him. All this is followed by the brutal murder of the boss and his corpse mutilated and hanging to the ceiling fan. Below him stands the journalist found by his friend.

Then we move to the main premises of the story where you stay for the rest of the film. This is a jail wardened by a ruthless lead guard who bullies prisoners. The journalist soon joins the jail after getting charged with his boss’ unexplainable murder. But as soon as he arrives to the jail, brutal murders of prisoners start happening.

Throughout the film, we see multiple creative ways the entity kills people, the theories that prisoners discuss for these killings, and several humorous scenes buried between all that. It’s all a mess, but a good one.

Ghost in the Cell has 106 minutes of runtime, and if you share my taste even slightly, you’re going to appreciate every second of it. And by the way, don’t forget to stay for the credits. There’s a surprise that I won’t reveal.

Joko Anwar Proved He is Evolving in His Art

I have been a huge fan of Joko Anwar’s horror streak. He did it so well with Satan’s Slaves, and made Satan’s Slaves 2 even better than the first one. Grave Torture also had a cool concept that delivered the mythological horror with almost perfection. And compared to all those films, Ghost in the Cell turned out to be his best work not only because of how funny or scary it was, but also because how within a limited space, Anwar managed to deliver everything so perfectly.

Even the filmography and character designing is great. Loved the casting. Abimana Aryasatya as Anggoro was fitting the character of someone who could defend and lead others. He also did action sequences quite well. Bront Palarae as Jefri and Aming Sugandhi as Tokek also managed to piss me off quite well through their perfect acting of assholes on screen. 

Endy Arfian managed to deliver the innocence of Dimas. But whether he was actually as innocent as he looked, or just wore a mask, you will have to find yourself.

Ghost in the Cell Is a Prison Film Wearing a Ghost Costume

Here’s the thing about Ghost in the Cell. The ghost is not the scariest thing inside Labuhan Angsana.

Anwar has been vocal about his stand against the scale of deforestation in Indonesia and you will see his message in the film delivered beautifully without turning the premises into a cringefest.

It also explains why the film is so good at the newsroom bits. Before he made movies, Joko Anwar was a journalist and a film critic. He has clearly been in that room, with that boss, holding that story.

That is the trick nothing else in 2026 horror has pulled off for me. You are laughing at a bit, and two scenes later you realise the bit was the argument.

The Kills Are Staged Like Art, and the Practical Effects Sell Every One

I have to give a separate section to the kills because they deserve one.

The entity does not just kill. It arranges. Every body becomes a display, staged with a sick sense of composition, and the film keeps escalating the design of these set pieces instead of just the volume of blood. Ghost in the Cell has some of the most gleefully deranged horror imagery I have seen in an Indonesian film, and the practical work holds up even when the camera refuses to cut away.

The sound design does half the work here. The film knows when to give you the crunch and when to leave you with silence and a shape you cannot fully see. And the production design of Labuhan Angsana, all that green light, damp concrete and corridors that look like they were built to keep secrets, gives the entity a playground that feels genuinely inescapable.

The other thing worth flagging: this is a full ensemble film in a confined space, and Anwar keeps every corner of the frame busy. Arswendy Bening Swara, one of Anwar’s most frequent collaborators, is quietly excellent here. Lukman Sardi and Almanzo Konoralma round out a cast where even the background prisoners feel like they have their own running gag going.

The Only Places Ghost in the Cell Wobbles

I called this Anwar’s best film, and I meant it, but I would be lying if I said it was flawless.

The first third is heavy on gore before the comedy properly kicks in, so if you go in expecting a horror comedy from minute one, the tonal switch takes a while to arrive. Some viewers will find that stretch punishing. 

Second, with an ensemble this large, a few prisoners exist mostly to be killed creatively, and I would have taken ten more minutes of the middle section over some of the later chaos. The film is maximalist by design, and maximalism means the hit rate is never going to be 100 percent.

None of this dented my rating. But if your taste runs to the tight, controlled dread of Satan’s Slaves, know that Ghost in the Cell is deliberately messier than that. It is a different instrument.

Ghost in the Cell Review: The Verdict

Ghost in the Cell is Joko Anwar’s twelfth feature and the one where he stops choosing between his instincts. Horror, comedy, action, satire and even a dance beat, all of it in one 106 minute film that never sits still. It is grotesque, it is very funny, and it is angrier than anything he has made.

Watch it if you liked Satan’s Slaves, Impetigore, Grave Torture, or any horror that has something on its mind. Skip it if you have a low tolerance for on-screen mutilation, because the film has none of the restraint of his earlier work.

And stay through the credits. I said it above and I’m saying it again.

Where to Watch Ghost in the Cell

Ghost in the Cell premiered at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival in the Forum section in February 2026, then released in Indonesian cinemas on 16 April 2026, where it became a box office hit. It began streaming on Netflix in Indonesia from 20 August 2026.

Netflix availability rolls out territory by territory, so check the title on your regional Netflix. In North America the rights sit with Well Go USA, which has not announced a date yet. The film sold to more than 80 territories after Berlin, so if it is not on your Netflix today, it is coming.

FAQs

Is Ghost in the Cell scary or funny? 

Both, and it switches fast. The first act leans hard into gore and dread, then the comedy takes over without ever cancelling out the horror. Think brutal kills interrupted by prisoners bickering like children.

What is Ghost in the Cell about? 

An invisible entity starts killing inmates in a notorious Indonesian prison after a new prisoner arrives. Once the survivors work out that the entity targets whoever carries the most negative aura, rival gangs and corrupt guards are forced to cooperate to stay alive.

Is Ghost in the Cell on Netflix? 

Yes. It started streaming on Netflix in Indonesia on 20 August 2026. Availability in other regions depends on your local Netflix catalogue, so search the title before assuming it isn’t there.

How long is Ghost in the Cell? 

106 minutes.

What is the Indonesian title of Ghost in the Cell? 

Hantu Dalam Sel. You’ll also see it listed as Hantu Dalam Penjara in some places.

Does Ghost in the Cell have a post-credits scene? 

Don’t leave when the credits roll. There is something waiting, and it is worth the extra two minutes. I’m not saying more than that.

Is Ghost in the Cell connected to Satan’s Slaves or Impetigore? 

No. It is a standalone story with no link to Anwar’s earlier horror films. You can watch it first if this is your entry point into his filmography.

Is Ghost in the Cell based on a true story? 

No. The ghost and the prison are fictional, but the corruption, the deforestation and the broken justice system it satirises are very real, and Anwar has said the environmental and political reality is where the horror actually comes from.

Where did Ghost in the Cell premiere? 

At the 2026 Berlin International Film Festival, in the Forum section, in February 2026.

Is Ghost in the Cell too violent? 

It is rated 18+ and it earns that. Bodies are mutilated on screen and staged like exhibits. If gore is a hard no for you, this is not the Joko Anwar film to start with.

Who stars in Ghost in the Cell? 

Endy Arfian, Abimana Aryasatya, Bront Palarae, Aming, Arswendy Bening Swara, Lukman Sardi and Almanzo Konoralma lead a large ensemble cast.

Is Ghost in the Cell Joko Anwar’s best film? 

For me, yes, and I have seen all of them. It is his most tonally ambitious work and the first time he has fused horror, comedy and political satire without any one of them getting diluted. If you rank his films by pure dread, Satan’s Slaves still wins. By range, this one is untouchable.