Sumala

Given my love of both horror movies and Asian cinema, then of course I would sit down and watch the 2024 Indonesian horror movie "Sumala", as I had the opportunity to do so here in 2025. I didn't need any persuasion to do so. Nor did I know what the movie was about, or what I was getting into, but I assumed that it was probably a subpar horror movie, as the Indonesian horror genre has been rather stale for the last year or two.

But color me impressed. I was genuinely and wholeheartedly entertained throughout the course of the 112 minutes that the movie ran for, as writers Betz Illustration and Riheam Junianti put together a great script and storyline. It was a rather compelling script that encompasses the audience in the narrative. It was a nicely, and well-told, story, with interesting and detailed characters.

The only cast ensemble I was familiar with in the movie was Luna Maya. I will say, though, that the acting performances in the movie were good, by all of the actors and actresses. Child actress Makayla Rose Hilli really put on a great performance.

While the movie definitely started out interestingly enough, it was sort of a sleeper movie, but at around 1 hour into the playtime, it really kicks off and gets into a proper gear. And "Sumala" is not a movie for faint of heart. Nay, "Sumala" was Indonesian horror done right, and that was a most welcomed thing for me, as I have found the Indonesian horror genre to have been in a stale slump for the past couple of years.

"Sumala" is a pretty brutal movie, especially when Kumala runs amok about an hour into the movie. But there is something oddly liberating about her getting revenge on those tormenting her, but be warned, it is not scenes that are suitable for everyone in the general audience.

It was really refreshing to sit down and watch "Sumala", because this was the most proper Indonesian horror movie released in recent years. And it is well-worth sitting down and spending 112 minutes on watching.

Visually then the movie was good. There are some scenes which may not be suitable for sensitive viewers; just a heads up, as there are some pretty gruesome scenes in the movie. I liked the special effects in the movie, I will say that, and the effects looked good and realistic, and really added something grand to the overall enjoyment of the movie.

My rating of director Rizal Mantovani's 2024 horror movie "Sumala" lands on a well-deserved seven out of ten stars.