Mantra Surugana – Netflix Review (2/5)

MANTRA SURUGANA on Netflix is a new horror movie from Indonesia – and this is one of the better productions. The story works, as does the acting, but it is too long. Read our Mantra Surugana movie review here!

MANTRA SURUGANA is a new Netflix horror movie from Indonesia. It’s also set in Indonesia so the characters obviously speak Indonesian. You can, of course, choose to watch a dubbed version, but I always recommend giving the original language a shot.

Whatever you choose, you can expect a somewhat classic horror story set in a school. There’s a demon and several people have already disappeared or died when the movie begins. The runtime is 1 hour and 38 minutes, which is good, but it could’ve been better.

Continue reading our Mantra Surugana movie review below. Find it on Netflix from January 11, 2024.

Demon in the dormitory

The above headline could’ve been the title of this Indonesian horror movie on Netflix.

Mantra Surugana has a story that revolves around a new female college student. She moves into a dormitory where mysterious events have already taken place. She quickly sees a few mysterious things herself and asks her fellow students about it.

Before long, they discover that these occurrences – which include death and disappearances – are due to the awakening of a demon. Someone has awakened the demon through an incantation.

As it turns out, the curse has a connection to her own past. This is hardly a surprise as the opening scene (which is brutal!) seems to involve a demonic force as well.

The world of Indonesian horror movies

We’ve reviewed several Indonesian horror movies here at Heaven of Horror. Some are okay or even good, a few are great, and many are quite subpar to what we expect.

This one is worth checking out for the production value and fairly strong story.

You shouldn’t expect too much from it, but it does have some good surprises along the way. From the get-go, however, several jump scares feel way too forced. This is a shame as the story is better than this lazy horror trick.

Admittedly, there are exceptions. A few of the jumpscares do manage to stick their landing fairly well. It’s not all bad. Not even close!

Watch Mantra Surugana on Netflix

Dyan Sunu Prastowo is the director of Mantra Surugana which he also co-wrote with three other writers. To me, it is very rarely a good sign that many writers are involved, but for this story, it may be due to folklore elements or what have you.

In any case, the other three writers are Budhita Arini, Ervina Isleyen, and Raditya. Dyan Sunu Prastowo already has a few horror productions on their resume as a director and knows how to get the creepiness going.

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Also, Mantra Surugana is definitely one of the better Indonesian productions. There is still more CGI (of a crude kind) than I’d like, but the use of practical effects is also prevalent. In that sense, it should work for more horror fans than most Indonesian horror movies.

If we gave half stars, we would give this movie 2½ stars.

Mantra Surugana is on Netflix from January 11, 2024.

Details

Director: Dyan Sunu Prastowo
Writers: Budhita Arini, Ervina Isleyen, Dyan Sunu Prastowo, Raditya
Stars: Sitha Marino, Fergie Brittany, Luna Shabrina, Cindy Nirmala, Rania Putrisari, Yusuf Mahardika, Rafael Adwel, Dewa Dayana, Arswendy Bening Swara, Mike Lucock, Tegar Satrya, Messi Gusti