sMOTHERed – Movie Review | Shudder (3/5)

sMOTHERed on Shudder is an Indonesian Folk Horror movie co-written and produced by Joko Anwar. Not only is the production quality gorgeous for this movie, but the plot is also absolutely brilliant. In a terrible way, obviously, but that’s what we want. Read our full sMOTHERed horror movie review here!

sMOTHERed is a new Shudder horror movie addition. This one is from Indonesia, and if you’ve watched a few Joko Anwar productions, then you’ll know these can be absolutely amazing. In fact, to me, Indonesian horror is often second only to South Korean productions.

Admittedly, both Taiwan and the Philippines deliver some horror hits as well. I am not a big J-Horror girl, but I do feel that even those who adore Japanese horror movies will like this one. It has that folk horror edge that genre movies from Japan also thrive on. The runtime of 99 minutes works well for this one.

Continue reading our sMOTHERed horror movie review below. Find it on Shudder from May 29, 2026.

Taking Mommy issues to a whole new level

sMOTHERed focused on the renowned micro painter Alif, who has survived a very serious accident. As a result, he can’t remember a lot about his life. He recognizes his wife and their son, but has no memories of their recent life together. A life where nobody was particularly happy.

Now, in the aftermath of the accident, Alif is a new man. A better and happier man, who wants to move on along these more positive lines.

One of the first things he discovers is that he recently invited his estranged mother to come visit them. While Alif remembers his wife and son, he has no real memories of his mother, whom he hasn’t seen since he left home as a 15-year-old boy.

As a result, he is both happy to see his mom, who can help him fill in many memory gaps, but he is also increasingly suspicious of her intentions.

Can he trust his mom? And why does he keep getting these pesky nosebleeds?!

A modern take on a famous folktale

I love that we’re seeing more folk horror movies based on folktales from other countries. I mean, we’ve seen lots of the fairytale turned into horror movies over the years. One of the most recent (and best) would be The Ugly Stepsister.

More recently, we’re seeing Winnie the Pooh and other beloved children’s characters turned into horror movies.

sMOTHERed is much more of a The Ugly Stepsister situation than using the Winnie the Pooh angle as a cheap ploy. Sorry, but we’re talking B-movie productions milking a beloved character because it became public domain. A fun idea along the lines of Sharknado, but not a concept I’m crazy about.

Anyway, sMOTHERed is a modern take on a supposedly famous Indonesian Folktale called “Malin Kundang”. I have no idea whether this is actually a famous folktale, but I do know that sMOTHERed works very impressively as a folk horror movie.

Also, the original title is Legenda Kelam Malin Kundang, so it does certainly appear to be directly based on this folktale.

Watch Smothered on Shudder

sMOTHERed was directed by Kevin Rahardjo and Rafki Hidayat, who have worked on several successful Indonesian genre productions in the past. The screenplay comes from Indonesian horror master Joko Anwar, Aline Djayasukmana, and Rafki Hidayat.

Co-writer and co-director Rafki Hidayat recently wrote two episodes of the Netflix original anthology series Joko Anwar’s Nightmares and Daydreams (2024). If you haven’t already watched that, then I highly recommend that you check it out.

Starring in this latest Shudder addition are Rio Dewanto, Faradina Mufti, Vonny Anggraini, and Jordan Omar. These names may not ring a bell, but Faradina Mufti, in particular, may be familiar as she starred in Grave Torture.

As far as horror folk tales go, sMOTHERed has both a really strong story and works amazingly as a horror movie. Be ready for a very intense ending that should terrify and break your heart.

I can easily see this movie getting a remake in any language. The story is certainly universal enough, which in itself is pure horror – you’ll understand this statement better as soon as you’ve watched this on Shudder, and you really should!

sMOTHERed is coming to Shudder May 29, 2026.

Details

Directors: Kevin Rahardjo & Rafki Hidayat
Screenwriters: Joko Anwar, Aline Djayasukmana, and Rafki Hidayat
Cast: Rio Dewanto, Faradina Mufti, Vonny Anggraini, Jordan Omar, Sulthan Hamonangan, Gambit Saifullah, Nova Eliza, Tony Merle