Interview: Billy Christian Talks TUYUL: PART 1, His Indonesian Horror Film

What's so interesting about TUYUL over other famous Indonesia mythical beings?

The interesting thing about Tuyul is this is the creature that looks like a little child physically and in its behavior. Tuyul helps greedy people to get money by stealing, it creates a bond between the people and itself, it has to be taken care just like a child, you have to play with Tuyul to keep their mood [positive], and you even have to breast feed them. 

What is the biggest challenge in the production of TUYUL PART 1?

The challenge is the Tuyul design. We tried to design the creature as close as possible to how we wanted it to look. and then we had to figure out how to apply that design to the little actor that plays Tuyul. The actor is so small that we have to consider that the prosthetic in his head is not too heavy. Also, that he appears almost naked while we shot on the cold place near the mountain. 

What do you think of Indonesia's horor genre now? Compared to, let's say, years ago?

Years ago, producers tended to make sexploitation horrors with less prepared concepts and bad executions, so Indonesian people disbelieved the horror genre, and it affected Indonesian film identity. But now its getting better, no more sexploitation, better quality. 

Domestic audiences tend to be pretty skeptical of Indonesian horror film quality. In your opinion, why? And how will TUYUL PART 1 face that?

We try to bring better values for our movie. Better preparation, better production design, better execution, etc. We have to bring back Indonesian horror on the right track and make Indonesian audiences believe in a local film, not only in horror genre.

Can you tell us how many parts of TUYUL there will be? What's the plan with the sequel, as to the story and release date?

Three parts. I'm planning to be explore more with the terror and scariness. Hopefully Tuyul could stay in the audience's minds for the rest of their lives.

Sounds just about right for an Indonesian mythical being to get proper respect and fair treatment on the big screen! Watch the three part "Behind The Scenes" video (in Bahasa Indonesia without English subtitles) below.