After Mila’s mother falls deathly ill, a shaman tells her she must return a bracelet to the “Dancing Village,” a remote community on the easternmost tip of Java Island. She travels to the island with her cousin, Yuda, and his friends Jito and Arya, and when they arrive they learn the village’s new guardian, Buyut, has left and no one knows when he will return.
While they wait for him to return strange things begin to happen and Mila has a run-in with the malevolent spirit, Badarawuhi, who threatens the very safety of the village. After Buyut returns Mila learns that the only way to save her mom may be participating in a ritual where one of the village's young women is chosen by Badarawuhi and will become a cursed soul, forced to dance for the rest of her life.
Dancing Village: The Curse Begins is the latest supernatural chiller from Indonesian director Kimo Stamboel. Stamboel is no stranger to these parts, he was part of the duo The Mo Brothers with Timo Tjahjanto who brought us early faves Macabre and Killers before striking out on his own with the action flick Headshot. From there though he’s pretty much stayed the course and churned out horror flick after horror flick. This time around he was tasked with following up a local hit from 2022, KKN di Desa Penari, by director Awi Suryadi.
That first film was co-written by Gerald Mamahit, Lele Laila and SimpleMan, and the latter two returned to pen this prequel. Laila and SimpleMan have worked with Stamboel before on two separate films. SimpleMan is widely known in Indonesia for his viral threads about supernatural happenings in remote areas around Indonesia, such as the one that these two movies are based on. Supposedly this story is based on true events that happened in one village on the island of Java, nearby where SimpleMan lived.
According to Stamboel, the writer has more of these stories on standby for adaptation into film. Basically it sounds like wherever this guy goes he has a knack for finding out the stranger, darker things that have happened there. If he moves into your neighborhood we suggest you pack up and skip town before property values drop.
The setup in The Curse Begins is a familiar one to horror fans, one that has played out many times in many places around the World. City dwellers go out into the country and come upon a remote village with a foundation of traditional and perhaps antiquated beliefs. They are beliefs that drive these little microcosms and give power to those they worship and to those they fear, real or not. Good things will continue to happen as long as the right offerings are made. Livestock will flourish and crops will yield a great abundance of food. As long as Badarawuhi is pleased.
Aulia Sarah reprises her role as Badarawuhi, joining the ranks of malevolent spirits under the category of “Well. If I’m going to die by way of a spirit’s curse I might as well die by the hands of this statuesque beauty”. Darwita K. Karin’s costume design chops are on full display here, proving that the way Evil draws you in is to make itself seem as beautiful an option as possible.
The Curse Begins is, relatively speaking, a big production with ambitious production values. Between on location shots in the country and studio shots The Curse Begins is a sharp looking flick. We’re lured in by the beautiful, rustic countryside which hides the evil that hangs over the village. And being the first SouthEast Asian movie shot for IMAX, Stamboel makes the most of their transition and establishing shots, showing off the land in the large format.
And how does it stand as a horror flick? The Curse Begins is a great example of what makes a good gateway supernatural horror flick. It is the type of horror movie for folks who are looking for something creepy and not heart-stopping scary. What it may be missing for some in jump scares it makes up for with a persistent creepiness, forbidding atmosphere and spooky mystery. Of particular note, the temple dance scene during the climax hit a nerve as strangely perverse and discomforting, the dancers’ cruel fates aside.
There is just enough blood and mellow gore to make casual horror folks uneasy and just enough for the zealous horror fans. It comes in the form of deadly illness in any human and mammalian death, either by the curse or by sacrifice. Remember, a rural belief system. There is no good death here.
The Curse Begins caters to the local Indonesian audience yet it has themes that a global audience understands. The city is safe, and rural areas are fraught with danger, occupied by people who are weird and give power to local entities through traditional and strange practices. One does not simply go to observe but will inevitably get caught up in the hysteria and something bad will happen by the end. The Curse Begins is your chance to see it happen within Indonesian culture, maybe for the first time.
Wear your best dancing shoes, just in case.