Over the years, Indonesian cinema has solidified its place as a stronghold in the horror genre, known for blending local folklore with inventive storytelling. Yusron Fuadi’s The Draft! (Setan Alas!) proudly carries that torch and runs with it, venturing into new territory with a narrative that packs playful, meta twists. The film takes the well-worn conventions of slasher and supernatural horror, turns them on their head, and delivers an experience that’s as chaotic as it is clever.
At first glance, The Draft!’s story seems deceptively simple. A group of college friends head to an isolated cabin, a premise horror fans will recognize instantly. The characters fit neatly into familiar tropes: the jock, the nerd, the pretty one, the rich one, and the popular one. What begins as a standard genre romp quickly escalates into a surreal adventure when the group discovers they’re not just victims in a horror film, they’re trapped in the first draft of a screenplay, and that their decisions dictate their very own survival.
Visually, the film punches above its indie roots. Complementing Fuadi’s kinetic direction from a bold screenplay Fuadi co-wrote with Anindita Suryarasmi, Richard James Halstead, and B.W. Purba Negara; Mandella Majid’s cinematography deserves praise for crafting an eerie and immersive atmosphere. Grainy textures and tight framing evoke both found-footage films and the claustrophobia of classic horror films, while the forest setting feels alive, almost tactile. Kudos also go to the musical score, as the jarring shifts from wailing guitar licks to breezy bossa nova rhythms—with the melodramatic orchestral piano introduced later on—effectively serve the film’s overarching theme of chaos.
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Unfortunately, The Draft!’s visual effects are inconsistent. Some sequences stand out awkwardly, undermining the otherwise atmospheric visuals. Sure, the roughness could be justified by the “unfinished draft” theme. This is especially true in the third act, where the film features a “How to Survive in an Indonesian Cheap Horror Film” segment at a juncture where everything has gone tits up. Nonetheless, it remains a noticeable flaw that’s hard to overlook.
What I see as the film’s strongest suit, however, is Fuadi’s evident love for the genre. The Draft! sees the director critiquing and celebrating horror’s quirks and stereotypes in equal measure, delivering a film about the art of storytelling and the scares. Granted, the meta-narrative invites comparisons to The Cabin in the Woods and One Cut of the Dead, but I feel like The Draft! manages to forge its own identity, pushing the limits of its meta-narrative with daring twists and idiosyncratic storytelling. Still, its eagerness to highlight its cleverness can feel a little too on the nose at times as if the filmmakers fear that, somewhere along the way they would lose the audience.
Ultimately, though, while The Draft! is an ambitious film that doesn’t always stick the landing, it offers enough inventiveness to satisfy fans of meta-horror. It’s messy, self-aware, and unapologetically wild—a fitting tribute to the genre that wears all its imperfections on its sleeve.
The 28th edition of the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival runs in-person and online November 13-24. For tickets, scheduling, and other details about this year’s programming, visit the festival’s website.
