Another film adaptation of a viral social media story, Hutang Nyawa, a horror movie by Visinema Pictures, debuted on December 12. Directed by Billy Christian, the film is based on a horror post that went viral, garnering 12.6 million views. It features an intriguing setting: an old factory. Billy Christian, known for directing horror movies, also released Marni: Kisah Wewe Gombel earlier this year. Starring Taskya Namya, Muhammad Khan, Rachel Vennya, Mike Lucock, Mian Tiara, Nagra Kautsar Pakusadewo, Lucky Moniaga, Laksmi Notokusumo, and Krishna Keitaro, Hutang Nyawa was even acquired by the global production, sales, and finance company Est N8 during the Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival (JAFF).
Erwina (Namya) desperately needs money to cover her illegitimate son Jody’s (Keitaro) hospital bills after an accident caused by her negligence at work. When offered a job by Om Dar (Moniaga), she is pressured to take it by her ailing mother (Tiara) and her gambling, alcoholic brother (Pakusadewo). She arrives at a mysterious and haunted old factory producing batik, where she meets the factory founders, Ilyasa (Lucock) and Mbok Rum (Notokusumo), who claim to know her long-lost father. Alongside her roommate Tri (Vennya) and coworker Awang (Khan), Erwina tries to earn as much money as possible while uncovering the eerie secrets of the batik factory, which is riddled with strange rules.
The premise of this film isn’t groundbreaking. The protagonist, lured by money, ventures into a mysterious place to achieve their goal—reminiscent of Perempuan Tanah Jahanam (2019) and Sewu Dino (2023), both featuring female leads facing financial struggles. However, Perempuan Tanah Jahanam bears a closer resemblance to this story, even in terms of its plot twist. Is this a bad thing? Not necessarily. But Perempuan Tanah Jahanam executes its twist more effectively, and its curse system is far more subtle, unique, and compelling.
While the story in Hutang Nyawa is generally well-written and its scenes engaging, the pacing feels rushed and rough in places. The horror symbols and eerie objects scattered throughout—mirrors, gramophones, leeches, scissors, teeth, needles, dances, and even batik stamps—seem disjointed, lacking a cohesive central theme to tie them together. As the climax approaches, the film becomes increasingly hurried, forcing its horror elements in a way that diminishes their impact.
One major shortcoming lies in the underdeveloped antagonists. Mbok Rum and Ilyasa come off as more odd than threatening. While they are manipulative, they lack the intimidation factor. A few carefully crafted scenes showcasing their cruelty gradually could have helped. Instead, the moments meant to highlight their malevolence feel bland and unoriginal. They resemble shallow servants of a demon, with little depth to their characters.
Beyond the three main characters—Erwina, Tri, and Awang—the rest of the cast feels two-dimensional, written solely to trap Erwina in this specific situation. While not every character needs to be deeply layered, adding some depth would have made the story more engaging. By comparison, Perempuan Tanah Jahanam and Sewu Dino succeed in creating supporting and antagonist characters with intriguing layers. These characters aren’t just terrifying but also have clear motivations for their actions, rather than simply being driven by greed.
For a film filled with jump scares, Hutang Nyawa uses them quite effectively! While some are predictable and cheap, many are spiced up with unique elements that work well. On the technical side, the film shows high production value and smooth execution. The filmmakers demonstrate clear experience in framing scenes, making aesthetic decisions, and delivering polished visuals.
The ghostly apparitions in the movie are intense and menacing, with an atmosphere that is genuinely unnerving. The spirits have more personality than the antagonists, which adds a surprising layer of interest. Their appearances are well-balanced—not too sparse or overwhelming. Unfortunately, the main demon falls flat. Its silhouette-only appearance feels anticlimactic, echoing the underwhelming demon reveal in Santet Segoro Pitu, released a few weeks ago.
One of the film’s strengths is its mystery element, which is handled well in the early stages but falters toward the end due to a rushed resolution. The reveal of the plot twist is overly complicated and confusing, with excessive location changes. Erwina’s repeated teleportation by the demon becomes frustrating. This is disappointing because the mystery is built quite smoothly and engagingly at the start. The demon’s identity, curse, and ultimate goals are left vague and underexplored. Still, the mid-credit scene teasing Om Dar’s continued presence hints at a potential sequel, which may address these gaps.
The lead performances, especially from Namya, Vennya, and Khan, are natural and convincing. Other performances are solid but unremarkable, except for Lucock as Ilyasa, whose unsettling portrayal leaves an impression. However, the lack of depth in his character weakens his impact in the end. Namya delivers a compelling performance as Erwina, the central figure and “final girl,” making the audience root for her and worry about her safety, even when her decisions seem unwise. Tri is an easily likable character, played wonderfully by Vennya, making her and Erwina a duo that adds a lot of energy to the film.
Awang, played by Khan, is another standout. Khan excels in portraying both Awang and his possessed counterpart. However, the forced plot reduces his character’s depth by the end, particularly after his possession. Perhaps this is due to the lackluster nature of the demon possessing him, making him less compelling than before. Nevertheless, Tri and Awang are two of the film’s saving graces, as their intelligence and personal motivations make them difficult to dislike, even with their selfish tendencies.
Is the film scary? Yes, it is, to an extent. Its fear factor comes more from its story and mystery, which make it an exciting watch. Even the jump scares are more thrilling than terrifying. With better pacing and less rushed execution in the finale, the film could have been genuinely more frightening. However, are its scariest moments enough to give viewers nightmares? Probably not.
