There is a GHOST IN THE CELL

Coming to 4K Ultra HD and Bluray Combo pack from writer/director Joko Anwar and Well Go USA is a confining horror when there is a GHOST IN THE CELL.

At a local struggling paper in Asia, writer Dimas (Endy Arfian) is thrilled to turn in a piece he wrote about illegal mining operations in Borneo. What interested him most was that workers mysteriously died there. Polishing it off in time, he takes it to his boss, who, within minutes, is outraged that he added suspicions about the Nehea Forest and orders him to redo it. While doing that, something will happen that sends Dimas to prison.

That prison is Labuhan Angsana, where the inmates have broken off into gangs, the official is corrupt, and one particular guard, Jefri (Bront Palarae), in charge, thinks brutalizing the inmates is required. Anggoro (Abimana Aryasatya) seems to be the leader of one group but doesn’t want to be. It consists of Six (Yoga Pratama), Wildan (Mike Lucock), Pendi (Lukman Sardi) and Irfan (Danang Suryonegoro). They see Dimas coming in on a bus and know he will be the next victim of the psychopath Tokek (Aming Sugarndhi).

The first night has the whole cell block on edge. By morning, they are caught off guard when Dimas is still alive, but what sent him to prison has followed. Instead, the prison is turned upside down as gruesome attacks happen first against the inmates, but it begins to make its way to the prison guards as well. Trying to cover it all up are the corrupt prison warden and his sadistic assistant. They cause the inmates to turn on one another. Yet, one by one, incidents keep happening. All eyes turn to Dimas.

Quickly, with the help of Six, they learn how to fight against the ghost that has taken them hostage behind bars!

Arfian as Dimas is the patsy in all of this. How could he have foreseen that writing an article about suspicious deaths would have him behind bars? Arfian’s character is a bit weak, so it’s easy to see why he needs the help of others if he’s going to survive. Aryastya as Anggoro is a man who tries to keep his temper in check, and with two small children waiting for him, it is still difficult at best. That being said, I loved this character. Calm until he doesn’t have to be, and protects people who can’t protect themselves. Aryastya’s character can also take as good as he gets in the fight scenes, which are well done.

Pratama as Six is an essential character in the film. Coming from a father who has mystic powers, most of the time Six doesn’t take it seriously, until he is forced to. It takes a while, but he finally begins to understand what it is he can see and how it can help. Lucock, Sardi, and Suryonegoro are so cool in the group. Their characters are opinionated, sometimes to their detriment, but loyal as well. They also have their humorous moments that I absolutely loved. Nothing better than being totally grossed out only to have this group of guys crack you up.

Shout out to the two crazies of the film, Sugarndhi as Tokek who gave me Hannibal Lecter vibes the moment he came on screen. It is hard to get me to make the icky face, but Sugarndhi’s version of his character did just that. Well done! Palarae as Jefri, well, if you wanted me to reach through the screen and punch a character right in the face, it would be Jefri. This character is power-hungry in the worst way, but, as they say, karma can be patient.

Other cast include Magistus Miftah as Novilham, Faiz Vishal as Vijay, Jaisal Tanjung as Bambang, Ho Yuhang as Rendra, Marissa Anita as/Rio Dewanto as Engy, Radja Nasution as Bibin, Dewa Dayana as Prakasa, Almonzo Konoralma as Buki, Morgan Oey as Bimo, Tora Sudiro as Anton, and Kiki Narendra as Sapto.

Bonus Feature of Behind the Cell: The Cast, The Making of GHOST IN THE CELL.

Well Go USA Entertainment is a theatrical and home entertainment company specializing in bringing the best Action, Genre and Independent films from around the world to North American markets. As a leader in independent film distribution, Well Go USA Entertainment’s titles can be seen across a variety of platforms including theatrical, digital, subscription and cable VOD, packaged media and broadcast television. Well Go USA Entertainment currently releases three to five films per month. To see more, please visit www.wellgousa.com.

GHOST IN THE CELL is such a unique horror film, which is also touted as a bit of a comedy, yet loaded with a serious gore factor. The kind of gore that’s like a cop chase or a bar fight; you just can’t look away. What happens to these people inside the prison is nothing short of someone with an imagination that should scare the crap out of us. That being said, wow, absolutely a big wow for the special effects. I can’t remember the last time someone got THAT creative with the human form.

The cast really is amazing. In the confines of a prison, this is all taking place, and there is nowhere to run. That’s the feeling the cast gives; the hopelessness and need to survive go hand in hand with comedy. Watching it you have to second-guess yourself about whether to laugh (and should you feel bad for laughing?) or jaw dropping shock (which turns into nervous laughter – see the problem?). Still, the dance scene of the inmates almost had me on the floor rolling with laughter. Then, of course, it was instantly back to jaw-dropping shock.

Way to play with our emotions, Director Anwar, way to play!

In the end – even a cell can’t keep them safe!