“Si Jin: Book of Blood”: An Indonesian Horror Remake That Misses the Mark
The Indonesian horror film “Si Jin: Book of Blood” has been released domestically, a remake of the Turkish hit of the same name from 2014, which has since grown into an impressive series of seven films. The original story was kept intact, but the plot structure of “Si Jin” was carefully adapted to the realities of a small village in the jungles of the Malay Archipelago. Let’s delve into how terrifying this tale of revenge gone awry turned out to be.
Ibrahim Risyad as Galang in a still from “Si Jin: Book of Blood”
Irma (Anggika Bolsterli) seeks advice from a sorcerer. She harbors tender feelings for her cousin Galang (Ibrahim Risyad), who reciprocates her affection, but ethical norms stand in the way of the lovers’ happiness. The sorcerer listens to the client and, after consulting with the spirits, delivers a disappointing verdict: “Anyone but a cousin, don’t even think about it, or you will die.” Twelve years pass, Galang is happily married and has a growing daughter. However, the man has not broken off relations with his cousin, for which he feels guilty, but attributes the affair to the weakness of the flesh. Irma’s unexpected pregnancy leads to a quarrel that ends in a miscarriage, and after the showdown, Galang distances himself as much as possible from his lover, which further wounds the girl’s heart.
Consumed by anger, Irma visits the sorcerer again and demands revenge. The magician asks to bring the hair and blood of Galang’s wife, performs a ritual, and summons a djinn — a bloodthirsty spirit that will inhabit the body of the unfortunate woman and kill her and all her blood relatives in five days. Irma realizes that the vendetta has gone awry when terrible visions begin to haunt her as well. At the same time, Galang, observing fatal changes in his wife’s character, turns to the local mullah for help in exorcising the demon.
Still from the movie “Si Jin: Book of Blood”
Southeast Asian Horror: A Growing Trend
Southeast Asian horror films are a unique phenomenon that has been increasingly attracting the attention of Russian moviegoers lately. Thanks to directors such as Gareth Evans, Kimo Stambol, and Timo Tjahjanto, Indonesia is associated with new Asian wave action films bordering on slashers: fierce, bloody, and naturalistic. Meanwhile, many action authors who have managed to break through beyond local distribution began with horror films — outrageously low-budget and invariably cruel.
Hadrah Daeng Ratu, the young director of “Si Jin,” has not yet made it to action films, but he has long favored the horror genre, which gives reason to judge a certain directorial style. Ratu prefers to work with the boundaries of the otherworldly and the real, obsession, and knowingly wrong human decisions. The heroes of “Si Jin,” in an attempt to solve everyday problems, resort to the help of forces that they are unable to understand, and naturally pay an unbearable price for such a mistake. It is not difficult to guess that Ratu’s equation does not provide for a happy ending; all who have sinned will be punished, and several innocent souls will go to their ancestors with them — as a warning to others.
The Meaning of “Si Jin”
Si Jin in Islam (about 90% of Indonesia’s population is Muslim) is a multifaceted term. It is both a place at the very bottom of hell where sinners suffer, and a special register where the names of citizens who have caused trouble are entered, and the very state of eternal torment. Ratu’s film probably refers viewers to the latter: not everyone will be able to sit through the hour-and-a-half swing between mundane everyday dramas and rather hackneyed screamers. And if the Turkish original 10 years ago could still scare with its unusual setting and dashing presentation, then “Book of Blood” is left with rural exoticism and quotes from modern horror classics.
Ibrahim Risyad as Galang in a still from “Si Jin: Book of Blood”
Familiar Tropes and Missed Opportunities
Starting from the second act, it becomes difficult to ignore all the borrowings of “Si Jin” from “The Conjuring.” And the exorcism session almost verbatim repeats a similar scene in the basement from James Wan’s film — minus the original effects, plus an increased level of bloody trash. There is nothing wrong with copying genre icons if the work is done with soul, but “Si Jin” has problems here too: the characters are written superficially, there is no one to empathize with, and all the scenes of their misadventures are staged at a rather average level. It doesn’t even occur to me to welcome the deserved cruel punishment, let alone empathize.
“Si Jin: Book of Blood” is a typical passable horror film with sluggish dynamics, a secondary plot, and a bit of shocking scenes. Not the best choice as an entry point into Asian horrors, but a tolerable entertainment for a company of friends on a weekend evening.