Review in Brief: Impetigore (2019/20)

Even in a year chock-full of examples of distinctively-voiced horror, the Indonesian offering IMPETIGORE stands out. It’s self-aware without being glib (someone asks “who kills students?” the answer every horror fan knows, is any antagonist in a horror film), it’s extreme without being nasty and it uses aspects of uniquely Indonesian culture to add depth without resorting to outright stereotype. It’s pretty hard to neatly categorise in a horror sub-genre, incorporating elements of slasher, folk, occult and supernatural horror but never settling in one for long. Prepare to be constantly wrong-footed, frequently shocked and consistently entertained by this unique beast. Tara Basaro and director Joko Anwar are a killer combination and while they may be genre veterans in their home country, Impetigore could very well get them some much-deserved attention in the West. SSP

About Sam Sewell-Peterson

Writer and film fanatic fond of black comedies, sci-fi, animation and films about dysfunctional families.
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