Sengkolo: Petaka Satu Suro [Movie Review]

Sengkolo: Petaka Satu Suro [Movie Review] | I loved the first film so much that I knew I had to catch this one too. 

Now, I’m just curious to see if it can actually live up to the original.

SYNOPSIS

Sengkolo: Petaka Satu Suro(2026) Trivia

• Starring: Aulia Sarah, Agla Artalidia, Cindy Nirmala, Dimas Aditya, Miqdad Addausy, Sharon Jovian, Annisa Hertami & Ence Bagus
• Director: Deni Saputra & Hadrah Daeng Ratu
• Producer: Raam Punjabi
• Production Company: MVP Pictures
• Distributed by: MVP Pictures
• Release date: January 22, 2026
• Running time: 105 minutes
• Rating: MA
• Country: Indonesia
• Language: Indonesian
• IMDb: 6.1/ 10
• Tomatometer: NA
• Metascore: NA
• This is Deni Saputra's directorial debut.
• To achieve a "haunted" look, Aulia Sarah wore opaque contact lenses that left her legally blind on set.  
• The Lindu Jiwo ritual draws from real Javanese "soul swapping" myths. To ensure authenticity, the production used genuine incantations and offerings vetted by cultural experts, blurring the line between fiction and ancient folklore.

The movie starts with a pregnant woman stumbling through the darkness, pursued by an entity whose nature—human or spectral—remains chillingly unclear. When the shadow finally catches its prey, the result is gruesome: she is discovered with her womb carved open, the life within stolen. This brutal opening sets the tone for a story where motherhood and malice are inextricably linked.

Rahayu is the village midwife of a serene coastal settlement. She is a woman of science and life, currently carrying her own second child. Her loyal assistant, Marni, endures a bleak domestic life with a husband who weaponizes her infertility against her, despite the years she spent nursing him through illness. But the cracks in Rahayu’s own life soon turn into a chasm. 

In a cruel twist of fate, Rahayu’s husband and firstborn son lost their lives to the sea when their boat capsized, leaving her to face her impending labor in a house echoing with grief. Her sister, Ratih, has already fled to Jakarta in search of a better life, ignoring Rahayu’s warnings. Now, isolated and heavily pregnant, Rahayu’s desperation reaches a breaking point.

When a midnight journey to the hospital ends in a devastating crash on a rain-slicked road, Rahayu gives birth by the wayside to a stillborn child. In the throes of agonizing sorrow, she listens to Marni’s suggestion. They seek out Nyi Badriyah, a woman who deals in the impossible. 

The price for life is steep. Nyi Badriyah offers the Lindu Jiwo, a forbidden ritual to tether a foreign soul to the infant’s body. The contract is clear whereby Rahayu must provide offerings and absolute obedience. If she falters, the child will not survive past her seventh year. Driven by a mother’s love, Rahayu signs her soul away. The baby, Utari, breathes.

Peace reigns for years, but as Utari’s seventh birthday looms, the shadows return. Terrifying apparitions begin to haunt mother and daughter alike, signaling that the debt is due. 

Can Rahayu break the shackles of a dark covenant without losing the very child she sold her soul to save?

MY REVIEW

What I Like:  

• Strong performances from the cast as the movie dwells on emotions as well as horror.
• Learning more about Java's culture of Malam Suro. 

What I Don't Like:

• The end feels a bit rushed, despite the movie running long.

Will I Watch It Again: Yes, I don't mind watching it again. 

Overall: 4.5/ 5.0

The pictures are taken from multiple sources on the Internet. Thank you.

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